Who was pushing home ownership?

In June 2002, President Bush spoke in Atlanta to unveil a plan to increase minority homeownership.

“We can put light where there’s darkness, and hope where there’s despondency in this country. And part of it is working together as a nation to encourage folks to own their own home.” — President Bush, Oct. 15, 2002

History lessons

I often disagree with David Sirota, but this time he is DEAD ON. And the Orwellian Disinformation being foisted on the American public right now is really sick.

"Of course, she doesn't offer up a single study or "academic work" as any kind of proof, and yet, when I say her assertion is absurd, Fox News anchor Greg Jarrett starts laughing at me - as if my assertion that FDR's New Deal helped end the Great Depression is so fantastical as to prompt guffawing. Jarrett proceeds to state that historians "pretty much agree" that FDR prolonged the Great Depression, and resorts to insisting that he knows that's true because "it's in the books" - whatever the hell that means. Indeed, Fox wants...."

full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-sirota/fox-news-historians-prett_b_153482.html

The solution...

to the trouble of overpaid American workers. I fully support the position in this article:

Call Their Bluff! Tie CEO pay in the U.S. to CEO pay in Europe and Japan

Injustice

who promoted home ownership?

Another snippet from the same article about inept Republican destruction of our country:

"It was June 17, 2002, a day Mr. West recalls as “the highlight of my life.” Mr. Bush, in Atlanta to unveil a plan to increase the number of minority homeowners by 5.5 million, was touring Park Place South, a development of starter homes in a neighborhood once marked by blight and crime."

How it happened...

“The Bush administration took a lot of pride that homeownership had reached historic highs,” Mr. Snow said in an interview. “But what we forgot in the process was that it has to be done in the context of people being able to afford their house. We now realize there was a high cost.”

For much of the Bush presidency, the White House was preoccupied by terrorism and war; on the economic front, its pressing concerns were cutting taxes and privatizing Social Security. The housing market was a bright spot: ever-rising home values kept the economy humming, as owners drew down on their equity to buy consumer goods and pack their children off to college.

full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/business/21admin.html?_r=1&hp

Kept us safe???

There is NO evidence that Bush prevented any significant terrorist attack on US soil before or after 9/11

Filibuster

The Filibuster is not in the constitution. It is just a Senate rule. Senate rules can be changed. As the Republicans showed this week with the Auto Company bailout, a minority of Southern Right Wing Senators can defie the will of the President, the majority in the House and the Majority in the Senate who were elected by a majority of the American people, and throw 3 million Americans out of work, or whatever else they choose to block. A good democracy cannot work this way. It is time to change Senate rules and get rid of the filibuster forever.
Call your Senator and tell him to vote to change Senate rules as soon as possible.

Vile humans

I used to wonder how anyone could become so vile... then I found out that Bill O'Reilly was beaten by nuns throughout his childhood. Feel sorry for him. Don't believe a word he says, but feel sorry for him.

Love

If you loved America, you'd be liberal.

Ayers

Yeah, the Ayers thing was cute. Turns out that "Domestic Terrorist" Bill Ayers never even hurt anybody... wow was he dangerous! and that on top of the fact that Obama hardly knew the guy.

Filibuster

An up or down vote is the real way in a democracy.

The Republicans had better hope they don't change Senate rules to eliminate the fillibuster :-)) Cus the American people have turned on the wackoright. :-))

Better than Sadam...

I especially love the WackoRight argument that "If Sadam were still in power this man would have been executed before he even left the building"... implying that the man is being treated very well, because... we are not brutal tyrants...

Since when is this our standard of behavior??? Since when does America say "Doesn't matter if he is brutally beaten in police custody for throwing a SHOE. We are a little less bad than one of the nastiest dictators in history. So get grateful you weasels" ??? That is not the American standard. George Washington set the standard in our war of independence, when he declared that no US serviceman will mistreat prisoners... America did not torture before Dubya and it will not torture after Dubya, and the WackoRight's consistently comparing our great nation to Sadam's brutality is disgusting.

Dangerous Contacts!!! Ironic smile

Somebody please, give me one reason why Obama's chief of staff should not have phone calls with any and all governors of all 50 US states and other territories, etc.

The WackoRight has no idea how to begin to deal with the crises that America is facing... so they blabber on and on and on about Blagojovich... and Ayers... and... anything else that will keep people from noticing they have NO SOLUTIONS for our problems. Do NOT vote Republican.

Throw...

If Bush comes to your town... Show him the respect he deserves... Throw your shoes at him :-))

I know I will.

Brutalizing the truth.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Right wing bull

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Gov should resign.

Gov Rod B of Illinois should resign immediatly. "Innocent until proven guilty" is for criminal cases. Our elected leaders must be held to a higher standard. Anyhow there is no way he can do the job of Governor with all this going on around him.

Dump Lieberman

"To reward Senator Lieberman with a major committee chairmanship would be a slap in the face of millions of Americans who worked tirelessly for Barack Obama and who want to see real change in our country," Sanders said in a statement. "Appointing someone to a major post who led the opposition to everything we are fighting for is not 'change we can believe in.'"

Independent Senator from Vermont, and Barack Obama supporter

The War on Terror

"If we just kill enough Iraqis, this terrorism thing will go away, right?"

CT Hypocrite

This guy was a Democrat. Then he joined the Connecticut for Lieberman Party. When you listen to how he contradicts himself you realize he's hypocrite enough to be a Republican. Just watch.

Boris and Vlad

How did real conservatives feel after Katrina?

Real Conservatives

Is O'Reilley a clown?

A view of Obama

Even now the Wacko Right is very gentle with itself

:-) What a Good Day!!

The State of America

Bad Energy Policy

Hannity pummels McCain... Wow, the WackoRight has gone Wacko!!!

Conservative vs WackoRight

This man... a former Nixon and Reagan speechwriter... wrote down some of the things I have been saying for a long time:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-10-31/obama-is-the-true-conservative/2/

Keep going!!

Yes a Landslide means a Huge mandate.

270 electoral votes is great... but we can do better... every state above that is a message to all our leaders all across the country... MANDATE FOR CHANGE... if Arizona voters go for Obama... if the popular vote goes 60 percent or more for Obama it will be a clear message to the world... the more the better... even in safe blue states, Get out the vote!! Keep Going. Just too more days!! :-)

Yes, WE CAN!!!

War

"War on drugs" "War on terror" "War on Poverty" "Class warfare"... none of these things is really war, but we do fight. Poor people haven't been fighting lately. Not since they fell in love with Ronald Reagan, who told them America would be great again if we cut taxes "Across the board"... of course the rich made out like bandits. The rich haven't stopped fighting. They do it quietly with lawyers, lobbyists, massive campaign contributions... so our progress toward neo-feudalism has been distinct since 1980 [we are stratified like we haven't been since the 1920s] If our country is going to be strong and grow and continue to have dynamic entrepeurs we must have a strong middle class that can afford to educate huge numbers of our young people. For that we need MORE class warfare not less. We need the bulk of Americans to have the time and money to spend doing homework with their kids learning and growing and building families and communities. It takes a village and with everybody working two or three jobs, nobody is in the village. Nobody is with the kids at all. We need a HUGE middle class tax cut. NOT just the peanuts McCain is offering.

Do the rich pay too much?!?

Our grandchildren now owe 10 trillion dollars that reckless Republicans spent on Reagan's millitary build-up and Dubya's wars for WMDs which Sadam was gonna give to Al-Queda except he never had them in the first place. [Thank God we stopped that]... and McCain thinks Paris Hilton needs a tax cut. He is one of the few.



The full article is here:
http://www.pollster.com/blogs/why_the_joe_the_plumber_tax_de.php

Paris needs a tax cut

The economic curse that the Borrow-and-Spend Republicans has put on your grandchildren is now rising at a rate of half a trillion per year [don't believe me. do the research yourself]... Who's gonna make up that deficit? Who is gonna pay for Dubya's War for WMDs? Paris Hilton? Or Joe the Plumber? Obama will give a much bigger tax cut to low income people like plumbers named Sam or Joe or whatever. McCain will give a much bigger tax cut to Paris Hilton. You decide.

Election Nightmare

Anyone who has used a computer in the last 20 years, knows how the things are UNRELIABLE, how they CRASH and LOSE DATA, anyone who has read a newspaper knows how computers can be hacked into and manipulated. ANYONE with a Brain would know that "electronic voting" is the worst possible thing to happen to democracy in our country for a century. Paper Ballots work great all over the world. They are verifiable, contestable, countable, recountable, every human in the USA has experience working with paper and pencil (many old and rural people have not used computers before and can be baffled). (Connecticut has a great system in place now). Probably the third great blunder of Dubya's Wacko Republicans was this electronic voting nightmare, which just about guarantees that all elections will be decided by the Supreme Court and not by counting the votes.
See article about Oprah getting fooled by the machine: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-friedman/oprahs-vote-lost-how-you_b_140026.html

Republican Idiot

Another Right Wing Wacko... and this one is really dumb!!!
Don't Vote Republican. Don't let these people run this country anymore...

Amazing Bill Kristol

This man is so dumb... he also led the fight AGAINST fixing our health care mess back in the early nineties... just watch:

and if you're still not convinced, read up on Bill Kristol on Wikipedia [here]. He is the leading wacko on the wacko right. He has been wrong about everything since he started speaking. It is amazing.

Protect the 1st Amendment...

"According to Palin, what the Founders intended with the First Amendment was that political candidates for the most powerful offices in the country and Governors of states would be free to say whatever they want without being criticized in the newspapers."

full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/31/palin-criticism-threatens_n_139729.html

Undecided?

Four more years

Here's a concise little piece I thought said it well:

"..then when Dubya threw Bill Clinton's hard earned surplus down the toilet he left the Treasury Dept no room for maneuver. Another Republican blunder, just like NOT protecting us BEFORE 9/11, NOT killing Bin Ladin, Starting two wars he had no clue how to win, killing wounding and maiming tens of thousands of brave young Americans. Four More Years!!!"

Reach across the aisle... Again

The last time the Republicans said they had a candidate an outsider not from the Washington beltway who was gonna reform Washington shake it up, reach across the aisle, cut through partisan gridlock… it was the year 2000 and G W Bush became president shortly thereafter. How much of what was promised did we really get?

Are you going to belive the Republicans in 2008 after the last 8 years of NOT getting reform and integrity?

Republican Oil Addiction

If McCain loves renewable energy so much, why does he have a 26-year history of voting against funding for renewable energy technologies? For 26 years he has been voting Against incentives for INNOVATIVE ENTERPENEURS to develop the tools to get us off our addiction to foreign oil. The man has been so wrong for so long that there is no way we can believe him now.

Jimmy Carter had a program to convert 20percent of America's energy production to solar by the year 2000... Reagan trashed that program.

Where would we be now in 2008, if we had listened to progressive Democrats back then?

Oh I miss Nixon

You know, in all my life, right up until the looting started in Bagdad, it never occurred to me that I would see a worse president than Richard Nixon. Dubya has outdone Nixon many times over.

Now, times have changed... It never occurred to me that I would long for the good old days of Dan Qualye, who couldn't spell, but at least he could sound reasonably intelligent half the time. "Bible Spice" just makes me cry every time she tries to ask a question... she is just clueless... she really doesn't know that sharing a border with Russia doesn't mean having foreign policy experience... and it looks like her handlers are afraid to tell her the awful truth.

Just Watch This... then Believe the Republicans

Who is Republican McCain?

Republican John McCain is just one huge question mark. We have no idea who this guy is. He says, look at my record... ok... let's look:
In 2000 he was against tax cuts for the rich. Now he supports them.
A few years ago he was against torturing people. Now he is in favor.
A few years ago he called Pat Roberston an agent of intolerance. Now he's his best friend.
Republican John McCain claims to fight against the corrupt lobbyists, yet he hires large numbers of them to do very powerful jobs, including Campaign Manager, and Head of the Transition Team.
Republican John McCain claims to fight against earmarks and pork-barrel spending and yet he nominates the Queen of Republican Pork to be Vice President.
Republican John McCain tells us for months that experience is critical to the job and Obama doesn't have it, then he nominates a beauty queen, historically the least qualified person ever to get that close to the Presidency.
Republican John McCain wrote a bill to liberalize immigration into the USA, then when it came up for a vote, he voted against his own bill.
Who is this guy?
What does he believe?
It is, I'm afraid, anybody's guess.

The Earth is Round

One libertarian said it well:

“Certainly for me the turning point was McCain's selection of Palin. As some liberal blogger somewhere put it, "McCain Loses Key 'Earth is Round' Demographic" with his Palin pick. I've been a Libertarian for 30 years, but always assumed if I didn't vote Libertarian I'd vote Republican. This time I'm voting for Obama. I've never seen such a clear choice in my life.”

Responding to McCain's question

At the third debate and elsewhere Republican John McCain asks “Why does he want to raise taxes on anybody?” in an effort to deflect attention from the fact that the Republican camp wants to give the Rich another huge tax break, and is pretending that this will cure the country’s ills.
“Why does he want to raise taxes on anybody?” My Dear Republican McCain (I will not call you my friend as you always call me), have you heard of the 10 trillion dollar Republican curse on our grandchildren? Did you know that another 500billion has been added to 10 trillion dollar Republican curse on our grandchildren just in 2008? Duyba has been borrowing from the Chinese to finance his war in Iraq. Who is gonna pay for that war? Joe the Plumber? People who make less than Joe the Plumber? Or maybe people who make more than Joe the Plumber? Is this all over your head? You said Economics was not your strong suit, didn’t you? Ask Governor Palin. She got a D in Economics 101. Surely she can explain it to you.


Was the tax burden on the rich sooooo horrible during the Clinton years that our economy collapsed? Nope. 8 years of peace and prosperity. Dubya hasn’t quite pulled that trick off, eh?

Why Republican McCain do you think that Joe’s boss should get 10 times more in tax breaks than Joe himself?

Palin's expertise

Sarah Palin has had a special-needs child for less than six months now. All of that time she's been working hard getting "executive experience". She has NO knowledge or experience with the subject. There are folks who have been working with the physically and mentally challenged for 40 years... yet Palin seeing one Downs Syndrome child a few times a week for half a year claims to be expert? Not in the real world.

Republicans are wrong again

With Obama's Tax cuts Joe the Plumber will save about $1000, with McCain's about $75. Which plan is better for working Americans? Rich folks like millionaire McCain and Obama [whose books sell really well] will get millions more in tax breaks if McCain is allowed to extend Bush's idiotic idea that giveaways to the rich will make the economy strong... didn't happen... and won't happen. Republicans are wrong on this issue.

Creating new realities... the quick way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-scher/conservative-fiction-the_b_138852.html

Funny but...

A funny but really stupid anti-Obama ad... It seems so close to parody that it's hard to imagine that some on the WackoRight might actually think it would be effective.

Hanging Chads Were Nothin'

This election will be the messiest in history. Count on several states suing left and right all the way to the Supreme Court. Normal fair election systems is another thing that 8 years of Republican rule has bungled.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-voting30-2008oct30,0,1814361.story?track=rss

Expensive clothes?

Who cares how much the Right Wing Wackos spent on her clothes? Who cares how much she stole in "travel vouchers"? If she stole half a million dollars that's great. At least she has proven that she is capable of SOMETHING!!! This woman is SO COMPLETELY incapable of being president. And McCain is about to keel over at any minute, so we must consider a Republican vote a vote for President Palin. Honestly I would much rather have a competent crook, like say Nixon, than ignoramus Caribou Girl with her D in Economics 101 and inability to answer the most basic questions about governing.

Simple tax logic. Wow.

“I do want to roll back the Bush tax cuts for people like me,” said Obama, who became wealthy from his best-selling books. “I don’t need a tax cut.”

Let's get real about redistribution

This is so obvious that it pains me to know that it must be repeated. But please, tell your friends and neighbors the obvious...

"Taxes are always a redistribution of money," the retired general (Colin Powell) told reporters on Sunday after endorsing the Democratic candidate. “Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to the ones who pay it. In roads, in airports, in hospitals, in schools, and taxes are necessary for the common good.”

Watch this speech

Watch this speech. It is well worth the 4 minutes...

a picture

This picture is worth $150,000
http://www.jabberwonk.com/flinker.cfm?cliid=1fnea0

This was predicted

McCain kept saying "The fundamentals of our economy are strong". Dubya said it too. They want to pretend that the mess was unpredicted. That is nonsense. A very quick look at a few old covers of a respected conservative British news magazine illustrates:

http://gawker.com/5065684/the-greatest-depression-as-seen-on-the-covers-of-the-economist

A quick analysis of talking points

And the Orwellian Brainwashing Network.... "No Spin Zone" Spins out of control for years on end...
http://steveyoungonpolitics.com/scott-mcclellan-white-house-fed-fox-news-talking-points-right-wing-talk-show-hosts-who-were-invited-to-the-white-house-for-a-private-meeting-with-president-bush-just-prior-to-the-2006-election-are/

Who is the Republican Party?

Begala and Carville writing for todays Huffington Post:

"They (Republicans) will need to answer fundamental questions: What does it mean to be a Republican? Do Republicans support laissez-faire or nationalized banking? Do Republicans support a balanced budget or half-trillion-dollar deficits? Do Republicans want a "humble foreign policy" like George W. Bush, or preventive war against countries that pose no threat, like, umm, George W. Bush? Are Republicans the party of limited government or a vast Medicare prescription drug benefit? Are they wary of Big Brother or eager to expand warrantless wiretaps? Do they support Christian values or torture? Are they the party that believes that cutting-edge technology can shoot a missile out of the sky or the party that believes humans and dinosaurs walked the earth simultaneously?"

Maybe after they answer these questions, a reasonable voter will be able to decide.
Until then the big unanswered question of this election is:
"Who is the Republican Party?"

McCain's record on veterans

Disabled American Veterans grade both candidates (McCain and Obama):
Barack Obama: 80%
John McCain: 20%

Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Of America Give The Following Grade For Their Voting Records:
Barack Obama: B+
John McCain: D

Barack Obama leads McCain In Military Donations, 6--1
McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans' Health Care
McCain Voted At Least 28 Times Against Veterans' Benefits, Including Healthcare
McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans.
McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs.
McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs
McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders
McCain Opposed the 21st Century GI Bill

President Palin

One Republican at the Denver West had this to say. Mostly I disagree, but there is some honesty there....

"Your reasons for supporting McCain are fine but his choice of running mate combined with his age and health make a vote for McCain a vote of confidence in "President Palin" as well and that is just horrifying. I don't understand why McCain supporters are so reluctant to admit this was a huge failing on the part of him and his advisors."

Socialism??? Hardly

Going back to the tax rates of the Clinton years is Hardly Socialism...

By the way, Warren Buffet supports Obama. Does that make him a socialist?? :-))

Limbaugh is still out of his mind

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/21/6491/7750/376/637293

ACORN is clean...

As with lipstick on a pig, and Bill Ayers, and all the rest the ACORN accusations are more of the same WackoRight Disinformation. If you want to stay out of the Reality-Challenged camp, find out about the truth, member that?
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/rnc_on_new_mexico_voter_fraud.php

If they hate God...

Quoting http://brownsox.dailykos.com/

"Apparently, as the GOP faces utter humiliation at the ballot box on November 4, it has become the fashion to tar, smear and slander their fellow Americans.

Trailing handily in the polls to Democrat Larry Kissell, who nearly beat him in 2006, GOP Rep. Robin Hayes has become the latest to go the full Bachmann. Emphasis added:

He yielded the microphone to Representative Robin Hayes, who prefaced his comments by saying it was important to "make sure we don't say something stupid, make sure we don't say something we don't mean." Republicans, he reminded the crowd, were kind people. Plus, he added, the liberal media had shown itself eager to distort such remarks. With the crowd duly chastened and put on best behavior, he accused Obama of "inciting class warfare" and said that "liberals hate real Americans that work and achieve and believe in God."

Hmmm. Good work on, er, "not saying something stupid", Robin, old boy.

So if I understand correctly, this is Robinho's thesis:

1. Liberals are not "real Americans"

2. Liberals hate Real Americans

3. Liberals hate work

4. Liberals hate those who achieve

5. Liberals hate belief in God.

Actually, rather than simply "going the full Bachmann", Hayes appears to have boldly gone where even Bachmanns fear to tread.

By the way, Hayes' Democratic opponent in this race, Larry Kissell, is a longtime textile worker, social studies teacher, graduate of Wake Forest University, father of two children, and a deacon in the First Baptist Church in Biscoe, North Carolina.

And in two short weeks, he will be the man who kicked Robin Hayes out of Congress on his ass, and brought decency and civility back to the political arena in the Eighth District."

Thanks John

no no no, only the small towns

Sarah Palin [the other name for Caribou Barbie] said that she loves the "Pro-America" parts of America. Take the time to find out what she means. Then ask yourself:

Are you going to let Sarah Palin tell you that YOU are ANTI-AMERICAN ???

Vote Obama-Biden.

PRO ? ANTI ? America ?

I don't always like Keith Olbermann. But he is right on this one.
Have a look. and think about what is PRO and what is ANTI America

the WackoRight attacks, with blows to the head

WackoRight Wing Wing Nut attacks Democratic Campaign Volunteer.
Info here
http://www.wisn.com/video/17757962/index.html
The consise explaination:
"Some of these right wingers just don't get democracy. They don't get that you have to be accepting of others' right to disagree. That's the American way. But they don't get it. So, like Republican terror advocate G.Gordon Liddy, they lash out violently at what they don't understand."

Economics 2008

Some intelligent talk about the economy:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27276786/

Why does he want...?

At the debate and elsewhere Republican John McCain asks “Why does he want to raise taxes on anybody?” in an effort to deflect attention from the fact that the Republican camp wants to give the Rich another huge tax break, and is pretending that this will cure the country’s ills.

“Why does he want to raise taxes on anybody?” My Dear Republican McCain (I will not call you my friend as you always call me), have you heard of the 10 trillion dollar Republican curse on our grandchildren? Did you know that another 500billion has been added to 10 trillion dollar Republican curse on our grandchildren just in 2008? Duyba has been borrowing from the Chinese to finance his war in Iraq. Who is gonna pay for that war? Joe the Plumber? People who make less than Joe the Plumber? Or maybe people who make more than Joe the Plumber? Is this all over your head? You said Economics was not your strong suit, didn’t you? Ask Governor Palin. She got a D in Economics 101. Surely she can explain it to you. Was the tax burden on the rich sooooo horrible during the Clinton years that our economy collapsed? Nope. 8 years of peace and prosperity. Dubya hasn’t quite pulled that trick off, eh?

Why Republican McCain do you think that Joe’s boss should get 10 times more in tax breaks than Joe himself?

The WackoRight returns to McCarthyism

This WackoRight Congresswoman actually wants to go back to the days of McCarthyism.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/17/gop-rep-channels-mccarthy_n_135735.html
She means it seriously. We need to stop her.
Watch http://www.censurebachmann.com/
and sign the pettition.

... not to mention...

one or two things that we do know about McCain is that he is a horrible manager... His campaign organization has been a mess from the very start. Mix-ups and misfires have been happening every week. His advisors cannot seem to agree on a consistent message. One advisor says McCain invented the Blackberry, another that Americans are just whiners and the Economy is super. A third advisor says neither McCain nor Palin could run a major corporation. Whoops. Palin contradicting McCain's policies about Pakistan, N. Korea, etc. Just Chaos. McCain clearly does not have the leadership skills to lead a large organization like the executive branch of our government.

A quiz

Mr. McCain’s chief strategist, Steve Schmit is quoted in today’s NY Times “Spread the wealth around is a big mistake.” The Republican Camp is planning to use this refrain against Obama.

Here’s a little quiz for our informed voters. Just fill in the blanks:

Exxon-Mobil made a profit of $ ______ billion between 2000 and 2003. Exxon-Mobil received $ _______ billion in tax cuts in the Republican Energy bill.
Executives at the 5 largest investement banks earned $ _______ billion in compensation in the last year.
Of the 5 largest investment banks in the US ______ have needed billions in taxpayer money for a bailout.
______ penny has been returned by the executives of an investment bank saved from bankruptcy by your tax dollars.
Republicans, specifically Bush and Paulson, requested $ _______ billion of your wealth to be spread imediately to the investment banks on Wall Street.

That is “Spreading the Wealth Around” according to the __________ Republican Party.

Who will inform voters?

As so often happens of late the truly important fact is mentioned on the Daily Show first. It is a sad commentary on the state of American Journalism.

Joe the Plumber has already given far more interviews that Wannabe President Sarah Palin. That is scary.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

All citizens need to see...

A simple lesson in deceiving voters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ljrh72Qy1tw&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/

Sam from the gas station

"How many plumbers do you know making a quarter of million dollars a year?" Barack Obama

Read this:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-seery/joe-the-plumber-meets-sam_b_135399.html

about Joe the Plumber by someone already in business

I read this post by a guy named "northern lights". It is Excellent:

So Joe is concerned with purchasing a business that will "make" $250,000 per year and how he will be taxed. As the owner of a small construction company, let me tell you. First, if your gross receipts are $250,000, you can optimistically net 20% - and that's optimistically after all expenses. So now we get $50,000 of taxable income.
But if you are saying your company will have net profits of $250,000, that means your company grosses $1,250,000. (Really). So let's calculate your taxes using the current tax rate of 36% - $90,000. Let's now calculate taxes at Obama's proposed increase to 39% - $97,500 - an increase of $7,500 a year.
Joe, good luck on that business and let me know when it starts making $1,250,000 million!

Joe the Plumber Honestly

If Joe the Plumber were honest he would come right out and say that in reality he makes $50,000 a year, and will in reality get a big tax cut under the Obama plan and a tiny tax cut under the McCain plan. He will vote for McCain anyway. That is his choice. But his hypothetical questions about "If I were very rich you would tax me more, wouldn’t you?” just don’t impress me.

Spread the wealth around???

Some individuals get rich. Some individuals get poor. Some have about the same their whole lives. Government policy however isn't about that. It is about the country as a whole.

And [don't believe me, do the research yourself. you will find that it is all true] from 1932 until the early 1980's the gap between the rich and the poor was closing. More and more poor people were joining the middle class. More and more Americans could afford to own their own homes. More and more Americans could afford to send their kids to college. There was really a growing middle class. Maybe the rich didn't do so well. Maybe some rich families had to do without 10 servants and had to settle for only 5. Tough life.

Since Ronald Reagan took office the gap between the rich and poor has been increasing [the statistics are easily available from a wide variety of sources. go and find them if you don't believe me]. That means a smaller middle class. Sure... some bet correctly on the stock market and got rich. Others lost their jobs due to off-shoring. Some kept their jobs but with the prices of food, gas, higher education, and medical treatment skyrocketing, their salaries buy much less now. They are joining the ranks of the poor.

"Wealth transfer" is a funny name for it. But look at the reality. Long-term government taxation policies have a huge impact on our society. We have to ask ourselves.... "What kind of society do we want to be?" Do we want to have an upper class living in castles while the rest of us work as servants? Or to we want a strong healthy middle-class working hard to build our nation to even greater greatness?

Republican McCain's idea that the rich need even more tax breaks now... when our country hasn't even begun to pay for Dubya's War for the WMDs... is absurd.
Republican McCain's idea that the rich need even more tax breaks now... when they have already received trillions over the years from Republican Reagan and Republican Dubya... is just stupid.
Republican McCain's idea that the rich need even more tax breaks now... begs the question... Why tax the rich at all? Why should they pay anything? I mean, it's not like they are members of our society, right? :-)

Raise my taxes?!?!?

Let’s face facts:

Joe the Plumber is really rich.

If he seriously has the means to buy a business, which has a taxable income of $250,000 per year, then as business prices generally go he would likely pay 1.75 million dollars for that business.

If Joe has that kind of money I am very happy for him. But back to Joe’s original question… Won’t Barack Obama raise his taxes? Well, if he has a taxable income of $250,000 per year under the Obama plan his taxes will go up two percent.

How would you feel about a taxable income of a quarter million dollars a year? Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Is it 5 times as much as YOU make? Do you feel that someone like Joe the Plumber, who makes 5 times more money than you, could contribute a little more to help pay for the War for Weapons of Mass Destruction which never existed? (Dubya has been borrowing from the Chinese in order finance it so far. So now WE will have to pay for it with interest)

Maybe Joe the Plumber wants people who make 5 times LESS money than he does, to finance the War for WMD’s. Do you?

Ask you friends and neighbors these questions. I think it is important to have these answers BEFORE we go to vote on Nov 4th.

The Resumés

You are The Boss... which team would you hire?

With America facing historic debt, multiple war fronts, stumbling health care, a weakened dollar, all-time high prison population, skyrocketing Federal spending, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc. etc., this is an unusually critical election year. The idea of “leadership” must be broadened from mere “experience” to include knowledge, learnedness and insight.

Let's look at the educational background of your two options:

Obama:
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

& Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

vs.

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899

& Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

Now, which team are you going to hire ?

Joe Biden Speech

Joe Biden makes a valuable speech:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEbKNf3L_Dw&eurl=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/15/final-debate-mccains-deer_n_135063.html

ignorance in government

In his interview with Governor Palin, Charlie Gibson mentioned Entitlement Programs.
Did you also get that feeling of déjà vu? Like somewhere sometime I’ve seen a presidential candidate with the blank expression of a totally clueless bozo, who for a spilt second has one powerful thought “Oh, My Lord!! They expect me to know what government programs are called….. AND what they do?!?!?!? Crap!!!!”

We have had enough ignorance in government; let’s elect some well-educated people.

Has your right to vote been stolen?

The deadline to register to vote in many states is coming up sooon.
Find out if you are registered (in some states you may have been kicked off the rolls by Rovian voter caging) and get specific instructions on what you need to do when to register see: http://www.voteforchange.com/

eratic but mavericky

McCain is a loose cannon (he says maverick, but it's not quite the same thing). He is eratic. He is dangerous. He is old, sick and half-dead already. He is wildly jumping from idea to idea and desperately hoping that nobody notices his policies are identical to Dubya's. He prays that the voters don't find out about his unstable eratic flipflopping on tax cuts for the rich, tax cuts for the corporations, his position on right wing extremists, his cozying up to lobbyists...

Even his friends say he is totally unpredictable. Even his good buddies from the Senate say that if he is elected we will be in for a wild ride. (source: Michael Kirk, the award-winning producer and documentary filmmaker, who made the film Choice 08 about the two candidates)

We cannot afford a wild ride. We need steady leadership. Obama-Biden.

Free market wisdom

There is nothing wrong with markets. Just as there is nothing wrong with football. But both need to be regulated. Without refferees enforcing the rules, sooner or later football players will start using brass knuckles, and then knives, and clubs and what you will get is a bloody mess of dead players. Maybe that is not what we as a people want. We, as a people decide what we want through democratic institutions (that means government. we govern ourselves in this country. remember "of the people, by the people, for the people"?).

The Republicans have been saying for 30 years that Government regulation is the problem. Republican McCain and Republican Greenspan have been effectively deregulating Wall Street to the point that the investment banks basically slashed each other up with machetes (derivitives and other worthless paper or toxic assets, whatever you want to call it) and so now we have a banking sector so hacked to pieces that it cannot provide the necessary services that our citizens and enterpeneurs need to keep us out of The Second Great Depression.

It is time to nationalize all the insolvent banks, throw out their managers and confiscate the millions that they pocketed while driving their industry beyond the point of collapse.

Do not believe anything any Republican tells you. Their disinformation and misinformation about the economy is just as worthless as their boasting "There is no doubt that Sadam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction"

domestic terrorist

It is of course a lie that Barack Obama "pals around" with Bill Ayers. The men hardly know each other, but even if they did... let's ask a question...

"If Bill Ayers is such a detestable man, why was he allowed to be a member of the Annenberg Foundation?"

[this question borrowed from http://stephencrosehome.blogspot.com/]

Reccomendation

Thelonious reccomends this blog:
http://jedreport.com/

Follow Andy Martin

From a NY Times article about Andy Martin:

'But an appearance in a documentary-style program on the Fox News Channel watched by three million people last week thrust the man, Andy Martin, and his past into the foreground. The program allowed Mr. Martin to assert falsely and without challenge that Mr. Obama had once trained to overthrow the government...

...When questions were raised last week about Mr. Martin’s appearance and claims on “Hannity’s America” on Fox News, the program’s producer said Mr. Martin was clearly expressing his opinion and not necessarily fact.'

So if I went on "Fair and Balanced" Fux News [there would also be a program called "Colmes' America" and not just "Hannity's wackoright view of America"] and said that McCain had actually trained in North Vietnam to undermine capitalism from within by becoming US President, nobody would question my facts, or my sanity, and when questioned about it later Fox News would just say that was clearly my opinion, right?

Mythbusting

Our country will get ever deeper and deeper in trouble if large sections of our population continue to buy into the myths propagated by the wackoright...
Please see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-matzzie/how-mccain-will-steal-the_b_133989.html

Ayers and the bizzare thinking of the WackoRight

Janus who blogs at the Huffington post said it well:

"The Committee/Board on which Obama and Ayers served was composed of 22 members, from both Republican and Democratic parties. It was funded by a grant of $50 million from Walter Annenberg and his wife (now his widow), both of whom were important Republican Party donors. The Annenberg Foundation, a communications organization, is still functioning mainly at the University of Pennsylvania under Kathleen Hall Jameson.

To follow the "thinking" of the McBush-Shrieking Sarah campaign, it must be true that the Annenbergs, the University of Illinois, the City of Chicago, all the said Board members, and the University of Pennsylvania are palling around with a domestic terrorist. The lunatics who enjoy Sarah's irresponsible bilge as much as Sarah herself enjoys spewing it, will pay no attention to this fallacy. Sarah and her adoring loons speak volumes about her and their mental states."

It is on film... watch it... learn it...

... share it with your friends and neighbors BEFORE the election.
For all the latest and best video evidence...
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheloniousThinks

Hiding something??

All Americans who love their country, must do the following... go to www.JohnMcCain.com find out the phone number of their local McCain campaign office, call it and DEMAND that McCain release ALL OF HIS MEDICAL RECORDS, and/or allow them to be studied by Real Doctors for as long as it takes. Showing them to reporters for a few minutes is NOT acceptable. Let the McCain-Barbie campaign know where you stand on this issue.

Republican Whining

They ARE pathetic:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/29/mccain-camp-blames-obama_n_130359.html

I especially love how McCain's spokesman on this CANNOT point out one OBJECTION the Republicans had to the bill. Like this or that provision was unwise. Paragraph 32 allows too much leeway to the .... What provisions in the bill were soo bad that the Republicans had to kill it? NONE. Their feelings were hurt, because the Speaker of the House said things they didn't like. Booooo Hoooo Hoooooo.

Rah rah. Four more years of Republican whining!!!

Shocking

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-borowitz/mccain-replaces-palin-wit_b_130111.html

Move the goal posts…..

When the last Republican to be inaugurated president took office, no Americans were being killed in Iraq… Zero, None, Nada, Not one, Nobody,…..
That Republican started a war [to find and destroy those WMDs]… and Now that same Republican claims success… because only a handful are being killed everyday???? After American 4000 deaths??? After tens of thousands wounded and maimed??? It is a success because our brave men and women are being killed, wounded and maimed more slowly than before?!?!?!?

Republicans and regulation of markets

"I'm always for deregulation"... come on John, stick with your guns... just a few more trillion of taxpayer dollars and we can deregulate lots more industries... Maybe the Milk industry, I mean look how well the Chinese are doing with no regulation of their dairy products :-)

Elitist

John McCain is the ultimate Washington insider. He has done nothing except hobknob with the rich and famous since he got back from Vietnam. He has never worked a day in his life. He just flies in his private jet, and makes deals with his old-boy network in Washington. He is surrounded day and night by lobbyists, led by Rick Davis, but there are some 80 others hanging around all the time. Pretending to be the outsider and a maverick is a joke. Rick Davis and Karl Rove think Americans are stupid and won't notice the obvious facts. Maybe McCain agrees. In any event there has been no straight talk from him for a long time.

What Republican McCain believes

Republican John McCain believes this woman is capable of leading the free world in a time of war and economic meltdown. Republican John McCain is out of his mind.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/27/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin-k_n_129956.html
If you think that the parody was taken too far, just scroll down to the original. It is terrifying.

Rushing off to Washington. Dork.

Once again Jon Stewart says it best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e06Nl05_dnM

Horrible Judgement

McCain has horrible judgement... swings left to right and chooses all his positions based on how it might help his career... He was wrong about the War for WMDs which never existed... he was wrong to choose the LEAST QUALIFIED VP CANDIDATE IN AMERICAN HISTORY based on a 15 minute conversation...

He is not the man to defend this country. He is already losing his marbles at 72... just imagine a few years from now... My neighbor is his age and he's a great likeable guy with a wicked sense of humor, but he is in no way capable of doing the most important job in the world, and McCain isn't either. Should he die... we'll be left with Clueless Beauty Queen to defend us in a dangerous world...

Obama Biden
Good Careful Intelligent Decision-Making
Our country deserves it.

Dubya's speech

Translated into English Dubya's speech is… …

We, Republicans of the WackoRight have messed up not just everything in foreign affairs, but now we have brought on the second great depression, so get really scared now, and fork over another 700 billion dollars to my buddies at the investment banks [in addition to the 1.1 trillion I have already doled out there to Freddie and Fannie and Bear Stearns etc] which is really not so much when you consider that the cost of the war of WMDs which never existed will cost over 3 trillion of your money, but my tax cuts need to be permanent, and regulation is NOT ever necessary for any reason..... I encourage you all to go shopping more....

In what respect Charlie?

I'm not a politician. I am not a pundit. I am a regular guy who reads the newspaper. I knew exactly what The Bush Doctrine meant as soon as Gibson said it. Anyone who may become President in the next few years MUST know these things. They are the basics necessary for presidential decision-making.

Any of the millions of reasonably informed... Any of us... and there are millions if not tens of millions... who know what the Bush Doctrine is... are better qualified to be president than Beauty Queen Palin. [or "Bible Spice" as she is now lovingly known]

An Open Letter to Gov Sarah Palin

Dear Possible Future President of Our Country,
Since you so rarely do interviews and dodge most questions you get during the few that you do, I can see that you don't like the media. That is OK. Let's dodge the media entirely and you can answer citizens' questions directly right here on this blog. Since you are completely unknown to the vast majority of the 300 million American citizens it may take a while for you to answer all these questions. I suggest you get started soon.
Readers and citizens please feel free to ad your concerns and questions for Ms Palin in the comments below...

1. If elected will you be taking your Kenyan witch doctor with you to the White House? What role will he play in a Republican McCain-Palin administration?
2. Did you actually hear of the existence of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae for the first time Three Weeks ago?
3. Do you believe in the separation of church and state?
4. How will your belief that the end of the world is coming soon effect the way you would govern should something happen to a President McCain?
5. Do you feel that residents of Miami Florida, being sooooo close to Cuba are as qualified in foreign relations as you and the other 8000 people from Wasilla?
6. .....

Republican mess encapsulated

Just about all we need to know:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOumCopGqY8

Written any laws? Sarah, how bout you?

The quick and easy way to learn the truth about Obama's record...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9dg_NLBXmQ

Bells and whistles from Republican

This is precisely what is happening. Excellent concise commentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TM2OYd1hBc

Intelligence and the presidency

One thing about intelligence is that bright people can take in and process large amounts of information, and draw good quality conclusions very quickly... you have to be able to do that to get a law degree from Harvard with honors. You have to be able to do that to run a huge government and command the most powerful military on the planet... Please please please look at Caribou Barbie's college transcripts.... Before you vote...

Obama has no plans?!?!?!

Obama has the most detailed platform, the most comprehensive plans for how to deal with the business of America than any presidential candidate in history. Go to his web site. www.BarackObama.com Read all about his plans if you like.

In any case if Republican McCain comes around to your town, tell him to stop lying about Obama not having a plan:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/22/cnn-calls-out-mccain-lie_n_128475.html

This is a photo of the city of Wales, Alaska [pop 153]. It is the westernmost place on mainland North America. It is quite likely here that Gov Sarah Palin gained her foreign policy experience by gazing across the Berring Straight at a hazy land mass in the distance...

Old boy network???

It is part of the strategy... and a large part of this strategy is a HUGE ENORMOUS smoke screen... but most intelligent readers will see through the wackorightwing noise...

in short... Republican McCain and Beauty Queen Palin are the Old Boy Network and that is why they are so desperately hurling accusations. One small piece of the HUGE McCain Palin Republican Lobbying Old Boy Graft is documented here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/us/politics/22mccain.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1222104715-X7pj7MXgm0kM7Sw+oZ1A9w

Before you vote...

Before you vote you should know this about McCain:

http://www.progressivesonline.com/election/shocking-mccain-headlines.htm

McCain's qualifications?

Here's a bit that I caught on another blog....

"...So stop the nonsense and write about McCain's health care plan.... it is ... DEREGULUATE!!! To imitate the profound success of the financial services industry."

War hero? Sure. Moron about economics? Afraid so.

This is not leadership we can trust.

Qualified?

The Economist is a British news magazine with a long history of right wing views. I read them every week. I like to see other perspectives and opinions. Here are some of the things they have written about Palin:

“Mrs Palin, who has been the governor of a state with a population of 670,000 for less than two years, is the most inexperienced candidate for a mainstream party in modern history.”
From: http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12066224

Is religion a problem?

Is Sarah Palin willing to make a public statement that she believes as JFK did that the separation of church and state should be absolute?

NOT Roe v Wade

It is, kids, quite possible that the next president will nominate 3 supreme courts justices... McCain is too old and too weary [during this campaign 47-year-old Obama has gone grey]... at 72 McCain will be dead very soon... campaigning is too hard.
We must think and discuss these things as if Palin will be the next president.
Forget Roe v Wade for a minute... and think about election chaos.... Dubya needed Florida, so some Republican officials in Florida created enough confusion, then refused to do a recount, then went to court to sue to stop a recount... and the US Supreme court in the end said "Well, there ain't enough time fer a recount anyway, the principle of the Electoral College meeting on Wednesday is much more important than some stupid old 'count every vote' ".... What is to stop that same scenario happening in every election for the next 20 or 30 years??? Democrats on the Supreme Court. and we will never get them with a President and First Dude Palin.

Who do you hire?

If you are interviewing a man, who may become football coach of your local team, and you discover that he doesn't know what a blitz is, and he's really confused and evasive when you try to talk about using the screen pass, you do NOT hire him.

You do not say "Well, lotsa people don't know what a screen pass is".

You want the best coach you can get. One with knowledge. One who is not afraid to be tested. One who is willing to answer all your questions. One who doesn't go back on his word about welcoming the investigation into allegations of wrongdoing.

McCain and health care

McCain's health care plan... in light of the banking meltdown... well McCain's leadership is a scary prospect for the world:
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/mccain-on-banking-and-health/

Victory?

If the Iraq War was waged to find and destroy the weapons of mass destruction that Sadam was threatening the USA with… er uh, when and how are McCain Palin gonna win it? They gonna find those weapons????

Victory will come my friends!!!! Fearless Beauty Queen Palin [who is scared only of reporters and of questions about governing which mostly make her poop her pants] will find the weapons and declare victory!!!!!

Elite?

Lost your job to outsourcing??
Has your job been offshored??
Barack Obama has real experience, on the ground, working with people in neighborhoods that suffer because of a plant closure. Community organizing is a great way to understand what is happening in the real America....

McCain had some real historic service in Vietnam. Then he left his disfigured wife, married a beatifull heiress and spent the next 40 years hobnobbing with the rich and famous and the Washington Elites. The man has 9 houses. His wife spent $300,000 on an outfit to wear one night at the convention...

Which candidate understands what it is like to have student loans?

The most liberal??

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont is a self-described SOCIALIST…. Yet somehow the wackoright noise machine comes up with the “fact” that Obama is the most liberal senator… but just by coincidence… four years ago the wackoright noise machine claimed that John Kerry was the most liberal senator….

Boys and girls… Reality… Senator Sanders is by far the most liberal and has been for years now. The Republican noise machine is lying to you. They think you are stupid.