Amid the mudslinging and lie-throwing today, I found this little bit of information that indicates that the overall economic picture is worse than we're being told. Take a look at ShadowStats.
15% real unemployment, 13% inflation rate, negative quarterly growth since 2004. We've been in a recession since Bush's second term began. We've known it but no one would admit it.
And, sadly, my dad has been sending around an email blaming 2 years of dems in congress for the current problems. I pity the FOX set and the kool-aid they be drinkin' and the McShameful candidate they be supportin'
Congressman Mark Kirk from Illinois is a bundler for the McCain campaign. He's the first elected official to publicly voice concerns about SlickSarah.
It's so common that it's not news any more, but McCain gets "testy" with the media...and mis-states (oops, lies?) yet again. HuffPost
In case you missed the fact that Maureen Dowd was banned from the McCain plane, here's an excerpt of her thoughts on the matter. Couldn't have said it better myself. Slick=Cheney in a skirt; McShame=Cheney in a shirt. "It was disappointing because I didn't think John McCain would ever be as dismissive of the First Amendment as Dick Cheney."
Bill's smokin' (no, he didn't inhale this time)... And though (Clinton) repeated his mantra that Democrats don't have to "say one bad word" about their Republican opponents to win the election, Clinton actually snuck in a dig against Sarah Palin.
"So (Barack's) got a better philosophy. He's got better answers. He's got a better understanding, and better advisers on these complex economic matters. He's got a better vice presidential partner," More here.
McShame whose campaign spokesperson is blaming or Obama who, today, personally called for calm and resolve in working through the financial crisis. I agree with TPM.
Here's the statement from the Obama campaign: This is a moment of national crisis, and today’s inaction in Congress as well as the angry and hyper-partisan statement released by the McCain campaign are exactly why the American people are disgusted with Washington. Now is the time for Democrats and Republicans to join together and act in a way that prevents an economic catastrophe. Every American should be outraged that an era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and Washington has led us to this point, but now that we are here, the stability of our entire economy depends on us taking immediate action to ease this crisis. Night and Day!!
Yesterday new reports of Obama moving ahead in the polls, SlickSarah once again looks like an idiot in an interview, the repug campaign wants to postpone the VP debate, too and on the HuffPost article about McShame's "suspension of his campaign" there were over 10,000 comments before they reset the number back to 4,000. And truly, the idiotic decision - oops, I mean campaign stunt - warrants the outrage that was reflected. But rather than repeat some of those comments (many priceless), here's David Letterman on the issue:
Check out thisHuffPost article about the church from whence SS recently sprung. It's downright frightening.
UPDATE
"Here is a transcript of that prayer for Sarah by Rev. Muthie http://irregulartimes.com/index.php/archives/2008/09/23/transcript-of-thomas-muthees-sermon-endorsing-sarah-palin/ They are praying that in addition to church the believers are to "infiltrate" areas of economic control, politics, education, media and government. Infiltrated by people "that are born again, spirit-filled, tongue-talking, devil-casting". That's what he prayed while laying hands on Sarah." And...I can't even bring myself to write about Gramm-Pa McShame's ploy to suspend his campaign and return to Washington to work on the economy (as if he knows anything about it!). Obama certainly looks more presidential on this one. So...the repug's candidate can't multi-task?? Pathetic.
UPDATE Ole Miss (site of the Friday debate) says it will be "financially devastating" to cancel the debate...so McSham wants to fix the economy and bankrupt Ole Mis??
UPDATE I can't even comment. This is priceless. McSham debated during the debate to deregulate the financial industry! Another great piece of work by HuffPost.
Campbell Brown of CNN calls the McCain camp's cloistering of Palin "sexist". Frankly, I think their actions are not driven by sexism, but by abject terror about what she might say and how she will humiliate herself and McShame...BUT Brown's "sexist" construct sure makes it tough for the repubs to attack the media for being "mean" to poor Palin, so it is a stroke of genius (even her statement that SlickSarah is "competent" though wrong is perfect in this context). Here's what she said (lifted, with gratitude, from the wonderful folks at ThePoliticalCarnival).
"Tonight I call on the McCain campaign to stop treating Sarah Palin like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment," said Brown. "This woman is from Alaska from crying out loud. She is strong. She is tough. She is competent. And you claim she is ready to be one heart beat away form the presidency. If that is the case, then end this chauvinistic treatment of her now. Allow her to show her stuff. Allow her to face down those pesky reporters... Let her have a real news conference with real questions. By treating Sarah Palin different from the other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves. Free Sarah Palin. Free her from the chauvinistic chain you are binding her with. Sexism in this campaign must come to an end. Sarah Palin has just as much a right to be a real candidate in this race as the men do. So let her act like one."
And the lies (or ignorance??) just keep piling on. From HuffPost this morning... "Two reports tonight, one from the New York Times, and the other from Newsweek, contradict John McCain's statement this week that his campaign manager Rick Davis had no involvement with mortgage giant Freddie Mac for the last several years."
"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself."
-- The 2008 Republican Party Platform, adopted earlier this month.
Palin only knows about Russia "metaphorically" speaking. PoliticalCarnival
If it's Monday this must be Grand Rapids or is it Cedar Rapids? Palin doesn't even know where she is - in spite of being able to see Russia from her home state. Britain's Guardian
George Will (yes, the conservative George Will) goes off McCain. If you read his Wash Postarticle, you'll read words like furious, flustered rookie, shallow and worse. Here's a taste:
"It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?"
McCain's Mangled Message (title lifted shamelessly from HuffPost): ABC Article
From Bloomberg.com Praise for Obama and this surprising information:
"Tellingly, three former SEC chairmen, a Democrat, Arthur Levitt, and two Republicans, David Ruder and Bill Donaldson, have endorsed Obama. Levitt is a board member of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.
Donaldson, who was tapped by Bush to head the SEC, says Obama called him last year about the financial-regulatory problems. He has never heard from McCain.
``Obama has been talking about the need for better financial regulation well before this crisis hit and has done some real thinking about it,'' says Donaldson, a lifelong Republican. ``McCain comes across as someone who suddenly realized changes have to be made.'"
Yesterday it hit me why the repubs and this bailout are so offensive. They remind me of adolescent boys - "you can't tell me what to do!...oh, Dad, I wrecked the car now you have to pay to get it fixed."
On the "you can't tell me what to do front, this post via the NYTimes Senator John McCain’s campaign manager was paid more than $30,000 a month for five years as president of an advocacy group set up by the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to defend them against stricter regulations, current and former officials say....The value that he brought to the relationship was the closeness to Senator McCain and the possibility that Senator McCain was going to run for president again,” said Robert McCarson, a former spokesman for Fannie Mae..."
And, we have only to look at China to see what "less regulation" gets us - 13,000 sick babies because of melamine in their formula, lead paint on children's toys and tainted prescriptions. Less regulation, my @$$.
Well at least the Dems are developing some backbone about it. Nancy Pelosi: “We will not simply hand over a $700 billion blank check to Wall Street and hope for a better outcome. Democrats will act responsibly to insulate Main Street from Wall Street."
I love Warren Buffet (who, not long ago, chided the repubs because he pays lower taxes than his secretary)! Read his 2003 warning about this collapse.
George Will (really? George Will, the conservative??) said yesterday that McCain looked "unpresidential" last week. On the other hand, Obama was comfortable, conversant and presidential. The result: "Tellingly, three former SEC chairmen, a Democrat, Arthur Levitt, and two Republicans, David Ruder and Bill Donaldson, have endorsed Obama." By the way, shouldn't we be going after the Wall St high rollers' assets to defray the cost of the bailout?
And, did anyone else notice the difference between McCain's comments and Obama's on 60 Minutes last night? McCain's actions as president would be to take the political office out of the White House (commendable, but pretty irrelevant at the moment). Obama laid out clear actions on the national and international stage. Take your pick of Google links about the interviews.
I loved when at the DNC "candidate" McCain was compared with "Senator" McCain (I can't remember whose speech it was - need more blueberries). Anyway, the CarpetbaggerReport lists 76 issues on which McCain has flipped his positions. They are categorized into areas including:
National Security
Foreign Policy
Domestic Policy
and more.
I sure hope the Obama/Biden campaign will find this website for the inevitable and stale flip-flop attack that is bound to come from the repubs. Seventy six!! Scary.
Now, take a look at this analysis of the proposed bailout of the economy. Here's an excerpt:
No one who foresaw the crisis, such as Krugman or Stiglitz, is involved in making the plan to fix it.
The man overseeing the bailout is the ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs, a Wall Street Company. He helped cause the crisis.
Paulson helped obtain the SEC exemption which allowed brokerages to increase leverage to 60:1 from 12:1.
Folks we really have to get active! Work for Obama/Biden this week. www.barackobama.com
Here’s what McCain has to say about the wonders of market-based health reform:
Opening up the health insurance market to more vigorous nationwide competition, as we have done over the last decade in banking, would provide more choices of innovative products less burdened by the worst excesses of state-based regulation. (emphasis added
Jon Stewart is hysterical!! I couldn't figure out how to embed the link so click here.
CNN Cafferty File
One great parody of Palin (I had tears running down my face!). To see more, read brief commentary and interview with comedienne Sara Benincasa, go here.
"Lies, lies, everywhere are lies" FactCheck.org slams McCain for another ad that lies about Obama's tax proposals. "In what has become an ongoing theme, the McCain-Palin campaign has released yet another ad that makes false claims about Barack Obama's tax plan." Very cool polling site shows Obama has regained the lead: http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
Questionsabout McCain's fitness. It began last week with a group of docs requesting full release of his medical records and continues in light of his daily flips on issues. What else could he do when the fundamentals (pun intended) of the Republican platform (trickle-down economics and free markets) have brought us to this financial crisis.
Check out the REAL McCain. These 5 videosare something!
The absolute BEST overall assessment of the pro-Palin propaganda makes for a VERY funny take on all the praise the repubs are heaping on Palin. Watch out Joe!
"I’ve done a lot of press, I’ve done, I don’t know, I was told I did 68, 70 press conferences, and the person says, "What do you think about Sarah Palin?" I said, “When she does three, I’ll let you know." I don’t know! I don’t have any idea! I don’t know! I don’t know!" Biden said as the crowd rose to their feet.
"You know, I mean, look, and it’s not, look guys, it’s not just Sarah Palin," he continued. "When’s the last time John, when’s the last time John’s had a press conference? I’m serious.”
Biden then turned to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, who introduced him.
"Ted, you and I know, when an elected official stops having press conferences, it ain’t because he’s found a way to communicate," Biden said. "It’s because he doesn’t want to communicate. Look folks, I mean, I, I, it’s just, if I sound angry it’s because I am angry. I mean, it’s like I don’t get it, I don’t get it!”
When the repubs bail out the financial industry (which is probably necessary), borrow from China to:
line the pockets of Halliburton and rebuild Iraq,
funnel money into the military/industrial complex or
subsidize the oil industry it's a good use of taxpayer money.
BUT when the Obama campaign talks about investing in infrastructure, alternative energy innovation, education, and providing healthcare to most of the citizens - the repubs claim that the taxpayer will face higher taxes to pay for this (a distortion of Obama's plan). I don't know about you, but I'd rather invest my tax dollars in this country and in sectors that will create jobs and wean us from oil rather than invest them in bailouts (also called corporate socialism). ON a HAPPIER NOTE Barack has a great sense of humor.
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