Jack & Jill Politics

rikyrah: Picked this up from the Anchorage Daily News

http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/530761.html
Bush Took America Into Iraq To Make Them Look Like Us

COMPASS: Other points of view

By DARRELL KEIFER

Published: September 19th, 2008 12:27 AM
Last Modified: September 19th, 2008 03:29 AM

The most crucial question of this presidential campaign is the legitimacy of the Iraq war and the continuance of the U.S. occupation there. So much of the national discussion has skirted the real issues by framing the war with polarizing sports metaphors like victory, defeat, hit-'em-there, and surges. Americans must look beyond these and talk honestly about our country's approach to foreign policy.

he original reasons for the war: Saddam Hussein's ties to 9/11, the weapons of mass destruction, and the alleged support of terrorists, are nothing but a series of red herrings, abandoned even by the initiators. The unspoken reasons -- access to the world's second-largest oil reserves and our supposed need for permanent bases to protect oil supplies -- are authentic but secondary. The primary reason for the war comes from evangelical roots and is embodied in the Bush Doctrine -- pre-emptive war.

After 9/11, Bush felt that the United States could not allow Islamic fundamentalism to spread in the Middle East, and if we Westernized a single Middle Eastern country, it would influence others and they would follow suit. The effort would not be missionary in the religious sense but cultural -- not to convert Muslims to Christianity but to convert the country to a Western ideology.

This is wrong both theologically and practically. Islamic fundamental extremists do not represent the world's billion-plus Muslims anymore than the Timothy McVeighs of America represent fundamentalist Christians. The evangelical point of view, that the world is black or white, saved or not-saved, "with me or against me," has put us on a path that is inconsistent with our own moral and ethical tenets -- love, compassion, and understanding. One cannot love thy neighbor if one's starting point is: I'm right and you're wrong and I'm going to change you. Theologian Wilfred Cantwell Smith asserts that we urgently need to reconcile missionary theology and Christian ethics. For him, the study of how God reveals himself to others (Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus) has deepened his own Christian faith and understanding, not undermined it.

Bush's missionary-driven foreign policy includes imposing a free trade agreement on the Middle East, and the building of armies in Georgia along Russia's border. This represents a new colonialism that puts the United States on a collision course with anyone who is not-with-us. The Bush Doctrine is arrogant and morally unsound.

The administration has built permanent bases in Iraq and has plans for a long-term presence, as in Korea. America should abandon this policy and get out of Iraq as soon as practical. Americans need to let the presidential candidates know that permanent occupation is unacceptable.

Darrell Keifer lives in Anchorage.

This bears REPEATING as the LAME DUCK limps out the door!!

Obama-Biden '08!!

P.S. Does his "tone" sound like he doesn't live in America? Have some Alaskans been living like they are in a foreign country?

Reminder: EVERY Alaskan will get $2000+ this year. Last year, they got $1900.
They don't pay income tax. We, in the 49 states, DO!!

Rikyrah: This comes under the heading --"Maybe I cain't SPEAK FOR MYSELF!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/20/commen...
Commentary:Palin's Office Now Run By McCain Campaign



Gov. Sarah Palin has surrendered important gubernatorial duties to the Republican presidential campaign. McCain staff are handling public and press questions about actions she has taken as governor. The governor who said, "Hold me accountable," is hiding behind the hired guns of the McCain campaign to avoid accountability.

Is it too much to ask that Alaska's governor speak for herself, directly to Alaskans, about her actions as Alaska's governor?

Read the whole story here.[In the article.]

To the question: Is it too much to ask. . . . ..
That would be YES!

I'm still sayin'. . . . . Receptive processing - NOT!!

Obama-Biden '08!


P.S. Same article: Anchorage Daily News
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/531725.html
Abdication by Palin - Opinion

There was a sub-question:

When did the McCain campaign take over the governor's office?

Uh! Uh! Uh!

The 18 to 35 and the Latino vote will make this election a landslide win for Obama, though he is winning a presidency that will be plagued by an immediate financial markets crash just days or weeks after November 4.

We must not allow Congress to give the Treasury Secretary absolute power in this farce of a bail-out. In fact, I've already contacted Schumer, Dodd, Pelosi, Boxer and Feinstein registering my vehement disagreement with the clause, as well as the bail-out.

I'm not sure if anyone has posted this, but Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont has written an exceptional, simply-worded manifesto - it is socialistic but then so is the bail out:

(1) The people who can best afford to pay and the people who have benefited most from Bush's economic policies are the people who should provide the funds for the bailout. It would be immoral to ask the middle class, the people whose standard of living has declined under Bush, to pay for this bailout while the rich, once again, avoid their responsibilities. Further, if the government is going to save companies from bankruptcy, the taxpayers of this country should be rewarded for assuming the risk by sharing in the gains that result from this government bailout. Specifically, to pay for the bailout, which is estimated to cost up to $1 trillion, the government should:

a) Impose a five-year, 10 percent surtax on income over $1 million a year for couples and over $500,000 for single taxpayers. That would raise more than $300 billion in revenue;

b) Ensure that assets purchased from banks are realistically discounted so companies are not rewarded for their risky behavior and taxpayers can recover the amount they paid for them; and

c) Require that taxpayers receive equity stakes in the bailed-out companies so that the assumption of risk is rewarded when companies’ stock goes up.

(2) There must be a major economic recovery package which puts Americans to work at decent wages. Among many other areas, we can create millions of jobs rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and moving our country from fossil fuels to energy efficiency and sustainable energy. Further, we must protect working families from the difficult times they are experiencing. We must ensure that every child has health insurance and that every American has access to quality health and dental care, that families can send their children to college, that seniors are not allowed to go without heat in the winter, and that no American goes to bed hungry.

(3) Legislation must be passed which undoes the damage caused by excessive de-regulation. That means reinstalling the regulatory firewalls that were ripped down in 1999. That means re-regulating the energy markets so that we never again see the rampant speculation in oil that helped drive up prices. That means regulating or abolishing various financial instruments that have created the enormous shadow banking system that is at the heart of the collapse of AIG and the financial services meltdown.

(4) We must end the danger posed by companies that are "too big to fail," that is, companies whose failure would cause systemic harm to the U.S. economy. If a company is too big to fail, it is too big to exist. We need to determine which companies fall in this category and then break them up. Right now, for example, the Bank of America, the nation’s largest depository institution, has absorbed Countrywide, the nation’s largest mortgage lender, and Merrill Lynch, the nation’s largest brokerage house. We should not be trying to solve the current financial crisis by creating even larger, more powerful institutions. Their failure could cause even more harm to the entire economy.

rikyrah: "WHYCOME" there are soooo many article titles that include the words McCain C-O-N-F-U-S-E-S/C-O-N-F-U-S-E-D??? I know that I see a PATTERN!!! :>)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/gia...
Giant Gaffe: McCain CONFUSES National Guard and Army - - And Palin's Son



If you don't already do it, you really should be checking out the Anchorage Daily News site regularly, for local Palin news, editorials and op-eds, and its excellent Alaska Politics blog (special bonus Ted Stevens coverage there). Today, for example, the paper hits Palin hard in an editorial for abdicating to the McCain campaign on Troopergate.

And here's a brand-new gem on a stunning, overlooked McCain gaffe from David Hulen at the Alaska Politics blog:

Candidates spend a lot of time talking, and they all misspeak sometimes. But did anyone else notice this, from Wednesday's much-covered McCain-Palin Town Hall event in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Palin answered questions from people in the audience? McCain said this near the end of the clip below, as he's talking up Palin's foreign policy/national security credentials:


"I also know, if I might remind you, that she is commander of the Alaska National Guard. In fact, you may know that on Sept. 11 a large contingent of the Alaska Guard deployed to Iraq and her son happened to be one of them. So I think she understands our national security challenges..."


The ceremony Palin attended at Fort Wainwright last week didn't involve the Alaska National Guard. Palin's son is in the Army, and his unit - 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division - deployed to Iraq.

More coverage on the media and the campaign here.

Greg Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher and author of the new book on Iraq and the media, "So Wrong for So Long."

I'll be "Field Trippin'" at the Anchorage Daily News - DAILY! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: This is a progress report on the lawsuit filed in Detroit"

http://blackpoliticsontheweb.com/2008/09/20/adv...
Advancement Project and ACLU Sue Michigan Secretary of State Over Unlawful Voter Purging

Today, Advancement Project, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP filed a federal lawsuit challenging two statewide voter purge programs that could potentially disfranchise hundreds of thousands of Michigan voters in advance of the November 2008 presidential election. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Detroit against Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Bureau of Elections Director Christopher M. Thomas, and Ypsilanti Clerk Frances McMullen.

“We have repeatedly advised Secretary Land’s office that these voter purge programs are unlawful, yet they have refused to bring their practices into compliance,” said Bradley Heard, senior attorney with Advancement Project. “Thus, we felt that filing this action was the only way we could ensure that the voting rights of thousands of Michigan residents would not be infringed upon during this important and historic presidential election, and beyond.”

Advancement Project’s previous requests for meetings with Director Thomas to discuss these issues were refused.
Under one voter removal program, the Michigan Department of State, which administers both driver’s license and voter registration records, immediately cancels the voter registrations of Michigan voters who obtain driver’s licenses in other states instead of issuing the appropriate confirmation of registration notices and following the other voter removal procedures required by the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). According to the Department’s own estimations, over 280,000 voters per year are removed from the rolls in this manner.

Under the second voter removal program, a Michigan state law requires local clerks to nullify the registrations of newly-registered voters whenever their original voter identification cards are returned by the post office as undeliverable. Detroit elections officials report that nearly 30,000 voters per year in that city alone are removed from the rolls as a result of this state election law, which violates the NVRA and other federal and state laws. The NVRA permits voters to remain on the voter rolls for at least two federal elections after voter registration cards are returned.

“With Michigan set to be one of the most important battleground states in this election and turnout predicted to be the highest in state history, we are going to do everything we can to make sure that every vote counts and that nobody is illegally purged from the voter rolls,” said Kary Moss, Executive Director of the ACLU of Michigan.
The plaintiffs in the case are the United States Student Association (USSA) and the ACLU of Michigan. The parties have asked the federal court to schedule a hearing as soon as possible and to enter an immediate temporary injunction barring further purges under these programs.

Jonathan Doster, Michigan Field Organizer for USSA, explained that the purge programs being challenged in the lawsuit could have a devastating impact on many of the youth and college voters that his organization registers and for whom his organization advocates.

“Students and young adults generally are much more transient than older adults, are much more likely to have driver’s licenses from different states than their colleges, and are much more likely to live in multi-unit housing, such as dormitories and apartments. Anyone who has lived in these types of housing knows that the mail can sometimes be very unreliable and unpredictable. It’s just not fair to deny someone the right to vote just because they are an out-of-state student or they don’t get a piece of mail,” said Doster.

These voter removal programs could have a very detrimental impact in minority and low-income communities across Michigan. These communities tend to be more transient and to live in multi-family housing. Thus, voters of color are at risk of facing mass disfranchisement at the polls if something is not done now.

“The state of Michigan is breaking the law. By going forward with these unlawful purges, the only reasonable conclusion to draw is that the state is trying to disfranchise voters,” said Meredith Bell-Platts, staff counsel with the ACLU Voting Rights Project. “With the election just weeks away, the effect of these undemocratic purges could make all the difference in deciding who becomes our next president. It is the fundamental right of every eligible voter to participate in that decision and must be protected from the whims of partisan politicians.”

“Purge programs of this type are a blatant violation of federal law barring the immediate removal of voters from the rolls based solely on information suggesting problems with their residence address,” concluded Heard. “The state of Michigan should afford these voters the protections that federal law requires.”

Attorneys in today’s case are Heard of Advancement Project; Bell-Platts and Neil Bradley of the ACLU Voting Rights Project; Moss and Michael Steinberg of the ACLU of Michigan; and Matthew J. Lund, Mary K. Deon and Deborah Kovsky of Pepper Hamilton LLP.

It truly takes a village of competent people to deal with the incompetent ones! And, actually, the term incompetence, in this case, for me, includes an evil attitude/motivation.

Country first!? I think NOT!!

OBAMA-BIDEN '08!!

0

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/20/obama-...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/us/politics/2...

A fixed debate. She might say something stupid. Too late for that.

I posted the wrong link earlier.

A reader at Huffingtonpost.com said this about the up coming debates and I agree.

"This is insane, I cant believe this woman Palin is getting a free pass and anyone agreed to accomodate to this FARCE called Palin. am calling the Comission to file a complaint. I encourage anyone who feels the same to also call. Her nomination is a injustice to the American public , the woman hasnt even had a press conference in 3 weeks since her nomination. All the other candidates no matter party or views have been on the hot seat, scrutinized and paid dues and Palin is receiving special treatment. Its an outrage.
CPD at (202) 872-1020."

The fact that they asked for special treatment is a testament of her incompetence and McSame lack of judgement in picking her.

Hey all tomorrow I will be driving (my own car) to PA to canvass for our future President! If there are any NYC people who might need a ride back from Luzerne County- let me know! I'll be there by 10am!

Could JJP please put this bailout proposal into its own entry on the blog?

Here is the full text of the legislative proposal from Treasury Department for authority to buy mortgage-related assets printed at the WSJ:

Pay particular attention to this piece, please:

Sec. 8. Review.

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

and now read this:

Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets.

(a) Authority to Purchase.–The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States.

(b) Necessary Actions.–The Secretary is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the authorities in this Act, including, without limitation:

(1) appointing such employees as may be required to carry out the authorities in this Act and defining their duties;

(2) entering into contracts, including contracts for services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts;

(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them;

(4) establishing vehicles that are authorized, subject to supervision by the Secretary, to purchase mortgage-related assets and issue obligations; and

(5) issuing such regulations and other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to define terms or carry out the authorities of this Act.

And read the rest of it, it's pretty short.

This is a proposed power grab along the lines of the Patriot Act. And yes to echo TruthSeeker, it is in line with shock doctrine. That DK article is useful, but actually just reading this proposal directly is also instructive.

I just sent a message about this to my congressperson and Senator Obama (my senators are useless IMO)

oops, forgot to include the link to the text, here it is: Treasury’s Financial-Bailout Proposal to Congress

This sudden "crisis" had the feeling of a "shock doctrine" type event... It feels like "give up all your rights so we can save you. Take a look at this diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/20/153952/...

Watch for legislation they'll try to push through to "save" the peasants.

Chuck Hagel's words have ruffled GOP
September 2008: On Sarah Palin: "I think it's a stretch to, in any way, to say that she's got the experience to be president of the United States."

November 2007: On the Bush administration: "I have to say this is one of the most arrogant, incompetent administrations I've ever seen or ever read about."

May 2007: On the GOP: "I am not happy with the Republican Party today. It's been hijacked by a group of single-minded almost isolationist insulationists, power-projectors."

January 2007: On President Bush's plan to send an additional 20,000 troops to Iraq: "The most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam."

December 2005: On ruffling party feathers: "I took an oath of office to the Constitution. I didn't take an oath of office to my party or my president."

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_si...

They are trying to change the rules for the debate between Palin and Biden

At the insistence of the McCain campaign, the Oct. 2 debate between the Republican nominee for vice president, Gov. Sarah Palin, and her Democratic rival, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees, the advisers said. There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.

McCain advisers said they had been concerned that a loose format could leave Ms. Palin, a relatively inexperienced debater, at a disadvantage and largely on the defensive.

The wrangling was chiefly between the McCain-Palin camp and the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which is sponsoring the forums.


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/us/politics/2...

poster at huffpo makes a good point about palin and the debates:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

Tenley

I say: Be concerned about Palin and attempts to have the public have very low expectations of her going into this. She plowed over the very popular Tony Knowles, incumbent Democratic governor, in the debates there. Alaskans say it was the debates that electrified the voters -- most of whom had never heard of her. Please be careful of playing into the McCain campaign's attempts for there to be zero expectations for her in these debates.

That said, I hope she falls flat on her face and looks far worse than she has in even the most scripted and edited two national interviews she's given to date. But don't count on it. She's an actress as much as anything.

rikyrah: Will someone puh-leeze translate this into ENGLISH??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvUsdmqGYV8&eurl...
The Gov. "MOVING HER LIPS" following a question!
[Palin's Non-Sensical Answer on Domestic Energy]

O.K. I've said it several times! When you DON'T KNOW the ANSWER, at least move into an area that YOU DO KNOW!

Oh! Wait. . . You DON'T KNOW - any area! My Bad!! :>)

There is NO amount of coaching that can prepare this person for responding to a question. That is why they have been, at the least, trying to give her "talking points."

But, she can't even use them effectively!! Just let her re-read her Runner-Up Miss Alaska speech!!

Whew!! Babbling Deep Breaths!! :>)

p.s. I'm still just sayin. . . Receptive Processing - ain't happenin'

CNN had a story...law students registering the homeless to vote.

Palin to meet with Karzai in New York

CNN confirms that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai next week in New York during the opening meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/20...

Rikyrah: Charlie Rangel: He's payin'! He's Stayin' (for now)!

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=5836084...
Charles Rangel: Will He Stay or Will He Go?

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., is trying to set things right with his constituents and the IRS.
Rangel
House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., takes questions from reporters regarding alleged financial improprieties, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(Lauren Victoria Burke/AP Photo)

In an open letter to his constituents Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he was being targeted as part of a "guerrilla war" waged by the GOP, which has come down hard on Rangel after revelations that he failed to pay more than $10,000 in back taxes. That's also amid allegations of other financial missteps.

Today Rangel paid back the debt.

He wrote six checks for roughly $10,800 to cover income taxes he owed in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The amount did not cover penalties or interest, but a spokesman for Rangel said if such fines are levied, the congressman will pay them.

Republican lawmakers have called repeatedly for Rangel to step down from his post as head of the committee, which writes American tax policy. Yesterday, for the second time, House Republicans held a vote to censure Rangel. And for a second time the vote failed, leaving Rangel in his leadership position while the House Ethics Committee conducts an investigation.

And they're STILL investigatin'! :>)

Obama-Biden '08

Rikyrah: HEAD BOW for Natalie Cole - hospitalized.

http://www.newser.com/story/37967/cole-in-hospi...
Cole In Hospital With Hepatitis

Singer Natalie Cole has been hospitalized with complications related to hepatitis C, the Los Angeles Times reports. Cole was diagnosed with the liver disease in July and has been undergoing chemotherapy. That treatment and “the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” her publicist said. Cole has put off a tour in support of her new album, which was set to start October 3.

God Bless.

rikyrah: Something about "McAncient" hiding behind a "skirt"?? :>)

http://www.newser.com/story/37952/mccain-camp-s...
McCain Camp Strives To Skirt McCain-Feingold (Act)

John McCain is making a concerted effort to get around the campaign finance laws he championed, the New York Times reports. A lawyer who played a key role in defending the reform act known as McCain-Feingold from challenges is now on the McCain team, expertly advising on the loopholes through which the candidate can rake in the kind of unregulated large contributions the act sought to clamp down on.

It's legal, the Times writes, and not so surprising in a tight race. “There are very, very few lawyers in the country that are better at exploiting campaign finance loopholes than Trevor Potter,” says a former Republican chairman of the Federal Election Commission. “Of course, that’s one of the odd things about the McCain campaign. 'Here’s the rules we want, but we’ll play by the rules that are here.' "

Source New York Times

O.K. On a closer read, he's trying to "skirt" an issue! Dang! this English Language is an enigma!!:>)

OBAMA-BIDEN '08!

Palin Lies: One Man's Protest on the Juneau Cruise Ship Docks
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/akspa...

TruthSeeker: So ya went "Field Trippin' " :>) :>)
Isn't it comforting to know that "some people from the United States" [Oh! Wait. . . . Alaska is in the United States!] - Never mind! :>)

I like to give support to Mudflats for "holdin' it down" in Alaska!! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: SPOTLIGHT ON BIDEN:

http://www.newser.com/story/37935/out-of-the-sp...
Out Of The Spotlight Biden Battles On!

Newser) – He may be getting less press attention than Sarah Palin's pets but there's another vice-presidential candidate in this race and he's been blasting John McCain all across the Rust Belt, the New York Times reports. Joe Biden barely mentions Palin in his fiery speeches to crowds of varying size, but he is unsparing in his criticism of the "out-of-touch" McCain.

Reporters are thin on the ground at Biden speeches—and it tends to be just his gaffes that make the news—but his message resonates with working-class voters unsure of Obama. Biden "is a guy who I really believe, who really seems like he is going to help us out,” said a UPS worker who attended a rally in Ohio. “He sounds like someone who knows how we’re struggling.”

Go BIDEN!!

The Anchorage Daily News looks at Troopergate through another lens. Instead of focusing on what role the governor had in Monegan's firing, they look at Chris Kopp, the Christianist sexual abuser who replaced him. And the article ties this hiring to establishing the governor's Christianist credentials so she would be a more attractive veep pick for John McCain, who we now know is a wholly owned subsidiary of the religious right.

On June 30, 2008, David Brody of CBS News reported John McCain met in North Carolina with Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, director of the multimillion- dollar Samaritan's Place faith-based charitable organization. McCain was courting the religious right who, at the time, were skeptical of his social conservatism and his Christian qualifications. After the meeting Graham issued a statement praising McCain's "personal faith" and added, "We had an opportunity to pray ... for God's will to be done in this upcoming election."

Subsequent events suggest that the price of support for McCain by the fundamentalist Christian leadership would be a vice presidential candidate of their liking. Gov. Palin was a logical choice for Franklin Graham, whose ties to Alaska include a palatial, by Bush Alaska standards, second home in Port Alsworth: a community that has often served as a retreat for Christian fundamentalist leaders.

But Gov. Palin did not promote a socially conservative agenda during her first two years as governor and some Alaska right-wing commentators called her an economic liberal. Send us a sign, national fundamentalist Christian leaders seemingly said, that proves your credentials. In firing Monegan and hiring Kopp, Palin would have gained a controversial measure of revenge in a family dispute and established her standing as a Christian conservative politician.

Kenai City Police Chief Chuck Kopp was a rising star in Alaska's Christian conservative movement. He was a frequent speaker at local religious and patriotic gatherings. He was school board president of Cook Inlet Academy, the fundamentalist Christian high school in Soldotna his missionary-educator father founded. Kopp also was on the board of Port Alsworth's Tanailan Bible Camp, also founded by his father.

Through Samaritan's Place, Franklin Graham has been the chief benefactor of the Tanailan Bible Camp building and rebuilding a church and meeting hall and guest cabins. The evangelical scion of Alaska, Rev. Jerry Prevo of the Anchorage Baptist Temple, is on Samaritan Purse's Board of Directors, so there's a clear connection between Graham, Prevo and Kopp.

I always sensed that Troopergate had a more-than-meets-they-eye feel to it. This reportage doesn't prove anything, but it certainly makes some connections that sheds more light on the whiplash the nation experienced with McCain's pick.

I know folks don't think this story matters much to people, but it does. Not just because of this blatant pandering to the wingnuts, but also because it shows how much the governor's style reminds us too much of Cheney's style of governance.

And just how much a puppet these two dangerous, dangerous idiots are.

I know. I was very heartened to read a DK diary about Florida undecided voters, and one guy was like, 'She's Cheney in a dress'....went through abuse of power, hiding stuff..he was disgusted.

This is the wake-up call:

Elite fundamentalists believe, according to Sharlett, not only in religious determinism but that they are personally chosen by God to be in positions of power. By claiming divine legitimacy of their political power, elite fundamentalists relegate the opposition to being the devil's tool. They are making a frighteningly close return to the pre-enlightenment concept of rule by divine right, which our founding fathers rejected as anathema to democracy and established, instead, the separation of church and state lest decisions be made on the basis of good versus evil rather than wise versus unwise.

The right wing has America so spooked about religious fanatics in the Muslim world, you don't realize that you're in danger of Christian fundamentalist fanatics at home. America has been dragged into a modern Crusade. Muslims are right to be angry. They are fanatics too, but they have just as much right to exist as the Christian fanatics do.

Religion has been the cause of strife and bloodshed since it's inception...they cannot allow each other to exist. Don't trust the Rick Warrens of the world....who look fat and jolly, but are SLY, and POWER HUNGRY, and DANGEROUS to your health. The most dangerous person is the one who claims to have the ear of God. They slightly alter their positions to catch the waves of popularity, and keep support from young people. Suddenly they accept Global Warming...'cause they're toast if they continue to deny it. Isn't it terrifying that their opposition influenced energy policy for so many decades?

Do not trust them.

Agree with you on the fraud that is the "religious right" and the megachurch of today, name any one of them - Indict them all as frauds.

But I think we should stop going the "religion as the cause" route when history doesn't seem to support it that causality.

Going back a bit, just 3 avowed non-religious men (hitler, stalin, mao zedong) account for 100 million murders. Forward, Rwanda: nearly 1mm in a month - based at root on the of myth of superiority by physical features - being taller and fairer, and because of those, richer - perpetuated by colonialists who still saw all as just niggers. Israel-Palesting - that's about land, not religion. The current administration has even tried to claim religion - but he's as much an adherent as his now panchovilla'ed opponent. Bin Laden ain't religious.

Religion can't really match the record of bloodshed of atheism, and communism, even in its most cited example, the Inquisition - 10,000 killed.

Iraq: about 95,000 civilians and counting.

But all of this could still be morphed to say, "that's still religion as cause." I don't think so, but to get more literal about the connection, there has been study to say that the God-War link isn't so sound, e.g. this BBC "War Audit" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/world/04/...
"...very few religious wars in the past century."

We are right to say that religion is manipulated as a guise for political and ethnic or other conflict. But that has nothing to do with religion itself since we can't judge a thing by it's abuse.

Black folk know we're always judged by our lowest examples. Ain't right.

To do that would be to say let's get rid of the police and congress because some of them are just impersonating police officers, congressmen and congresswomen

I say this just to try to move away from the too simple causality we make, blaming religion for conflict. It's a long-time distraction for the party not worh keeping alive any more.

Truth is divisive, yes. Jesus himself did not apologize for that, calling what ain't true false. The Qur 'An doesn't apologize for being divisive on those grounds either. Buddah essentially invalidates both by saying you can't have a personal relationship with a God. You can go on...

But ain't na'ah war being fought on those ideological, doctrinal grounds - not even on the basis of distortions of those concepts.

It's simpler. We want stuff: money, oil, power, sex...

Even If religion is at times used as a front for war, by definition not the cause of war, then the root is still just people being grimy.

I had this long response put together and then I reread your entry and there were so many inaccuracy that it's clear you didn't know what your talking about.


OBAMA/BIDEN 08

was a bit much. my apologies to the board and jjp - way bad form. will tame all future posts. ...but still wonder where the inaccuracies are.

You're wrong on all counts...

I'll respond later.

By being wrong on all counts, I will say that I'm strangely happy to be batting 1.000 . I ain't never did that ...right or wrong.
Much peace.
e

I don't.

And if the polls hold, I expect to see an and just before November 4 that will show images of Barack in "Muslim garb" juxtaposed with al Queda terrorists and war pornography the thugs only hinted at at their Klan rally in the Twin Cities.

It's all they have left.

You are on the money. Did you read in my other post about how they're trying to scare Jewish voters with linking Obama to PAT BUCHANAN.
I was like WTF

I saw that.

None of it is going to work though.

Gallup Daily:

Obama 50%
McCain 44%

Poll: Racial views steer some away from Obama
One-third of polled white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26803840

I'm not shocked by the poll, but I am wondering why the analysts of this study don't see that race definitely plays a part in this observation:

"Race is not the biggest factor driving Democrats and independents away from Obama. Doubts about his competency loom even larger, the poll indicates. More than a quarter of all Democrats expressed doubt that Obama can bring about the change they want, and they are likely to vote against him because of that."

Are they serious? That last sentence has "race" all over it. Because Obama might not bring about the change that I want as I want it, I will just vote for the other person that clearly won't?? Lets just cut to it and give the real translation....."I just feel more comfortable voting for McCain".

Check out Al Giordano's response at The Field:

The AP’s Ron Fournier: Racial Arsonist and Unethical Journalist

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/ap%E2...

Today's AP story wasn't exactly about the so-called "Bradley Effect" or "Wilder Effect," a popular theory in the 1980s and 1990s that posited that some white Americans lie to pollsters claiming they will support African-American candidates but vote then against them in the secrecy of the ballot box.

The theory - if it was true back then - has been very thoroughly disproved in recent years, and today we'll walk you through all the documentation you need to debunk it when asked about it by others.

But with the McCain-Palin ticket sinking in the polls, and the financial crisis sucking the oxygen out of the culture war "issues" on all sides, with the economy now front and center as the dominant campaign issue, we're hearing increasing mention of the so-called "Bradley Effect," the so-called "Wilder Effect," the so-called "Bradley-Wilder Effect" (all names for the same 20th century theory).

And now, the Associated Press and its unethical reporter Ron Fournier are transparently attempting to turn the November election (and, if their attempted arson is successful, its aftermath for years to come) into a wedge to divide, polarize and set back race relations in the United States of America more than four decades.

Everybody take a deep breath and repeat after me: The race card is not working. It's not going to work. And we're not going to take the bait being dangled out in front of us by racially prejudiced provocateurs like Fournier: he wants us to spread his gasoline to make his arson fire bigger; we're going to hose water on it - and on him - instead.

This weekend, we have two sets of homework assignments for Field Hands, the first outlined in this post.

Step One: To arm and educate yourselves with the true facts demonstrating that the AP poll disproves Fournier's racially incendiary claims.

Step Two: To similarly arm yourself to be able to demonstrate that the so-called "Bradley Effect" (in all its names) has not been a serious factor for 15 years or more.

You will develop the talking points to explain the true facts to your neighbors, family and friends whenever it comes up. The "white Americans won't vote for a black man" canard is bogus, and, frankly, even if it were to be a factor, there is an equal and opposite force at play that is the Obama grassroots organization.

If "concern" about such claims need an outlet they will be in this assignment and the one to come later on today (to get the AP Managing Editors Association to fire Ron Fournier for his conflicts of interest and violation of the APME's Statement of Ethical Principles, or "ethics code").

Fournier's article claims:

The poll, conducted with Stanford University, suggests that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race could easily be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004 - about two and one-half percentage points...


40 percent of all white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks, and that includes many Democrats and independents...

More than a third of all white Democrats and independents - voters Obama can't win the White House without - agreed with at least one negative adjective about blacks...

Among white Democrats, one third cited a negative adjective and, of those, 58 percent said they planned to back Obama.

Let's think about that last sentence carefully. One third of white Democrats agreed with a negative adjective about African-Americans. But 58 percent of those supposed "racists" - a majority of them - are still voting for a particular African-American in specific. And that's supposed to be "bad news" for Obama's candidacy?

Read the entire article - Al makes some excellent points and expertly dismantles Fournier's spin which is refuted by the very poll he uses as "evidence!"

http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/ap%E2...

Shred it up and throw it away.

I know, I know...but its hard for me to block that paragraph out. I don't understand how anyone can read that and not see it for what it is.

I don't believe the numbers they're reporting, Miranda. Call me an optimist.

I don't deny the reality of bigotry.

But I don't believe bigots will decide this election no matter what anyone says.

I don't either. I think the numbers easily fall our way overall. Too many people are suffering over green to be concerned with black or white.

Craig,

Check out Al Giordano's response at The Field: http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield/ap%E2...

Thanks, Anovelista.

I like when statistics back up my beliefs.

I agree, too. craighickman. It is quite an underhanded move on behalf of those journalists, based on all the factual analysis tossed up by narcosphere.

But...

I still won't totally underestimate racism today. If you see race for the economic good that it is, then it's easy to see how some folks can suffer in this economy and still vote against their economic self interest in favor of emotional race satisfaction.

We have an easy historical example: The emotional satisfaction of NOT having blacks in the 50's diners and lunch counters was easily worth the money forgone. They'd go broke before selling you a sandwich.

That sentiment hasn't totally died, though it's become a bit more sophisticated and less visible.

No, it's not totally dead.

But it's not as powerful as we think it is because evidence -- empirical and anecdotal -- shows that it's not.

Look at the polls in West Virginia.

WEST VIRGINIA.

People are hurting so badly they will hold their noses and vote for a Black man against their bigoted interests because they can't risk what a McCain administration will bring them.

Even stupid people can excercise common sense when their backs are against the wall.

And with Barack, they have an OUT: he's half-White.

Don't ever forget that.

Why is McCain allowed to say that Obama has received more money than any candidate from Fannie and Freddie?

When:

The New York Times looked at contributions from Fannie and Freddie's boards of directors and lobbyists, who are technically not employees. That analysis found Fannie and Freddie-related contributors gave $116,000 to John McCain and his related committees, compared with $16,000 to Obama and his related committees.



McCain receives over five times as much money from Fannie and Freddie.

Sigh

Why does our news media not do their jobs!!!

he lies to lie

What Barack Obama’s teaching methods tell us about the kind of president he might make.

The College Issue: New York Times Magazine

http://tinyurl.com/3ljngv

Obama’s rootedness in the real world shaped every aspect of his teaching. He laced his lectures with basketball analogies. When a student observed the death of Jam Master Jay of the hip-hop group Run-DMC by wearing the group’s trademark tracksuit to the racism seminar, Obama acknowledged the gesture with a nod and a smile. (“I can assure you, that would not have been a common response among the faculty at the University of Chicago,” Joshua Pemstein told me. He was in class that day and now practices at Foley Hoag in Boston.) Obama’s style resonated with students, who packed his classes despite the fact that his obligations as a state senator meant that when the Legislature was in session his courses were held early on Monday morning and on Friday afternoon. If his students begrudged the early risings and missed three-day-weekends, they didn’t take it out on Obama in their course evaluations: they routinely rated him as one of the best teachers at the law school.

As someone who used to be a college teacher -- I have tremendous respect for Senator Obama's teaching methods as described in this article.

From a practical perspective (which I take because I know this kind of work from the inside) -- his approach takes a huge amount of skill and wisdom to actually DO.

And speaking from my teaching experience, I can also say that there is one part of the article that is dead wrong. It's the analysis of Dennis Hutchinson, here:

Dennis Hutchinson, who also teaches courses on race and the law at Chicago, pointed out that Obama’s racial background gave him a certain advantage. “Let’s be frank,” Hutchinson, who is white, said. “If you’re black, and you are teaching a group of mostly white students about sensitive topics touching on race, then you’re controlling the class.”

Hutchinson is just dead wrong here. Hutchinson apparently doesn't understand that whatever control Senator Obama would have in this situation is based firmly in his structural position as teacher (which does carry real structural power) -- certainly not his race. And in fact, there are often strong institutional/structural counterpressures on teachers who are not white that undermine that structural power.

I have carefully observed educational institutions and the structural power dynamics in them, and am kind of appalled at Hutchinson's total lack of comprehension of what he's talking about. It's sad that someone (Hutchinson) who is also a teacher has so little comprehension of the real dynamics of the actual context he is teaching in.

Anyway, this was a great great article -- thanks for posting it, Anovelista

@Michelle

I hear you, especially this "there are often strong institutional/structural counterpressures on teachers who are not white that undermine that structural power."

Clearly Hutchinson is not picking up on that.

Otherwise, definitely a very interesting article.

much obliged, anovelista. went on a search to get deeper with this content/concept of his teaching method.

I think O is actually a wake-up to a sort of static anti-intellectualism in the Dem side - yes I said Dem - the side that wants genuinely for equality but also prematurely declares that everything is everything and wants O to go off mad black man style on people without realizing the nuances of the race context in which we operate or his particular way of showing anger (seemingly by doing stuff, not shouting.) Black folks know there's a time to go off and time to do something different while still not letting the dumb stuff slide.

We know the Republican version of anti-intellectualism goes back even before the strong tradition of "the gentleman's C" of our top schools and through to arrogantly insular policy formation today. It has also fueled their race profile - not big on ethnic coalescing. Obama wakes folks up to a black reality with language and demeanors that both Dem and Repub folks can finally understand, which lends to his cross-party appeal.

I don't want the vocal and direct version of protest to stop, cause folks still have to be punched, but developing multiple ways to fight is a good thing. ...besides, it's pretty gauche and not good strategy for a President to hold his own heat. [sorta like rule #8 of the 10 crack commandments. i know... that's the corrupt version of the principle.]

Not only with race, but with any issue he has a human way of not letting people off with the simple and surface opinion, calling bs in his own way and then going deeper. I imagine that's a good trait in a President.

@hustleandfloe

I think anti-intellectualism is definitely a problem on all sides - and Obama's "chess-strategy" style works for me.

funny you mention his chess strategy style. i see it the same way and wrote about it in those same terms: http://tinyurl.com/3ktly7

Anovelista: Hey!! :>) :>) Obama's style resonated with students. . .

YES!! And it resonates with me, and a few million other supporters!! Smoothe Persona; well calculated TEMPERAMENT!

Mr. Obama: TEACH - Teacha!! :>)

OBAMA-BIDEN '08!!

This part really resonates with me:

“He wanted his students to consider the impact laws and judicial opinions had on real people.” According to Marcus Fruchter, who took constitutional law with Obama and now practices at the law firm of Schopf & Weiss in Chicago.

That speaks volumes to me.

I can see why.

You can't fake it after awhile. Too many people who knew Obama way back when - from conservatives who voted for him to be president of the Harvard Law Review to U of Chicago law students who trusted him to hear both sides of an argument - all have the same good things to say about our next president.

It's an interesting article.

I took a popular poster image and put a crucial imperative on it. Feel free to print, post, blowup to posters, make postcards, etc...

VOTE

Did anyone read the Seattle Times endorsement of Sen. Obama? Go to my blog:

www.progressiveerupts.blogspot.com

Barack just rocked the house in Daytona Beach. Gov. Sebellius and Napolitano joined him for another rally focused on women.

He looks confident as all get out.

Obama To Sell An Official Soundtrack: Kanye, Sheryl, Will.I.Am And More
September 19, 2008 05:33 PM EST |

NEW YORK — Barack Obama's presidential campaign, which has inspired a multitude of songs by stars and amateurs alike, is now getting an official soundtrack.

"Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement," which takes its title from an Obama campaign slogan, features Kanye West, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder and others. It will be available for sale exclusively through Obama's campaign starting Friday.

Proceeds from the CD ($24.99 for a digital download, $30 for a physical product) will help fund Obama's campaign until Nov. 4, Election Day, according Hidden Beach Recordings, which created the CD.

Steve McKeever, CEO and founder of Hidden Beach, a longtime Obama supporter, said he had been talking to people within the Obama campaign about a project like "Yes We Can" for a while.

"We had conversations quite some time ago about how to harness what was happening really organically and naturally with so many artists," he said. "The whole concept (was) how do we translate that to inspire and invigorate and also give people a keepsake that they can own while at the same time providing some important capital needed for this campaign."

While most of the songs on the disc have been previously released _ such as John Mayer's "Waiting On the World to Change" and Stevie Wonder's classic "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" _ a few of the songs are new, including Legend's "Pride in the Name of Love" and "Promised Land," a song by Malik Yusef featuring Kanye West and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.

McKeever said he had more than 150 submissions for the CD.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/19/obama-...

I downloaded it this morning. It's wonderful. Great music, with inspirational words by Obama mixed in sparingly, like a great spice. I'm blasting it in my store today, and from now on until we win.

can't wait to get it. i'm sure it'll become a collector's item.

Miranda: Cool! :>)

Obama-Biden '08

I'll buy one

That IS a great idea - and I am sure the first ever soundtrack inspired by a presidential campaign.

Awesome idea.

Please check this out and bookmark it. You can never have too many good laughs:
http://pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=...

and don't forget the little "va VOOM" man... i'm sure he's hurtin, too.

thanks.

Oh No! Well, Mr Snuffalufagus better lay low for awhile! He could be next!

Rob M: LOL!! :>) I liked the comments also!! Good wake up stuff!! :>)

Obama-Biden '08

'Snowjob square glasses'. LMAO!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/20/opinion/20blo...

NMP: What a"hit 'em between the EYES" article [even if she had on glasses!] :>)

I'm still "stumped" on the "stump the candidate" quip!

To "The Gov." --Hello! You were just stumped! That's what that kind of question "looks" like!! "BZZZZZZZZZ!" [We have a LOSER!]

Whew! Shaking my head Deep Breaths! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

more like, stump the chump!

Robert Reich on the proposed bailout: http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2008/09/coming-...
This is a primer on the short selling and the legimate role it plays in financial markets. While the the stoppage is not yet all markets wide(?) let alone all stocks it has caused the market to stabillize. The question is for how long: http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4549

Read this and see if it makes sense to you. It is the idea that short selling was a terrorist attack. I personally find this one a little too out there. The Saudi's have the money but as a whole they too mcuh to lose: http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/09/...

check out this ad made by a private citizen JJP. I LOVE IT. It is the BEST AD ever.

Wish I could get it in the hands of the Obama campaign.

Incredible. Please pass it on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJThPjvscFs

Val: This is GREAT!! I'm going to TRY to give it to the Campaign when I check in today.

Obama-Biden '08

how is your nephew GreenLady? I have been praying for your family.

Thank you VAL! Actually, he's a good family friend. He is still in very critical condition. This is a day-to-day situation. The doctors/nurses/care-takers are doing the best that they can.

Thanks for you concern and prayers.

I just sent a message to Mr. Obama's Campaign with that "address". We'll see! :>)

Obama-Biden '08

The Jed Report exposes how McCain praised banking deregulation earlier this month as well as points out how Obama's proposals from a year ago might have worked to combat what is happening in the markets right now.

http://jedreport.com/2008/09/mccain-praised-ban...

I am not sure if this link has been dropped by someone yet, but if it has I am sorry to repeat.

Michelle Obama's blog on Blogher.com
http://www.blogher.com/blog/michelle-obama

There is not much but it might offer some insight and thoughts coming from Michelle.

Suprk: Hey! :>) I enjoyed reading through this! Thanks! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

Hey everybody....Joe Biden's YouTube channel is looking kinda lonely. Please visit and subscribe. Here's a link to his channel:
http://ca.youtube.com/user/JoeBidendotcom

Look at this video...he really doesn't give Meredith an inch to maneuver! I don't think he took a single breath! Can you imagine him with a nervous, insecure Palin?:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=V544QfumwUY

TruthSeeker: Thanks for the Joe Biden post. I was going out searching for something to post ! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

Palin will pull out of the debate at the very last minute, citing Trig or Bristol or maybe lil' Piper caught something and she just HAS to be there because her CHILDREN are more important that ANY VP debate...and if you call BS you're SEXIST.

or

Palin will have an earpiece implanted in her Japanese Eyeglasss feeding her the answers.

I certainly wouldn't put it past the Repubs to use an earpiece or pull the sick kid stunt. Either way, it will hurt them.

My bet is on some type of earpiece but not sure where she will implant it. LOL

she'll be provided the questions beforehand. think hillary in the ABC 'debate' and mccain with the rick warren thing.

rikyrah: From the Daily Voice:

http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/09/obama-sh...
10 Ways Obama Has Sharpened His Message

Here are the 10 techniques Obama used this week to get his message across more effectively.

obama-change-banners.jpgFIRST, he used a simple metaphor to explain the choice facing voters. "We can't steer ourselves out of this crisis by heading in the same, disastrous direction," Obama said. "We can't change direction with a new driver who wants to follow the same old map. And that's what this election is all about."

SECOND Obama used guilt by association to challenge John McCain. "My opponent's first reaction to this crisis on Monday was to stand up and repeat the line he's said over and over again throughout this campaign - quote - 'the fundamentals of our economy are strong.' The comment was out so out of touch that even George Bush's White House couldn't agree with it," Obama said.

THIRD, he used clear language to contrast his opponent with himself. "On Monday, [John McCain] said the economy was fundamentally sound, and he was fundamentally wrong," Obama said. That's the kind of simple red meat statement that someone in the audience can remember and a reporter can quickly quote.

FOURTH, he used ridicule to attack his rival. Here's what he said about John McCain's response to the Wall Street meltdown this week. "Senator McCain's first answer to this economic crisis was - get ready for it - a commission. That's Washington-speak for 'we'll get back to you later.'" Obama said.

FIFTH, he used a litany to illustrate his point over and over again. "Folks, we don't need a commission to spend a few years and a lot of taxpayer money to tell us what's going on in our economy. We don't need a commission to tell us gas prices are high or that you can't pay your bills. We don't need a commission to tell us you're losing your jobs. We don't need a commission to study this crisis, we need a President who will solve it - and that's the kind of President I intend to be," Obama said.

SIXTH, he raised the ante. When John McCain proposed firing the SEC Chair yesterday, Obama quickly upped the ante and said that the public should fire everyone in charge. Said Obama: "Now that this disaster has hit, John McCain is calling for the firing of the Security and Exchange Commissioner. Well here's what I say: In 47 days, you can fire the whole Trickle-Down, On-Your-Own, Look-the-Other-Way crowd in Washington who have led us down this disastrous path. Don't just get rid of one guy. Get rid of this Administration. Get rid of this philosophy. Get rid of the do-nothing economic program and put somebody in there who's gonna fight for you."

SEVENTH, he used humor. As Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has demonstrated, one of the most memorable ways to communicate a strong message is to mock your opponent with humor. That's exactly what Obama did yesterday about John McCain's call to shake up Washington. "This is somebody who's been in Congress for 26 years, who put seven of the most powerful Washington lobbyists in charge of his campaign, and now he tells us that he's the one who will take on the ol' boy network," Obama said. Then he went for the kill. "The ol' boy network?" he said. "In the McCain campaign, that's called a staff meeting."

Then he used biting humor. "John McCain can't decide whether he's Barry Goldwater or Dennis Kucinich," Obama said. Okay, it's pretty much the same as regular humor, but this time it underscored a stronger message that McCain is willing to do or say anything to get elected.

EIGHTH he used an attack disguised as an innocent observation. "Have you noticed John McCain has been stealing my lines?" Obama asked in New Mexico. "I thought he was running on experience," he said, but then noted how McCain is suddenly running on change. "I guess imitation is the best form of flattery, but you know what, I don't want him stealing my lines. I want him to steal some of my ideas. Change isn't just a slogan. Change is having some ideas to actually move the country forward," Obama said.

NINTH, he used a tone of urgency. Obama likes to quote Dr. Martin Luther King's statement about "the fierce urgency of now." Fortunately, he didn't use that poetic line in his stump speech, but he did deliver a message of urgency. "Let's be clear: what we've seen the last few days is nothing less than the final verdict on an economic philosophy that has completely failed."

TENTH and finally, he made his case for change. "I am running for President of the United States because the dreams of the American people must not be endangered any more," Obama said. "It's time to put an end to a broken system in Washington that is breaking the American economy. It's time for change that makes a real difference in your lives."

Now He Has To Keep It Up

Obama is a superb speaker in a big setting for a big moment. He knocked it out of the park at Invesco Field in Denver. But it's the everyday stump speech on the campaign trail that defines how the candidate is perceived by the voters and the media.

Obama's new stump speech is the sharpest of the campaign so far. He doesn't sound like a Harvard law professor talking about constitutional principles. He sounds like a man who is hungry to win and ready to fight for his cause.

He has to keep up that tone and sharpen it more as the campaign moves into October, and he has to be ready with some memorable zingers for the first presidential debate next Friday. But if he keeps sharpening his rhetoric, stays on offense and stays on message, he could just get the promotion of a lifetime.

Some people are saying -"It's about time!" IMHO, I think Mr. Obama is saying: "This is the RIGHT TIME!"

I'm for letting him move his "CHESS PIECES" when he wants 2! STRATEGY!!

Obama-Biden '08!

"Some people are saying -"It's about time!" IMHO, I think Mr. Obama is saying: "This is the RIGHT TIME!" "

As someone who has been crtical of the non-existence of any visible strategy, I concede the point.

NMP: O.K. :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: Some "Battleground Stats from Real Clear:

Real Clear Politics Poll AveragesElection 2008 Obama McCain Spread
National 47.3 45.4 Obama +1.9
Battlegrounds Obama McCain Spread
Colorado 47.3 44.8 Obama +2.5
Nevada 44.6 45.6 McCain +1.0
Michigan 48.0 44.7 Obama +3.3
Ohio 45.3 46.5 McCain +1.2
Pennsylvania 47.2 45.2 Obama +2.0
Florida 44.4 48.9 McCain +4.5
Virginia 45.4 47.7 McCain +2.3

Obama-Biden '08

I've decided that the best way to stay optimistic and focused is to ignore the polls, but y'all ain't makin' it easy. :-)

NMP,

did you see my posting from Politicalinaction.com about Iowa from yesterday?

NMP: O.K. I'll keep this information to a minimum in order to assist in "encouraging" you! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!!

I feel you NMP. I am also trying to ignore the polls.

rikyrah: Dr. Rachel is on a roll!! :>)

http://www.jedreport.com/2008/09/rachel-maddow-...
Rachel Maddow Reviews John McCain's Bad Week

Now, "where's my popcorn?" :>)

Obama-Biden '08

Did you guys see Goolesbe on Lou Dobbs this am? He was really good. He said McCain's "plan" was 10 lines long and looked like it came out of a fortune cookie.

LOL

TruthSeeker: I guess I have to do better. Every time I see Lou Dobbs, I change channels! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: From HuffPost:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/19/obama-...
Obama Ad: McCain Needs Education On Women's Issues

Obama-Biden '08!!

rikyrah: She sings! She acts! She campaigns for Mr. Obama! O.K.! :>)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barbra-streisand/...
Barbra Streisand: The Country Can't Afford To Elect John McCain



We are in the worst financial crisis this country has faced in modern times. During these eight long years of Republican control, we have seen runaway greed, the deregulation of financial institutions and the mismanagement of the housing market resulting in the skyrocketing number of home foreclosures. This has led to a disastrous unraveling of the U.S. economy. We can't continue with four more years of the irresponsible practices and policies of the Bush administration.

The country can't afford to elect John McCain! In his own words he admitted that he doesn't know much about the economy. The day the stock market plunged 504 points, McCain agreed with President Bush that "the fundamentals of the economy are strong."

McCain has illustrated his lack of judgment time and time again. Not only did he pick an unqualified running mate, but he supported the Bush Doctrine, this preemptive, unnecessary war in Iraq, a war that Barack Obama was against from the beginning. Five years later, the war continues, costing the American public $435 million a day -- money that is desperately needed here at home.

So, as the war wages on and the economy continues to falter, as the government spends billions bailing out companies from bankruptcy, who is left to pay the bill? The American taxpayers -- the people who are working harder for less and are watching their 401K, pensions and life savings disappear. Barack Obama is fighting for these people.

We need a President Obama, a man of intelligence, integrity and vision, to end the war, to lift us out of this economic storm, and to lead this country back on the road to prosperity.

Can you hear her now!?? :>) Well, Hello Dolly!!:>)

Obama-Biden '08

and we all know that when it comes to her $$$, ms. streisand don't play!!! LOL!

Rush Limbaugh Hates Mexicans (But in a Funny Way)!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ridley/rush-...

TS,

I thought this was hilarious, and you know I'm not a fan of Ridley's.

I'm with you, girl! Normally I can't stand Ridley, especially when he's filling up space on Joe Scarborough, but he's been on point lately. I'm just astounded at the number of journalists, namely Jake Tapper of ABC and Jonathan Martin of Politico, who defended Rush. How the hell do you put "stupid Mexicans" any in context? Given all of the vile racist comments he's made over the years, why would they even go there?

How does this crisis feel to you guys? It has a element of a "looting" to me. Sort of like when Bush invaded Iraq, and there was looting of the museums and palace in that period of instability. I feel as if Bush is on his way out...and very powerful people see democrats as suckers and are "looting" the public purse before Bush goes. Guess who gets to carry the debt....A Democratic administration and the American people.

TS,

I'm feeling you, but I believe the situation actually IS this dire. Becauuse of the interconnectedness (is that a word) of the world financial markets, it would have been a free-for-all. And part of me would have loved that; but that's the vengeful part. Someone has to put on a breaks and try and stop this

I too fantasized about letting the whole thing collapse. Let the greed merchants feel the full consequence of Republican ideology. That skank is on the TV now trying to sell that bullshit about lower taxes. Sometimes I think people will never learn until they find themselves eating out of the garbage. In a decade, they'll be flirting with putting the Repubs back in office.

Look at all the states that are still red!!! These people NEED to be shocked! They need to be slapped out of their hysteria!

How do they get away with talking that shit in the midst of a collapse? Because the Democrats are not strongly connecting the crisis with Republican policies, is why! Every Democrat should be out there singing like a bird. They should do simulations, and make documentaries that show how this happened and what would have happened if Govt. didn't foot the bill. Ram it home, Dems!

I thought about that too, but I do believe that doing nothing would have likely led to a recession. Also, the democratic congress members who were briefed on this issue agreed with the bailout. Do you not think the situation is as bad as everyone suggests?

I wonder when did they know they were in trouble...Surely not in the last 3 weeks. Didn't anyone see this coming. It may be as serious as they say, but if so, why didn't anyone detect this a year or two ago? It seems it's just in time for a Democratic administration.

I don't think anyone saw it coming. I don't think a lot of people knew AIG was in trouble, and certainly not to the point of bankruptcy. I also think that the Republican's first inclination is to let businesses fail, except that most experts believe that the AIG failure would have affected not only the US Market but several other world markets. I tend to believe that no one who had the ability to do anything saw it coming before recently. I also believe that the people who did know about it most likely said something like, "it probably won't happen, but if it does, we'll deal with it then."

As I've thought more about this, and I read Robert Reich's blog, I realized that the media has framed the discussion as either bail out AIG or do nothing. Reich's post suggests doing something in the middle, and I think that is something that should be explored. If they pass a bill by the end of next week however, no other real options will be explored.

TruthSeeker: I'm not quite feeling the concept of "looting" 'cause Shrub couldn't have stopped this "robbery" if he wanted 2. He is not the sharpest knife in the drawer!!

But he DID demonstrate the concept of a Lame Duck! There he goes! Limping out the door - with our $$$$!! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: On the road again!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/19/clinto...
Clinton Unveils New Pro-Obama Effort



MINNEAPOLIS — Hillary Rodham Clinton stepped up her efforts Friday to swing her supporters behind Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, her former rival for the nomination.

In an outreach dubbed "Hillary Sent Me," the New York senator invited her primary-season partisans to get involved directly in Obama's campaign and to donate to it. As part of that, she urged them to travel to a specific battleground state each weekend, beginning with New Hampshire on Sept. 27, when she will be campaigning for Obama in Michigan.

"Today I am asking all of you to stand up with me, to hit the road and spread the word that we must elect Barack Obama president and send a Democratic, filibuster-proof majority to Congress," Clinton told supporters in a conference call Friday. "This is a call to action, a must-do. We all have a role. And there is not a moment to lose."

Starting Saturday, Clinton's political Web site will offer backers information about Democratic campaign events and grassroots efforts.

Clinton said the outreach "continues the historic journey that you have made with me."

"I like to tell people this is a twofer," said former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, who is challenging Republican John Sununu for his Senate seat in that state and also took part in the call. "You can come up. You work in the presidential race, you can work in the Senate race."

The effort was organized with the Obama campaign and state Democratic parties nationwide. Its goal: to engage the former first lady's donors and voters _ many of whom are still sore over her loss to Obama in the epic primary contest _ to put that firmly behind them and help in battleground states.

The New York senator has already campaigned for Obama in Ohio, Florida, Nevada and New Mexico and raised more than $5 million for his campaign. "Hillary Sent Me" is her first explicit pitch to her grass roots supporters to get involved, Clinton aides said.

___

On the Web: http://www.HillPAC.com</i>

Obama-Biden '08

6 weeks from the election...and I don't see the Clinton's doing much for Obama. All I see is them busy cleaning up their images. First the pictures of Bill in Rwanda with the black people.
Then the sudden appearance of the Hillary campaign e-mails...which turned out to be carefully benign. Not a single thing inflammatory, despite how heated we know the race was...(who believes that?) I think it was a deliberate leak to repair their image.

The convention speeches and the "catharsis" designed to repair the damage they did to that reservoir of goodwill with Democrats. Of course, they could have quit the race earlier and accomplished the same thing.

Whenever they give a statement, it's oddly dispassionate..they never speak spontaneously about Obama and when they do speak of him, it's bland and non-committal. Sometimes Bill gets very close to the line with his statements...you're left feeling like something's not quite right here. The way they talk, you would think their party wasn't embroiled in an election.

You know I don't trust them. Period.

rikyrah: OOOOOOOOO! "McAncient's" in T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=7CB...
Fannie Mae Vet Protests McCain Ad

A former Fannie Mae executive has written to The New York Times in an effort to escalate Democrats' pushback to a McCain campaign ad accusing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) of guilt by association with former officials of the mortgage giant.

The McCain ad, called "Advice," says: "Fannie Mae collapsed. Taxpayers? Stuck with the bill. Barack Obama. Bad advice. Bad instincts. Not ready to lead."

The former executive's letter, not yet published, was provided to Politico:

To The Editor:

Yesterday, Senator John McCain released a television commercial attacking Barack Obama for allegedly receiving advice on the economy from former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines. From the stump, he has recently tried tying Senator Obama to Fannie Mae, as if there is some guilt in the association with Fannie Mae's former executives.

It is an interesting card for Senator McCain to play, given that his campaign manager, Rick Davis, was paid by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac several hundred thousand dollars early in this decade to head up an organization to lobby in their behalf called The Homeownership Alliance. ...

I worked in government relations for Fannie Mae for more than 20 years, leading the group for most of those years. When I see photographs of Sen. McCain's staff, it looks to me like the team of lobbyists who used to report to me. Senator McCain's attack on Senator Obama is a cheap shot, and hypocritical.


Sincerely,

William Maloni
Fannie Mae Senior Vice President for Government and Industry Relations (1983-2004)

© 2008 Capitol News Company, LLC

"McAncient"/"The Gov." are really SSSSSSSnakes!! Off with their heads!!

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: -Ummm - I'm believin' that he would NOT be ready on DAY 1, 2, 3, etc. or N to the 1000!

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/...
McCain Appears Wrong On Fannie Pay

From NBC's Mark Murray and NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy
On the campaign trail in Minnesota today, McCain incorrectly suggested that the executive pay that former Fannie Mae CEOs Frank Raines and Jim Johnson earned came from taxpayers.

"That same executive got $21 million of your money," McCain said of Johnson. "And the other CEO, another supporter of Senator Obama, Mr. Raines got $25 million of your money. Let's tell them to give it back. Let's tell them to give it back."

Lucian Bebchuk of Harvard Law School, an expert on corporate governance, confirmed to First Read that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were private companies until being recently taken over by the federal government (which came after Raines' and Johnson's tenures).

Bebchuk said that maybe McCain was referring to past Fannie shareholders in the audience when he asserted that the executive compensation was "your money." Or perhaps McCain was making the point -- very loosely -- that now the federal government has taken over Fannie, any money that Raines or Johnson received is money taxpayers no longer have. But both assertions, he said, would be stretches. THERE'S MORE.

I love the comments!! :>)


Obama-Biden '08

He's lying to just be lying. But, no, I don't believe he understands.

rikyrah: I keep looking for evidence of his "gray matter"! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: Is this a version of "Some of my best friends are Black!"?

http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/witch-...
The Witch Hunter That Prayed Palin Into Office Is Coming Back To Wasilla

Yes, you read that right. It really has gotten that absurd. I just had coffee with fellow blogger and Anchorage talk radio phenom Shannyn Moore. While we were fuming over the McCain hijacking of the Troopergate investigation, she got a call from MSNBC. They asked if she’d come on Keith Olbermann’s show tonight to talk about ‘the witch hunter’. The witch hunter, aka Pastor Muthee, was the guest pastor from Kenya that appeared at Palin’s church, The Wasilla Assembly of God, and “prayed over” Sarah to help her become governor.

Muthee began his life in ministry in Africa by hunting down a local woman named Mama Jane after proclaiming her a witch.

According to the Christian Science Monitor, six months of fervent prayer and research identified the source of the witchcraft as a local woman called Mama Jane, who ran a “divination” centre called the Emmanuel Clinic.

Her alleged involvement in fortune-telling and the fact that she lived near the site of a number of fatal car accidents led Pastor Muthee to publicly declare her a witch responsible for the town’s ills, and order her to offer up her soul for salvation or leave Kiambu.

After Pastor Muthee declared Mama Jane a witch, the townspeople became suspicious and began to turn on her, demanding that she be stoned. Public outrage eventually led the police to raid her home, where they fired gunshots, killing a pet python which they believed to be a demon.

After the witch hunting incident, Muthee founded the World Faith Church, also known as the “Prayer Cave.” The Prayer cave has birthed more than 400 churches across Africa - in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Sudan and Rwanda.

While Palin was mayor of Wasilla, Muthee came to speak at her church. Here’s what Sarah Palin has to say about the experience, captured on video taken in the church. Keep in mind, this quote didn’t come from her long ago past. This happened IN JUNE, 2008…three months ago.

“As I was mayor and Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he’s so bold. And he was praying “Lord make a way, Lord make a way.”

“And I’m thinking, this guy’s really bold, he doesn’t even know what I’m going to do, he doesn’t know what my plans are. And he’s praying not “oh Lord if it be your will may she become governor,” no, he just prayed for it. He said “Lord make a way and let her do this next step. And that’s exactly what happened.”

“So, again, very very powerful, coming from this church.”

Muthee has spoken at the Wasilla Assembly of God church no less than 10 times, including the time he prayed over then Mayor Sarah Palin, giving her the divine shortcut to governorship. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t blink. Now, he’s coming back. He is scheduled for multiple speaking engagements in Wasilla this week.

The official vision statement of Muthee’s church (taken directly from the website) is…are you ready?…

Touching lives for total community transformation, thereby taking cities and nations.

Taking cities and nations? Most of us would like our cities and nation to stay just where they are, thank you very much. THERE IS MORE. . .

O.K. I have been waiting for that line that reflects her "diversity", but why am I surprised that that "diversity" came in the form of a "witch doctor - in a 'cloth' - from Africa?"

If this is her ONLY reference point for a Black man, then I can understand her arrogance! LAWD Ha'Mercy! This is PITIFUL!!

OBAMA-BIDEN '08!!

p.s. Mudflats - Hang in there!! Keep your presses rollin' :>)

P.P.S. Please read the commenters posts! They know what time it is!! :>)

just think about if this was remotely connected to Obama. we'd be subjected to an endless loop of this..

you know we would

rikyrah: Good morning! YES WE WOULD!!

I'm going to be away on an extended visit to the hospital, a little L8R.

In the meantime, I'm going to look for some videos on Mr. Biden! :>)

Obama-Biden '08

P.S. How did I miss this! I'm falling down on my "You Tube Mission!" :>)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBMEZvZSWFQ
The Witch Doctor - Alvin and The Chipmunks

Did anyone else crack up at Keith Olbermann sending the check to the Alaska Special Olympics in the amount of how many times James.Dobson.In.A.Dress or the GOP has lied about her positions? it was quite funny

rikyrah: I hope he, Dr. Rachel, Chris. . . have body guards! They are scathing!!

Love 'em!! :>)

Yes. I saw him!! :>)

Obama-Biden '08

Rush Limbaugh Hates Mexicans (but in a funny way)


The Money Quote:
My problem with Rush is not that he's a bigot. Bigots are actually funny to me in the way that people who still wear parachute pants give me a chuckle. What bothers me about Rush's ilk is that they don't actually have the stones to be real racists or women haters or anti- Semites. Though they irresponsibly fan the flames of hatred, they don't own the strength of their convictions. When they are called on their stuff they run back to their bunker, which is heavily fortified for a reason, crying "but it was only a joke!"

Like when Rush joked that Obama was a "haf-rican," or when he jested that Obama was a "magical negro."

Oh, the hilarity.

Be a man, Rush. Be a hateful man, but be a man instead of a pasty- lookin' crackhead drug addict whose wives keep ditching him 'cause he's impotent.

She did it again


Said PALIN/McCain Administration.

If he knows what's good for him, he'll get a food taster IMMEDIATELY

when did she do it again Rikyrah? Today?

on Friday. I'm telling, McCain needs to watch his back

Do you think she's doing it purposefully or is it a wishful thinking slip of the tongue.

dare I say BOTH?

msmartin: I'm thinking that this is another piece of EVIDENCE that her "mouth is NOT connected to her brain!" :>)

Obama-Biden '08

rikyrah: Pollsters are having a "Field" day! :>)

http://www.newser.com/article/d939o7s80/poll-wh...
When It Comes To Watching Football, More Would Watch With Obama Than McCain

Obama was the pick over McCain by a narrow 50 percent to 47 percent, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo News poll released Friday that generally mirrored each presidential candidate's strengths and weaknesses with voters. Women, minorities, younger and unmarried people were likelier to prefer catching a game with Obama while men, whites, older and married people would rather watch with McCain.

Got my popcorn ready!! :>)

Obama-Biden '08

rikyrah: Now what do I do with these credit cards? :>)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103...
WaMu Looks For Bidders. . .

Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Washington Mutual Inc., the savings and loan seeking a buyer after its stock price tumbled, rallied in New York on reports four potential bidders were interested and as the government announced plans to halt the credit-market seizure and crack down on short-sellers.

WaMu rose 42 percent. Banks including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Citigroup Inc., and Wells Fargo & Co. may bid for WaMu, three people with knowledge of the talks said yesterday. Bank of America Corp., previously mentioned as a potential acquirer, doesn't plan to bid, a person familiar with the matter said today. Banco Santander SA is also interested, The Financial Times said.

Surging financial stocks make WaMu's sale more likely, said Michael Kao, a money manager at Akanthos Capital Management in Woodland Hills, California. JPMorgan added $30 billion in market value in the past two days, while Citigroup gained $34.5 billion and Wells Fargo swelled by about $15 billion.

Something's always "SURGING!" :>)

Obama-Biden '08!

rikyrah: Can we see who is acting "Presidential"? :>)

http://www.miamiherald.com/515/story/692553.html
Obama At UM: 'It's Time for Resolve' Democratic Presidential Nominee. . .

Obama at UM: `It's time for resolve'

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama campaigned in South Florida Friday for the first time in three months amid what he called ''the most serious financial crisis in generations,'' telling a crowd dominated by women that his Republican rival failed to understand their struggles.

Speaking to a nearly packed house of 8,000 people at the University of Miami's BankUnited Center, Obama poked fun at McCain for speaking positively about the ''fundamentals'' of the economy and proposing a new financial regulatory agency for financial institutions.

''I think it's clear Sen. McCain is a little panicked right now,'' Obama said to the delight of the raucous crowd.

The reaction echoed the sentiment among many Democrats that the nation's economic woes could shake up the race and repel voters from McCain, who is trying to distance himself from the unpopular Bush administration.

''This isn't a time for fear or panic,'' Obama said. ``It's a time for resolve, and it's a time for leadership.''

THERE IS MORE of the article. I'm going to include some videos[she said - trembling! :>)]

Video from the Associated Press Video | Barack Obama talks economy at UM rally

video Video | Barack Obama's speech at UM


Obama-Biden '08

p.s. -Er, -um - The videos idea - NOT! Sorry! :>)

rikyrah: We wish him well!

http://blackpoliticsontheweb.com/2008/09/19/new...
New Mayor Pledges To Breathe Life Into Detroit

Obama-Biden '08

This is funny

I'm scared of white people if McCain loses

lolol I voted

rikyrah: LOL!! :>) I even voted!! :>)