Jack & Jill Politics

It must really suck to be a republican with a brain right about now.

Love the picture; I've noticed when the kids are looking at Barack they truly see them selves in him. My friends kids were the exact same way when they met him. Love it :-)

This came out a few days ago, so I'm not sure if anyone already posted it, but it tickles my funny bon so much, that I have to post it anyway:

Homer Simpson Tries To Vote For Obama

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/opinion/05ric...

Frank Rich: The GOP is a party of whiners, Sarah Palin is so popular among Republicans because she has more testosterone than the rest of them and you can totally see Sarah fantasizing about becoming President when McCain dies.

A stupid, but ambitious trick is dangerous for the country. Just say NO to McCain / Palin.

Love the adjectives used to describe McCain in this story:

Crazed
Shaky
Seething
a White House place holder for Palin
Out of juice and out of ideas
fading into incoherence and irrelevalance

Frank Rich has written THE best columns on this election I've read.

He deserves the Pulitzer Prize.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/4/191315/...

John McCain's brother: "Arlington VA is Communist Country."


Way to go, jackass. Just insult Northern Va. which is pretty much CRUCIAL if your brother expects to win. And BTW, ya might wanna ask your brother McFail why he and Cindy own a condo in Arlington VA aka Communist Country.

But, what is even more startling and sad is that critics of Martin Luther King, Jr. smeared him by claiming he had Communist ties, it's deja vu.......It just goes to show you that many people are terrified of the inspiration and movement Obama has stirred in this country, much like King did in the 1960's.... Sometimes the more things change the more they stay the same.

McCain's brother is a dumbass ...and if I am not mistaken, McCain spent his teen years in NoVA and graduated from high school there.

McFail's campaign headquarters is also based in Arlington VA aka Communist Country.

LOL!

lol...

OMG! OMG! OMG!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/4/859...

First Michigan, now Pennsylvania!? Why Can't McCain Close the Deal on "Hard Working Americans..."?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/4/8263/27...

Wow... the "Maverick" is waving the white flag of surrender.

If McAncient concedes PA this race is O V E R...

Not exactly. McCain wasn't planning to win either of those states to get to 270.

If he loses Ohio or Florida, though, it's Obama 44. Which, numerologically, is Obama 08. (Be the same for the other one, though, but this is his second attempt.)

Couple thoughts:

1) I see that another Kitchen Sink assault is imminent. Governor Stupid led off the charge today. Well, I trust that the Obama camp is ready. Here's a thought: On Tuesday night, I assume that they will be allowed time for a closing statement. So, right there across from McBush - yep, on the same stage - Obama should remind the American people that his opponent does not "get it"; that his opponent has no idea how to solve the crippling problems that affect us; and, therefore will resort to irrelevant and offensive tactics in order to scare or fool them. Senator Obama should then implore us to not let his opponent drag us into the mud with them this time. He should tell us to reject that sort of politics and to stay focused on the issues that matter.

He should tell us, "My opponents think you guys are stupid. I trust you guys and I know you're not. So, it's time for us to say to them - Enough is enough; we don't need another four years that looks like the dismal failure of the last eight. So stay vigilant because they are going to try everything they can to make this election about silly things, and you cannot make that happen."

So basically, he would be reminding us that we have the power to reject the negative tactics that McBush's people have signaled that they will employ. You see, I am of the opinion that the smear tactic only work when they are named and when the fence-sitters, who are already on shaky ground, lose resolve. But, Senator Obama can generalize, but warn us that they are coming and that we will know it when we see it; and, then tell us to take charge, stay strong, don't waver, we have the power.

Then, watch John's head explode with fury. Like, he cannot believe that Obama took every opportunity to call him John(treating him as an equal, fuck seniority); look him in the eye(totally unafraid and forcing him to look into the eye of the man who he is cleaning his clock in the polls and who he knows he is about to lose to); and, finally, telling the American people that this ingrate is about to treat y'all like you're stoopid when y'all have bigger fish to fry that sh*theads like Bill Ayers.

Sweet.

So, Senator, please call him out on the stage, on national TV about the stink he's about to unload on us. Pretty please. Oh yeah, and then unleash an ad with the same message, with you narrating this ad.

2) I was listening to Senator Obama at his Virginia rally today. And, even though I, basically, understand the contrasts between his healthcare policy with that of John McBush's, I was, nevertheless, just horrified as he listed them. I felt a huge mass of fright develop in my stomach. "Say what?" "McCain's gonna do what?" "No f-g way!" I wondered if the people behind him were as affected as I was. I certainly hope so.

T.

About Ayers- Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD.

The man paid his debt to society.

Now, either we believe in rehabilitation or we don't.

Ayers knows The Mayor and Governor. That's how it rolls. Of course, if his name had been Leroy Jenkins, he'd STILL be in jail, but I digress.

Palin's married to a mofo who belonged to a SECESSIONIST GROUP FOR 7 YEARS...

and OBAMA'S PATRIOTISM IS QUESTIONED?

WTF?

Here is the Obama campaign's response:

Governor Palin’s comments, while offensive, are not surprising, given the McCain campaign’s statement this morning that they would be launching Swiftboat-like attacks in hopes of deflecting attention from the nation’s economic ills. In fact, the very newspaper story Governor Palin cited in hurling her shameless attack made clear that Senator Obama is not close to Bill Ayers, much less ‘pals,’ and that he has strongly condemned the despicable acts Ayers committed 40 years ago, when Obama was eight. What’s clear is that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather spend their time tearing down Barack Obama than laying out a plan to build up our economy.

Good. Now do it again on the stage in Nashville or wherever on Tuesday. In front of McBush.

T.

Biden’s Unified Theory of Biden
http://www.newsweek.com/id/162295/page/1

I can't help but like the guy even though he pisses me the fuck off sometimes - talking, talking, talking. Still, I know that Senator Obama chose the right person to ride with. Thirty some days to go. Keep it straight now, Joey. Stay on message bro.

T.

Very nice article, thanks for sharing. One thing that has made me so comfortable with Obama's pick of Biden is the respect, deference and admiration Biden so obviously has for Obama. I also like how comfortable and natural their families appear together.

I think the two of them will work well together in the White House.

Here is another great post on the Biden choice as VP.

Biden vs Palin: You betcha! (or What I want in a Vice President)
http://angryafrican.net/2008/10/03/biden-vs-pal...

John McCain is seeking the highest office in the land, while he and his running mate actively flout the law of the land in Alaska:

Alaska Supreme Court takes up 'Troopergate' case
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/04/alaska...

Rachel Maddow: Powers of the Vice President Oct. 3, 2008
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=qIupYTI0ceI

rikyrah, when and where was this pic taken? it's lovely.

When Barack was in Lansing, Michigan last week.

It was probably taken yesterday when he was in Abington , PA. I like the photo very much too.

Joe and Jill Biden need your prayers.


From DailyKos:

Biden Schedule Cancelled: Family Illness (updated)
by dawnt [Subscribe]
Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 12:33:01 PM PDT
Biden's spokesperson, David Wade:

The campaign has cancelled Sen. Biden's schedule today and tomorrow because of a serious illness in Jill Biden's family. Hospice has advised the Bidens to remain close by, and we appreciate everyone's respect for the family's privacy.


CNN is reporting that his mother in law (Jill Biden's mother) is battling a serious illness and is in a hospice in Pennsylvania:

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden is cancelling his campaign events for Saturday and Sunday as his mother-in-law battles a serious illness.

rikyrah: Thank you for this information. God Bless Mrs. Biden/Mr. Biden and family!

This has been a long weekend for him--just finished the debate; son headed for Iraq; now his Mom-in-law. I'm just so sorry his family is going through so much right now.

me too.

yeah, i saw that. in my prayers.

T.

"Ethnic Print Media Vulnerable During Bad Economy"

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_artic...

http://vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1973

Senator John McCain's Record on Troop and Veterans' Issues




Voting Against Veterans

Veterans Groups Give McCain Failing Grades. In its most recent legislative ratings, the non-partisan Disabled American Veterans gave Sen. McCain a 20 percent rating for his voting record on veterans' issues. Similarly, the non-partisan Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America gave McCain a "D" grade for his poor voting record on veterans' issues, including McCain's votes against additional body armor for troops in combat and additional funding for PTSD and TBI screening and treatment.

McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans' Health Care. Although McCain told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans' health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against increasing funding for veterans' health care in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt. 3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)

McCain Voted At Least 28 Times Against Veterans' Benefits, Including Healthcare. Since arriving in the U.S. Senate in 1987, McCain has voted at least 28 times against ensuring important benefits for America's veterans, including providing adequate healthcare. (2006 Senate Vote #7, 41, 63, 67, 98, 222; 2005 Senate Votes #55, 89, 90, 251, 343; 2004 Senate Votes #40, 48, 145; 2003 Senate Votes #74, 81, 83; 1999 Senate Vote #328; 1998 Senate Vote #175; 1997 Senate Vote #168; 1996 Senate Votes #115, 275; 1995 Senate Votes #76, 226, 466; 1994 Senate Vote #306; 1992 Senate Vote #194; 1991 Senate Vote #259)

McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans. McCain voted against providing automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments for certain veterans' benefits. (S. 869, Vote 259, 11/20/91)

McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 billion. (H.R. 2099, Vote 470, 9/27/95)

McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs. McCain voted against an amendment to increase spending on veterans programs by $13 billion. (S.C.R. 57, Vote 115, 5/16/96)

McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion for Veterans Programs. McCain was one of five senators to vote against a bill providing $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, plus funding for other federal agencies. (H.R. 2684, Vote 328, 10/15/99)

McCain Voted Against $47 Billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of eight senators to vote against a bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (H.R. 4635, Vote 272, 10/12/00)

McCain Voted Against $51 Billion in Veterans Funding. McCain was one of five senators to vote against the bill and seven to vote against the conference report that provided $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as funding for the federal housing, environmental and emergency management agencies and NASA. (H.R. 2620, Vote 334, 11/8/01; Vote 269, 8/2/01)

McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion for Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included $122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. (H.R. 2861, Vote 449, 11/12/03)

McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders. McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, posttraumatic stress disorder or substance abuse. (S. 2020, S.Amdt. 2634, Vote 343, 11/17/05)

McCain opposed an Assured Funding Stream for Veterans' Health Care. McCain opposed providing an assured funding stream for veterans' health care, taking into account annual changes in veterans' population and inflation. (S.Amdt. 3141 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 63, 3/16/06)

McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans' Care. McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. (S.Amdt. 3642 to H.R. 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06)

McCain Supported Outsourcing VA Jobs. McCain opposed an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from outsourcing jobs, many held by blue-collar veterans, without first giving the workers a chance to compete. (S.Amdt. 2673 to H.R. 2642, Vote 315, 9/6/07)

McCain Opposed the 21st Century GI Bill Because It Was Too Generous. McCain did not vote on the GI Bill that will provide better educational opportunities to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, paying full tuition at in-state schools and living expenses for those who have served at least three years since the 9/11 attacks. McCain said he opposes the bill because he thinks the generous benefits would "encourage more people to leave the military." (S.Amdt. 4803 to H.R. 2642, Vote 137, 5/22/08; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2/08; Boston Globe, 5/23/08; ABCNews.com, 5/26/08)

Disabled American Veterans Legislative Director Said That McCain's Proposal Would Increase Costs For Veterans Because His Plan Relies On Private Hospitals Which Are More Expensive and Which Could Also Lead To Further Rationing Of Care. "To help veterans who live far from VA hospitals or need specialized care the VA can't provide, McCain proposed giving low-income veterans and those who incurred injury during their service a card they could use at private hospitals. The proposal is not an attempt to privatize the VA, as critics have alleged, but rather, an effort to improve care and access to it, he said. Joe Violanti, legislative director of the Disabled American Veterans, a nonpartisan organization, said the proposal would increase costs because private hospitals are more expensive. The increased cost could lead to further rationing of care, he said." (Las Vegas Sun, 8/10/08)

Lack of Support for the Troops

McCain co-sponsored the Use of Force Authorization. McCain supported the bill that gave President George W. Bush the green light--and a blank check--for going to war with Iraq. (SJ Res 46, 10/3/02)

McCain Opposed Increasing Spending on TRICARE and Giving Greater Access to National Guard and Reservists. Although his campaign website devotes a large section to veterans issues, including expanding benefits for reservists and members of the National Guard, McCain voted against increasing spending on the TRICARE program by $20.3 billion over 10 years to give members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families greater access to the health care program. The increase would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts for the wealthy. (S.Amdt. 324 to S.C.R. 23, Vote 81, 3/25/03)

McCain voted against holding Bush accountable for his actions in the war. McCain opposed the creation of an independent commission to investigate the development and use of intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq. (S.Amdt. 1275 to H.R. 2658, Vote 284, 7/16/03)

McCain voted Against Establishing a $1 Billion Trust Fund for Military Health Facilities. McCain voted against establishing a $1 billion trust fund to improve military health facilities by refusing to repeal tax cuts for those making more than $1 million a year. (S.Amdt. 2735 to S.Amdt. 2707 to H.R. 4297, Vote 7, 2/2/06)

Senator McCain opposed efforts to end the overextension of the military--a policy that is having a devastating impact on our troops. McCain voted against requiring mandatory minimum downtime between tours of duty for troops serving in Iraq. (S.Amdt.. 2909 to S.Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote 341, 9/19/07; S.Amdt. 2012 to S.Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote 241, 7/11/07)

McCain announced his willingness to keep U.S. troops in Iraq for decades--a statement sure to inflame Iraqis and endanger American troops. McCain: "Make it a hundred" years in Iraq and "that would be fine with me." (Derry, New Hampshire Town Hall meeting, 1/3/08)

THERE IS MUCH< MUCH MORE!

Send it to D. maybe if he get out of his Captain America costume long enough he can see the light.

11 Racist Lies Conservatives Tell to Avoid Blaming Wall Street for the Financial Crisis
By Sara Robinson, Campaign for America's Future
Posted on October 2, 2008, Printed on October 4, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/101127/
Conservative pundits and politicians have piled onto the excuse like shipwreck victims clinging to a passing log: The real blame for the current economic crisis, conservatives would have you believe, lies not with anything they did, but rather with the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act -- a successful Carter-era program designed to get banks to stop covert discrimination, and encourage them to invest their money in low-income neighborhoods.

It's always easy to tell when the cons are completely lost at sea. The lies get more absurdly preposterous -- and also more transparently self-serving. But when they go so far as to openly and unapologetically latch onto race and class as an excuse for their woes (which this is, at its heart), you know they're taking on water fast -- and scared of going under entirely.

You can hear the conservative commentators burbling this CRA fable from the Wall Street Journal to the National Review; from Rush to YouTube. Neil Cavuto put the essence of the argument right out there on Fox News: "Loaning to minorities and risky folks is a disaster." See! It's all the liberals' fault for insisting on social justice!

Conservatives are twisting the facts beyond the breaking point to support their revisionist history. But don't be fooled: the financial crisis was caused by conservative financial follies and bankers run amok and nothing more. Here are the basic myths they're trying to push about the CRA -- and the facts that will enable you to fire back.

1. The CRA was a liberal boondoggle designed to con banks into funding housing for undeserving, unqualified minorities.

False. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 was the result of decades of disinvestment in poor and working-class neighborhoods. It was designed to put an end to "red-lining" -- a widespread practice in which banks refused to write mortgages for houses in certain neighborhoods, no matter who was applying or how creditworthy they were.


The Fair Housing Act of 1968 had made it illegal for real estate agents and banks to discriminate against homeowners on the basis of race. Red-lining soon emerged as a not-so-subtle way to continue this discrimination, by declaring, ahem, certain neighborhoods as unfit to invest in. By 1977, the results of this practice were becoming all too obvious, so Congress stepped and gave lenders a choice: if you want the FDIC to insure your deposits, you need to knock off the redlining.

The CRA didn't force lenders to make riskier loans than they would have otherwise. It simply required that they take each applicant on his or her own merits, and give people in poorer neighborhoods the same fair chance at a mortgage that everybody else in town was getting. It wasn't about preferential treatment. It was just about basic equality.

2. The CRA forced banks to lower their standards and make loans to all low-income families and people with poor credit -- and find banks that refused to comply.

No. The CRA has encouraged banks to lend fairly and responsibly for over 30 years. It does not impose fines. It does periodically examine FDIC-backed banks, and issues them a CRA compliance rating. A highly-rated bank must meet the financing needs of as many community members as possible, and must not discriminate against racial and ethnic groups or certain neighborhoods. However, a bank will not receive a high rating unless it is also maintains "safe and sound banking practices."

In other words, the CRA requires banks to lend to working-class families and people of color -- but only when those people have been deemed as creditworthy as anyone else.

3. The housing bubble burst when too many people with home loans mandated by the Community Reinvestment Act failed to make their mortgage payments.

False. The CRA only applies to FDIC member banks and thrifts. Back in the 1970s, these institutions were responsible for most of the country's mortgage lending. But starting in the 80s and on up to the present, we saw a huge boom in lending businesses-- such as finance companies like Countrywide -- that weren't banks, and didn't take deposits that required FDIC insurance. Thus, they didn't have any obligation to the CRA. And they were free to set their own lending standards, which were often far less cautious than those required of FDIC-insured banks.


4. The bulk of the "junk" loans that have been packaged into mortgage-based securities are CRA loans.

False. An analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data in the country's 15 biggest metropolitan areas found that 84.3% of the high-cost loans made in 2006 were originated by non-CRA lenders -- including 83% of high-cost loans to low- and moderate-income individuals. The Federal Reserve notes that, across the country, non-CRA lenders were twice as likely as CRA lenders to issue subprime loans to vulnerable borrowers. Furthermore, the Fed also reports that responsible mortgages made by CRA lenders have about the same low rate of foreclosure as other traditional mortgages.

5. If the government had just set the lenders free to do their thing, the market would have prevented this. It's just another example of how government oversight always leads to market failure.

Wrong again, buckaroo. As explained just above, up to four-fifths of these loans were issued by financial institutions that operated with little or no federal regulatory oversight. In fact, in 2006, only one of the top 25 subprime lenders was a CRA institution. A few others were mortgage/finance company affiliates of CRA-covered lenders; but even these were separate businesses that didn't operate under CRA rules (including Countrywide, CitiMortgage, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage). Likewise: the vast majority of the top 20 issuers of risky interest-only and option ARM loans were not CRA-affiliated lenders.

If anything, the CRA example proves -- once again -- that government oversight not only works; it's essential to maintain safe and sane capital markets.

6. The CRA is just another failed liberal handout program.


No. The benefits of CRA have been substantial. Robert Rubin recently estimated that the law has channeled upwards of $1 trillion into distressed neighborhoods across the country -- including both inner cities and rural areas without much access to investment funds -- without putting up any taxpayer money beyond what it takes to operate the CRA itself. In these areas, home ownership is up -- and with it, the local tax base, which means more parks, more cops, more street repairs, and so on. There's more decent rental housing, too, because landlords can get loans for upgrades and improvements.

Small business ownership is also up. Low-income communities have become more attractive to outside investors, and more able to support community redevelopment efforts. And in places where people once cashed their paychecks at the convenience store and depended on payday loans, there are now full-service bank branches offering the same affordable financial services people in better neighborhoods take for granted.

The cons like to talk about the "ownership society." There is no ownership without access to capital. For 30 years, the CRA has been making private capital available to qualified people who want to bootstrap themselves into home and business ownership, and a secure place in the middle class.

7. OK -- if it works so well, why do we still need it? Haven't the banks finally figured by now out that redlining was a stupid idea?

If only. The very fact that the conservatives are trying to blame the mess on the CRA is, in itself, ample proof that we still need anti-redlining laws on the books. Fifty years into the civil rights era, and they're still arguing that it should be acceptable to permanently exclude people from the capital markets on the basis of race and class. Different millennium, same ugly story: "See? This is what happens when you give money to minorities and poor people. You end up wrecking the country!"

In other words: no, they haven't learned their lesson; and yes, they still believe in red-lining as much as they ever did. Racism is alive and well, and there are still plenty of Americans who would bring back housing discrimination in a heartbeat if the law allowed them to. Which is precisely why we can't allow them to.


8. If we can't blame the CRA, then who can we blame? How about the federal banking agencies, which outright told banks to go ahead and adopt risky lending practices? In particular, a 1992 Boston Federal Reserve Bank publication, Closing the Credit Gap: A Guide to Equal Opportunity Lending, told the banks that it was OK to adopt unsound lending practices.

Nice try, but still wrong. According to the National Community Reinvestment Association, the document cited above offered three new guidelines to lenders -- none of which are applicable to the current subprime crisis.

The first guideline was that the lack of proper credit history shouldn't be counted as a negative factor for potential homebuyers. Banks could use other evidence to assess the borrower's payment habits, including the timely payment of rent, utility bills, and other scheduled loans. Borrows still need to prove that they're reliable; they're just allowed to use documentation besides a credit report.

The second was to remind bankers that some households with debt ratios above the standard 28/36 criteria might still qualify for home loans. This guideline is very conservative by today's standards. Many problematic subprime loans were granted to borrowers with debt-to-income ratios above 50 percent, which was in no way sanctioned by the 1992 guidance document.

The third was that lenders could count Social Security, second jobs, and other verifiable income streams as valid sources of income when evaluating loan applications. But most subprime loans failures aren't related to alternative income sources. The real problem has been with "liars' loans," in which the reported income streams are never verified at all.

9. Well, then...it must be Bill Clinton's fault, right? In 1995, Clinton changed the Community Reinvestment Act to allow the securitization of CRA and subprime mortgages. That's what started all this.


Talking point regurgitation at its worst. The 1995 revisions to the CRA only changed the way in which a bank's CRA compliance is evaluated. They made no mention of mortgage securitization at all. Under the 1995 rules, banks are rewarded only for making mortgages in their communities, not for re-selling mortgages as securities.

10. OK, then -- it's the Democratic Congress's fault! President Bush and Senator McCain tried to stop the subprime mortgage crisis, but Democrats blocked their efforts.

It's not lying. It's a gift for fiction. This one's actually made it into a TV ad. The claim is that Bush and McCain supported the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, which would have created a new government agency to oversee Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and other federal housing programs.

However, there's no pony in this manure pile. This bill would have done nothing to stop the rash of subprime lending that preceded the housing bubble. It only provided oversight for Fannie and Freddie -- but it said nothing at all about the companies that issued subprime mortgages.

11. No serious conservative economist would have ever approved of the CRA.

False. In March 2007, Federal Board Chairman Bernanke -- no liberal he -- noted that CRA has helped institutions discover and enter new markets that may have been previously under-served and ignored by insured depositories.


These myths are floating around everywhere this week -- a Big Lie that's being repeated so often that Americans may well start to believe it. The real objective of the "blame the CRA" campaign is to pre-emptively discredit any future progressive proposals that involve using government regulation to make the capital markets behave -- and to get the free-market fundamentalist faithful back in the fold.

Time to fire back, and replace the Big Lie with some real truth.

Sara Robinson is a twenty-year veteran of Silicon Valley, and is launching a second career as a strategic foresight analyst. When she's not studying change theories and reactionary movements, you can find her singing the alto part over at Orcinus. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her husband and two teenagers.

© 2008 Campaign for America's Future All rights reserved.
View this story online at: http://www.alternet.org/story/101127/

Teacher: Teach Teacha!! Good find!! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!!!

Tim Wise also wrote a good article on it entitled, "Race as Reflex In A Time of Crisis"

For those who haven't seen this. The UK ambassadors brief to his PM on Barack Obama:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/toby_harnden/blog/...

An intersting peek inside what international players really think of him. My favorite:

"Obama is cool. He looks cool, tall, slim. He is temperamentally cool (by any standards, not just in comparison with the more impetuous McCain). And maybe aloof, insensitive – see above. Friends like Tom Daschle told me that he demands calm and “no dramas” from those around him."

What is you telling about this letter is not the analysis itself, which I think everybody but Karmi and s would agree on, but why the information is being presented. The Ambassaador is thinking about what does this mean for England.

it means the uk better start getting ready for its first black pm in the near future...

http://obama.senate.gov/letter/060206-sen_obama...

Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain Exchange Letters on Ethics Reform
Monday, February 6, 2006
Printable FormatFebruary 2, 2006

The Honorable John McCain
United States Senate
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear John:

Thank you for inviting me to participate in the meeting yesterday to discuss lobbying and ethics reform proposals currently before the Senate. I appreciate your willingness to reach out to me and several other Senate Democrats to discuss what should be done to restore public confidence in the way that Congress conducts its business. The discussion clearly underscored the difficult challenge facing Congress.

You and many in the Democratic Caucus have played a major role in reform efforts in the Senate. In fact, the Indian Affairs Committee hearings you led were instrumental in promoting public awareness of the culture of corruption that has permeated the nation's capital.

As you know, Senator Harry Reid and others in the Democratic Caucus have taken an important step by introducing S. 2180, the Honest Leadership Act, which imposes many of the same disclosure requirements for lobbyists that you have proposed, while also strengthening enforcement, eliminating "pay to play" schemes, and imposing more restrictive rules on meals, gifts, and travel that Members and their staff can receive from special interests that advocate before Congress. This bill, which now has the support of 40 members of the Democratic Caucus, represents a significant step in addressing many of the worst aspects of corruption that have come to light as a result of the Justice Department investigation of Jack Abramoff.

I know you have expressed an interest in creating a task force to further study and discuss these matters, but I and others in the Democratic Caucus believe the more effective and timely course is to allow the committees of jurisdiction to roll up their sleeves and get to work on writing ethics and lobbying reform legislation that a majority of the Senate can support. Committee consideration of these matters through the normal course will ensure that these issues are discussed in a public forum and that those within Congress, as well as those on the outside, can express their views, ensuring a thorough review of this matter.

Given the state of affairs in Washington, we have a historic opportunity to make fundamental changes in the way our government operates so that the actions we take as public officials are responsive and transparent to the American people. Thank you again for your interest in this important matter.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator


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

February 6, 2006

The Honorable Barack Obama
United States Senate
SH-713
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Obama:

I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership's preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions. I'm embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble. Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won't make the same mistake again.

As you know, the Majority Leader has asked Chairman Collins to hold hearings and mark up a bill for floor consideration in early March. I fully support such timely action and I am confident that, together with Senator Lieberman, the Committee on Governmental Affairs will report out a meaningful, bipartisan bill.

You commented in your letter about my "interest in creating a task force to further study" this issue, as if to suggest I support delaying the consideration of much-needed reforms rather than allowing the committees of jurisdiction to hold hearings on the matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. The timely findings of a bipartisan working group could be very helpful to the committee in formulating legislation that will be reported to the full Senate. Since you are new to the Senate, you may not be aware of the fact that I have always supported fully the regular committee and legislative process in the Senate, and routinely urge Committee Chairmen to hold hearings on important issues. In fact, I urged Senator Collins to schedule a hearing upon the Senate's return in January.

Furthermore, I have consistently maintained that any lobbying reform proposal be bipartisan. The bill Senators Joe Lieberman and Bill Nelson and I have introduced is evidence of that commitment as is my insistence that members of both parties be included in meetings to develop the legislation that will ultimately be considered on the Senate floor. As I explained in a recent letter to Senator Reid, and have publicly said many times, the American people do not see this as just a Republican problem or just a Democratic problem. They see it as yet another run-of-the-mill Washington scandal, and they expect it will generate just another round of partisan gamesmanship and posturing. Senator Lieberman and I, and many other members of this body, hope to exceed the public's low expectations. We view this as an opportunity to bring transparency and accountability to the Congress, and, most importantly, to show the public that both parties will work together to address our failings.

As I noted, I initially believed you shared that goal. But I understand how important the opportunity to lead your party's effort to exploit this issue must seem to a freshman Senator, and I hold no hard feelings over your earlier disingenuousness. Again, I have been around long enough to appreciate that in politics the public interest isn't always a priority for every one of us. Good luck to you, Senator.

Sincerely,

John McCain
United States Senate


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


February 6, 2006

The Honorable John McCain
United States Senate
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear John:

During my short time in the U.S. Senate, one of the aspects about this institution that I have come to value most is the collegiality and the willingness to put aside partisan differences to work on issues that help the American people. It was in this spirit that I approached you to work on ethics reform, and it was in this spirit that I agreed to attend your bipartisan meeting last week. I appreciated then - and still do appreciate - your willingness to reach out to me and several other Democrats.

For this reason, I am puzzled by your response to my recent letter. Last Wednesday morning, you called to invite me to your meeting that afternoon. I changed my schedule so I could attend the meeting. Afterwards, you thanked me several times for attending the meeting, and we left pledging to work together.

As you will recall, I told everyone present at the meeting that my caucus insisted that the consideration of any ethics reform proposal go through the regular committee process. You didn't indicate any opposition to this position at the time, and I wrote the letter to reiterate this point, as well as the fact that I thought S. 2180 should be the basis for a bipartisan solution.

I confess that I have no idea what has prompted your response. But let me assure you that I am not interested in typical partisan rhetoric or posturing. The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you nor my willingness to find a bipartisan solution to this problem.


Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator

Thanks

A little humor
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/10/04/mid-da...

Barack the Vote

I can't get enough of these pics of people, especially children, encountering Obama. I don't what it is.

Its like people are just gobsmacked, but more than just starstruck. There's so much wonder, so much hope. Maybe even too much for a politician; that amount of power can be a dangerous thing and expectations for him could easily get out of control.

But that aside, its like they can't believe this is happening. This meaning not just him appearing, but what he represents, and what his rise says about us.

Isn't she just SOOOOO cute?? Where do y'all find these pics, anyway? She reminds me of that so-cute-I-could-cry pic of the little boy who hugged Obama who just seemed like he couldn't believe he was meeting him!

Both of those precious children made my heart leap. Wasn't expecting that.

Oh no, she di'int! That donkey, Gov. P-lyin', is braying that Senator Obama is ummm, palling around with terrorists. Gosh, I can't wait until 11/4 when she and that half-dead running mate o' hers is slaughtered, figuratively speaking, and left with their innards strewn across the streets of America. Scumbags.

T.

From our campaign:

On a day after we learned that America lost three-quarters of a million jobs this year and a week after our financial system teetered on the brink of collapse, John McCain and his campaign have announced that they want to ‘turn the page’ on the economic crisis facing working families and spend the last month of this election launching dishonest, dishonorable character attacks against Barack Obama. We understand that it’s not easy for John McCain to defend the worst economic record of our lifetime, but he will have to explain to the people struggling to pay their bills and stay in their homes why he would rather spend his time tearing down Barack Obama than laying out a plan to build up our economy.

::

We GOT this. But we still have to go out and GET it.

Keep up the good work, y'all.

This took my breath away.

what a beautiful and hopeful picture!

Agreed, this picture says it all.

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

Check out this video animation Sarah Palin singing "Popular" from "Wicked." Excellent use/rewrite of a song and show which to begin with was a critique of right wing government.

This is from July but I just discovered it and it lit my heart. It is the AFL -CIO speech on why not voting for Obama because he is black just doesn't cut it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QIGJTHdH50

that image . . . the expression on that young girl's face. i have chills. what a beautiful, hopeful thing.

Here is a link to an article by Joe Conason of Salon on the intelligence of GOP VP candidate, Sarah Palin. Why is the GOP not embarrassed?

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/10/04...

They are....they hide shame with anger, attacks and more lies.

Even better news guys:

Rasmussen poll: Obama 51% McCain 45%

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/...

This is what caught my eye in the write-up:

"For each of the past nine days, Obama has been at 50% or 51% and McCain has been at 44% or 45% (see trends). The stability of these results suggests that the McCain campaign faces a very steep challenge in the remaining few weeks of Election 2008. "

I'm sorry but those pink tipped nails are killing me. Otherwise great picture. The little girl is beautiful.

so what on the pink nails, I say. It's just a silly adornment by a young person.

Kitchen Sink 2.0

===
McCain Plans Fiercer Strategy Against Obama
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...

Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama's character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat's judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said.

With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain's team has decided that its emphasis on the senator's biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama.

The Arizonan's campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls.

"We're going to get a little tougher," a senior Republican operative said, indicating that a fresh batch of television ads is coming. "We've got to question this guy's associations. Very soon. There's no question that we have to change the subject here," said the operative, who was not authorized to discuss strategy and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
===

Comment: Think about this, folks. McCain has been running, by any objective viewpoint, the most negative campaign in American history.

BUT NOW IT WILL GET EVEN MORE "FIERCE."

The McCain campaign is not going to run any positive ads going forward. IT WILL BE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING, 24-7-365.

My response? I'm calling the Obama campaign to make another contribution. So maybe I don't go out to eat a couple of times his month. Four years of McCain would be a greater inconvenience.

Just found this in one of the rec diaries over at dkos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/4/85848/1....

This definitely needs to be out there.

Saturday, October 4, 2008
TO: Interested Parties
FR: Obama-Biden Campaign
RE: Five Pitfalls of the McCain Health Plan

FIVE PITFALLS OF THE MCCAIN HEALTH PLAN

John McCain’s “radical” health care plan will undermine the health care that millions of Americans have come to rely on, and while shifting costs onto individuals and hurting the budgets of working families. In five crucial areas the McCain plan will make America’s already fragile health care system worse, making it more difficult to solve our nation’s health crisis.

Pays for a New Tax Credit by Taxing Employees’ Health Benefits for the First Time in History. John McCain and Sarah Palin argue that their health care plan is budget neutral, and that it includes a new $5,000 health care tax credit to help families purchase insurance. What they don’t tell you is that to pay for their plan, they will tax the health benefits that workers receive from their employers for the first time in history. Moreover, McCain’s health care tax credits would go directly to insurance companies, while his new tax on employee health premiums would come directly out of workers’ pockets. This tax punishes those who currently have generous health insurance, and over time will result in higher taxes for tens of millions of middle-class families.
•OBAMA PLAN: Offering tax credits to make health care affordable for all Americans, without imposing a new tax on employer health benefits. Barack Obama’s health care plan is fully paid for by reducing health care costs, eliminating overpayments to HMOs and rolling back a portion of the Bush tax cuts for families making over $250,000 per year.

Forces at least 20 million people to lose employer-based coverage. By taxing employee health benefits, the McCain plan will make it more expensive for employers to provide coverage. As a result, independent analyses show that employers will drop at least 20 million people from coverage and force them to seek insurance in the individual market, where costs are higher, quality is lower, and coverage more uncertain. By moving more risk upon the shoulders of individuals, it raises insurance costs for everyone nationally. And by forcing millions into the individual market, people with pre-existing conditions from asthma to cancer will be at risk of not being able to get health insurance at all.
•OBAMA PLAN: Building upon the employer based health-insurance system by letting workers keep the health insurance they have or to purchase a different plan in a new pool that ensures quality and affordable coverage.

Undermines the ability of people who do have coverage to get services from cancer screenings to vaccines. The McCain plan undermines state laws that require insurance companies to cover bedrock health care services such as cancer screenings and vaccines. The plan empowers insurance companies over doctors and nurses, while making America less healthy. In fact, John McCain recently explained his intention to deregulate health insurance along the lines that the banking industry has been deregulated over the past decade.
•OBAMA PLAN: Protecting existing state regulations and increasing protections for American families by requiring health insurance companies to cover all Americans regardless of health status and outlawing unreasonable rate and fee increases.

Fails to take on rising health care costs. The McCain plan has no strategy to contain spiraling national health care costs. Without the aggressive investments needed to modernize our health care system, a recent analysis concluded that McCain’s plan could actually increase health care costs by $37 billion by 2010.
•OBAMA PLAN: Bringing down health care costs by $2,500 per year, per family, through aggressive investments in health information technology, chronic care management, comparative effectiveness research, and an emphasis on prevention.

Fails to address the crisis of the uninsured. The McCain health plan does not even attempt to solve the problem of the uninsured – it barely reduces the number of uninsured individuals, and it leaves those with preexisting conditions at the greatest risk of being unable to find affordable coverage. This lack of commitment to ensuring affordable coverage for all Americans is consistent with McCain’s record, including his vote last fall against funding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) that would have extended coverage to 3.8 million children.
• OBAMA PLAN: Ensure that every single American can purchase quality, affordable healthcare, so that no American is uninsured.
In all these respects the McCain health plan represents a continuation of the policies we have seen over the last eight years, policies that have contributed to health premiums more than doubling, 7 million more Americans uninsured, and nearly 2 million more Americans without employer sponsored insurance.

For a more detailed discussion check out this link:

http://obama.3cdn.net/0aa72299f5f5375dc6_kt6mvy...

This is why America will elect Barack Obama
Feeding Your Inner Wolf

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside everyone of us.

One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, conceit, sorrow, hatred, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride, lust, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?

The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
The campaign will get extra nasty now but Americans are tired of the politics of fear and doom.The wolf that gets fed this time will be one of hope.

dj: Thanks! I heard this involving a dog. Same message! :>)

Wonderful.

Cribbing part of this for my signature in another forum.

I'll apologize in advance if this offends, but I can't hold my tongue any longer.

Sarah Palin is a stripper. A prostitute, if you will. A harlot. A whore, even.

So her "handlers" are pimping her out to wink at male interviewers, wink at the nation, elicit erections from oversexed male viewers, and have hordes of western and southern oil men throw money at her during their "fundraisers."

I wonder if any of the events includes a pole dance.

How can it be that after women have worked so hard to be taken seriously in the work place, in their own homes, to not be demeaned and abused mentally, emotionally and physically as sex objects and doormats, this strumpet ends up on a major party ticket as a vice presidential nominee?

It makes me wanna holler.

We must destroy the pimps. Completely destroy them.

Craig: . . pole dancing. .

Did you miss "virtual lap dancing?"

I'm just askin'. . . . .

I am not offended...what the GOP is doing to her is called prostitution.

You know, vilifying strippers and prostitutes may not be the most respectful thing. It's my understanding that there's a lot of controversy about this among feminists. I don't pay enough attention to really have an political opinion on it ... it's just that it tweaks my heart a little when I see sex workers villified, name-called etc. And this (equating them with Sarah Palin) certainly qualifies in provoking that response in me.

FWIW (or not)

I know I'm treading on dangerous ground with this comment, which is why I apologized in advance.

If I've caused any pain, please forgive me.

Yep. And the GOP is trying to turn every woman into a whore by suggesting she's representative of women.

If they were interested in elevating the cause of women, they'd have picked the ABSOLUTE best woman!

Kay Bailey Hutchinson has vanished from the airwaves.

This is why she is a whore and the only value she has to the rethugs is to bat those pretty little eyes towards the ignorant populace
Revealing Admission: Palin Not Consulted On Michigan Pull Out Decision
by kloris
Sat Oct 04, 2008 at 09:07:44 AM PDT
Not surprisingly, the unthinking press is focusing on the offer she made during the below interview with Fox News to go back into Michigan to campaign. I think the more important news in the clip, however, is that Palin says she learned of the decision in the newspapers the morning after it was announced.

This pull out decision was not a low-level tactical decision (like Biden not knowing about a particular ad his campaign was running): Michigan was the key state they had to win according to McCain himself and I'm sure it was topic A within the campaign for days. Yet they never felt the need to get Palin's opinion nor did they seek her guidance. She was not even informed on the day of the announcement: neither as a simple courtesy nor to prepare in case it came up in that night's debate.

This raises two questions that the press needs to pursue further:

How much of a role does she actually play in her campaign? Is she a full participant or just a pretty face? Americans need to know before they vote.
What newspaper did she read the news in? Katie Couric wants to know.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/4/115...

I have been reading Christian bloggers stating that Obama is the anti Christ because is being touted as "The One" (by whom I have not a clue) I read this from both black and white bloggers. I dropped my head in sadness and shame reading Black folks using scriptures to support the idea that Obama is the anti christ). Now we know that this this is part a subtle racist attack implying that some other worldly forces must be in play for a Black man can command so much power.

The fact you stated that Palin is a harlot. I've been wondering to myself can some one can make the argument using scriptures that Palin is the ultimate harlot --Whore of Babylon. Just a wild idea coming from a place of anger.

BTW, I don't believe that Palin is some force from Satanic as prescribed in the Bible any more than I believe that Obama is "The One" in any shape, form or fashion. They are politicians

But even if he is "the one", "the antichrist" or whatever they are trying to say, isn't the whole point if you believe in that particular scripture(s) that he/she is inevitable? So why bother harping on that what he could be (cuz if he he is the "one" is no way to stop him) and vote for him if he can do the best for you now.

BTW, he is not the antichrist.

Shouldn't they be voting for him if he is the Anti-Christ so they can get their Rapture on?

I'm not trying to be funny but if they really think Obama is the AntiChrist do they really think if he's not elected he'll be 'Aw shucks, better luck next time" and disappear in a flash of vapor?

LOL.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

When I write that women all know a woman like Sarah Palin, I mean that. They know them, and can't stand them.

Go back to the videos and accounts of her at The U.N. with those leaders. Look how absolutely, positively, inappropriate she was with them. She was whoring herself that day too.

The winks just stunned me. This unqualified piece of trash wants to be considered as a VP candidate, and she just fucking winked?

WINKED?

Like I've written before, this is about White Mediocrity and White Privilege. This woman is a joke. She's a fucking joke. She doesn't have the mental capacity to remotely even hang at this level, and the relentless pimping and propping up of this woman has done a disservice to professional women everywhere.

Hillary Clinton would never have embarrassed this country.

This woman is a walking joke.

Thank You Rikyrah.

Did you here the Pakistani leader call her "gorgeous". I thought it was so inappropriate.

"this is about White Mediocrity and White Privilege"....yes, at it best in all its glory.

Rhondacoca: . . gorgeous. .

Yes! He thought of her as a "piece" RATHER than a "brain!" He was telling it - how he thought! Annnnd, IMHO, this is how she has "coasted" through life - "PAGEANT runner-up!!"

Annnnnnd, I "betcha" that "PIMP DADDY" Todd was NOT OFFENDED!
Any decent husband would have taken offense - in the media! He would have said, like Mr. Obama did - "Lay off my wife!"

NOT "PIMP DADDY!" Give me a break on this pair!!

Er, I think Hillary DID embarrass women and the country. It's just that Hillary was more fundamentally more intelligent while doing so.

Not only did Clinton embarrass women but she tried to pimp women right along with those hard-working Americans = White lower class Americans. Any group (Hispanics, anyone?) that she may or may not gave a fuck about that could get her over the top.

Now there is, of course, the distinction to be made that Clinton herself, because of her intelligence and knowledge of the issues, was not an embarrassment. Her race-baiting and games were disappointing, if you liked her, and definitely embarrassing when she appeared before the SOBU and when she and Russert played the Farrakhan card against Obama which she promptly followed up with her rank hypocrisy on the denounce and reject front.

Hey Nquest,

I completely agree, this was a bad year for female politicans.

Er, I think Hillary DID embarrass women and the country. It's just that Hillary was more fundamentally more intelligent while doing so.

Truthseeker: co-sign!!

She was truly an embarassment IMO. But yes, more intelligent about it. Same thing, different style IMO.

true.

The b-side is just as disgusting. If she's 'tutin then we have tricks for world leaders. History shows that as nothing new, men who live tricky lives financed by us and men who fall when their desires go ill-mmanaged. Tricks and his - and you thought they were tombowt us Willis?

Was reading Rich Lowery and I swear I thought he was mastubating at the thought that Sarah was winking at him.

It's the only way he'll get any.

She need not wink at me. I am a woman and I don't roll that way. I said to my friends "did she just wink at me?" ridiculous.

Hmm, I am a woman and I do roll that way (I am attracted to other women). But Sarah Palin is just physically disgusting. To me there is absolutely NOTHING sexy about that person, nothing. She's just disgusting.

LOL, i don't get the attraction either. i think it's one of those cases where if enough people repeat how "pretty" she's supposed to be, then eventually the public will believe it.

the curious thing to me is that obama's good looks are rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Whenever I see that "did she just wink at me?" I'm just ROFL...

That's what that write Heather Mallick sort of said the night of the RNC..

Salt-of-the-earthers don't lie! But Palins do. I watched Palin last night, my mouth open, my eyeballs drying out, my hand making shaky notes. I read them aghast.

Did she really joke, "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick."?

Did she just blow kisses to the audience?

http://www.heathermallick.ca/guardian.co.uk-col...

The look on that girl's face is why I want him to be president.

Where are Barack's fundraising numbers for September?

he doesnt have to release them until the 20th. they usually release them when they need positive in the news cycle, but the news cycles have been going well.

oh, okay. I just wondered how it was going...

if anyone comes across Letterman clips from last night, please post links

Posted his interview with Brian Williams below.

Man....DO NOT PISS OFF DAVE!

This photo is amazing!!!
It made my heart melt.
The look on that childs face is priceless!
Soooo hopeful...Please let this happen.

she is so beautiful! We are beautiful! That's apart of why I want him to win so that even more frequently we are seeing postive images of our beauty, our love, and ourselves.

I will never forget that offensive cover they ran, they did just run this:

The New Yorker Endorses: At A Moment Of Crisis, That Leader's Name Is Barack Obama

THE CHOICE
OCTOBER 13, 2008

Never in living memory has an election been more critical than the one fast approaching—that’s the quadrennial cliché, as expected as the balloons and the bombast. And yet when has it ever felt so urgently true? When have so many Americans had so clear a sense that a Presidency has—at the levels of competence, vision, and integrity—undermined the country and its ideals?

The incumbent Administration has distinguished itself for the ages. The Presidency of George W. Bush is the worst since Reconstruction, so there is no mystery about why the Republican Party—which has held dominion over the executive branch of the federal government for the past eight years and the legislative branch for most of that time—has little desire to defend its record, domestic or foreign. The only speaker at the Convention in St. Paul who uttered more than a sentence or two in support of the President was his wife, Laura. Meanwhile, the nominee, John McCain, played the part of a vaudeville illusionist, asking to be regarded as an apostle of change after years of embracing the essentials of the Bush agenda with ever-increasing ardor.

- snip -

The exhaustingly, sometimes infuriatingly long campaign of 2008 (and 2007) has had at least one virtue: it has demonstrated that Obama’s intelligence and steady temperament are not just figments of the writer’s craft. He has made mistakes, to be sure. (His failure to accept McCain’s imaginative proposal for a series of unmediated joint appearances was among them.) But, on the whole, his campaign has been marked by patience, planning, discipline, organization, technological proficiency, and strategic astuteness. Obama has often looked two or three moves ahead, relatively impervious to the permanent hysteria of the hourly news cycle and the cable-news shouters. And when crisis has struck, as it did when the divisive antics of his ex-pastor threatened to bring down his campaign, he has proved equal to the moment, rescuing himself with a speech that not only drew the poison but also demonstrated a profound respect for the electorate. Although his opponents have tried to attack him as a man of “mere” words, Obama has returned eloquence to its essential place in American politics. The choice between experience and eloquence is a false one––something that Lincoln, out of office after a single term in Congress, proved in his own campaign of political and national renewal. Obama’s “mere” speeches on everything from the economy and foreign affairs to race have been at the center of his campaign and its success; if he wins, his eloquence will be central to his ability to govern.

We cannot expect one man to heal every wound, to solve every major crisis of policy. So much of the Presidency, as they say, is a matter of waking up in the morning and trying to drink from a fire hydrant. In the quiet of the Oval Office, the noise of immediate demands can be deafening. And yet Obama has precisely the temperament to shut out the noise when necessary and concentrate on the essential. The election of Obama—a man of mixed ethnicity, at once comfortable in the world and utterly representative of twenty-first-century America—would, at a stroke, reverse our country’s image abroad and refresh its spirit at home. His ascendance to the Presidency would be a symbolic culmination of the civil- and voting-rights acts of the nineteen-sixties and the century-long struggles for equality that preceded them. It could not help but say something encouraging, even exhilarating, about the country, about its dedication to tolerance and inclusiveness, about its fidelity, after all, to the values it proclaims in its textbooks. At a moment of economic calamity, international perplexity, political failure, and battered morale, America needs both uplift and realism, both change and steadiness. It needs a leader temperamentally, intellectually, and emotionally attuned to the complexities of our troubled globe. That leader’s name is Barack Obama.

—The Editors
Obama-Biden '08!!

Thanks for posting this. It is a fabulous endorsement.

The entire endorsement is fabulous. And it's long.

I hated the cover ans their attempt at "sattire," but this endorsement is awesome.

For my Cali people:

Sarah Palin

Carson, California
Home Depot Center
5:00 pm (PDT)

Carpool anyone?

Texas: How 'bout TANKpool! Then, I'll go. :>) O.K. 2 morbid - huh?

Obama-Biden '08!!

Nobody comes and campaigns in my state ;-( definitely not feeling the love!

nickwah22: "virtual 'HUG'"! :>)

Bush refused to even visit my state. Yay Vermont!
Obama or Else!

That picture is just beautiful. I love your Open Thread pictures!

I love your Open Thread pictures. This one is sensational! Thanks for posting them.

Just a thought. When will we start seeing stories in the media on why cant McCain close the deal with white voters?

RAOTFLMAO

That's a good question because I don't think McCain has ever gotten 50% of the vote even with Sarah Palin's addition.

never.

Brian Williams bringing the funny on David Letterman last night.

"I'm a Maverick, and I may not answer the questions tonight." - Brian Williams

Texas_Girl: Thanks for bringin' this!! It was GREAT!! Bofa dem were soo on point!!

LOL!! :>)

The Sept 11, 2001 bit should be a good eye opener for those undecideds

I know. It needs to be said over and over.

A Mother's Promise: Barack's Biography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjF51ALu0sc

The biography of Barack Obama that played at the 2008 Democratic National Convention, before Barack's acceptance speech.

Obama-Biden '08!!

Sarah Palin & Bush - best presentation ever by Keith Olbermann
This should be a commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXPMn99a7nQ

dj: I watched this K.O. show 3 times yesterday - just so I could see this segment!! :>)

Thanks!

Obama-Biden '08!!

Interesting comparison. Too bad it will only be recognized on his and Maddow's show is sad. MSM isn't interested in reporting the truth.

Daily Show skit on candidate's blackness

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml...

The dumbing down of the GOP
Why aren't more conservatives disgusted that their party nominated a person devoid of qualifications for the vice presidency (again)?
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2008/10/04...

dj: Maybe I have neva said this B4, 'because of their WHITE GENE = privilege!

They have been so privileged so long that they cain't get/understand why ALL the world doesn't see the world as they do! Think about it. They/some people have been "isolated and insulated" from the "real world" because they have been in control of so much and for so long by wealth and/or by that WHITE GENE. It's like they have been in a comfortable "sleep-state!"

This economic situation represents one example of the "AWAKENING". Remember that feeling that occurs when someone throws "cold water" on your face in an attempt to "wake you up?!" This situation is like that!! IMHO It's like -

"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT'S GOING ON? "WHYCOME" YOU WAKIN" ME UP FROM THAT 'GOOD DREAM' THAT I'M HAVING? GO AWAY! LET ME SLEEP!!"

Well, ALL this is REAL!!
1. A Black man WILL be your NEXT PRESIDENT!!

2. While he is in office for the NEXT 8 years, you can go into THERAPY! Maybe, then, you can the JOIN us in the REAL WORLD of DIVERSITY!

3. "McAncient" and "The Gov." were NEVER QUALIFIED to even step! Annnnd, this may entice you to "CHECK YOURSELF" relative to the positions that YOU RECEIVE due to LEGACY and your WHITE GENE.

4. Annnnnd, during the NEXT 8 years - go to college or a trade school and LEARN some skills like all of us have had to do in order to even think that we had a "chance" in this world.
Compare: HARVARD GRAD vs 894/899 and 5 colleges in 6 years

5. Finally, WAKE UP!! It's a BRAND NEW DAY!!


No videos! :>)

Whew! I'm happy Deep Breaths!!! :>)


OBAMA-BIDEN '08!!!

because they are frauds. the 'honest; ones are being burned at the stake for speaking the truth

Besides Tyler Perry's true colors apparently showing, OJ is FINALLY going to prison.

And these two items are related... how?

New stuff in the papers, on TV on blogs out about Tyler Perry. There's a story how this might hurt Obama--with Tyler firing black writers who tried to join the Writers Guild while keeping a white head writer. He's donated a lot to Barack and says he wants to make an epic---no doubt goofy--with Denzel as Obama?! He says the writers were fired because the quality of their work diminished. Tyler Perry complaining about quality is like Orson Welles worrying about cholesterol. This guy didn't even offer these health insurance, kept all the $$$ for himself. The other unions may come down on him too. If barack doesn't first?

Does the white mainstream even know who Tyler Perry is?

BINGO Town.

That is what I am saying. That is what got my spider sense tingling.

I'm just saying, if McCain came out and said "TYLER PERRY SUPPORTS BARACK OBAMA BUT HE FIRED ALL THE BLACK WRITERS, TYLER PERRY = BAD THEREFORE BARACK OBAMA = BAD..."

1st off, you could go up to 85% of white people and say "Tyler Perry" and they will say "Who?"

2nd, McCain's audience would probably think Tyler Perry firing the black writers but keeping the white ones is good.

3rd, Obama supporters and / or people who think would say "What the hell does Tyler Perry have to do with Barack Obama?"

McCain = FAIL

Town: SPEAK!! :>)

this is wrong of him. it is so hard for Black folks to find the jobs that will get them a WGA card. he's on the wrong side of right on this issue.

oh please. contrary to popular belief Obama does not control the minds of all black people and is not responsible for everyone's action.

I think this is complete nonsense. Who cares what Tyler Perry is doing? I sure as heck don't. So what if he fired some black writers? We don't know why he made that decision and he has the right to do that because guess what -- it is his company. So what if he kept his white head writer? Again, we don't know the reason why he made that decision and guess what -- it is his company and he can do that. How do you know Tyler did not offer health insurance? Were the writers independent contractors or employees? That makes a difference . . . Agree with it or not . . . it is not relevant and I could care less.

Now that you say you know all this -- what are you going to do about it? You can make a decision to not see another Tyler Perry movie or you can send him a note asking why he chose to do this but again - I could care less about Tyler Perry because as it pertains to the race for the next President of the United States -- he has the same amount of influence on Obama as you/me/or any other supporter.

Holding Obama responsible for Tyler Perry's business decision is like holding Obama responsible for what we write/post on this blog. Utter nonsense and hogwash.

http://www.narbosa.com/2008/10/tyler-perry-fire...

"Los Angeles – The Writers Guild of America, West is taking on the fight for justice of writers who were fired when they tried to get a union contract with Tyler Perry’s production company, House of Payne, LLC. The Guild today filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), alleging that House of Payne unlawfully fired four writers in retaliation for their union activity.

The charge also alleges that the company bargained in bad faith with the Guild, which is seeking to negotiate a contract covering the writers on Perry’s cable television series House of Payne and Meet the Browns.

The four writers, Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson, and Lamont Ferrell, as well as supporters from the Writers Guild and the community, will be picketing during Saturday’s opening of Perry’s new studio and they’re asking invited guests to respect their picket line.

Together, these writers have written over one hundred episodes of House of Payne. Since April of this year they have been involved in a union organizing campaign with the Writers Guild of America, West so that their work on that show and the upcoming Meet the Browns would be covered by a Guild contract. Despite the enormous success of House of Payne, Perry has refused to agree to a contract that would give the writers health care, pensions, and residuals. On Tuesday of this week he fired the writers, after warning them some weeks ago that they should “be careful about pushing the WGA deal or you could be replaced.”

Val, you're right that this has nothing to do with Sen. Obama. But before you say that Tyler Perry is operating a simple business just like anyone else would...Tyler Perry IS NOT operating a simple business just anyone else.

I never said that Tyler Perry is operating a "simple" business just like anone else would. I never said that. I was addressing the comment -- "He's donated a lot to Barack and says he wants to make an epic---no doubt goofy--with Denzel as Obama?! " That is what I was addressing.

I said it was Tyler Perry's business to run as he sees fit. I also said - Obama is not responsible for Tyler Perry.

My point was this is two separate issues and an attempt to link Tyler Perry''s actions and decision making as it pertains to how he chooses to handle his business matter is not Obama's problem. Why should it be?

Again, I don't assume I know everything about everybody. I don't assume I know why Tyler made the decisions that he did but I am hardpressed to believe he tossed these people out on the street, without health insurance for no good reason. The man LIVED ON THE STREETS. He knows how hard it is. Something happened.

That said - what are you going to do about it? You can try to get to the bottom of the issue by trying to ask the man himself, you can wait until this thing plays out to see what really happened, or you can stop watching his programs and his movies which will directly hit his pockets. Personally I don't watch his stuff simply because I don't find it funny. But I am saying -- look beyond the surface, try to figure out what happened and then make the decision on what you intend to do about it. Finally, why should this impact Obama? It should not. Look at our comments on some of these posts -- we also donate to Obama -- should he be held responsible for us too? To tie Obama to the actions of every donor is hogwash and nonsense. Especially with 31 days left to go in the election and we all know that is the gameplan of the McCain campaign.

I can't afford to even entertain this type of nonsense. Kick it back. One has NOTHING to do with the other. Now if this was an article about Tyler Perry -- well I would have had a softer response.

Val, you wrote alot without apparently reading my words. I actually agreed with you about this not having anything to do with BHO. Even to think that John McCain's campaign would latch onto this connection as a 'gotcha' is utterly laughable, so I'm not sure why you're worried about it so. Also, this is the "Saturday Open Thread", not the "Saturday Barack Thread". Somebody apparently thought enough of the item to bring it up, although with a flimsy introduction. Let's not make this a 'big picture' argument because it isn't.

My response to you was mostly aimed at your dismissal of the stories' importance. The thread wasn't directly about BHO, it turned toward the direction of Tyler Perry, of whom I'm not a fan. That is what I was responding to you about. I thought it noteworthy because Perry obviously wants to make his mark in Hollywood, but his actions behind the scenes imply that he doesn't want to go about it the right way (treating the writers who helped him get there fairly).

You noted your distaste for Perry's work. Well, his business actions in this episode apparently mirror the attitudes of Bob Johnson and BET executives in the 1990s, who were notorious for skirting equitable pay and benefits for talent, producers, and support staff involved from every show--from Video Soul to Comic View, the latter of which was at one time the target of a protest that Jay Leno, Tim Allen, and the late Richard Pryor lent their names toward in 1999.

You asked about my examination of the situation; do YOU know what the agreement was between Perry and these writers? Do YOU know if these fired writers will be compensated for their work on the 100+ episodes now in daily syndication to TV stations across the country (and not just TBS)? And what about the actors who work for him--are they covered, or will they simply be 'arsed out' for seeking fairer compensation down the road?

I don't think it's too much to consider another subject for about five minutes at time, especially since I'm not asking you to stage a boycott or a march.

"You asked about my examination of the situation; do YOU know what the agreement was between Perry and these writers? Do YOU know if these fired writers will be compensated for their work on the 100+ episodes now in daily syndication to TV stations across the country (and not just TBS)? "

I did not ask about your examination of anything. I said "I don't assume I know everything about everybody. I don't assume I know why Tyler made the decisions that he did but I am hardpressed to believe he tossed these people out on the street, without health insurance for no good reason. I also said we could ask the question or wait until things play themselves out and based on the answers there are decisions that a consumer could make that would impact his pocketbook ".

Again, my point to the original note was that an attempt to link Tyler Perry''s actions and decision making as it pertains to how he chooses to handle his business matter is not Obama's problem and that if the post was about Tyler Perry (and not Tyler/'Obama issue) well I would have had a softer response.

I pushed back against the concept that this could lead to an Obama problem. It was not. This was a Tyler Perry problem and no -- it is not farfetched that the McCain campaign would use anything against Obama -- see the original post and the concern that was expressed by the writer. Specifically -- "There's a story how this might hurt Obama--with Tyler firing black writers who tried to join the Writers Guild while keeping a white head writer."

That is it for me on this topic. Town covered it.

Val sounds a bit loopy. The Field Negro calls it Obamaholism. Yeah, one DOES have a lot to do with the other, Tyler, and Obama. In the entertainment industry, in society. This is America.

But you know, maybe it's not greed, stupidity or ego. Maybe Tyler's going nuts because it's tough trying to hide sexual identity from his very religious fans. LOL

tyler perry is a serious COON. your comparison of him to bob johnson is a good one.

INTRODUCING 1800 RENT A COON.Find the perfect sellout for your particular venue.
Yes folks it is true right now if you are a racist who needs a parrot,puppet fool of a Black man to say what you want them to say,well look no further that your yellow pages.It is called 1-800 RENT A COON.An agency dedicated to serving the interest of white domination and Black subjugation.We have many fool,clown shuffling niggers who will say anything at anytime the master White race tells them to say.And they work cheap.They will sell their souls for a few dollars,an invite to a party or a chance to date a White girl.These Black men care not about the damage they do to the image of their own people just as long as you pay them.Look at the rap industry,recently Lil Wayne made a song called misunderstood,his AnR and label works with 1-800 RENT A COON so we had some interested racist clients hire him to spew hate about the Reverend Al Sharpton.Now Lil Wayne has more fans in Klan infested suburbs buys his cd than ever!You see have these negroes have no soul.If he had an issue with Al Sharpton why didn't he come to him Black Man to Black Man instead of playing the we all one color role and racism is only something Black people without money complain about.Because Lil Wayne knows what the racist masses want to hear young Black disrespecting older Blacks in front of the world and for money.The same racist contacted us and used another of our boys the Game.The former G UNIT member was told to dis Jesse Jackson on a song and say race is not an issue any more.You see we have many Black men selling us their souls for a few buck.Hey the reason you may get a rapper cheap these days the industry is on life support.Look at the VMA'S.We supplied MTV with most of its Black and hip hop acts.We had T pain come as a clown and Lil Wayne run around on stage,with his pants down he charged 75,000 for that one but we made 20 million.Anything you want your coon to say and do we can make it happen.We had both 50 cent and Snoop Dog out making ignorant comment about Senator Barack Obama during the primaries.Bill Clinton wanted his monies worth on that one and he got it.
But our prized buck,coon,sambo,traitor to his race is Republican Micheal Steele.The former Lt Gov of Maryland who lost his bid to become the first Black governor,now heads GOPAC.The fundraising arm of the Republican party.We are making a killing with him.He is good for showing up at racist all White political events saying right wing non sense about drilling now for oil even though oil prices are falling and we might have a burst soon like the housing market.You see he guest host on Sean Hannity,and other conservative shows.If you want him to say stupid things like drill baby drill or speak on topics that he has no knowledge about just call us now a 1800 RENT A COON.

Val: Major co-sign!!

http://www.redroom.com/blog/tim-wise/this-your-...


THIS IS YOUR NATION ON WHITE PRIVILEGE (UPDATED)


September 13, 2008, 2:01 pm

By Tim Wise

For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”


White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while if you're black and believe in reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), you're a dangerous and mushy liberal who isn't fit to safeguard American institutions.


White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.


White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto is “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.


White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college and the fact that she lives near Russia, you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.


White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”


White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.


White privilege is when you can take nearly twenty-four hours to get to a hospital after beginning to leak amniotic fluid, and still be viewed as a great mom whose commitment to her children is unquestionable, and whose "next door neighbor" qualities make her ready to be VP, while if you're a black candidate for president and you let your children be interviewed for a few seconds on TV, you're irresponsibly exploiting them.

White privilege is being able to give a 36-minute speech in which you talk about lipstick and make fun of your opponent, while laying out no substantive policy positions on any issue at all, and still manage to be considered a legitimate candidate, while a black person who gives an hour speech the week before, in which he lays out specific policy proposals on several issues, is still criticized for being too vague about what he would do if elected.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.


White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.


White privilege is being able to go to a prestigious prep school, then to Yale and Harvard Business School (George W. Bush), and still be seen as an "average guy," while being black, going to a prestigious prep school, then Occidental College, then Columbia, and then Harvard Law, makes you "uppity" and a snob who probably looks down on regular folks.

White privilege is being able to graduate near the bottom of your college class (McCain), or graduate with a C average from Yale (W.), and that's OK, and you're still cut out to be president, but if you're black and you graduate near the top of your class from Harvard Law, you can't be trusted to make good decisions in office.

White privilege is being able to dump your first wife after she's disfigured in a car crash so you can take up with a multi-millionaire beauty queen (who you then go on to call the c-word in public) and still be thought of as a man of strong family values, while if you're black and married for nearly 20 years to the same woman, your family is viewed as un-American and your gestures of affection for each other are called "terrorist fist bumps."

White privilege is when you can develop a pain-killer addiction, having obtained your drug of choice illegally like Cindy McCain, go on to beat that addiction, and everyone praises you for being so strong, while being a black guy who smoked pot a few times in college and never became an addict means people will wonder if perhaps you still get high, and even ask whether or not you may have sold drugs at some point.

White privilege is being able to sing a song about bombing Iran and still be viewed as a sober and rational statesman, with the maturity to be president, while being black and suggesting that the U.S. should speak with other nations, even when we have disagreements with them, makes you dangerously naive and immature.

White privilege is being able to say that you hate "gooks" and "will always hate them," and yet, you aren't a racist because, ya know, you were a POW, so you're entitled to your hatred, while being black and noting that black anger about racism is understandable, given the history of your country, makes you a dangerous bigot.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism and an absent father is apparently among the "lesser adversities" faced by other politicians, as Sarah Palin explained in her convention speech.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain…


White privilege is, in short, the problem.

It just occurred to me that this whole McCain/ Obama thing reflects the state of Affirmative Action. The Black man is clearly more qualified, so they really can't hire the white guy so instead- they take the white woman candidate "So no one can say they are prejudiced." I've been on dozens of searches. Hers is teh kind of "diversity" they can manage and it is reflected in the historical success of Affirmative Action and its benefits for only white women.

Though this time they will get their assess handed to them on the stick.

This explains why I heard 3 different reporters (one surprisingly on Foxnews) mentioning Palin's mix up between McClellan and McKiernan.

That alone discredits her whole foreign policy cred, but yet, it still seems okay. Its not a blunder, she just confused some of the info they made her memorize.

White priviledge means being able to devalue the highest office in the land because it is about to be won by a non-white person, and declaring that "anyone," even inarticulate small town mayors with minimal education and experience can be seen as credible candidates to the office. Because if this unqualified n------r can be president, then any Joe Six Pack with a GED flipping burgers can be president, too.

I really wonder what these folk who consider Palin qualified for the VP/President position think about the people who are MORE qualified than her? What should THEY be doing with themselves if not helping to rise us out of the shambles we are in now.

I saw that picture earlier and was hoping you'd post it just exactly as you did.

Beautiful.

Thank you.

From Time

October 3, 2008 10:55
Did Women Like Sarah?
Posted by Time Edit | Comments (162) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This
From TIME's Amy Sullivan:

Last night in Colorado (one of the key swing states we have our eyes on), the Democratic polling group Greenberg Quinlan Rosner brought together 40 undecided women voters to watch the vice-presidential debate. In pre-interviews before the festivities started, most of the women admitted that they didn't know much about either of the running mates. They'd heard plenty about Sarah Palin in particular, but they didn't know who she was, didn't know what she thought.

By the time the debate was over, the voters had a better sense of who the candidates were. But they still didn't know what Palin thought on any major issue other than energy. Even women who found her personally likeable and confident complained that she seemed "coached" and stuck so closely to "talking points and sound bytes" that they weren't sure what kind of vice-president (or, for that matter, president) she would be.
As with the St. Louis focus group that watched the first presidential debate, however, generally favorable reactions to the Democratic team didn't translate into a significant shift of support from undecided voters. All forty women came into the undecided and after listening to the two running mates debate for 90 minutes, 8 had moved to the Obama camp, another 8 to McCain, and the remaining 24 were still uncommitted.

In a discussion that took place after the debate, some of the women who became Obama supporters said that they had been concerned about Obama's relatively brief political career but found themselves reassured by Biden. "If I vote for Barack Obama, it will be because of Joe Biden," said one unmarried women. A handful of women thought that Biden sounded too much like a Washington insider or an old-fashioned pol, a conclusion that probably wasn't helped by his use of Senate-speak and references to legislative procedures. But several had teared up when the Delaware senator talked about losing his first wife and daughter, and felt more favorably about him as a result. "He got emotional there in the end," said another unmarried women. "I didn't know his wife and child died. That touched me."

Overall, the women warmed up to both candidates throughout the evening—both Biden and Palin's favorability ratings rose 9 points from pre- to post-debate. They liked Palin's strength and confidence, and the married women particularly responded to her "folksiness" and "down-to-earth" personality. That personal regard, however, didn't necessarily mean they wanted to see her in the White House. "I'd like to have lunch with Sarah," said one married woman, "but have Joe running my country." Another agreed: "I think Sarah Palin is cute as a button and is good in sound bytes, but she just is not ready." Before the debate, only 10 of the women believed Palin was not ready to be vice-president or president; by the end of the evening more than half of them (21) shared that concern.

The economy has been the number-one issue for women voters—particularly unmarried women—throughout the campaign season, and that held true for this focus group as well. And on that point, they were much more impressed by Biden's ability to talk about the economy and relate to the concerns of middle-class voters. Before the debate, 14 women preferred Biden over Palin on the economy, but that number climbed to 23 afterward. A similar shift took place on the question of which candidate they trusted to handle health care—9 women initially preferred Biden, but that number more than doubled to 20 over the course of the evening. Several noted that they would have liked to hear Palin offer any details about what a McCain/Palin health care plan would look like.

Biden may not have closed the deal for the majority of these undecided women, but he impressed and reassured them on the issues that they say will determine their votes in November. And while Palin presented herself as someone voters can relate to, her performance seems to have raised even more questions—at least for this small group of undecided women—about whether she is qualified to be on the Republican ticket.



http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/10/did_...

After the debate my mother called and told me she liked Palin as a person but not as a VP. She said, if that old man dies we won't need someone nice, we'll need someone smart.

I can comfortably say I don't think she will ever be ready for the White House - in ANY capacity. When the election is over, and the coaching has stopped, who will make her decisions for her? God forbid a tie were to occur on the Senate floor.

Well, that would be Todd, of course. The word id he was running things anyway.

Well, I know she has/will be addicted to the attention and win or loose will be competing for President in 2012 and that is just entirely ridiculous and downright scary!

Beautiful picture! Thank you!!

rikyrah: Arianna weighs in! "SNAKE EYES"!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffingto...
VP DEBATE: McCain's Big Gamble Comes Up Snake Eyes

I watched the vice presidential debate in a ballroom at the Four Seasons hotel in Aviara, just north of San Diego, along with a couple of hundred women attending Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit -- a receptive audience, you would think, for a debate featuring a woman who might become the most powerful in the land. It was an ideologically mixed crowd, including representatives of ExxonMobil, a major sponsor of the conference.

If the reaction of the Republican women in the room is any indication, it was not a very good night for Sarah Palin. The only noises heard during the debate were groans when Palin turned her folksiness meter up to 11 (which was often), and applause when Joe Biden delivered his best moments of the night: making personal his understanding of the plight of single parents sitting around their kitchen tables, looking for help; and his impassioned pushback on Palin's endless description of John McCain as "a maverick."

The loudest ovation of the night -- at least in that ballroom (granted, not the most representative-of-America crowd) -- came when Biden said that Dick Cheney was the most dangerous VP in history.

SKIP

Joe Biden's only insincere moment was when he told her: "Governor, it was a pleasure to meet you."

A better exit line would have been: "Governor, it's a pleasure to think that, God willing, in 33 days, you'll be back where you belong -- shootin' moose and takin' on those big oil companies in Alaska."

My patience with Palin is waving the white flag of surrender.

And I thought Alaska was COLD!! :>)


Obama-Biden '08!!

THERE IS MORE.

thanks for posting this observation. I've recently relocated to another state and wonder how receptive the women in Southern California would be with Palin using that
folksy attitud she gave in the debate .

this was funny

love this quote:

"The home-spun homilies have to go," Martha Stewart told me. "And, oh my god, words do have ending consonants."

rikyrah: YEP!! :>)

rikyrah: Can errybody NOW smell the RACISM??

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/03/obama-...
FOX News, GOP Tag Team Obama With Voter Fraud Smear

Weeks out from election day, Fox News has begun devoting extensive coverage to a scandal alleging "deep ties" between Barack Obama and a "radical" group of election thieves. The segments have aired repeatedly on the network's morning show as well as on prime time programs like Hannity & Colmes.

On Friday morning, capping of a full week of coverage on the topic, the hosts of Fox & Friends introduced a segment on Obama and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) by saying:

"The community group ACORN under scrutiny for potential voter fraud issues and Barack Obama's long-term relationship with the radical group also coming more to light. But is the mainstream media keeping both under wraps?" [...]


SKIP

The ball was then passed to Seton Motley from the conservative Media Research Center, who charged "three stages of connection" between Obama and ACORN. "He was a lawyer for the organization. He then served his years as a trainer of activists for the organization. And when he was named Chairman of the Board by terrorist William Ayers to the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, they funneled money to, amongst many other places, ACORN. So there is three stages of relationship with them."

{I bolded the lack of SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT!}

SKIP

As for the other two charges of ACORN ties, an Obama aide calls them complete fictions. "The Republican National Committee is using smoke and mirrors in an attempt to distract from John McCain's more of the same plans in a change election," said spokesman Ben LaBolt. "The fact is, Barack Obama was never an employee of ACORN, he never served as an ACORN organizer or an ACORN trainer. As an attorney, he successfully challenged Governor Edgar to enforce the federal Motor Voter law, making sure voting was as accessible for Illinois residents as the law required. With contorted logic, you can create a tenuous chain of links to connect anybody to anything. Just ask Kevin Bacon."

Seton Motley, reached at his Media Research Center office Friday afternoon, abruptly refused to engage in depth with the Obama camp's response to his Fox & Friends segment (after first saying "I'm all ears").

RACISM!! ALIVE and VERY WELL!!

I have noticed that most supporters of McCain support him because they don't support Obama. That's not a good enough reason for me. If Obama really had ties to ACORN we would've heard about them by now and his ass would've been out.

Voting for McCain because Obama is inexperienced isn't good enough; they might as well not vote.

All dressed up for the 21st century. Like, why are they interupting good ol' election coverage on cnn to broadcast the reading of the oj verdict? They read the entire stinking verdict. It's like they've been waiting all these years to get him. He should have known better than to start acting crazy. They've been looking for a reason.

OJ is a dumb ass.

Look at Robert Blake. We all know he killed his wife, but Robert Blake is laying low. You haven't heard or seen nothing about Robert Blake since he got acquitted.

OJ should have moved his black ass down to Costa Rica so he could without harassment.

I'm sorry, ManofSteel, but OJ knew white folks were gunning for him since he got acquitted back in 1995.

Eff him. I'm fresh out of forgiveness for his dumb ass, and why he would choose to jeopardize his freedom by engaging in this shyt demonstrates how stupid he is.

And don't try to connect OJ to Obama - that's mixing apples and oranges (pun intended) - even though we will have to step up our vigilance because stupid bigots will do their best to tie OJ to Obama.

But, overall, Eff OJ. Bubba, LeRoy, Biscuit and Skillet will be his welcoming committee when he gets to State Prison. At this point, OJ better pray they don't send his ass to Pelican Bay State Prison because that's the prison they feature on the MSNBC documentary show "Lock-UP" and that's the prison where the guards pay the gangs to fight one another so they can video tape that shyt and sell it to MSNBC.

I can see the new McCain ad now...

Ms. Voiceover...OJ Simpson was just convicted of various crimes against our community. (Mug shot of OJ flashes up; pictures of Ron & Nicole, the Bronco chase in the background). Like OJ, Barack Obama also has questionable judgement...friendships with terrorists (pic of William Ayers), con men (pic of Rezko), theives (pic of Frank Raines) and people who hate America (Rev. Wright)...Barack Obama and OJ Simpson...BAD judgement...BAD behavior...BAD for this country (pic of little white girl holding a doll).

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

"I'm sorry, ManofSteel, but OJ knew white folks were gunning for him since he got acquitted back in 1995."

Exactly. He fell right into the trap. From his insensitive jokes about the 1994 murders, his book "If I Did It" and then this...he just did not get it. He brought this on himself. I have no forgiveness and I find it hard to have sympathy for him. I do feel slightly bad for him I guess. He is 61, the minimum sentence for him will be life regardless. He will probably die in jail and to top it off, their will be no blondes (unless they are guys) there for his choosing. Thats tough but as I said, he brought this on himself.

They gave him an all white jury (which I would argue is indeed a jury of his peers) They made sure he was not going anywhere this time. He is a stupid man.

I bet he no longer thinks he is a white man.

As my grandmother used to say, "a hard head makes a soft behind"

true. he started getting in trouble really early in his life. the murders (and yes--he did it) were just the last straw.

if it hadn't been for football, he probably would've been in and out of some prison or the other for much of his life. he's come full circle.

Well, at least they cant use an OJ acquittal as a rally cry...

We gave u OJ, can we now elect Barack? LOL

CPL: Soo co-signing! He knew!! He's lived in "his world" so long that he thought that he had "inherited" the WHITE GENE by OSMOSIS!
As I "stated" to Brotha Charles Rangel: "Whycome" you think that you could act/do like the WHITE BOYS?

P.S.:

Gotta Go for the WHOLE DAY!! Sorry. Will miss some JJP! :>)

Obama-Biden '08!!

manofsteel: And the verdict was??? I mean - how guilty?? :>)

lol @ how guilty

nickwah22: :>)

Guilty on all 12 counts by a jury of 12 white people. That includes 2 counts of kidnapping with a min of 15 years each.

jed: Thanks!! OOOO-eeee!

that's because folks are fighting back this time. fighting back as they try to voter suppress. oh, yes, we will not go lighlty into the night.

rikyrah: Fightin' The Smear!! NO swift Boating THIS time around!! :>)

Oh My God! So precious! I love this picture!

rikyrah: O.K. I'm crying!! This is PRICELESS!!

oops, greenlady... i meant to make this a separate comment. don't know how to delete and start over!!

this picture hit me hard too!

caligirl: Neither do I! He! He! He! LAWD HE'P!! :>)

listen
be still and…shhhhhhhhhhhhh
witness the joy of a child

whose future, past, present
all…at this moment…
colliding.

whose smile (having traversed centuries)
sings … in tongues vaguely familiar :
“destiny!”

People often ask, what does the Obama campaign mean for Black America?

Black America is but one of many American constituencies who will compete for the government's attention. We'll see how that works its way out.

But there's NO doubt about this: Obama is a role model AND a beacon of hope for black youth. Obama shows: if you are willing to work hard, commit to being studious and hard-working, not be afraid of "sounding white," and have courage, you have a chance of being president.

Instead of looking to black athletes, comedians, actors, and yes, street pharmacists, for inspiration, now there is Barack Obama. If he can move just 1 out 1000 of our black youth to just think differently about their future, that is a great achievement of this election campaign.

amen. i totally agree.

i think he'll move more than 1 though... :-)

caligirl: I almost had myself together. "Whycome" you had to do THIS?

Tissue please!! ;>)

This is very nice!! Thanks for sharing! :>)

i meant to make it as a separate comment (not a reply) but couldn't figure out how to delete the poem and start over. hit the 'post comment' button too soon! do you know how to delete comments?

it's late.

caligirl: Permit me ta introduce you to "Ms. Tech.-Challenged!" Please ta meetcha [extending MY hand!]

What I did - 1 time: Deleted the original comment using "EDIT"
Then: Re-post in a "new comment box!"

Girlll! I'm gettin "jiggy" wit' it! :>)

Otherwise- I don't know! :>)


OH! But IFF someone REPLIES, the EDIT won't take!

Then - I don't know - AGAIN! :>)

LOL, sorry for the double-post greenlady. i don't function well past midnight! thanks for the info.

caligirl: Sorry

Not necessary! U just post all over the place, IFFF U want! :>)

It's ALL Good!! :>)

Rolling Stone: Make-Believe Maverick

It's long. But it's jaw dropping. Most of it, we've discussed here. But this story puts it all in one place.

Simply stunning.

thank you, craig. I'll look at it some more later, and probably put it up as a main piece this weekend.