Saturday, October 4, 2008
477 Tax Increases
Friday, October 3, 2008
Palin Found Out Today About McCain Pulling Campaign From Michigan
Sarah Palin Named Court Cases She Did Not Agree With
Two Things: Accent And Rights
Also listen to her positions on gay rights; which seems to contradict the debate. Lastly, she defines the extent of her pro-life position.
SIXTEEN MONTHS AGO
"Is Iraq Vietnam? Who really won in 2000? Which side are you on in the culture wars? These questions have divided the Baby Boomers and distorted our politics. One candidate could transcend them"
Both of these were written before Obama was the Democratic candidate. But the title link article, from 16 months ago, was before anyone knew if Barack Obama was truly viable. I love the insight to be read here.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
THESAURUS.COM: "Maverick"
Main Entry: | maverick |
Part of Speech: | noun |
Synonyms: | bohemian, dissenter, loner, nonconformist, stray, unbranded |
CNN: Did Obama Really Vote To Raise Taxes 94 Times?
Factcheck.org, a non-partisan project of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, pieced through records to determine just what these 94 votes were. Key findings:
-23 were against proposed tax cuts
-7 were "for measures that would have lowered taxes for many, while raising them on a relative few, either corporations or affluent individuals"
-11 were to increase taxes on people making more than $1 million a year, to help fund programs such as Head Start, school nutrition, or veterans' health care
-53 were votes on budget resolutions or amendments that "could not have resulted by themselves in raising taxes," though many "were clear statements of approval for increased taxes"
- The total includes multiple votes on the same measures
Annenberg says a close look at the record reveals that Obama has "voted consistently to restore higher tax rates on upper-income taxpayers but not on middle- or low-income workers."
Verdict:
Misleading. McCain's summary ignores the fact that some of the votes were for measures to lower taxes for many Americans, while increasing them for a much smaller number of taxpayers. A nonpartisan examination also finds that the 94 total includes multiple votes on the same measures and budget votes that would not directly lead to higher taxes.
Blinkin' and Drinkin'
For those that missed these: our drinking rules of the night were (sent out by Amanda, modified from Huffington Post):
(watch out, you'd be drunk by now, at 8:29pm!)
(click on comments for the drinking game; I posted them as a comment).
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Mike Murphy, Republican Strategist: What the Hell was McCain even doing there in the first place?
A few choice things from the column: (Re: what the Hell was he doing here....)
1.) Obama is going to win Iowa.
2.) Editorial board meetings are usually pure trouble to begin with and result only in newspaper endorsements that persuade very few voters beyond the immediate family members of the editorial board.
3.) Within the rarified category of newspaper editorial boards, the Des Moines Register is one of the most liberal in the country. I'm rather surprised that halfway through the McCain interview they failed to switch over to Esperanto, the peace-loving language of all nations.
I'm Calling This Political
GOLLY! #2 Image Comics Since I always like to follow up on my reviews on a new series like this (either to confirm my previous summation or to eat some serious crow) I'm just here to affirm that I'm still really digging this new Phil Hester joint from Image. Now, I wasn't as in love with this second outing as I was the first, but that's more to do with the execution than the book itself. I still love the premise and I still especially love the cast (which added a few more wonderful colorful members this issue) and the overall humor and quirk they bring too, I just thought this issue really tried too hard to steamroll ahead. Partly I can forgive it, because we were introduced to some of that cast I just mentioned, but there was just a metric shit-ton of exposition and the like going on here, in trying to give us that cast, and trying to explain the situation behind the existence of the first target Golly has been presented with and so on. It felt kind of like two issues plowed into one, though I can understand why Hester would want to get past as many of the introductions as he can and more into the shenanigans these characters will find themselves in. That looks to be the meat of the entertainment value here and so far it's been very savory. Keeping with the food analogies, this issue just felt a little bloated is all. Overall, though, from its sense of humor to the cast and the premise, this book is still delivering some quality entertainment and aiming real high at being my favorite new series of the year. - Humphrey Lee
For anyone that wasn't aware, Brook (my husband) Turner's 2nd issue of Golly! came out last week (his art/Phil Hester, writer) And, for those of us that are not "in the know" re: pop culture; AICN, (Ain't It Cool News) is the place to score a good review. The first issue was reviewed here; you have to scroll down a bit. Rather humorous that the reviewer starts out with how much he wants to HATE the book; but loved it.
CONGRATULATIONS, AGAIN, PHIL & BROOK! :)lt
McCain And Sex Education For Kindergartners
On NPR's Morning Edition this morning; he repeated it again; saying:
"It's factually correct. It's absolutely factually correct, and you can go on my Web site and you can see the exact language of the bill that Senator Obama sponsored......I'm proud of the campaign we are running, the ads are factually correct. And if someone named factcheck.org or anybody else doesn't agree with it, I respectfully disagree with their conclusions."
Factcheck.org says this misleading statement dates back to Alan Keyes' fail race against Obama for an open Senate seat in 2004. Obama was never a sponsor, and the bill never left the state senate.
Politifact.com calls this a "Pants-On-Fire" lie, one of six that they state John McCain has told. In fact; there have only been FOUR "Pants-On-Fire" lies about John McCain and Sarah Palin, COMBINED, but there have been approximately TWENTY "Pants-On-Fire" lies told about Obama alone.
Washington Post's Fact Check: 3 pinocchio's
This is combined with the numerous times the question has come up by reporters, columnists, and in blogs.
Palin Brushing Up On Foreign Policy At Epcot
SWING
No one has been elected President since 1960 without winning two of the three swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. See link for full article, very interesting.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Weekly Standard: "Obama Don't Know Much About History..."
Texas Man Acquited for Killing (Unarmed) Teen Intruder
3 days ago
LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury acquitted a man accused of killing a boy who broke into his home looking for a snack — a case that sparked outrage in this border city, where many thought the man should not have even been charged.
It took the jury of eight men and four women three hours Friday to find Jose Luis Gonzalez, 63, not guilty of murdering Francisco Anguiano, who was 13 when he and three friends broke into Gonzalez's trailer to rummage for snacks and soda one night in July 2007.
Thanks to my newphew, Nathan Cook, for telling me about this story.
It's Always Sunny In Florida
Florida, where PPP today shows Obama ahead by 3 points, may well be on the verge of surpassing Ohio as a potential tipping point state.
Palin's Debate Style
On the other side of the stage, Palin simply needs to do what she's always done best during debates: fill the room with her presence and stick to scripted sound bites. With limited interaction, thus less chance of going off message, Palin can definitely hold her own.
Andrew Sullivan Remains Convinced Clinton's Want McCain Victory
Monday, September 29, 2008
A Bailout's Not A Bailout If It's Not Called A Bailout
Marc Ambinder
When described as a "bailout," the public opposes it. When the principles of the bill are described without using the word "bailout," they support it.
He goes on to say:
Speaker Pelosi gave a partisan speech at the wrong time; it's indeed possible that it cost her 15 votes. Still, if those Republicans had been of stronger backbones and more nimble minds -- and more mature than Pelosi, who, let's call it, gave a relatively tame, generic partisan speech -- the bill would have passed. Those Republicans were looking for an excuse, and Pelosi gave it to them. It shouldn't matter what Pelosi says; the future of the Republican was at stake......Pelosi's not responsible for how House Republicans vote.
Ask Sarah Palin A Question And She Will Answer It Here!!!!
Hey, we need a laugh right now, don't we?
More On Sheldon Adelson
The meeting raises important questions:
And here for some of Adelson (who is very close to the current administration, as well) other "issues".1. Are groups Adelson is funding really independent from the McCain campaign?
2. Will Adelson use information provided to him by the McCain campaign in private strategy meetings to influence how Freedom's Watch and other groups he finances promote McCain and attack Obama?
More "Obsession". There is no way this film "coincidentally" is being mass distributed to SWING states; within 6 weeks of the election.
An article at the group's site, www.radicalislam.org, all but endorsed McCain this past week, then was pulled down. The statement could have been this:
"McCain's policies seek to confront radical Islamic extremism and terrorism and roll it back while Obama's, although intending to do the same, could make it worse," said the site. This statement was later removed, says an article on TampaBay.com.
The "shadowy" Clarion Fund, behind the DVD, say they are not endorsing any candidate or party. However the website clearly points out "liberal" agendas, and the Florida Attorney General, who was also a campaign adviser to Rudy Guiliani, REQUIRED his employees to watch the film.
Apparently, this DVD was in our Des Moines Register Sunday paper two weeks ago. Now that I think about it, I vaguely remember there being a cd in the outer wrapper. Where it went, I have no idea; I truly hope it was assumed to be an ad (like the trial games in cereal boxes) and tossed with other garbage. While information can be helpful; especially to cement one's own convictions; there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this mass campaign was to revive the "Barack Obama is a Muslim" and he will take over and bring radial Islamic extremists to take us over. Or, to just instill enough misgiving in the non-thinking sector of America to make them vote for McCain or not vote at all.
WHY CAN THEY NOT WIN ELECTIONS ON THEIR OWN MERITS, IDEAS, POLICIES, AND ABILITIES?
The story is not yet broken, but there seems to be quite a few references linking the funding of this mass campaign to Sheldon Adelson, a billionaire. (google: Sheldon Adelson "Obsession").
The Clarion Fund, the official source behind the film and the one whose bulk mail permit was used for the distribution, had no money in their bulk mail account per the New York Postmaster. So with someone else behind it, and costs that are estimated in the 5-15million dollar plus range..... shares the same office address as Aish Hatorah; and if the video is being distributed as non-political related, and the organizations are not for profit, how can statements like this be made?
Tom Trento, who heads www.watchobsession.org, the group that distributed the movie at the Democratic and Republican parties’ nominating conventions, told JewsOnFirst that their goal is to awaken the country…before the election so everyone can “see the insidious nature of radical Islam.” Trento said, his group’s website then directs viewers of the video to “a scorecard that shows how elected officials have voted” on terrorism-related issues so they can decide “how they can intelligently vote” in November.
The scorecard is on the website of Act for America, a group that says it has tabulated electeds’ “votes related to national security and the threat of Islamofascism.” Its Senate scorecard consistently favors Republicans over Democrats…
Sunday, September 28, 2008
MUSLIM CHILDREN GASSED AT MOSQUE IN DAYTON, OH; COULD A VICIOUS DVD BEING WIDELY CIRCULATED IN SWING STATES BE TO BLAME?
This happened during Ramadan. Daily Kos, from what David and I have found, was the first and only source, other than the original news story (click the title for the link) in the Dayton Daily News.
Chris Rodda at the Huffington Post was able to communicate with someone directly affected. While the newspaper comes across as a minor incident; the more recent story, here, posted about an hour ago, describes the situation as much more incidious.
COULD THERE BE A CONNECTION TO THE "OBSESSION" DVD BEING DISTRIBUTED BY THE MILLIONS? I am appalled that our "One Nation (Under God), With Liberty And Justice For All" could be so hateful. My earlier post about "Palintology", and what makes people vote Republican, seemed to insinuate that the left's push for diversity made us feel less united. That, perhaps, the goal should be for coming together as one, and celebrating our similarities, NOT our differences. I don't know what to say. I'm going to keep looking in to this, and will have more on this DVD soon.
Fox News Pulls Negative Palin AP Story
Disappearing Racial Bias: Further Proof That The "Bradley Effect" May No Longer Exist
But the Consortium article discusses a Harvard political science study that asserts the Bradley effect has disappeared.
Think Progress: McCain Admits Health Plan Would Increase Taxes
McCain has repeated that he will not raise taxes. McCain's interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos seems to prove otherwise.
Palin Paparazzi Possibilities
I have heard multiple comments by McCain reps that the media is glaringly liberal, and can't be trusted to be objective with the McCain campaign. Shouldn't those statements be tied to actual examples? EVERY DAY is a new ballgame in politics, and we see evidence of that, well, every day. With small things able to cause massive shifts in public opinion, why isn't the "Straight Talk Express" flooding the air and sound waves with positive talking points?
Surely, if Sarah Palin was able to get elected as Governor of Alaska, she could hand-pick media to have a press conference on something very specific; that she could truly hold her own on. And structured correctly, she could decline questions that did not relate from the agreed upon subject. And why, why why was she not out there, pimping for McCain after the debate? She could always say: "I don't recall that exact exchange, I'd have to see the transcript". Michael Crowley, on The Stump blog from The New Republic, brings this up.
Movin' On Up
Gallup's Newest Poll: Obama +8
FiveThirtyEight.com: Chance of Obama winning the election: 78.5%
RealClearPolitics: National Average of Polls: Obama +4.8
Pollster.com: Obama 48.2/McCain 42.1
Rasmussen: "Obama's biggest lead yet" 50%/44%
Battleground Tracking: Is the lone holdout of all the polls, coming it at +2% McCain, with data through 9/25/08.
SNL Saturday, September 27, 2008
Brook Turner points out: The writers at SNL are getting a big break; some of the sketch dialog was taken directly from the actual interview/transcript. But as Andrew Sullivan points out,