Category Archives: Election 2008

I Told You So, Republicans

15 Wednesday Oct 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

I hate to say I told you so, Republicans (not really) but I told you so. Your attacks on Barack Obama’s associations aren’t working. In fact, the opposite is true. McCain and Palin’s unfavorable ratings are rising and Obama’s favorables are at an all-time high since the attacks began. Thanks, GOP.

Before we go any further, these numbers are taken from a poll done by the New York Times and CBS, so I know some will dismiss it immediately as “liberal media bias.” You are free to leave at this point.

Now back to the polling data. About McCain’s attempts to tie Obama to William Ayers, the Times found this:

“After several weeks in which the McCain campaign sought to tie Mr. Obama to William Ayers, 64 percent of voters said that they had either read or heard something about the subject. But a majority said they were not bothered by Mr. Obama’s background or past associations. Several people said in follow-up interviews that they felt that Mr. McCain’s attacks on Mr. Obama were too rooted in the past, or too unconnected to the nation’s major problems.”

 

On the issue of favorability:

“Mr. McCain was viewed unfavorably by 41 percent of voters, and favorably by 36 percent. Ms. Palin’s favorability rating is now 32 percent, down 8 points from last month, and her unfavorable rating climbed nine percentage points to 41 percent. Mr. Obama’s favorability rating, by contrast, is now at 50 percent, the highest recorded for him thus far by The Times and CBS News.”

To show how poorly this attack strategy has worked, Palin’s favorable rating is now only 8 points ahead of President Bush, who is at an all-time low of 24%. Nice job Republicans, keep it up.

To show you how out of touch Republicans are at this point, take a look at this chart showing voter’s responses when asked which candidate has spent more time explaining his positions or attacking his opponent:

 

 

 

Almost half of the Republicans surveyed actually think that McCain has spent more time explaining his positions, talk about living in an alternate reality.

But then again, these are the same Mensa members that we see in line at McCain/Palin rallies, never mind.

 

 

McCain and Republicans Plumb The Depths of Decency

13 Monday Oct 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Well so much for the charade that the McCain campaign was going to stop the constant personal attacks on Barack Obama and focus on the economy. Quite the contrary, the McCain people and the Republican Party are taking the guilt by association smear to the next level–equating Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden.

The chairman of the Virginia Republican Party is instructing volunteers going door-to-door to tell people that Obama and Osama bin Laden “both have friends that bombed the Pentagon.”

From The Jed Report:

With so much at stake, and time running short, [Virginia Republican Party Chairman Jeff] Frederick did not feel he had the luxury of subtlety. He climbed atop a folding chair to give 30 campaign volunteers who were about to go canvassing door to door their talking points — for instance, the connection between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden: “Both have friends that bombed the Pentagon,” he said. “That is scary.” It is also not exactly true — though that distorted reference to Obama’s controversial association with William Ayers, a former 60s radical, was enough to get the volunteers stoked. “And he won’t salute the flag,” one woman added, repeating another myth about Obama. She was quickly topped by a man who called out, “We don’t even know where Senator Obama was really born.” Actually, we do; it’s Hawaii.

 

Senator McCain’s response when questioned about this? You have to see it to believe it.

 

“I’d have to look at the context of the remarks?” Really? Tell me Senator, in what context would it be appropriate for a member of your campaign to say that there are similarities between a candidate for president of the United States and a terrorist responsible for the deaths of thousands of people?

Let me answer that question. That would be in the context of a desperate man who sees him life-long ambition to be president going down in flames, and will not hesitate to sink to any level to try and achieve that goal, even if it means watching any shred of decency and integrity he may have once had go down with it.

McCain Reaps What He Has Sown

11 Saturday Oct 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

At a campaign rally in Minnesota yesterday, John McCain came face to face with the monster that he and his power-abusing running mate have created. Watch it:

 

Should Senator McCain be surprised at this? He and Gov. Palin have spent the last week prying the manhole covers off of sewers all across the country and this is what has crawled out and followed him home.

Has he not heard the screams of “terrorist”, “treason”, and “kill him” at other campaign rallies where the crowd has adopted a lynch mob, yes I said lynch mob, mentality? What did he think would happen when Palin accused Obama of “pallin’ around with terrorists?” Terrorist, Senator. In a post 9/11 world, that is the equivalent of Joe McCarthy accusing someone of being a communist in the 1950’s.

Senator McCain has sown the wind and he is reaping the whirlwind.

But I must admit, as I watch the video I am conflicted. Is this the decent John McCain trying to get out? The man who existed prior to being taken over by the Lee Atwater/Karl Rove acolytes who convinced him to sell his soul and sacrifice his dignity and self-respect in exchange for achieving the presidency?

Or is this shift in rhetoric a response to polling numbers that show him falling further and further behind Barack Obama? Does he now realize that in these troubled economic times nobody but the ignorant few who yell out at his rallies care about some alleged association from the past.

But then I read statements like these by people associated with the McCain campaign.

From the RNC:

“How many times has the Obama campaign met with groups tied to or connected with terrorist organizations?”

 

Then the McCain campaign sent out this statement in defense of their supporters and their remarks:

“Barack Obama’s attacks on Americans who support John McCain reveal far more about him than they do about John McCain. It is clear that Barack Obama just doesn’t understand regular people and the issues they care about.”

 

On a McCain campaign conference call yesterday, Michelle Obama was attacked for her convoluted association with the wife of William Ayers. From Talking Points Memo:

“Bernardine Dohrn, Ayers’ wife and fellow former Weatherman, went to work in 1984 for the major Chicago-based national law firm of Sidley & Austin, and three years later, Michelle joined the mega-firm as well.”

So wives are no longer off limits, Senator McCain? What’s next, do Barack Obama’s daughters have ties to terrorists as well? How low will you go?

Until I see evidence of a change in rhetoric from everyone in the McCain campaign, yes even Gov. Pitbull, I have to conclude that this new tone he has adopted is not a sudden attack of conscience, but a result of poll-watching.

Can McCain put the genie back in the bottle, or more appropriately, the rats back in the sewer? Does he even want to? Time will tell.

McCain Opens The Door On Keating

06 Monday Oct 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

In another display of their brilliant strategy and perfect sense of timing (sarcasm) the McCain campaign has decided to go down the guilt by association road. They started by telegraphing their intent to bring up Obama’s already de-bunked relationships with Tony Rezko and William Ayres, giving the Obama team time to prepare a pre-emptive strike with this ad:

In doing this McCain strategists opened another door and hit themselves squarely in the face. That would be John McCain’s connection to Charles Keating and the savings and loan scandal which Senator McCain was in up to his neck.

Today the Obama campaign is launching a web site, KeatingEconomics.com, and releasing a 13 minute video documenting McCain’s close relationship to Keating and the similarities between the savings and loan scandal of the 80’s and the meltdown of the financial markets we are facing today.

Obama is also bringing up the McCain mud-slinging in his campaign speeches.

“Sen. McCain and his operatives are gambling that they can distract you with smears rather than talk to you about substance. They’d rather try to tear our campaign down than lift this country up,” Obama said at an event in Asheville, North Carolina.
“That’s what you do when you’re out of touch, out of ideas, and running out of time,” he said.

All these elements taken together could make tomorrow night’s debate very interesting. That volcano known as the infamous John McCain temper could erupt in full force if and when these topics are raised. What was grinding of teeth and refusing to look at his opponent in the last debate could become one of the profanity-laced tirades for which Senator McCain is well-known.

We shall see.

Meanwhile, Back In The Real World

03 Friday Oct 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

I know the partisan Republicans are all a-twitter this morning over what they perceive as a victory by Sarah Palin in last night’s vice-presidential debate, and the McCain campaign would like nothing better than to take the focus off of our economic woes, but unfortunately for them, that’s not going to happen.

The credit freeze is deepening, unemployment is up, and companies large and small are tightening their belts in anticipation of a severe economic slowdown.

From Bloomberg:
“The crisis deepened after the worst month for corporate credit on record. Leveraged loan prices plunged to all-time lows, short-term debt markets seized up and even the safest company debt suffered the worst losses in at least two decades. Credit markets have frozen as financial institutions hoard cash to meet future funding needs amid deepening concern that more banks will collapse.”

The president of Chrysler said, “The credit window is now closed.”

Ford and Toyota reported sales for September were down over 30% from a year ago.

General Motors estimates it is losing 10-12,000 sales a month due to tightening credit.

AT&T is having trouble raising cash. From CNN Money:
“CEO Randall Stephenson said Tuesday that his company was unable to sell any commercial paper last week for terms longer than overnight. Commercial paper, which helps lubricate the flow of business operations, is a short-term IOU available to corporations that banks usually know are good for the money.”

Small businesses are suffering as well. From the New York Times:
“Some small companies say they are no longer able to get loans from newly cautious banks as credit tightens across the country, and even those who do qualify are increasingly reluctant to borrow and expand, fearful of overextending themselves in the midst of the financial crisis.”

Manufacturing is at it’s lowest level since 2001.

According to the Wall Street Journal;
“The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 497,000 in the week ended Sept. 27, the Labor Department said. That was the highest since Sept. 29, 2001.”

Unemployment figures for September are due to be released today and are expected to be bleak.

So I ask you, with these facts and figures staring us squarely in the face, does it really matter how well Sarah Palin is able to speak from a prepared text or recite talking points? Not one iota. What matters is electing a president who has the judgement and the vision to tackle these tough problems, not one who admits that he has little knowledge of economics.

McCain Shows His Un-Presidential Qualities

29 Monday Sep 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

There has been an interesting chain of events in the last few days involving John McCain’s actions during the financial bailout negotiations and his performance in the presidential debate, which gives us an insight into not only John McCain the man, but what we might expect from a President McCain.

The picture it paints is not an appealing one. It is that of a condescending, angry, borderline hostile, disrespectful man, and an indecisive and detached leader.

First Sen. McCain allegedly suspended his campaign to return to Washington, D.C. to take a leading role in the bailout negotiations. Then when he attended the meeting of Congressional leaders, along with Barack Obama, at the White House, he sat silently and offered no solutions, refusing to either endorse either the Paulson plan or the alternative put forth by the House Republicans.

In fact, when asked directly by Obama whether or not he supported either plan, McCain did not respond. Washington Monthly offers these 2 possible explanations for McCain’s silence:

“It seems to me there are two possible explanations for McCain’s silence. One possibility is that this was an extension of what we saw last night(at the debate) — he believes his rivals are beneath him, and he has nothing but contempt for those who question him, so he refused to engage in a policy discussion.

The other is that McCain had no idea what the grown-ups were talking about, didn’t understand what the insurance alternative was, and knew he’d humiliate himself he tried to engage in a substantive dialog with a room full of people who knew vastly more than he did.”

The first scenario would explain McCain’s hostility toward Barack Obama during Friday night’s debate. Obama put McCain on the spot during the meeting and McCain took that as a personal attack, as he does with anyone who disagrees with him. I don’t know about you, but that is not a personality trait I find desirable in a president.

Finally, as an agreement on the bailout was being reached, where was Senator McCain? Was he showing his leadership and exercising his supposed superior judgement, about which he frequently boasts? No, he was dining at a posh Washington, D.C. hotel with Cindy and Mr. and Mrs. Lieberman.

In contrast, Barack Obama took a leading role in the bailout negotiations, offering opinions as well as solutions, and then went on in the debate to take on, and by all but the most partisan accounts, defeat McCain on his own turf–foreign policy. Obama displayed a well-informed, well thought out, grasp of the issues, and treated McCain with respect, even agreeing with him on several points.

Now those are qualities I do find desirable in a president.

McCain Fiddles While The Economy Burns

26 Friday Sep 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

John McCain rode into Washington, D.C. on his white horse yesterday, after suspending (not really) his presidential campaign, and proceeded to sabotage negotiations which had produced a tentative agreement on a plan to rescue the crumbling financial markets.

In an attempt to revive his sagging poll numbers by exerting leadership and looking presidential, McCain attended a meeting at the White House, along with Congressional leaders from both parties. His contribution, according to those in attendance, was virtually nothing.

From Talking Points Memo:
“During the late afternoon meeting at the White House McCain sat silently at the table until nearly the end, according to a Hill source who was briefed on the meeting. At that point, I’m told, McCain vaguely brought up the proposal being pushed by the Republican Study Committee, the group of House conservatives that is bucking the GOP leadership. But McCain didn’t offer any specifics and didn’t necessarily advocate for the plan, according to the Hill source.

Responding to McCain, Treasury Secretary Paulson said that the RSC proposal was unworkable, my source says, at which point McCain didn’t really advocate for it or state his own position. The meeting adjourned soon after, amid confusion over where negotiations could go next.”

The House Republicans, by the way, are pushing a plan which includes more deregulation and more corporate tax breaks. Great idea, let’s put out the fire by pouring gasoline on it.

But some Republicans in the House may have other plans, from  Politico:
“According to one GOP lawmaker, some House Republicans are saying privately that they’d rather “let the markets crash” than sign on to a massive bailout.”

Nice job Republicans, let’s sacrifice the economic stability of the country to try and score some political points. For some reason I have this image of Emperor Nero in my head.

Here’s my take on what happened. McCain saw that progress toward an agreement was being made without him. So he went to Washington and joined with House Republicans to create a deadlock where none existed in order to appear to be the one who brings the Republicans on board, thus showing his leadership and presidential qualities.

What Senator McCain has actually shown is that he is so desperate to become president that he is willing to risk our economic future and the possible collapse of the financial markets for his own personal gain. This is putting country first? I don’t think so.

McCain and Palin, Clueless and Cluelesser

25 Thursday Sep 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

When I first heard of Senator McCain’s decision yesterday to suspend his campaign, and his request to postpone Friday night’s debate with Barack Obama, I found it a bit curious. Here we are, 40 days out from the election, with multiple presidential debates and the vice-presidential debate all compressed into such a short time span, and one of the candidates wants to return to Washington and be an integral part of a solution to the economic mess.

Even more curious is that this is the same presidential candidate who only a few days ago said that the fundamentals of the economy were strong. Now he says if legislation is not passed quickly to deal with this crisis, the country faces another Great Depression. What a difference a few days makes.

Then I read a statement from McCain surrogate Lindsey Graham and I saw the Sarah Palin interview with Katie Couric. Now it all makes sense.

Sen. Graham told CNN that the McCain campaign is proposing that the presidential debate be rescheduled for October 2nd. Just by coincidence, that happens to be the date selected for the vice-presidential debate. Rescheduling of the VP debate was not mentioned. I suspect that is because of this:

 

 

After watching that performance, I fully understand why the McCain campaign has been diligently shielding Gov. Palin from the press, and why they would like nothing better than to see the VP debate not rescheduled, but cancelled.

I particularly liked the question about some examples of Sen. McCain’s attempts to reform Wall Street during his 26 years in Washington. Governor Palin’s response of “I’ll try to find you some, and I’ll bring them to you”, was reminiscent of Senator McCain’s answer to how many homes he owned, “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

Talk about two peas in a pod, here they are, clueless and cluelesser.

Sarah Palin: A Moose In The Headlights

12 Friday Sep 2008

Posted by in Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Politics, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

This is pitiful, and it would be hilarious if this person were not running for the second most powerful position in the world. Watch as Charlie Gibson asks Sarah Palin to explain the Bush Doctrine. She doesn’t have a clue. One phrase she has learned well, “terrorists who are hell-bent on destroying our nation.

Then the topic turned to Russia, and the possibility of Georgia and the Ukraine joining NATO.

GIBSON: Would you favor putting Georgia and Ukraine in NATO?

PALIN: Ukraine, definitely, yes. Yes, and Georgia.

GIBSON: Because Putin has said he would not tolerate NATO incursion into the Caucasus.

PALIN: Well, you know, the Rose Revolution, the Orange Revolution, those actions have showed us that those democratic nations, I believe, deserve to be in NATO.

GIBSON: And under the NATO treaty, wouldn’t we then have to go to war if Russia went into Georgia?

PALIN: Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you’re going to be expected to be called upon and help.

I can only assume that this is part of the “more wars” that Senator McCain has promised us will happen if he is elected President.

And speaking of war, not those in the future, but the present one, Governor Palin yesterday linked the Iraq war with 9/11 while addressing a brigade of soldiers, which included her son, who are bound for Iraq, saying that they would “defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans.”

Even President Bush doesn’t try to sell this line any more.

Finally on the subject of Iraq, General Petraeus, in an interview with the BBC, was asked about the use of the word “victory” in reference to the Iraq war.

That seems to contradict an assertion that Sen. McCain has made repeatedly–that our troops will come home with “victory and honor.” Governor Palin, in her acceptance speech at the Republican Convention, chastised Barack Obama for refusing to use the word “victory” when talking about Iraq, saying this:
“This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word `victory’ except when he’s talking about his own campaign.”

I don’t know Governor, it sounds to me like General Petraeus is in agreement with Barack Obama rather than you and Sen. McCain. But then again, who am I to correct a foreign policy expert like Mrs. Palin.