Members Roman Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 McCain Loses His Head Tuesday, September 23, 2008; Page A21 "The queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said without even looking around." This Story -- "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama. Channeling his inner Queen of Hearts, John McCain furiously, and apparently without even looking around at facts, said Chris Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, should be decapitated. This childish reflex provoked the Wall Street Journal to editorialize that "McCain untethered" -- disconnected from knowledge and principle -- had made a "false and deeply unfair" attack on Cox that was "unpresidential" and demonstrated that McCain "doesn't understand what's happening on Wall Street any better than Barack Obama does." ad_icon To read the Journal's details about the depths of McCain's shallowness on the subject of Cox's chairmanship, see "McCain's Scapegoat" (Sept. 19). Then consider McCain's characteristic accusation that Cox "has betrayed the public's trust." Perhaps an old antagonism is involved in McCain's fact-free slander. His most conspicuous economic adviser is Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who previously headed the Congressional Budget Office. There he was an impediment to conservatives, including then-Rep. Cox, who, as chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, persistently tried and generally failed to enlist CBO support for "dynamic scoring" that would estimate the economic growth effects of proposed tax cuts. In any case, McCain's smear -- that Cox "betrayed the public's trust" -- is a harbinger of a McCain presidency. For McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are "corrupt" or "betray the public's trust," two categories that seem to be exhaustive -- there are no other people. McCain's Manichaean worldview drove him to his signature legislative achievement, the McCain-Feingold law's restrictions on campaigning. Today, his campaign is creatively finding interstices in lws intended to restrict campaign giving and spending. (For details, see The Post of Sept. 17; and the New York Times of Sept. 19.) By a Gresham's Law of political discourse, McCain's Queen of Hearts intervention in the opaque financial crisis overshadowed a solid conservative complaint from the Republican Study Committee, chaired by Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas. In a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, the RSC decried the improvised torrent of bailouts as a "dangerous and unmistakable precedent for the federal government both to be looked to and indeed relied upon to save private sector companies from the consequences of their poor economic decisions." This letter, listing just $650 billion of the perhaps more than $1 trillion in new federal exposures to risk, was sent while McCain's campaign, characteristically substituting vehemence for coherence, was airing an ad warning that Obama favors "massive government, billions in spending increases." The political left always aims to expand the permeation of economic life by politics. Today, the efficient means to that end is government control of capital. So, is not McCain's party now conducting the most leftist administration in American history? The New Deal never acted so precipitously on such a scale. Treasury Secretary Paulson, asked about conservative complaints that his rescue program amounts to socialism, said, essentially: This is not socialism, this is necessary. That non sequitur might be politically necessary, but remember that government control of capital is government control of capitalism. Does McCain have qualms about this, or only quarrels? On "60 Minutes" Sunday evening, McCain, saying "this may sound a little unusual," said that he would like to replace Cox with Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic attorney general of New York who is the son of former governor Mario Cuomo. McCain explained that Cuomo has "respect" and "prestige" and could "lend some bipartisanship." Conservatives have been warned. Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either. It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members George008 Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 FDR was the first president on TV, but it wasn't until 1939 at the NY World's Fair! LOL! Democrats response to Biden gaffe #4,392: Oh yeah...Well, Sarah Palin couldn't define the Bush Doctrine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GoldenDogs Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 There were some funny lines in an article I was reading about the Iranian President A-Hole or however you say his name... If you still can’t get enough after all that, watch CNN tonight at 9 for his interview with useful idiot Larry King. LOL!! I love that Larry King line... then there was the author's response to Obama's statement about A-Hole's speech to the UN... “I strongly condemn President Ahmadinejad’s outrageous remarks at the United Nations, and am disappointed that he had a platform to air his hateful and anti-Semitic views. The threat from Iran’s nuclear program is grave. Now is the time for Americans to unite on behalf of the strong sanctions that are needed to increase pressure on the Iranian regime. “Once again, I call upon Senator McCain to join me in supporting a bipartisan bill to increase pressure on the Iranian regime by allowing states and private companies to divest from companies doing business in Iran. The security of our ally Israel is too important to play partisan politics, and it is deeply disappointing that Senator McCain and a few of his allies in Congress feel otherwise,” said Senator Barack Obama. Am I hallucinating or hasn’t this tool made his own willingness to meet with either Ahmadinejad himself or the people who sent him to the UN the cornerstone of his foreign-policy approach? Obama is a tool... LOL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GoldenDogs Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Obama backtracking on wide range of policy http://hotair.com/archives/2008/09/23/obam...ange-of-policy/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roman Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Well, maybe they can do some work and ask her how her meetings went today...... Seeing as though she only allowed the press in FOR 29 SECONDS!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members George008 Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Push? I just posted articles concerning the lawsuit. I mainly commented that the allegations are probably bogus...But I am keeping an open mind to any new evidence. Also, you made a comment that this is the only thing desperate Republicans are pushing as of late...Where have you seen that? How do you feel Republicans and Dems share equal blame? You don't think one party's policies weighed into the crisis more heavily than the other? The evidence linking Republicans to the mess is limited from what I have seen..I believe the blame lies mainly with Dems, especially the Clinton admin and the CRA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roman Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Wow. Breaking News: McCain Aide's Firm Was Paid Recently Davis Said Work for Freddie Had Ceased By Michael D. Shear Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, September 24, 2008; Page A06 The lobbying firm founded by Rick Davis, the campaign manager for Sen. John McCain's White House bid, was paid for work on behalf of Freddie Mac in recent months, despite assertions by Davis earlier this week that his work for the firm had ended three years ago, according to reports yesterday. Two unidentified sources told Roll Call newspaper yesterday that Davis's firm, Davis Manafort, continues to receive $15,000 per month from the mortgage giant, one of several financial institutions at the center of the nation's housing crisis. Another report by the New York Times said the payments to the firm stopped last month. Both reports appear to contradict Davis, who told reporters on a conference call this week that his firm had not done work for Freddie Mac for roughly a year and a half. But an industry source told the Post last night that Davis Manafort continued to receive payments in the $15,000 range from Freddie Mac until recently, describing the relationship as one in which the firm was on retainer and did little actual work after early 2007. McCain spokesperson Jill Hazelbaker did not dispute the reports, saying in a statement to the Times that Davis's work had no bearing on McCain. "Senator McCain's positions on policy matters are based upon what he believes to be in the public interest," Hazelbaker wrote in a statement. Before working on the McCain campaign, Davis had served as the president of the Homeownership Alliance, a group created to lobby on behalf of mortgage companies and other groups on behalf of homeownership. "I have had a severed leave of absence from my firm for 18 months," he told reporters on Monday. "I have taken no compensation from my company, and our work for the Homeownership Alliance had ended about a year, year-and-a-half before that even started. So it's been over three years since there's been any activity in this area and since I've had any contact with those folks." ad_icon A Times article this week said Davis had received $2 million in compensation for his work at the Homeownership Alliance. But Davis said in the Monday call that he had done no lobbying and dismissed the article. "I was the public face of an organization that promoted homeownership for many years," Davis told reporters. "Sure, I have relationships there." But Davis said that at the same time he was serving as a consultant to the Alliance, McCain was pursuing more regulation on the mortgage giants, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The news about Davis comes as both campaigns are trying to link their rivals to the failed financial institutions. McCain has begun to run television commercials that link Sen. Barack Obama to two former chief executives of the once-venerated housing lenders. One ad ties Obama to Franklin Raines, who now denies comments he made to the Washington Post this summer about sharing housing and economic advice with the senator from Illinois. The other McCain ad links Obama to Jim Johnson, who was briefly in charge of Obama's vice presidential selection process before resigning amid public concern about his ties to the housing crisis. Obama has attempted to link the senator from Arizona to the mortgage giants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members George008 Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Maybe Biden should be limited to 29 seconds as well! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members George008 Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 I saw clips from that psycho's speech at the UN. He said that the US is nearing the end of it's life...he pointed to Wall Street as evidence of this..No, it was no hallucination! He said he wanted to sit down with Akmadinajadawhoever...I can't believe Obama has stated his wish to sit down to a friendly chat with this lunatic! We should not reduce ourselves as a nation by acknowledging or allowing any diplomatic bargaining power to this man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roman Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Oh. Biden is a bigmouth who talks too much. Are you SERIOUSLY acting like none of us knew that before he was tapped? Seriously? Ok. Hold onto Biden being a bigmouth who can't shut up. Congrats! You won one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GoldenDogs Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 I believe it, Casey. Obama is out of his league when it comes to foreign policy. With regard to his policy of sitting down for a friendly chat with Iranian President A-Hole, you can't argue with a sick mind, so why try? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roman Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/23/m...to-help-mccain/ Maliki: Bush Pushed For Later Withdrawal Date To Help McCain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GoldenDogs Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Obama Chides Biden for Off-Message Interview Barack Obama and Joe Biden stepped out of sync again Tuesday, as the Democratic presidential nominee criticized his running mate for voicing opposition to the government bailout of American International Group early last week. The latest friction happened when Obama was asked on NBC's "Today Show" about why he criticized McCain for initially opposing a federal bailout of AIG when Biden was also speaking out against it. "I think that in that situation, I think Joe should have waited, as well," Obama said. http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/23/ob...sage-interview/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members George008 Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 ICAM. We should not reduce ourselves as a nation by acknowledging or allowing any diplomatic bargaining power to this man! I'm still scratching my head over Obama not picking Hillary... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roman Posted September 24, 2008 Members Share Posted September 24, 2008 Monday, September 22, 2008 Untidy by digby Moral hazard? Nah. Up to 10,000 staff at the New York office of the bankrupt investment bank Lehman Brothers will share a bonus pool set aside for them that is worth $2.5bn (£1.4bn), Barclays Bank, which is buying the business, confirmed last night. The revelation sparked fury among the workers' former colleagues, Lehman's 5,000 staff based in London, who currently have no idea how long they will go on receiving even their basic salaries, let alone any bonus payments. It also prompted a renewed backlash over the compensation culture in global finance, with critics claiming that many bankers receive pay and rewards that bore no relation to the job they had done. A spokesman for Barclays said the $2.5bn bonus pool in New York had been set aside before Lehman Brothers filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States a week ago. Barclays has agreed that the fund should continue to be ring-fenced now it has taken control of Lehman's US business, a deal agreed by American bankruptcy courts over the weekend. Barclays is paying $1.75bn for the US operation of Lehman and is keen to retain its best staff. It said it had made no promises to individual staff members about how much they will receive but that the bonus fund would be paid out. In addition to the $2.5bn cash pool, Barclays is also in negotiations with about 30 executives it considers to be Lehman's best assets and plans to offer them contracts worth tens of millions of dollars. I keep hearing about how those stupid home buyers should have known they were taking a risk they couldn't afford and need to be held accountable or the system falls apart. And then you see this. I'm listening to John Harwood right now on MSNBC express shock that Obama is refusing to drop all plans to reform the health care system or invest in the future in light of this crisis. Isn't that special? The new consensus is that after the hideously expensive Bush era [!@#$%^&*]-ups, the only "responsible" thing to do is devote the country to paying back their debt. Again. Bush has been the most successful president for the aristocracy in American history. He opened up the federal treasury to his rich friends, and they looted it like a Bagdad museum for nearly eight long years. Now that it's been stripped bare to the point that its going to cost trillions to even stabilize the thing, the Village has decided it's time to sober up and stop all this profligate spending. How convenient. This is very similar to the arguments that were made 16 years ago when once again the establishment decided that the bill for Republican malfeasance would come due during a Democratic administration, thus foreclosing the possibility of solving many of the long term systemic problems that plague ordinary Americans. Heads they win, tails you lose. It's quite a racket. But, at the very least, can we hear no more from Republicans about fiscal responsibility? Is it too much to ask that every time they say such a thing, that every opponent gets right in their face and starts yelling about Bush and Cheney and the catastrophic failure of Republican governance? I suppose it is. But until they do that, over and over again, the Republicans will be allowed to spend the country into oblivion, reward their rich friends with all your hard earned money and then morph into fiscal scolds the minute the Democrats take power, thus denying the people any sort of normal first world safety net. That's the pattern and it looks to me as if it's highly likely to replay itself once again unless the Democrats learn how to play this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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