McCain Electoral Vote Miracle

I’ve said it here before that I don’t trust the polling numbers in this election and again I must site the upsets in the primaries. State by state the polls said one thing and the actual election results were the opposite time and time again. That being said, I do however trust Real Clear Politics (RCP) with their polling average numbers. They take all of the recent polls from all sources and average them all together state by state.

As of 10/31/2008 the electoral map with no toss up states shows Barack Obama leading John McCain 353 to 185. That works out to 48% more electoral votes that John McCain needs to make up by November 4th to win the Presidency. If this were a poker game, I would encourage Senator McCain to fold his hand but I don’t see him doing that. So what does John McCain need to win to get to the magic number of 270 electoral votes? I’ll tell ya…

Using the RCP electoral map with no ties we have 353 votes for Obama and 185 for McCain. Below is a list of states that McCain would need to take just by one fraction of a percent over Barack Obama to win. Mind you, all of these states have Obama winning by 2.6% or more as of today. Below is the state and the percentage that Obama is polled at to win. John McCain has to pull this royal flush out or it is the end of the game. He needs to hold the lead he has in all other states according to the polling numbers…

State, Electoral Votes, Current Lead
OH 20 5.8% Obama
FL 27 3.5% Obama
NC 15 2.6% Obama
NH 4 12.3% Obama
NV 5 7.0% Obama
CO 9 6.5% Obama
NM 5 7.3% Obama

Source: Real Clear Politics

One of the real concerns for John McCain is carrying states he barely has a hold of. Along with the above states swinging in favor of John McCain from Barack Obama he needs to hold the following states as well:

MO 11 0.4% McCain
IN 11 1.7% McCain
MT 3 2.0% McCain

Just my random thoughts on the numbers but all that the Obama campaign needs to do is take any single one of these states listed above and he becomes the next President. Statistically, Barack Obama can do that very easily by taking NH that is already showing a 12.3% favorability. John McCain needs a miracle in my honest opinion.

Papamoka

Bush Administration Plans More Regulatory Damage

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - The Washington Post is reporting something VERY scary this Halloween. According to the paper, the White House is "working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January."

So, they haven't done enough damage. They need to inflict lots more before they leave office. "The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease or lift constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms," the Post says. That's just great.

Incredibly, the paper is reporting that the new rules would "ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining." How much more of this nightmare do we have to accept from these Republican crazies? I'm freaking sick of this crap.

The really BAD PART in the article is that once the new rules take effect, "they typically can be undone only through a laborious new regulatory proceeding, including lengthy periods of public comment, drafting and mandated reanalysis." So, it will be VERY hard for us to fix the damage too.

""They want these rules to continue to have an impact long after they leave office," said Matthew Madia, a regulatory expert at OMB Watch, a nonprofit group critical of what it calls the Bush administration's penchant for deregulating in areas where industry wants more freedom. He called the coming deluge "a last-minute assault on the public . . . happening on multiple fronts.""

I don't know what to say. I'm losing my mind with these people. I guess the nightmare will continue until January 20th of next year when Obama is inaugurated. As I always say, this is another example of WHY YOU SHOULD NOT VOTE FOR JOHN MCCAIN!

Happy Halloween!
Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

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Rachel Maddow and Barack Obama Interview

Let me start off by saying that NBC and MSNBC is highly favored by the Obama campaign for good press but that does not stop Rachel Maddow from asking some tough questions of Senator Obama. Rachel Maddow still does not think this election is in the bag for either candidate and that makes this interview all that much more interesting. Below is part one of the interview in Sarasota, Florida. This interview took place in the former Secretary of State and Congresswoman Kathryn Harris district. Whatever happened to her by the way?

Video Link Part 1



One of the things that I did not know about Obama and his campaign is that he does not go after Conservatives at all, or for that matter he does not direct his comments to people as Republicans but what his opponent John McCain representing that party believes. Senator Obama is reaching for Republican voters and Republican servants in our nations government. It isn’t that he has to if he wins the election, it is that he knows that he needs too! Both political parties are not perfect but working together is better than banging our heads together time and time again on issues after issue where nothing gets fixed. We can do better.

America has many issues facing her over the next four or more years starting with the meltdown on Wall Street, our economy teetering on a recession if not worse, the housing collapse, two wars on two fronts in Iraq and Afghanistan and the shrinking job market here at home. These are serious issues that takes more than just one persons opinion to work on.

Our nation is in crisis and John McCain is not the answer with his coined responses to serious questions. As much as I respect him as a Veteran, I could not trust him with my children’s future and what America could be if special interests are holding the White House hostage through political contributions. In the back of many voters minds is the greed and deception of our political leaders over the last eight plus years and enough is enough. People are tired of seeing elected leaders step down in disgrace over one controversy or the other. People are tired of being treated like the bottom of the barrel and we do not deserve our governments leadership. People are tired of seeing only the top income earners get tax breaks while inflation is ripping the middle and lower classes off year after year with stagnant wages.

The time for change is coming on November 4th and you don’t have to vote, you must vote! Otherwise, shut the hell up and say hello to $4.00 per gallon gas, no jobs, special interest and corporate greed gone super nova, our military used as Pons to benefit corporations and the list goes on.

Vote for Barack Obama. Place your confidence in the hands of a man that is not afraid to face the issues and tackle them the minute they arise. Obama’s campaign against John McCain has shown that he is a true fighter with all the mud thrown at him.

Papamoka

A Truly Worthy Obama Endorsement

This endorsement alone should put Barack Obama over the top and with it a victory to the White House on November 4th. Stephen Colbert is endorsing Obama. It’s worth a laugh…

Video Link



You don’t get a better endorsement than this one! I can hear the right wing pundits damning Stephen Colbert to hell for this one…

Papamoka

Corporations are Responsible to Both Shareholders and Society

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - It seems that George Bush and Dick Cheney are leaving their best buddies in Texas a very nice going-away present. The world's largest publicly traded oil company has reported income today that shattered its own record for the biggest profit earning $14.83 billion in the third quarter.

Exxon said its net income jumped nearly 58 percent to $2.86 a share in the July-September period. That compares with $9.41 billion, or $1.70 a share, a year ago. The previous record for U.S. corporate profit was set in the last quarter, when Exxon Mobil earned $11.68 billion. Revenue rose 35 percent to $137.7 billion.

WOW! So, despite these HUGE numbers John McCain still wants to give corporations like Exxon Mobil HUGE tax cuts. The misleading reason he gives is that he wants to encourage them to drill more. Strange, they never seem to listen.

So far most of the profits from the last two years have been pumped into buying back the company's stock, for more control of course. So, why are you Republicans buying the BS again? I don't get it. There have even been reports that Exxon Mobil might relocate to Dubai. Incredible! Where's the loyalty?

Let's stop the lies and end this BS forever. These corporations have no national allegiances. Stop treated them like charity cases. Let's elect Barack Obama and get back to a world where corporations that do business in the US pay their fair share of corporate taxes.

We should also make sure that excessive profits are put to good use, such as investments in research and development to create better products for the environment. It's in our national interest.

I'll bet some of you will accuse me of being a socialist. Get over it! Socialism exists in every government to varying degrees. That "socialism" crap from the McCain campaign is nothing but fodder for their retarded sheep!

Republicans who think government interference in business is wrong should remember that our government spends billions on R&D - the same R&D that benefits corporations like Exxon and its stockholders. The truth is both help each other. That non-interference crap is just Republican spin. They want to "have their cake and eat it too" as they say. It's more greedy BS!

As a society and a government that invests in these corporations, it's only reasonable to encourage corporations to invest in products that are better for our future while benefiting business. Speaking as a businessman and stockholder, I think it's fair.

Michael Boh

Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Is Yes We Can Real?

In the closing days of this Presidential election is the voice of the American people, and the only way you can change America is by voting for a new hope, a new direction. America, and Americans are tired of being subjugated as not being worthy to be Americans because we think differently on where our nation needs to be. Is it wrong to think that all of us can and have the potential to be better, give our children a better life that we never saw the possibility of? Is it wrong to think that our children can not dream of higher goals and a better life than we as parents have had? We can do better than that and we must do better than raising them in fear, in the environment of fear, in fear of people we do not know. We can lead them to hope over desperation. We can lead them in the path that is not laden with landmines if you do not tow the strict "With us or against us" thought process. America is the last melting pot in the world and all America has a general investment in our nations future! Our next leader for President needs to reflect that sentiment and not deflect it.

America brings many challenges but it also comes with the possibility of many dreams that can come true if we simply believe that change is possible. We can be better over the shouts of cynics and those that would keep us all down as a people. We are not divided but we are one nation that deserves better and we can do that together as one people. United we can fight any battle that faces us all, divided we can only survive one attack at a time. America is about challenges and not fear of enemies our government tells us we should fear, it is about confronting the reasons they are our enemies. Diplomacy is an American virtue that has been corrupted and replaced with fear and war that has no end or no answer.

America provides so many opportunities and we need not hide behind the shadow of fear of “What If”? We as a people are able to provide a better tomorrow for our babies and it is up to you as a parent to make change possible in America. One nation is better than a divided nation based on political ideology that can only offer fear.

Voting for Barack Obama is the only way to bring about the change this nation needs. John McCain is not the answer when all he has to offer is opinions of why he should be President because his opponent is only offering hope. When it comes to the hopes and dreams of all Americans I can not think of one reason that anyone would vote out of fear. It isn’t in our American blood and upbringing to do so. We know what is right and what is wrong in America and that is why we are a land of laws. In that respect I offer this must see or listen to video…

Video Link



Barack Obama said his peace on National Telvision tonight on many of the networks in his half hour reach to you as Americans as to what he can do for you and our nation. That is who he is. This election is not about him as much as it is all about you, the left behind American. Where do you want to put America in the next four years? Vote accordingly.

Papamoka

To the Center has this post up!

McCain Might Just Lose Arizona!

Fear of losing his own home state has John McCain and his campaign using the dreaded robocall political tactic in Arizona. What was once an art form under Karl Rove and the election of George W. Bush is now pretty much taboo in the new century of politics. Robocalling is the last breath of desperation from John McCain to at the least point to save his Senate seat in the next election.

When you look at what he has had to deal with in recent weeks you really can’t blame McCain for trying to save his own ass. Palin has gone rogue on him and so far off acceptable campaign talking points that she is a loose cannon of the Republican Party. She fires off the cannon and no matter what she says, the target ends up being in the lap of John McCain. I can’t honestly feel bad for McCain, he picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. I just don’t think that he ever considered that she could out run him.

Back to the Robocall topic in Arizona… Here is the text of the call courtesy of Talking Points Memo that confirmed it with two sources…

I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because Barack Obama is so dangerously inexperienced, his running mate Joe Biden just said, he invites a major international crisis that he will be unprepared to handle alone.

If Democrats win full control of government, they will want to give civil rights to terrorists and talk unconditionally to dictators and state sponsors of terror. Barack Obama and his Democratic allies lack the experience and judgment to lead America. This call was paid for by the Republican National Committee and authorized by McCain-Palin 2008.

Can we break down this robocall to simple terms? Dangerously experienced? How about McCain picking someone that has already bolted from his own campaign with eyes on 2012 with even less experience? Then Joe Biden is brought up with this lack of experience. Umm, Joe and John have a ton of experience in foreign policy so the original statement is moot. Then they mention Civil Rights as if they are the ones to endorse and move forward civil rights? How can you claim to be a defender of civil rights when you voted with George Bush to tear all Americans civil rights out from under us Mr. McCain? Then they question Barack Obama’s judgment and experience to lead America but is it not the McCain campaign that can not even control many of the leaks and news feeds that show up on blogs like this one where Palin is out of control and going Rogue or “Maverick”? Last point is who this RoboCall was paid for, the Republian National Committee or RNC. Obviously, they don’t know that America is Cell Phone Happy.

Thank you God above for technology and the fact that our nation has gone Cell Phone happy and for the most part have dumped their land lines. One of the main reason many of us have gone Cell Phone happy is phone calls like this one but from terrorist telemarketers trying to sell us everything under the sun every single night as soon as the supper dishes hit the dining room table. The old shampoo instructions prevailed in some prehistoric political hacks mind when they came up with Robocalling, wash, rinse, repeat. Annoying, interruptive, and rude at the one time of day that we as a family have together with two working parents. The one time of the day where most families find out how everyone else in our individual families day went.

When it comes to RoboCalls, I’ve seen and received many of them when it comes to marketing products. I no longer own a home but I was receiving calls for replacement windows. Same thing goes for refinancing my home. Renovating the bathroom that I do not own. Getting out of debt when bankruptcy and losing our home was an event that happened just under two years ago. Pick a topic and the populace is numb to pre-recorded messages on our land lines. Even after caller ID they managed to get through by interesting messages of who the caller was.

The generation gap is broken wide open and the information age is here and now. John McCain and his campaign has no clue as to how to reach the large chunk of voters that are now no longer bound by a phone in the home. Just like George Bush Senior was amazed at bar code reading machines at a check out counter while Christmas shopping, John McCain never got the message on his cell phone about the wide spread use of cell phones in America. Cell phones are for staffers and not part of his wardrobe.

Senator McCain is not alone in this technology snafu when it comes to politics, most of the political polling sources that political machines rely on have not found the way to bridge this technology gap either. There is not a directory to research and call for cell phone owners going Maverick of Ma Bell!

Papamoka

Political Labels

Pretty much surfing the net you will find every accusation and label thrown at Barack Obama by Republicans. He’s been called a socialist, a communist, a race baiter, an elitist, an extreme liberal and of course a muslim. Just when you thought it could not get any worse, John Stewart of Comedy Central has this to say…

Video Link



Yes, we do need a bridge to the 13th Century! It is all coming clear to me now on how idiotic I have been.

Let me just add one more label for Barack Obama. President.

Papamoka

Republicans Will Steal The Election So GET OUT THE VOTE!

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - Brad's Blog is reporting this morning on some great success capturing election fraud on camera. A public interest group has caught electronic voting machines swapping votes from Obama to McCain - and Nader in some cases.

VideoTheVote.org caught vote-flipping incidents on ES&S iVotronic machines in West Virginia - the same incidents were reported anecdotally in the national press last week.

The same group has reports of votes flipping from Democratic to Republican (and other) candidates across the states of West Virginia, Tennessee, Texas and Missouri. You can read the whole article and watch the votes flipping on video before your own eyes by visiting Videothe Vote.org's site or Brad's Blog.

If you read the article it says that even after officials re-calibrated the machines, the iVotronic still failed to record votes correctly. They continued to switch votes, many switching votes from Obama to Ralph Nader. Incredible!

I don't know about you guys, but this is precisely the reason why our get out the vote effort has to be significant. If we can't get Democrats to show up in extremely high numbers, especially in the infamous swing states, then we could lose this election.

I hope the Republicans reading this are ashamed of whoever is doing it in their name. Democracy will not stand if election fraud is allowed to stand. We must stop those who try to steal elections. They threaten our freedom and the survival of our nation.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Skin Heads Targeted Obama and 102 Others for Assassination

Leave it to idiotic Skin Heads to think that they were bright enough to covertly carry off an assassination attempt on Barack Obama and 102 other African Americans. I’m sure it was not difficult for federal agents to track down two skin heads with swastika tatoos. This is the second group arrested for making an attempt on Obama and this scares me to the bone. At the times of greatest change in this nations history, the most ignorant amongst us used a bullet too silence that change. Not this time though. Thank God for that! And of course the ATF, FBI, Secret Service and everyone that followed up on these two morons are to be thanked as well.

CNN has this and more to say on it…

Men charged with plotting to kill Obama

(CNN) -- Federal prosecutors charged two men with plotting a "killing spree" against African-Americans that would have been capped with an attempt to kill Sen. Barack Obama while they wore white tuxedos, federal officials said Monday.

The U.S. attorney's office in Jackson, Tennessee, said Daniel Cowart, 20, and Paul Schlesselman, 18, were self-described white supremacists who met online through a mutual friend.

Both men have been charged with illegal possession of a sawed-off shotgun, conspiracy to rob a federally licensed gun dealer and making threats against a presidential candidate.

The men planned to kill more than 100 African-Americans, including 14 who would be beheaded, according to the affidavit. But federal law enforcement sources said there was no evidence Cowart, of Bells, Tennessee, and Schlesselman, of West Helena, Arkansas, had any details of Obama's schedule. - CNN

One of the things that I have heard and read in many left leaning blogs and conversations with friends is the fear that someone, somewhere will never find it acceptable for a black man to be President and will use that as an excuse to assassinate Obama. Sometimes I too have feared the same because outright ignorance is out there in America and blindly accepted simply because it was the way these idiots were raised. I feel bad for them. I really do because getting to know someone different than you can be a life changing experience. It is far to easy to hold onto ignorant fear than shake another mans hand simply because they are different than you. Laziness and fear is how ignorant people that would make an attempt on anyone elses life because of the color of their skin is a copout. Unfortunately, for Skin Heads and people like the KKK I don’t ever think you or I will ever be able to educate them as to how wrong they are when they use racism to feel superior in their shallow little life.

You Tube Video Link

This nations greatness was not born out of a people that accepted the status quo. It was born of a people that saw a far brighter future for the next generation and that legacy has been passed on from the generation of Washingtion and Jefferson right on up the ladder of future leaders of this great nation that knew that without a challenge for change our nation would stagnate. Our society and people are best when we are reaching for a better way for all.

As much as I fear the idiotic fringe in America I think, and I honestly believe that Barack Obama is well aware of this kind of possibility but chooses to push forward for the betterment of all in our nation. You can’t count Obama as a coward faced with the number of attempts on his life so far.

Thank you ATF, FBI, Secret Service and all the law enforcement people that have once more prevented this kind of abomination on the American people. Lock the scum up and throw away the damn key!

Papamoka

Neo-Nazi: Send them to a LA Corrections Facility

There is so much going on right now with only 8 days until the most important presidential election of my lifetime, even if it is only my 3rd election I have been able to vote in. I am nervous because no matter how much we as northeasterners like to believe, this country has not progressed as we hope. We (majority of Americans) like to keep African-Americans at oppressed; all seem to be nervous if god-forbid a black man is elected to the highest office in the United States of America.

Today the case of two young men who are Neo-Nazi skinheads were caught in mid-plot of wanting to assassinate Obama was opened. They wanted to shot and kill 88 and decapitate 14 people. In white supremacy groups the number “14” stands for the “14 word statement”, that being “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” The number “88” is short for “Hail Hitler” being that “8” is the eighth letter in the alphabet. Using these two numbers to be their target for killing almost 100 black individuals the two men got as far as blasting out a window.

The two young men Daniel Cowart, 20, of Bells, Tennessee and Paul Schlesselman, 18, conspired together to rob a gun store, head to a high school with a high African-American population and finally they would drive their cars as fast as they could and shot Obama. This was supposed to happen last month and now both of the men are being charged with possession of sawed off firearm, conspiracy to rob a federal firearms licenser and making threats to a major presidential candidate. If I had it my way I would gladly use my tax dollars to put these two men for life in a Los Angeles Corrections Facility and let the “people” take care of them.

I would like to believe that the majority of people will vote without the color of skin mattering. A persons vote is just that, it is theirs.

CNN Story

MsCrystal

*****Reuters has picked up this post! Thank you!!!

Senator Stevens of Alaska Guilty

Ted Stevens of Alaska was found guilty on all counts of corruption. Sad part is, he just might not see even one days jail time because he is a U.S. Senator. Special rules for the special people I guess.

This whole trial started when Stevens had some free home renovations done and never claimed them on his federal paperwork. Over at MSNBC they have this to say on it...

Stevens faces up to five years in prison on each count, but under federal sentencing guidelines, he would likely receive much less prison time, if any.

Stevens' trial hinged on the testimony of Bill Allen, the senator's longtime drinking and fishing buddy. Allen, the founder of VECO, testified that he never billed his friend for the extensive work on the house and that Stevens knew he was getting a deal.

Stevens is a legendary figure in Alaska, where he has wielded political influence since before statehood. His knack for steering billions of dollars in federal money to his home state has drawn praise from his constituents and consternation from budget hawks. - MSNBC

Video Link

The old tote board of corrupt Republican politicians needs to add one more to the count. This news does not play well for the Republican Party that is already facing difficult elections nationwide in both the Congress and the Senate. John McCain is not helping matters and seems to have greased his coattails. This is not good at all for the Republicans.

Papamoka

*****Gun Toting Liberal has linked in... Thank you my bro GTL!

Bush's Blackmail is America's Shame

Hello Bloggers - George Bush and company are up to their old dirty tricks again, and this time they're threatening the democratically elected government in Baghdad.

Amazingly, they are threatening to shut down vital services throughout Iraq on January 1st if the Iraqi government doesn't agree to a new status of U.S. forces or a renewed United Nations mandate for the American mission in Iraq. Basically, they want Iraq to agree to a lengthier military-enforced occupation, or we SCREW THEM!

Using their usual heavy-handed, moronic approach to diplomacy, the Bush/Cheney dream team are now threatening our "allies," the ones we've already spent hundreds of billions to coddle and protect, with blackmail. Of course our "allies" are threatening back. They're talking about getting Iran's help. I must admit, just when I think the Bush/Cheney nightmare couldn't be any more clumsy and stupid, they surprise me.

What are we going to do with you Republican neocon maniacs? You people are DANGEROUS! If you don't get your way, you threaten violence, or at the very minimum extreme pain and suffering. Of course many Iraqi politicians view the move as political blackmail, because it is BLACKMAIL!! Read the whole miserable account on McClatchy Sunday.

McClatchy reports that U.S. forces would cease any and all "activities that support Iraq’s economy... Army General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, listed “tens” of areas of potential cutoffs in a three-page letter."

McClatchy says that "the status of forces agreement, which calls for a final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011, was supposed to resolve a number of contentious issues between the two countries, but its completion 10 days ago has instead provoked a political crisis within Iraq's Shiite-dominated government and between Iraq and the United States."

So, it wasn't good enough just to leave office as war criminals, torturers, and suffering the many other horrendous indictments we all know about - too numerous to list here, you guys had to add blackmail to the list. I must admit, when you Republicans screw up, you go all the way.

You Republicans must be so proud of yourselves. You are partly responsible for one of the ugliest periods in American history. Unlike Bill Clinton, who you impeached for purjury simply because he refused to ruin his family over a private sexual indiscretion, you continue to support two of the most dangerous and disgusting politicians ever to hold office in this great country. Something tells me that you're going to learn to regret it.

Like many Americans, I'm ashamed of what you Republicans have done to this country. I'm ashamed of everything you've done in our name. I think you elected two of the biggest turds ever to hold power - anytime and anywhere.

Since this is the Internet, and theoretically people can view this rant from anywhere in the world, I would like to apologize to the people of Iraq and the world on behalf of my retarded countrymen - the ones in power and the ones who still support them. Together they represent a perfect storm of stupidity - the kind that only comes every few hundred years or so I hope. I think monkeys could have done a better job - as elected officials and as voters.

Hopefully this period of darkness and stupidity will end soon. Hopefully George Bush, Dick Cheney and their supporters will fade away, or at least learn from their mistakes. Personally I hope they go away never to be heard from again. Please bloggers, no more stupidity, vote for Obama and end our national shame.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

CBS Says What Caused Financial Crisis, Now Let's Ask Who?

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - Did any of you watch the 60 Minutes report last night that explained one of the main reasons we're in this financial mess today? The CBS report explained what Warren Buffet once called "financial weapons of mass destruction," referring to credit derivatives or the now-dreaded credit default swaps. Steve Kroft of 60 Minutes did a FANTASTIC story explaining the multi-trillion dollar market.

We should all be aware of how our elected representatives acted LIKE IDIOTS! We all need to be aware of how President CLINTON and the Republican Congress of 2000 (supported by our weak and pathetic Democrats) pushed legislation SUPPORTED BY WALL STREET AND GREENSPAN to allow gambling on Wall Street. Wow, I'm even happier we chose Obama and not Hillary. I really don't want Bill anywhere near the White House now.

The derivatives market is thought to have been one of the most important reasons why some of the biggest financial institutions in the world crashed this year. As the report explains, the new derivatives are nothing more than legalized gambling, which allow you to wager on financial outcomes without ever having to actually buy the stocks and bonds and mortgages. See the whole report here.

I've been aware of the many pieces of deregulation legislation pushed by leading Republicans that lead to market erosion, but I was stunned to learn of this specific piece of legislation that allowed the same gambling many believe caused the first Great Depression. It was supposedly pushed by Alan Greenspan himself during the last few hours of the Clinton presidency, which is why many believe it was carried overwhelmingly by both parties. They trusted him, the MORONS!

I will be doing my own research into the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 to find out more about WHO WE SHOULD BLAME! I need to know more about who pushed it, and who dropped the ball in investigating it. As citizens we are paying for these mistakes, so it is up to us to find out which of our elected officials SCREWED UP! This goes beyond parties. This is about corruption. I want to know who did this and why. This is only the beginning, so stay tuned.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

The Two McCain's

By request of my eighteen year old daughter I just had to put up this video that she found gut wrenching funny. After watching this video I'm wondering if John McCain asks himself these very questions?

Video Link



Hope you got a laugh out of it...

Papamoka

Palin Goes Rambo on McCain

Governor Sarah Palin is apparently going off message on the McCain campaign for President on purpose. According to CNN she does not like how her image and roll out on world politics was handled. Maybe Chusck Todd of MSNBC was right on the lack of chemistry between the two politicians. She is after all a very strong woman and maybe too strong for the McCain people to keep quiet on the political campaign. Over at CNN they have this to say..

October 25, 2008
McCain aide: Palin 'going rogue'
Posted: 02:15 PM ET

From CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby, CNN's Dana Bash

Tensions within the McCain-Palin campaign are spilling into the public. A McCain aide told CNN that Gov. Palin is a 'diva.'

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (CNN) – With 10 days to go until election day, long brewing tension between Sarah Palin and key aides to John McCain has become so intense, it is spilling out into the public.

Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin “going rogue” recently, while a Palin associate says she is simply trying to “bust free” of what she believes was a mishandled roll-out that damaged her.

McCain sources point to several incidents where Palin has gone off message, and privately wonder if they were deliberate. For example: labeling robo calls “irritating,” even as the campaign was defending the use of them and telling reporters she disagreed with the campaigns controversial decision to pull out of Michigan.

A second McCain source tells CNN she appears to now be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign. - CNN

How about the New York Post on this same issue?

This is refreshing news that the media should pick up on. Governor Palin has done nothing wrong in this campaign for President other than following the advice of the handlers in the McCain campaign. She isn’t a national politician and has never claimed to be one. She is the Governor of a small electoral state where you can run rough and tough and she fits that image in a state that lives on the last frontier of America. Sarah Palin is ten times the Maverick of John McCain and has earned the Governors office the hard way, she fought for it. Love her or hate her, she is still the Governor of the great state of Alaska.

So why is Sarah going rogue in the campaign? Is she not buying the sales pitch she is supposed to sell? Is she pissed off that the McCain campaign is telling her to dummy down on the issues? Why is Sarah Palin going rogue? 2012 is the answer. She sees the future and knows where the battleground will be after a Liberal President, Liberal run Congress and Senate will be. Governor Palin is painting the background for her run in 2012 and God bless her for it. Barack Obama and the coming Congress of Democrat led seats has two years to fix many problems. They need to start working on day one and keep working till all of the problems we face are confronted, discussed, legislated, fixed, investigated, or whatever it needs to be done to get America back on the right tracks.

If the Democrats as the polls all indicate come into power and abuse it as the Republicans did, then Sarah Palin is front and center in 2012 as the Republican nominee for President. One fact is sure, she does not believe in her heart that McCain and company can win this race. If she did, she would not go rogue in the last week before the election. How that effects her 2012 bid is up to her own political party but she has bucked them before and probably will do so again in the future.

I’m guessing that Governor Palin will be either Congresswoman Palin or Senator Palin from Alaska in the coming years. Her eyes are no longer on Vice President Palin. When I see Sarah Palin, I don’t see a second chair in her personality. I do see her making a run for the President in 2012 or 2016 and having a damn good chance at it if Obama and the Democrats screw us all over.

All I can report is if Sarah Palin does not believe the message John McCain is selling, is being told to shut up, held back, cloistered from the media, or pretty much told to follow the campaign talking points only , is that not the same as woman should be seen and not heard? I honestly can’t picture Governor Palin saying that she needed $150,000 in clothes and makeup? That just does not make sense to me and that leads one to think of only political handlers out of control in the McCain campaign.

John McCain didn’t pick her as a Maverick as much as he picked her to be a pretty face, a woman, and after that he wanted her to shut the hell up. That was how his generation treated woman, we live in the present Senator McCain. Woman are not a trophy prize, they are people too! Smuck!

Congrats to you Governor Palin for going rogue too! You just won the hearts and minds of many people across America for the next Presidential election.

Papamoka

Confusion Over Torture All Started 41 Years Ago Tomorrow

Hello Saturday Papamoka Bloggers - I know we're used to being lied to by our politicians, but I think the confusion over John McCain's Vietnam captivity needs to be acknowledged on the anniversary of his capture.

It is potentially one of the most disturbing tales in American politics. The possibility that he lied about being tortured to win votes makes me very uneasy. I compiled the following from a very interesting article in today's London Times.

I know many of you Republicans are going to accuse me of not trusting an American hero over a Vietnamese jailer, but that's not true. I'm not saying McCain lied. I just think it's important to point out the discrepancies in the stories. Read the article in the Times and make up your own mind. I don't know who is telling the truth.

The Times interviewed his jailer Tran Trong Duyet. They were friends after the war. Duyet claims that McCain received good medical care and was never tortured in any way.

Amazingly, McCain crash-landed forty-one years ago tomorrow. He was supposedly treated for his injuries and spent the next five and a half years as a prisoner. The story accounts differ most when each side describes McCain’s incarceration, first at the prison known as the Hanoi Hilton and later at The Plantation.

Tran Tron Duyet's Version from the London Times
"[Duyet], the former prison director, met McCain a year after he had been shot down. He recalls a defiant rule-breaker, the patriotic son of an admiral and a fervent believer in the war. What he does not recall, however, is a victim of torture or violence."

“I never tortured or mistreated the PoWs and nor did my staff,” says Mr Duyet in contradiction of Mr McCain’s account and those of other prisoners. “The Americans were dropping bombs on military and civilian targets – so it’s not as if they had important information we needed to extract.” Mr Duyet says that he sympathises with Mr McCain and other PoWs for claiming that they were tortured. “It’s up to the Americans to decide whether or not he counts as a hero. He was very brave, very manly, he dared to argue with me and he was very intelligent. But all the talk of being tortured is for the sake of votes.”

McCain's Version from Faith of My Fathers, by John McCain
“I was hauled into an empty room and kept there for four days. At intervals, the guards returned to administer beatings. One held me while the others pounded away. They cracked several of my ribs and broke a couple of teeth. Weakened by beatings and dysentery, with my right leg again almost useless, I found it impossible to stand."

“On the third night I lay in my blood and waste, so tired and hurt that I could not move. Three guards lifted me to my feet and gave me the worst beating yet. They left me on the floor moaning from the pain in my arm. Despairing of any relief from pain and further torture, I tried to take my life.”

I don't know what to think. I guess I should believe McCain since he's a fellow American. It's weird though. What do you guys think? McCain does look permanently injured from possible torture, but supposedly his injuries from the crash were severe too.

You should also be aware of another creepy McCain fact related to Vietnam. Did you know that McCain has been receiving 100% disability payments from the Defense Department since the early seventies, despite his abilities and personal mobility?

Many in the veteran's community still think it's a travesty of justice. That level of disability is usually reserved for highly crippled vets. There are many examples of wheelchair bound soldiers who receive less than 50% disability. The man has too many red flags if you ask me.

I guess I'll just have to believe that John McCain did his best, and whether he was tortured or not, he says he was. I'll just have to give him the benefit of the doubt. That doesn't mean, however, that I am free of doubt. I still don't like the red flags. There are too many mysteries about the man.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's West Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

*****Paulie's Point of View has linked in with and opposing opinion...

Republicans and Conservatives going Obama

Frankly, I was very surprised to see my former Governor, Bill Weld of MA endorsing Obama over McCain. Governor Weld was a Conservative Republican Governor in one of the most liberal states in America that served as Governor with a Democrat liberal legislature. Today, Governor Bill Weld (voted for him twice) endorsed Barack Obama. A decision Governor Weld did not come to overnight but after weeks of deep thought on the actual positions Barack Obama has stated publicly and on his website. Sound familiar?

Colin Powell, Secretary of State, former Joint Chief of Staff of our nations military under George W. Bush, has endorsed Barack Obama for President crossing party lines not because of race but because of the issues and the positions and future Obama offers America. Some well known blogs and radio talk show hosts on the right are calling Colin Powell a traitor, a racist, and some words that I don’t repeat because they are wrong. Since when is a Purple Heart medal recipient a traitor. How about a Bronze Star? I could go on with the heroics behind Colin Powel in his service to America through his entire life but I should not have to. He’s one American endorsing his choice for the next President.

Then you have Christopher Hitchens, a former Brit that is now an American citizen with severe right wing tendencies not only endorsing Obama but calling out that John McCain has something weird going on. His words, not mine. Hitchens even used the word “Senile” in describing many reactions on television and radio that McCain has spoken on. Christopher Hitchens went on Hardball with Chris Matthews and endorsed Obama.

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Is it just me or is the Republican Party running away from John McCain and Sarah Palin as fast as possible? Maybe America cares more about the issues that effect all of our lives rather than he said, he associated with, he did this, he voted for this in the past or he is a liberal. All of this is coming out of the McCain campaign and it is just attacks and not issues that need ideas and policy to fix them. Issues that you and I have to face every single day. One candidate is talking about the issues, how he will fix them, and the other is talking about the past. Vote your heart, just vote!

Papamoka

*****Reuters has picked up this post... Thank you!

Campaign Worker Todd Lied About Attack

The girl all over the news and blogs of all kind that claimed a black man attacked her outside of an ATM and then carved a “B” in her face made up the whole scenario. Ashley Todd lied. All I can say is that the lovely and honorable Michelle Malkin was right on this issue and I apologize for questioning her instincts on this case. I do however stand by my position that the Pittsburgh Police needed to fully investigate the alleged attack and Kudo’s to them for doing a great job! They found the real culprit in this case and it was Ahsley Todd.

Over at KDKA they have this report on it…

Oct 24, 2008 3:59 pm US/Eastern
Police: Campaign Volunteer Lied, Injured Self
Ashley Todd told investigators today she "just wanted to tell the truth" -- and was neither robbed, nor attacked

Todd, 20, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― Police say a campaign volunteer confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter B in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker; now she's facing charges.

At a news conference this afternoon, officials said they believe that Ashley Todd's injuries were self-inflicted.

Todd, 20, of Texas, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police.

Todd initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect began beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car.

Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test.

Investigators asked Todd to return to the police station today for more questioning and to help them release a composite sketch of the suspect.

When she did, police say she admitted that she made the whole thing up and that it snowballed out of control. - KDKA TV

Why did Ashley Todd make this attack up? Did she think this attack would motivate people to vote for McCain? Did she think this whole thing out before lying about this attack? Did she think out the consequences if her story was proven false by the police? Did she think about the racist side to her false accusation against black people? An imagined attacker had to be black? Why? Why couldn’t it have been a white guy?

Ashley Todd makes me sick to my stomach. When she began this charade her intention was clear on race baiting and somehow firing up hatred and discrimination against black people to support her candidate, John McCain. In the long run she has put a dark spotlight on her candidate for President. It leads you to ask how many other McCain campaign supporters are willing to commit a crime to try and damage the voters faith in Barack Obama? I’ll let the police handle the incidents as they have occurred and allow them to report the truth behind the crimes.

Papamoka

Related Post…
Michelle Malkin Calls ATM Attack Fraud

The Brothers Grimm

Happy Friday Papamoka Bloggers - This morning I would like to draw attention to an obscure story on the Huffington Post - from Channel 7, ABC News, Washington, DC - reporting on how John McCain's brother Joe called the local 911 operator in Alexandria, VA three days ago to complain about being stuck in traffic.

Transcript:
Operator: 911 state your emergency
Caller: It's not an emergency, but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95 traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic's coming the other way?
Operator: Sir, are you calling 911 to complain about traffic? (pause)
Caller: "(Expletive) you." (caller hangs up)

The operator called the number back to find out who it was and the voice mail on the other end belonged to Joe McCain, brother of John McCain. It said. "Hi this is Joe McCain. I can't take this message now because I'm involved in a very (inaudible) important political project. I hope on November 4th we have elected John."

The operator left a message stating that abusing the service was a crime. Incredibly, Joe McCain called 911 again to complain about the message the operator had left him. Wow, Joe sounds charming.

Caller: Somebody gave me this riot act about the violation of police.
Operator: Did you just call 911 in reference to this?
Caller: Yeah.
Operator: 911 is to be used for emergencies only not just because you're sitting in traffic.

I think this is incredible. Can you imagine what the Republicans would do if ANY member of Barack Obama's family did the same thing? It would be ALL OVER THE NEWS. Hannity the repetitive monkey would never shut up about it. Instead, the only place I've spotted this in on the ABC-7 website and the Huffington Post.

So, let's wait to see if any of the "corporate media" picks it up. It's been three days, so I won't hold my breath. Btw, it's pretty clear to me that the McCain brothers have serious anger management issues. When this is all over I think they both should get some help. Until then, they respectfully remain the "Brothers Grimm."

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Naked Palin Needed Clothes

John McCain stated today that Governor Palin needed clothes to justify $150,000 spent by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to go shopping for Sarah Palin. There is only one problem with this declaration, she was and is the Governor of Alaska. Did she show up to work in Moose skins, Wolf skins, or was she just bare ass as she put that plane on Ebay? Apparently, to John McMillionaire she was not properly dressed and Neiman Marcus could fix her up. Sarah Palin needed to be GOP’ered. Walk like a duck, quack like a duck and campaign like a GOP Vice President candidate.

Here is the McCain spin on your donations to his campaign and why your $100 dollars, $500 dollars or even $1000 bucks went to a good cause. Sarah was buck naked when he found her in the wilderness of Alaska in the Governors office.

Over at Politico they have the inside inseam scoop…

McCain: 'She needed clothes'

John McCain defended the Republican National Committee’s decision Thursday to spend more than $150,000 dollars on clothing and accessories for running mate Sarah Palin.

“She needed clothes at the time,” McCain told a group of Florida reporters.

The Arizona Republican said that the clothing will be donated to charity and that there was nothing unusual about spending the committee’s money on Palin’s look.

“They'll be donated at end of this campaign. They'll be donated to charity,” McCain said.

“It works by her getting some clothes when she was made the nominee of the party and it will be donated back to charity,” he added. “It works that the clothes will be donated to charity. Nothing surprises me.” - Politico

How pissed would you be if Barack Obama spent this kind of money on Joe Biden? Your donation dollars! I don’t get it. McCain is Conservative but he says that $150,000 dollars for clothing in just over one months time on clothing and accessories is okay and justified because the Governor needed clothes? Somebody has no clue as to what his political campaign is doing behind his back and the blame rests squarely on John McCain. It’s his campaign! What excuse is he going to use when he is elected President when people are screwing him over behind his back? This is just an election for President, once elected you are on the world stage. McCain is not in charge of his own campaign and that is sad. Mistakes and blunders of this magnitude should never have happened on a campaign where the man on the bumper stickers is supposed to be a hawk.

If John McCain can not control the spending of his own campaign organization that makes him look bad, then how is he going to control government spending that he wants to lead? It’s his campaign and nobody did this to him but his own campaign. He owns this issue 100%!

This attempt by McCain was truly against his character. He could not justify the spending of that much money on clothing and accessories at all. “She needed clothes” is his response? This is the beginning of Bush 3.0 lies if John McCain is elected President.

Papamoka

*****The Root has linked in... Thank you!

Michelle Malkin Calls ATM Attack Fraud!

*****UPDATE***** Pittsburgh Police are reporting that Ashley Todd made up the entire attack and mutilation. My humble apologies to Michelle Malkin. - Papamoka

A young woman, a McCain campaign supporter from Texas, was attacked, robbed, and had a backwards “B” carved into her face for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was in Pittsburgh working with friends doing what most people her age do not do. Supporting her candidate for President, John McCain. She is yet another victim of campaign violence and idiot supporters thinking they can send a better message than the candidates.

WTAE TV in Pittsburgh has this on it…

PITTSBURGH -- A 20-year-old woman who was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield was also maimed by her attacker, apparently because of her political views, Pittsburgh police said.

According to WTAE's news exchange partners at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Ashley Todd, of College Station, Texas, was using an ATM at Liberty Avenue and Pearl Street just before 9 p.m. Wednesday when a man approached her and put a knife to her throat.

Police spokeswoman Diane Richard said the robber took $60 from Todd, then became angry when he saw a McCain bumper sticker on the victim's car. The attacker then punched and kicked the victim, before using the knife to scratch the letter "B" into her face, Richard said. - WTAE TV

Michelle Malkin, the right wing extreme blogger, is calling Ashley Todd who is a McCain supporter and the victim of an ATM robbery where the attacker carved a “B” into her face a fraud. This young woman was attacked and mutilated by this animal whoever he is and that is not right! How Michelle Malkin can come to that conclusion without actually being involved in the case is beyond belief. Does Malkin have access to the Pittsburgh Police evidence in the case?

Why that McCain volunteer’s “mutilation” story smells awfully weird

By Michelle Malkin • October 23, 2008 06:43 PM

Throughout my career, I’ve covered dozens of fake hate crimes — campus hate crime hoaxes, Muslim hate crime hoaxes, fake noose hangings, etc., etc., etc. Most were perpetrated by liberals, but there have been some shameful ones on our side of the aisle as well.

I’ve reported on the great lengths that warped attention-seekers have gone to in perpetrating fake hate crimes, including beating themselves up, carving swastikas on their dorm room doors and walls, locking themselves in bathroom stalls, and burning down their own houses.

Which is why I’m not jumping up and down with outrage over Drudge-promoted story of a McCain volunteer claiming to have been attacked by a black man whom she accused of carving a “B” in her face after spotting her McCain bumper sticker.

She refused medical treatment after reporting the incident to police. Why on earth would she do that? - Michelle Malkin

As a Democrat it offends me that Michelle Malkin, a staunch Republican, is calling this kid a fake, a fraud, and a liar. Where the hell is her compassion for the victim of a hate crime?

Politics is what it is today, young people are getting involved and I thank this young lady for being a McCain supporter a long way from her home in Texas. She didn’t deserve this attack and frankly I’m offended that Michelle Malkin, a GOP talking head is accusing Ashley Todd of fraud and deception. The kid was attacked and robbed!

Let me be clear, violence in political campaigns coming from any political supporter, extremist, or just idiots is not acceptable in America. I’m a Barack Obama supporter and this kind of violence against a young woman who supports McCain is unacceptable. No violence is acceptable as a political opinion. America is not a Soprano's sitcom where you can bully your thoughts and desires on anyone. We are a land of laws and whoever the monster was that did this to this poor young girl should be tracked down, arrested, and jailed.

Michelle Malkin owes this young lady a huge apology! Malkin is basing her thoughts on comments in her blog and not the investigation by real police officers handling this investigation and crime. Right now the only one smelling like a fraud is Michelle Malkin!

Papamoka

Obama Double Digit Poll Leads

Battleground states are falling heavily for Barack Obama and by double digit leads according to MSNBC today. I believe these numbers are coming from the University of Wisconsin poll and this is what they show. Obama is ahead of McCain in Minnesota 19%, Wisconsin 13%, Michigan 22%, Iowa 13%, Illinois 29%, Indiana 10%, Ohio 12 % and Pennsylvania by 11%.

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Just for giggles I went over to Real Clear Politics and plugged this information into the Electoral Map. I love this feature and find myself using it at least a couple of days a week. Mind you the map starts out with Obama at 259 and McCain at 157 solid electoral college votes, leaning states move the map to 306 to 157 in Obama’s favor. That leaves 75 electoral college votes in toss up mode.

If you change all the states leaning to Obama or McCain and then plug in MN, WI, MI, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA all over to Obama and give John McCain all the toss up states (MT, ND, NV, MO, NC, FL) you end up with Obama winning 317 to 221.

If you look at the maps from another perspective and click on the “No Toss Ups” option, McCain would need to win OH, PA, IN, VA, NC, and FL to get to 270 to win the Presidency.

Papamoka

The McCain Campaign's Chemical Breakdown

Good Morning Papamoka Bloggers - Anybody who watched Hardball yesterday would have noticed the remarks made by MSNBC's Political Director Chuck Todd after he sat in on the Nightly News interview with McCain and Palin. He kept telling Chris how he felt their was "NO" chemistry between them.

Todd kept saying it over and over. It was obvious to him. He also said that he sensed a great deal of "tension" in the room. I wonder if they had a big fight before the interview. McCain did make faces during the interview - then again, when does he not make stupid faces. I wonder if McCain is beginning to blame her for his own problems and screw-ups. The really funny part is that they're both pretty awful.

I don't know about you guys, but most Republicans I know are famous for passing the buck. The ones I know rarely take any personal responsibility. I'll bet that's happening with McCain. He's probably blaming her for everything. I'll even go so far as to bet the man's a misogynist - just look how he treats his wife at times. He's probably regretting the Palin decision and it's starting to show. Oh well, all the better for us.

It's also reported on Raw Story this morning that the New York Times Magazine is set to publish an explosive story on Sunday detailing "the inner workings and combative personalities" of the McCain campaign.

Raw Story reports that the piece, written by Robert Draper and titled The Making (and Remaking and Remaking) of the Candidate, will highlight "a growing weariness within a campaign that seems more interested in tactical victories and the next compelling narratives than an overarching strategy." It sounds interesting, but it's been pretty damn obvious to me for a while.

Excerpts:
"Having interviewed several of the Senator's chief aides, Draper details the process by which McCain ultimately chose his running mate (New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was surprisingly high on the list). And the decision may have been even more impulsive than initially thought. Gov. Sarah Palin, who had never been on the VP shortlist, was advanced at the last minute by Schmidt and Rick Davis, and was picked after a chat with McCain at his ranch in Arizona."

"From there, Draper tracks the campaign through Palin's widely praised convention speech, the roaring early campaign events, and then the first glimmer of doubts. There are additional, juicy nuggets that he uncovers earlier and along the way. These include the birth of the Obama-as-celebrity attack line -- the campaign felt it was on the wrong track, its pollster described their situation as "third and nine," and Schmidt "blurted out the epiphany concerning Obama. 'Face it, gentlemen,' he said. 'He's being treated like a celebrity.'"

Reports like that confirm a great many of my suspicions. The ironic thing is that everybody I know in Washington (I used to work for a Senator on Capitol Hill) tells me that John McCain has the ultimate celebrity ego. Supposedly, in addition to an early film about his time in Vietnam, he expects a full-feature film spanning his Senate years one day. If it's true, than Obama's rise to fame - at his expense - must be leaving him feeling pretty sore.

I'm a big believer that "the fish rots from the head down." It's not a pretty saying, but it sums up my belief that the top dog creates the "personality" of any organization - based on who he draws into it.

It's pretty obvious that McCain attracts awful people that don't function well together. Think about it, there have been rumors since the primaries about the infighting. That's a pretty damn good reason to vote against him right there. Just think about his potential White House. Scary!

John McCain is a negative person who surrounds himself with negative people. Unfortunately, the fruits of his labor are beginning to rot, and the stench is getting out. It's interesting to watch. I'll bet they're all pretty sick of each other at this point. I suggest we all just sit back and watch the fireworks. If it continues in the same way, there should be a pretty good finale.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

*****Our good friend Gun Toting Liberal has linked to this post! Thank you GTL!

Election Shenanigans and Theft

It probably will not be a huge surprise to many people that on November 4th many people will be turned away at the polls because of voter registration errors. Every election there is a story of corruption in the voting process where people are either waiting in line for hours to vote, ballot boxes magically disappear, or people are told you name is not on the registration list. Outrage ensues from one political party or the other based on demographics and which way any one area tends to vote favorably.

In a perfect world all votes would be counted but there is always someone, or some political faction trying to swing the vote count in one candidate or the others favor. Nothing enrages true political junkies more than seeing an election hijacked by underhanded shenanigans. Needless to say, there is always going to be someone that will try and steal votes away from the people based on their own personal ideology and desire to have their candidate win the election. The more votes stolen, the better is their thought process when committing this despicable act. Over at the New York Times they have this to say on 8,000 votes nearly stolen…

Sorry, I Can’t Find Your Name

Before Mississippi’s March presidential primary, one county election official improperly removed more than 8,000 voters from the eligible-voter rolls, including a Republican Congressional candidate. Fortunately, the secretary of state’s office learned of the purge in time and restored the voters.

It’s disturbing that a single official (who acted after mailings to voters were returned) could come so close to disenfranchising thousands of voters. But voting rolls, which are maintained by local election officials, are one of the weakest links in American democracy and problems are growing.

Snip (from voting list)

For this election, voters need to be prepared to fight for their right to cast a ballot. They should try to confirm before Nov. 4 that they are on the rolls — something that in many states can be done on a secretary of state or board of elections Web site. If their state permits it, they should vote early. Any voter who finds that their name has disappeared from the rolls will then have time to challenge mistakes.

If voters find on Election Day that their names are not on the rolls, they should contact a voters’ rights group like Election Protection, at 1-866-OUR-VOTE, or a political campaign, which can advocate for them. They should not, except as a last resort, cast a provisional ballot, since it is less likely to be counted. - New York Times


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Take the time to make sure your vote will count and make sure your registration is still valid or has in fact been added to the rolls of eligible voters. Don’t think for a minute that vote theft can not happen in your happy go lucky part of the world and that this sort of crime does not happen in your city or town. Now more than ever it is very important to make sure that your vote is cast and counted on November 4th.

Papamoka

Minnesota’s Bachmann Loses It

Michele Bachmann from Minnesota’s third Congressional District is opening her mouth once too many times. First she went on Chris Matthews of Hardball MSNBC and called for all news organizations to investigate Un-American thoughts in the Congress which was frankly idiotic. She was harking back to the days of Joe McCarthy and the “Red” threat in days gone by before she was even born. Then today she tells the St. Cloud Times that Barack Obama’s views are against America?

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Then we have this from Think Progress where Michele Bachmann just can’t shut up and inserts her foot in her mouth again. Barack Obama’s views are against America? Her words, not mine but I think we know what she means but I don’t think she knows what she said. She just accused a possible future President of the United States of All America of treason! Hint to Minnesota voters in the third district, you have a serious problem here. Think Progress has this on Bachmann just today…

Bachmann Doubles Down: ‘Barack Obama’s Views Are Against America’

On the defensive over her controversial Hardball appearance last Friday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) told the St. Cloud Times yesterday that she regretted suggesting that Barack Obama held “anti-American” views. But at the same time Bachmann was apologizing for her remarks to traditional media outlets, Bachmann continued to cast aspersions on Obama’s patriotism in a series of appearances on right-wing radio shows.
On Hugh Hewitt’s radio show yesterday, Bachmann declared that “Barack Obama’s views are against America”:

BACHMANN: All I did on Chris Matthews is I questioned Chris Matthews and said, “look, if John McCain had friends like Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers and Father Pfleger, you’d be all over him Chris, but you’ve laid off of Barack Obama.” And so, he was using the word “Anti-American” and I told Chris, what I question are Barack Obama’s views. Because Barack Obama’s views are against America. They won’t be good for our country.

- Think Progress

Normally, I would go on a tirade or knock down tantrum rant over this Congresswoman’s statement. Things like John McCain and Sarah Palin pretty much calling Barack Obama a Socialist, a Communist, and every other thing they can think of to divert attention to the fact that they can’t sell their campaign on the issues facing America. Thankfully, I don’t have too! Her own political party is backing off and pulling funding to her campaign for re-election for advertisements. Finally, common sense is rearing its ugly head over at the GOP. The message Bachmann is trying to sell for McCain and her party is not conducive to the party and the money is pulled from Bachmann’s campaign accordingly.

GOP Pulling Its Ads From Bachmann's Race, Media Buyers Say

Five days after Rep. Michele Bachmann went on a McCarthy-esque rant suggesting Barack Obama was unpatriotic and urging the major newspapers of the country to investigate anti-American sentiment in Congress, the national Republican political parties are running for cover.

Two sources aware of ad buys in Minnesota say that the National Republican Congressional Committee is pulling its media purchases from Bachmann's race. If true, it is a remarkable fall for a congresswoman who, until recently, seemed relatively safe in her predominantly conservative district. - The Huffington Post

Damn them smart thinking GOP’ers for pulling the funding from Michele Bachmann! Umm, I got nothing to say now. Oh, did you know Michele Bachmann wanted to ban the Disney movie Aladdin because it had Muslim sympathetic tendencies? Not that it has a good against evil message for children. It looked like a terrorist plant movie to her. I’m done on this issue. Check please!

Papamoka

McCain Left on Bus Overnight... Onion

And now for something completely different from Onion...

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I first spotted this video over at Bring It ON! I was hurting after watching this one.

Papamoka

Stand Up to the Hate Merchants and End Their Reign of Terror

Hello Papamoka Bloggers - I would like to praise how Joy Behar courageously called out Bill O'Reilly on The View Wednesday - she pretty much called him a hate-filled devil. GO JOY! It takes a lot of guts to stand up to that giant a-hole, but she did it.

Joy, if you read this, I love you for doing it. Bill O'Reilly is nothing but a lying, racist, bully. He is a hate merchant. They make money preaching hate and sewing division wherever possible. We need to point out what they really are, whenever possible, and scream it to everyone willing to listen.

Fox is paying that human excrement $10 million over four more years to spew hatred. I can't believe we have to put up with creeps like him. Let's see, who are the other hate merchants who need to be thinned from the herd, as they say on the Stephanie Miller Show? Let's go with that evil triumvirate: the bully O'Reilly, the repetitious monkey Hannity, and the idiot Glenn Beck.

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Between them they spew enough hate-filled-bile to fill a swimming pool daily. They are the worst of the worst in my opinion, but feel free to suggest others. Oh yes, let's not forget Anne - the hit man - Coulter. She's one of the worst.

Anyway, kudos to the woman who tried to make a citizen's arrest of Karl Rove in San Francisco yesterday, to Joy Behar for confronting O'Reilly with his evil deeds, and to all of us who stand up to the despicable people that make up the extreme, hate-filled right.

I know some of you will think I'm too harsh, but I don't agree. I come from the Keith Olbermann school of "call it like it is," and they need to be called out.

Btw, let's not forget their loyal fans. They are the pathetic masses that support the evil-doers. We probably should call them out too. I often tell a good friend of mine who loves those shows how he's a "good little soldier" for the hate mongers. He just laughs it off. Don't worry, I'll keep doing it until it sinks in.

People like O'Reilly are hurting this nation and our society. They teach hate and intolerance to adults and children, and they should be shut down. We shouldn't marginalize them. We should make it so that they can't harm any of us, anymore.

So, do a good deed, and call them what they are if you ever see them in person. Call them the soulless, wretched scum that they are. Wow, I feel better now. :)

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

Palin $150K Wardrobe Expense?

I could not believe my eyes when I first saw this story over at Politico. The RNC has shelled out $150,000 to dress Sarah Palin since September. Granted she has to look good for the cameras, all the reporters and the in depth interviews but isn’t this a little bit over the top? Excuse me for saying this but there is not one person I know that has ever even come close to this kind of shopping trip and McCain and Palin dares to call we Liberals elitists?

Trust me on this one, Sarah Palin was not buying off the rack items at Walmart to run up this kind of bill. And I don’t think you can run up that kind of expense by buying items from the clearance section as most of us Liberal Communists and Socialists have to do when we shop for clothes.

Check out what Jeanne Cummings has to say over at Politico…

RNC shells out $150K for Palin fashion
By JEANNE CUMMINGS 10/22/08 6:50 AM EDT

The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

The cash expenditures immediately raised questions among campaign finance experts about their legality under the Federal Election Commission's long-standing advisory opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use. - Politico

When the press went nuts over John Edwards $400 haircut I was right there with them on that issue. Like most of us “Communists and Socialist“, we pay a local barber or hairstylist $12 bucks and throw a buck or two in for a tip. Apparently, Governor Palin needs more hair products and makeup than all the Miss America pageants have ever used to date. Sarah Palin‘s $4,716 worth of hair and makeup is ten times the insult of John Edwards hair care needs. Maybe Governor Palin forgot her coupon at home? She could have probably cut the expense by a dollar or two.

I can’t wait to see how the McCain - Palin team is going to spin this so it’s justifiable. If this is what they call being Conservative then I honestly don’t think we want them in charge of our federal budget.

Papamoka

*****Reuters has picked up this post... Thank you!

Palin, Communist and the Constitution on VP

I think it should be loud and clear to everyone that the Constitution of the United States of America that this nation was founded on is clear on the powers of the Vice President. Governor Sarah Palin thinks it is up to interpretation as John McCain’s Vice President pick. The former Mayor of Wasilla thinks that the Vice President’s office is a position of strength over the United States Senate? It is not and never will be. Somebody needs to explain the office and powers conveyed to the Vice Presidency to the Governor of Alaska because she is even lying to second and third grade school children. It sure as hell makes me wonder if that is an audience or electorate that she is more comfortable talking about the office of the Vice President too.

NBC News and Brian Williams has this to say on it…

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Is it fair political play to call the Governor on this issue? Is it fair to question the choice of Sarah Palin by Senator McCain as his running mate for Vice President? I tend to think so!

Most Americans do not need to have the Constitution interpreted by Governor Palin, many of us know it pretty damn well. For Governor Palin to assume that she is the ruling person over the United States Senate is a joke that nobody finds funny. It’s right up there with calling Barack Obama and Joe Biden, both U.S. Senators a Socialist, and the last accusation as Communist’s in the latest news reports today.

I think that as American’s we need a clear head and a clear leader with a clear message of what America needs to be in the days to come. Not divided, not us against them but all of us as American’s. Calling your fellow American Liberal citizens, fellow Senators, and public servants a Communist is just way off base and desperation from a political campaign that just can’t sell American’s on what is an American. They have insulted the thoughts of their own political party by doing so and by serving no logic to the thoughts behind the accusations.

You can vote for a candidate for President that wants to continue separating our people or you can vote for one that will unite all of our people under one government, one flag, and one nation for all. John McCain divides, and Barack Obama unites. It is ultimately your vote that counts so cast it!

Papamoka