Cluster Maps aka World Visitors

One of the things that amazes me is where all the people that read this site come from. About a year ago I added in the sidebar a world map of visitors to Papamoka Straight Talk. I just think it is so cool to see people from not just America reading this site but from five continents. It's a great little piece of blog candy and I happen to recommend it highly. I'm really blown away how many readers there has been to this site from not just all over America but in Europe as well! Then to see readers from all over Asia, Australia and South America too! Thanks for stopping by everyone.

I'm told by the ClustrMaps people that they have to archive the current map of this site and start anew. I'm going to miss all my little red dots, medium red dots, and big red dots. But I am consoled to know that they have to archive the maps every once in a while or the whole thing just looks like a big red map. We would not want this visitor map service confused with a Red State or Blue State political map.

Papamoka

McCain Moves Venezuela to the Middle East

First John McCain moves Spain to Latin America and now he is moving Venezuela to the Middle East. Pssssst Senator McCain, they are not like furniture in your many houses that you can move around on a whim. These countries you keep rearranging are on different continents! Venezuela is in South America but I’ll keep this between you and I John. Mum is the word on your vast foreign relations experience.

Over at America Blog they have this interesting article about Venezuela…

Video Link




The next thing you know he is going to want to move New Mexico to Mexico, Rhode Island to the Bahamas, New England to Great Britain. And for all of you folks in Arizona, Senator McCain is moving the state to Florida to consolidate all them pesky Social Security whiners. Cindy wants to put in a new pool.

I am a little concerned about how he feels about California though. Latest reports had him down at Home Depot buying up the entire stock of pry bars and asking which way to the (Expletive) San Andres Fault?

Note to self: Do not let John McCain book our next vacation plans to ANYWHERE!

Papamoka

McCain Skin Cancer Back?

Was it just me or did anyone else notice the growth over John McCain's right eye? Watching his speech in West Desmoines Iowa yesterday I could not tell if his eyebrow was ruffled or if it was something else. Just above the eyebrow but sort of in the eyebrow. Get that checked by a doctor Senator McCain! In the video it looked very dark and very suspicious to me?

The best picture I could find was from AP on Yahoo News?

McCain Fixes Bailout but Does Not?

How can John McCain declare a victory in the press for a Wall Street Bailout before the vote in the Congress? Is this the same ideology he brings with his 100 year war plan for Iraq? Is he in control of a crystal ball that tells all to the holder? It looks to me like somebody was left holding the ball and it was handed squarely in the hands of John McCain today.

The bailout plan as it was written flunked the political litmus test of both parties and this is not about the economy. It is about four hundred plus people getting re-elected. Needless to say, John McCain declared the bill passed before the vote. Over at Politico they have this to say on it…

McCain takes credit for bill before it loses

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his top aides took credit for building a winning bailout coalition – hours before the vote failed and stocks tanked.

Shortly before the vote, McCain had bragged about his involvement and mocked Sen. Barack Obama for staying on the sidelines.

“I've never been afraid of stepping in to solve problems for the American people, and I'm not going to stop now,” McCain told a rally in Columbus, Ohio. “Sen. Obama took a very different approach to the crisis our country faced. At first he didn't want to get involved. Then he was monitoring the situation.”
McCain, grinning, flashed a sarcastic thumbs up.

“That's not leadership. That's watching from the sidelines,” he added to cheers and applause.

Doug Holtz-Eakin, McCain's senior policy adviser, told reporters on a conference call that McCain "dedicated the past week" to addressing the problem but made "a conscious decision not to attract attention to John McCain."

"He's made dozens of calls," Holtz-Eakin said.

Asked if McCain bears any responsibility for the bill's failure, Holtz-Eakin said McCain "improved it greatly — took the lead in the need for taxpayer protections." - Politico

Don’t be surprised this bill did not pass. Constituents across America were calling in to their elected leaders in the Congress and their voices were louder and clearer than a call from George Bush or any other lame duck office holder.

How John McCain had this bill passed before the vote even happened in the Congress is another mystery. Barack Obama was merely “monitoring” the situation which is what real leaders should do. You don’t guess that anything is safe when the pool you are diving into is empty and you just dove off the high board knowing you could not swim. What is that old saying that we heard from our parents over and over again when we blindly followed our friends doing the wrong thing? “If so and so jumped off a bridge would you too?”

Unbelievable! Will I win the lottery next week Senator McCain?

Papamoka

Should Sarah Palin Step Down?

The simple question on people's minds is “Should we allow Sarah Palin to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency?”

I know this is an old conversation but after last weeks interview with Katie Couric showing she can not handle anything other than the spoon fed information that she is regurgitating. Everyone points to the “sexism” card to be the reason for people attacking her. This is so beyond gender, this is someone that is just not ready; she is in way over her head.

I have heard numerous political commentators today speak of ways that Sarah could get out of the race so not to embarrass herself or the Republican Party anymore than she already has. McCain stood by his running mate stating “She is a Maverick herself, and she will be my partner in Washington.” Is McCain really that stupid??? I do understand that he took the risk with Palin and being the gambler he is I am sure that he thinks he can make this situation work.

I do not believe that she should be treated any different than any other person running for office. She is not some delicate flower that will break if you say anything cross to her. No person running whether it is Obama, McCain or Biden has had anything held back regarding them. She needs to hold her own and I do not believe that she will.

The columnist Kathleen Parker wrote how she supported and wanted nothing more than to see Sarah succeed, but that was short lived. She as a middle-aged conservative writer would like to see Sarah Palin step down because she has become too large of a risk for the Republican Party. I say “Keep her talking” and it only helps us democrats in our cause. The best thing that was written by Parker was just this "If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.” The 830 or so comments posted after this column were all "over the board" but mostly from conservative’s going after Parker for stating what everyone else is thinking. The denial is killing me!! Reading through the comments you see people so willing to blindly support their ticket no matter what. People are backing a woman that we really do not even know, a person none the less that has been caught in lies and has only 3 talking points which she falls on when she is lost for words. I personally do not want this woman anywhere close to Washington. She has the conservative middle aged women vote, the ones who would vote for a corpse if it had a uterus. I think the pure ignorance of the Republican Party is what drives me the craziest, I know my candidate is not perfect but he has proved himself to be trustworthy and humble, not an elitist as the right likes to call him.

I only hope that time will tell in the favor of the American people.

The Palin Problem

McCain Defends Palin

Ms. Crystal

Bailout Plan Failure

The defeat of the bailout bill today in Congress was pretty much expected by yours truly. You can not dump $700 Billion on the backs of the American people and expect both parties to come to any consensus on it on the first round. Nancy Pelosi threw this bill to the floor without knowing if she had enough votes to pass it and that is shear incompetence. She trusted Republican leadershipt to get the votes needed on his side of the aisle and then she lambasted the bipartisanship effort by blaming Republican’s at the last minute in a floor speech before the vote?

Politics is a funny business and I’m thinking that the Democrats did not like the merits of the bill and this was not going to be a Republican slam dunk and it was possibly scuttled for political reasons. Pelosi delivered exactly 140 votes from Democrats to this bill which is what she promised the Republican leadership in the Congress. Republicans bailed on the bill once the vote started.

One of the reasons that both parties are not voting for this bill is the lack of judicial review and an omnipotence given to the Treasury Secretary. Our nation can not hand out $700 Billion for discretionary spending without knowing where the money is really going. Our government leaders should not back any blank check written out to Wall Street without being able to legally prosecute wrong doing if thing does go south!

Politically, this looks really bad for the Republican Party and John McCain who claimed he was “Suspending his campaign” to fix this issue. Then he prematurely injected into the media that the bill passed in a statement early today before the vote happened. You can’t fight the media on that point or for that matter John McCain himself. Politics is what it is and Republicans all over the media are bashing McCain and President Bush and their leadership faster than Democrats can. Representative Darrell Issa R-CA, on Chris Matthews Hardball slammed McCain and President Bush over and over again. Congressman Issa thinks there are better ways to do this and there probably is. The question has to be asked, what, how, and how soon?

Video Link



This situation will be fixed by the Congress, it just needs to be worded differently and more palatable to the members of Congress that have to get re-elected in five weeks. That is the politics of this situation in the nutshell. Holding your seat in the Congress is far more important than bailing out Wall Street and the American economy. A philosophy that more Republicans backed on this vote today than Democrats.

Anyone want to buy a used apple cart that my grandmother owned? It was only used once during the Great Depression. New tires, spinner hubcaps, new apples, updated with a GPS system that tells you how screwed you really are and where you are.

Papamoka

A Political Perspective: Single-Issue Voters

Hello Bloggers – I’m honored that Papamoka and the team have asked me to join as a contributor to this, one of my favorite blogs. My name is Michael Boh and I recently started my own blog Our Rants and Raves with a small group of friends interested in progressive voices and speaking truth to power. It is a pleasure to join this blog and its readership, to expand the reach, and hopefully the depth, of our discussions.

My first post on this venerable blog will be a discussion about single-issue voters. It’s an issue that truly gets under my skin. We all know them. We sit at dinner parties and listen to them go on and on about the one issue they care about. It’s often taxes (money), abortion (enforced morality), the Middle East (Jewish and born-again Christians), social security (the elderly), and the latest, single-sex marriage (the closed minded).

I don’t wish to debate each issue on this blog, only the fact that single-issue voters base their voting decisions on that one issue. Some might call them passionate. I often call them narrow-minded and unbalanced. It’s a shame, but single-issue voters and so-called “independents” are the swing vote in pretty much every election. Studies seem to suggest that single-issue voters wait to make their final decision based on who addresses their issue most favorably prior to Election Day. Who knows about independents – it’s still a mystery. Single-issue voters are the ones targeted most by the candidates and special interest groups. They receive a lot of attention. They respond well to negative ads. It’s kind of creepy.

So, I would like to appeal to the single-issue voters out there. You need to open up to more issues. You need to vote based on multiple, important critical issues. If you love this country like you say, then you need to do your homework. As I tell my own single-issue friends, we have so many problems in this country that nobody has the luxury of voting based on a single issue. If you do, then I believe you are ignoring the other problems that are threatening our future. As voters, we must all take responsibility for the future of the whole nation, not just part of it.

For those who feel that voting based on a single issue is about the future of the nation, I would argue that you are kidding yourself. There are always multiple factors. Those of you who only consider lower taxes when trying to understand the economy should consider the cost of borrowing from our children as a price we cannot afford to pay. “Borrow and spend” is worse than “tax and spend” any day. Oh yes, and for those who actually believe McCain’s promise to cut enough spending, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. You need to learn more about economic issues, and how tax policy is only one tool in a government’s economic strategy.

In the end I’ve discovered that most single-issue voters don’t like debating their favorite issues. They seem to use them more as a crutch – a sort of personal voter cheat sheet. It’s what helps them decide who’s right and who’s wrong. They tend to be very black and white - no greys.

Defense is a great example. Whenever I try to make a case that American voters seem myopic about defense spending, and how we need to cut spending and share our role as the world’s police force, my single-issue voting friends simply say that it’s impossible. Nothing’s impossible if you try hard enough. We need to open our eyes on this and other issues. Let’s throw away our blinders. There are billions of dollars available to us if we could only change our single-issue, military-industrial mindset.

I think I’ve “blogged” enough on this one. I hope our single-issue friends see the light and tear up their cheat sheets before the election, for the good of our nation. Feel free to comment and I'll try to respond. Of course, you're welcome anytime over at my blog. Commenting on Papamoka from the Left Coast, thank you all for listening.

A Political Perspective - Michael Boh
from Our Rants and Raves

Remember the POW Bracelets From Vietnam

Why is it so hard to believe that a mother would give a bracelet to Barack Obama a Presidential candidate and ask him to wear it with pride. To ask him to remember the pain she feels with the loss of her son so other mothers will never feel the same pain. It was a request from a mother devastated by the loss of her son killed by an IED in Iraq to a man running for President that wants to end the war in Iraq. She is not a political operative as much as she is just a Mom first. Thinking of other mothers and the pain they would have gone through with the death of a child in Iraq. She is just a military Mom and that is all she is. Why is the right wing Blogosphere attacking a military Mom mourning the death of her son? Do they not remember the Veterans of Vietnam and the gauntlet they all faced coming home? It sounds like they only support Republican voting troops! Dead or alive! All you Democrat, moderate, and independent troops do not count?

Many people in the media picked this story up when Barack Obama countered John McCain in the recent debate with “I wear a bracelet too” response, but I wear it for a very different reason than you Senator McCain. Mom and Dad of the KIA military son are separated or divorced and that is another discussion for others to disgustingly blog about. It is not part of my article.

What is important is that a mother loved her son and thought of other peoples children and was fearful of how many more sons should not have to die in this war. A legitimate point. She isn’t running for President, her candidate is. Get off of her back! Over at the Chicago Tribune they have this to say on this strange dilema and attack on the mother of a dead soldier killed in Iraq…

Soldier's mom defends Obama's mention of bracelet
By DINESH RAMDE Associated Press Writer
6:37 PM CDT, September 28, 2008

MILWAUKEE - After Tracy Jopek gave Sen. Barack Obama a bracelet in honor of her son who was killed in Iraq, she asked Obama not to mention the bracelet on the campaign trail.

But Jopek told The Associated Press on Sunday that she's satisfied with how Obama discussed it during last week's presidential debate.

Jopek gave Obama the bracelet at a Green Bay rally in February. It has the name of her son, Sgt. Ryan David Jopek, and the date the 20-year-old was killed by a roadside bomb, Aug. 2, 2006. "All gave some -- He gave all," it says. - Chicago Tribune


I will be brutally honest with you. I have friends of mine from the Vietnam War era that still wear the bracelets of missing P.O.W.’s. Decades after the war has ended. They wear them with pride and honor. They do so to never forget them. It isn’t a campaign thing to do so or a stunt talking point for them, it is a brotherhood obligation. Google search Patriot Guard Riders or just click here and you will see where real veterans never forget. And they are joined by thousands of people that have never worn the uniform. Respectfully, and thankfully so. When the extreme right wing religious organizations damned all of our fallen troops to hell then that was just too much to swallow. America honors its fallen soldiers no matter why or where they were killed in action. They died serving our nation and gave the ultimate price. We can never forget that and we should not politicize it. They are all of our troops and a casket knows no political affiliation.

McCain came to the debate and this Presidential election with an empty suit of support for Veteran’s. Talk to any disabled Vet and you will get an earful of how McCain and President Bush have shafted them all over and over again. Too many Veteran organizations are voicing loud and clear against McCain because of his voting record in the Senate against Veteran’s. But it is still your vote.

Papamoka

McCain Is Not Bipartisan

All of the drama that John McCain put into “Suspending his Campaign” to rush back to our nations capitol some 22 hours later was all window dressing. McCain literally claimed that he was going back to the capitol and the Senate to work across party lines to fix the Wall Street disaster. That would be working with the Senate and House of Reps controlled by Democrats right? Umm, only one problem with that thought process from the Senator from Arizona, the closest he got to talking to a Democrat was dinner with Senator Joe Lieberman (I) whom has slapped all Democrats politically in the face in Connecticut. Over at Think Progress they have this to say about McCain being Bipartisan.

McCain Calls For Bipartisan Cooperation On Financial Bailout, But Refuses To Talk With Democrats

On Wednesday afternoon, John McCain claimed to want to put partisanship aside to focus his attention on the financial crisis. “We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved,” he said. Yesterday, McCain’s top aide Mark Salter stressed that McCain was “calling members on both sides.”

But throughout his short involvement in the negotiations over the past few days, McCain has talked almost exclusively with Republicans. - Think Progress

Since Senator McCain has been absent for over 160 plus days in the Senate, not voted on one bill since he took the campaign trail, not been seriously privy to inside politics he probably needed to just do some catching up with his close buds. Knowing that both houses of Congress and the President were working on a compromise deal with the financial bailout package, he had no say in the matter and his input was not required. Ergo, “Suspending his Campaign” to work out a Bipartisan deal was just a political stunt.

One thing John McCain has proven in this latest political debacle is this, in the greatest financial crisis this nation has faced since the days of FDR, he not only did not talk to anyone in the opposition political party but he out right ignored them. What does that tell the people that would vote for him to be President? It tells me that voting for McCain is voting for four more years of one political party refusing to talk to the other side of the aisle.

It all proves that John McCain has no intention of ever being Bipartisan if elected President. Welcome to George Bush 3.0!

Papamoka

Another $600 Billion in Bill Passed Today!

As if the government has a never ending money tree, well close enough is the US Treasury that prints money that has no value. Today the Senate passed a $600 Billion dollar spending bill that will in essence turn the waters surrounding the United States into a giant oil rig ridden wasteland. They passed to lift the 26 year old ban against offshore drilling as of October 1st of this year. Somehow the total bill was a 78-12 vote by the Senate and 370-58 vote by the House of Representatives. I could only imagine that the Democrats agreed to this bill because the other portions of the bill benefit democrat initiatives. A public poll states that the majority of the American people want to move forward with offshore drilling. Can I ask why I have never been asked on any of these polls, 90% of them do not agree with one thought I have. I am not sure how asking 100 people is taking the average of the American people.

The bill also allows subsidy for auto makers in the amount of $25 billion which will go to American auto companies in helping them advance in fuel efficient cars and trucks to be able to compete with foreign auto makers. This money is paid in the form of a loan. The bill also includes $23 billion for disaster relief and rebuilding efforts, $2 billion for Pell Grants, $5.2 million for energy assistance for low income families, $488 billion for the DOD, and $24 million for food assistance for the elderly.

I am not ok with offshore drilling but at least for the time being the Gulf of Mexico is off limits and the Atlantic has at least 2 years before spaces would be leased to oil companies. In my opinion this gives more time to fight this bill and make it NOT happen. This is not the answer for moving forward, it will still take years before oil companies are able to drill in the now open waters, in this time I hope we can move forward on alternative means of energy. I would love to see a bill that helps homeowners convert their homes to solar power without the $25,000+ cost that comes along with that. I think contracting Massachusetts own Evergreen Solar to come up with the plan would be fantastic. I think Americans need to push for more hydrogen fuel cell fill up stations somewhere other than California at the same time mass producing the technology so the average American can afford these autos. I really see so many other ways for the government to spend taxpayer’s money. In the world the United States is falling behind with technology and science. Time to catch up people!

What I think is backwards about this bill is that only $2 billion for Pell Grants, only in America is education taken for granted, only in America will we soon price most people out of a great education. I also think that more people should qualify for Pell Grants who do not already but that is another conversation in its self.

One thing I will shake my head at is the whole bill is for $634,000,000,000.000 and the Department of Defense gets a whopping $488,000,000,000.00. Where are our priorities, why are our elected officials signing away our future?

Now we sit around and see what the final numbers will be on the $700 billion Financial Rescue Plan. Just keep my next year’s paycheck and you will have my contribution.

Ms Crystal

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

Healthcare and Elections

This is a picture of my Dad, he died in 2003 from the devatating disease of Alzheimers and dementia. A decorated Purple Heart Veteran from WWII and Korea. I have his burial flag from President Bush and the United States Military for the service he gave to his nation. I display it honorably in my living room. His name was Jack and I loved him more than anyone will know. This quiet veteran kept many secrets on what he went through in WWII that raised me is the real reason behind this post.

This post has nothing to do with the current election process. It has more to do with future elections and where this nation will head in those elections. Healthcare. Pure and simple.

When the fact of your elderly parents that raised you in the 1960’s, 1970’s and even the 1980’s start to get sick with age then healthcare is more important than ever. Healthcare is what keeps mom and dad around and one political party is against national healthcare and one is not. Stuffing your mom or dad in a corner is the only answer the right wing side of politics is offering where the left is telling you that there is a better way! What avenue would your own parents have chosen for you when you were a child that was sick? The best choice or just the screw you of politics from the right wing party of where it just isn’t important or they just don’t care? That is so far from Christian thought processes where you honor your mother and father that it is not even funny!

This was an interesting story over at MSNBC News about the caring for our elderly population…

When Your Aging Parents Need You

Caregiving can bring guilt and anxiety—and it can be a gift as well.
By Sally Wadyka for MSN Health & Fitness

For most children, their parents are the people in charge of taking care of them from infancy and even into adulthood. Mom and Dad were there to bandage your boo-boos, sing you to sleep, and soothe you when you were sick. But as the population ages—and more are afflicted with age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's, stroke and cancer—the tables are often turned on parents and their now-adult children.

According to statistics from the National Institute on Aging, there were 37 million people age 65 or older in 2006; that's about 12 percent of the population. But by 2030, as the Baby Boomer generation ages, that number is predicted to rise dramatically. Projections forecast that approximately 71.5 million people—about 20 percent of the population—will be 65 or older. Alzheimer's disease currently affects 5 million Americans, and strokes, which also afflict about 5 million people, are the number-one cause of adult disability. - MSNBC

Make no mistake about it, when your mom or dad gets seriously sick and you as the child face it head on, it is an overwhelming life changing event to you as the child. My own father passed from the effects of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. There was no help for him from anyone but my family during those first initial years of the disease. You feel lost, helpless, and frustrated as your parent fades into oblivion. You are crushed when he or she no longer remembers your name even. Then you read in the papers, blogs, news web sites and everywhere else where science and research is stifled because of politics not only for your own parents illness but many other peoples illness by your own government. Politics and research are two things that should never mix. One is lying to get the ends of your means and the other is researching to find a solution to stopping the end of ones means.

In my own Dad’s case he drowned in his own fluids eventually. Something I would never wish on anyone. That is the fate for a larger than life population of America if research is not in thoughts of our elected leaders. This is a double edged sword, pharmaceutical companies need to invest in such research but the expansion of research must lead into other avenues of science in America. That is where the National Institute of Health comes into play. Breakthroughs in science are possible but it has to be funded by the people representing the people in our government.

The future welfare of this nation is not about us, the children of the greatest generation but how we tackle the illnesses facing the greatest generation. It all comes down to healthcare. One party wants to give that gift to all and the other wants to shun you to the grave.

You decide? And your children will decide, and so will there children over time. No matter what political philosophy you follow, there is not one single American that wants to hear that there is nothing more they can do for their mother or father from their parents doctor. Especially, when research was gouged, gutted, and nailed to the cross of politics.

When we as a people get the fact that Healthcare is really important in America then we will see that only one political party is interested in changing the way we all look at it in America.

Americans need to think out of the box and I hate that phrase. Look at your sister or brother and think that one in three will face many medical issues in their life that could take their life. Many of which could be detected early and prolong their life. In the next couple of decades, science as we don’t know it now could cure the polio of our time that is Alzheimer’s disease but our government and our elected leaders need to get behind it. Research in science is important to your future healthcare and your children’s future. You vote our elected leaders in, vote for the people that can change the status quo. Not just nationally but locally!

For now, could we think more about healthcare in America in this election or is it something for the next generation of politicians to tackle? How soon are you going to need the kind of serious health care my dad needed?

Papamoka

Obama - McCain First Debate Thoughts

One of the reasons why the American people elect our President is how they look on television. Throw out all the policies and issues in any election when it comes to a one on one debate between the candidates. Screw up your mannerism and body language during a debate at this level and it comes down to people thinking you just tripped on the stage as you went to accept your award. The awkwardness just does not go away from the viewers and for the purpose of this post, the voters.

The first example of this phenomenom was during the Kennedy - Nixon debate, Nixon was sick and refused make-up, Kennedy looked healthy and ready to lead with his dark suit and make-up that made him look the part as President for the American viewer and voter. Knock out punch for Kennedy.

Ronald Reagan used his quick wit to make Walter Mondale look condescending when the Mondale repeatedly used Reagan’s advanced age as an issue. Reagan simply stated that he would not take advantage of his opponent age and lack of experience in this race. Knock out punch for Reagan!

In this first debate between McCain and Obama I have to give the knock out punch to Obama based solely on the fact he looked more comfortable on the world stage and had no problem looking John McCain in the eyes. McCain looked cold and confrontational by his mannerisms and body language. Even when the debate was over and the two men walked off to meet their wives, Barack and Michelle Obama kissed on the lips, John kissed Cindy McCain on the cheek? Biggest event of your life, kiss your wife on the cheek or kiss her on the lips. I’d go for the lips but I’m funny that way. John McCain comes off as a cold fish to me and apparently to his lovely wife too!

Check this out from the Today show with comments from body language and tell signs as to who really won this debate…

Video Link




It just seems odd to me that John McCain could not even look at Obama during the debate. It was almost as if he was afraid to do so? It isn’t like they don’t know one another from the Senate? What was McCain afraid of? Then again, maybe it wasn’t fear, it could have been shame?

Over at Rachel Maddow she did an interview with VoteVets.org leader Jon Soltz, an Iraq War Veteran. In the interview disabled veterans know that John McCain is not a friend to Veterans or the VA that they depend on for services. So when John McCain tells veterans that he will take care of veterans he means something entirely different. He was against the new GI Bill, fully funding the VA, armoring up the troops in Iraq and the list goes on…

Video Link



This debate was won by Obama and john McCain handed it to him on a silver platter. I say so because once more he lied to not just Iraq War Vet’s but to all Veterans!

Papamoka

Bailout Quagmire Courtesy of John McCain

John McCain suspended his campaign to do what most legislators in Washington D.C. do, nothing! He could have done that from the campaign trail. Instead, he declares this banking industry and Wall Street crisis his top priority so he can go the White House and offer nothing to the equation. Did he or did he not say that he was going back to the capitol to end the bipartisan debate and fix the problem? Instead we get more of McSame only this time he’s not even taking sides with his President or the bipartisan group that has put together this bailout package.

Shaking my head in disbelief but this is what Reuters has to say on it…

Angry W. House meeting roils Wall St bailout talks
By Kevin Drawbaugh and Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Negotiations in the U.S. Congress toward a massive bailout for Wall Street fell into disarray on Thursday night after a contentious White House meeting, with lawmakers later offering conflicting reports about the position of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.

The White House meeting -- attended by McCain, Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama, President George W. Bush and lawmakers from both parties -- "devolved into a contentious shouting match," according to a statement from the McCain campaign.
"At today's cabinet meeting, John McCain did not attack any proposal or endorse any plan," the statement said.

Senior Democrats said they came away from the afternoon White House session with the impression that McCain was backing an entirely new Wall Street rescue plan, one differing markedly from a Bush administration proposal under discussion for days.

Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee and a participant in the White House gathering, said negotiations could be set back by the confusion.

"House Republicans, in some kind of arrangement with McCain, went off to wherever. I don't know whether they're ready to negotiate this. Their thing was some totally different mortgage insurance plan ... that would clearly delay this for a week or more," Frank told reporters. - Reuters

Hold the freaking presses. Let me get this straight… President Bush, Senator Chris Dodd, Represenatative Barney Frank, Secretary Paulson, Fed Reserve Chairman Bernake had a working proposal pretty much agreeable to all parties and McCain stepped into the equation and squashed it? To back an insurance plan?

Anyone that knows insurance knows that it is always in favor of the house, just like the odds favor the house in Las Vegas! So we have the Maverick Senator from Arizona coming into the discussion, the Conservative right wing general of his party, the less government, less regulation is best candidate, and he backs a never ending mortgage insurance plan on the backs of the American people? How sweet of a big business, big banks deal is that? Let’s not only put the taxpayers in for $700 Billion Dollars but lets make this pig fest into a never ending feed trough!

John McCain has just shown where his loyalty is and it is not in the interest of homeowners or soon to be homeowners. Now on top of PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) you will get a double dipper with MMI (McCain Mortgage Insurance) because Wall Street has not raped the American people enough.

Mind you, this insurance that McCain is backing isn’t because you as a homeowner made bad decisions, it’s because the people making bad loans on Wall Street might continue making bad decisions and it’s only fair that all of us be punished for it. Pass out them golden parachutes and screw you Joe Q. Voter.

Vote Obama and vote often!

Papamoka

Katie Couric's Interview with Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin has been protected because she does a devastating job at unscripted interviews.
Seriously , if I was a republican I would be embarrassed at the choice that McCain made. Although,as a democrat I think he made the best possible choice to get Obama into office.
When asked about her foreign policy experience she talks about Russia being "across the border" lets try that again. The Bering Sea is not a border it is a very vicious body of water.
When she was asked for examples of McCain in his 26 years of public office when he was on the side of regulation she said "I'll try to find some and I will bring um to you"

Here is a snippet of the interview discussing the economy:




Palin does try to state that the "world" is waiting to see what McCain will do with the $700,000,000,000.00 bailout. Katie was quick to state the polls show Obama has a lead because of the mess on Wall Street and the only thing that Palin could say was " I don't care much about polls." Well polls surely did matter when McCain had the lead, now didn't they.

All I can say is I am more anxious to see the VP National Debate than the Presidential National Debate because Palin is sure to be a train wreck as she has already proved herself to be.


Original Post Here: Ms.Crystal

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Holy Name High School Turbine

When it comes to wind power in the North East of America or for that matter there isn’t much movement on the issue. Cape wind is held up and every other project is held up too. Till today! Holy Name High School in Worcester, Mass had it’s skyline attraction wind turbine catching the breezes of the city of seven hills and churning out power. My good friend over at Worm Town Taxi has been posting on this issue for months and I give him full credit for being first on this story and consistently following up on it. Something you don’t see in the newspapers.

I posted a comment on his site while I stole his video. Shhh, don’t tell Jeff! It’s our little secret. Here is the video Jeff posted on Worm Town Taxi today with the turbine spinning away…

Video Link



It takes a community to change the way things work in our world and the community involved with Holy Name High School made this possible in Worcester. We now have a wind turbine spinning mad and creating electricity for the grid and the school. When the school is not in session the power generated is fed back into the grid. They are not doing this alone. Your help and donation to pay for the cost of this mind changing thought process on energy independence is needed. It cost a small fortune to build this wind turbine and it takes more than that to make America change thoughts on energy needs. Contact Holy Name High School to make a donation. Even just a dollar is welcome. Make your voice loud and clear on energy independence! Make your voice loud and clear and let America know that if the churches of America have to start our energy independence then we as American’s will back them up. Holy Name High took the first step, now it is all of our turn to take the next.

For the record, I don’t see this as a Catholic issue, it is an American energy independence issue and Holy Name High School put their money and reputation where the peoples mouth should be. You don’t have to agree with the Catholic faith to know that they are taking the people of America on the right path when it comes to energy independence. Somebody has to when the government is silent or bickering over it for decades!

Papamoka

The Women Behind Obama and Biden

When you look at political candidates running for President it is hard not to notice the woman behind the man. What is that old saying, behind every great man is a greater woman. Something like that. Behind the Democrat ticket for President is two outstanding beautiful woman and they prove it out with actions and not just words when it comes to the children involved in the campaign for President. That is a key point for this post, children.

Michelle Obama and Jill Biden are two very well educated woman that are married to serious politicians that some people call elitists. I’ll talk about that aspect after the article linked to below. When it comes to being Mom’s there is nothing elitist about a kids slumber or pajama party hosted by Michelle Obama and Jill Biden while there husbands did what they needed to do during the DNC convention. Over at People (who’d of thunk I would ever quote People with politics) they have an interesting story on the women behind the candidates of Obama and Biden…

Michelle Obama's Campaign Secret: Kids' Slumber Parties
By Chris Willard

How do you keep 15 kids entertained on the campaign trial?

If you're Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, you throw a slumber party.

The night of Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention, her daughter Malia, 10, said she needed to make an announcement.

"I was like, 'What? Was I bad?' " Obama tells Access Hollywood in a series of interviews to air Sept. 25, 26 and 29. "She said no, but we have to have a sleepover tonight."

The sleepover happened the next night and the guest list included Biden's granddaughters and about 15 children of campaign staff.

At a recent campaign stop in Allentown, Penn., Obama and Biden chatted about how they had formed an immediate bond.

"It was just one of those magical moments where we spent a week together and after that week, you know Michelle put her arms around me and I put my arms around her and she said, 'I love you,' and I said, 'I love you, too,' " Biden recalls. "We just clicked." - People

For starters we can say that these two woman have guts to host a slumber party for fifteen kids. Having five daughters we have had our fair share of large sleepover nights aka pajama parties with one or more friends from several of the girls and I wanted to pull my hair out. My wife handled the nightly events with the expertise of a top executive Mom. The bottom line is that they didn’t dump the kids on staffers and matter of fact, many of the kids were from the staff! If you ask me, and you won’t, these two mom’s handled the convention perfectly not only on stage but with the children associated with the campaign. I’m looking forward to seeing the interviews from Access Hollywood with Michelle Obama September 25, 26 and 29th. It’s nice to see the inside of the woman behind the man that could sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.

Getting back to the “Elitist” point of view that people are labeling Barack and Michelle Obama, I think it is good for the country to present our brightest and strongest candidate for President on the Democratic ticket. My brother offered this advice when people use the “Elitist” label when it comes to Obama. When America goes to war we use our “Elite” troops, Navy Seals, Green Beret’s and the list goes on. We use our best assets to attack and win the fight. We use our Elite military power to fight and win the war so how is it wrong that putting up our brightest star in the Democrat Party is wrong because they call him an “Elitist”? More to the point, why are they not putting the best their party has to offer to defend America?

Papamoka

McCain Suspends Campaign and Letterman

When I got this one in the email I knew that I had to share it...

Thanks for the email Patrick!

Video Link

McCain Theme Song

Stolen with permission from Common Sense World

Video Link



Thank you Ken!

Papamoka

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Papamoka Traffic Update

Well this site is going out of the stratosphere. Search engines are loving us and apparently the group of writers we have joined together are showing on the traffic daily. I thank Duke of Madness and Ms. Crystal for all the added traffic at 200 to 400 visits per day. Check them out in the contributors list on the left side of the blog!!! Each one of them is a gift to me and a Godsend to this site on politics in these here United States of America. Two voices that are different from my rants but still relevant. Thank you Duke and Crystal! Please check out their personal blogs...

America is alive and well wondering how the campaign is going in the race for President. All of the writers here at Papamoka contribute to that thought process. We would not be this prominent on the blogosphere without thier contributions too. At 9:00PM tonight we had over 400 visitors and the traffic has been nuts here.

Thank you to all that link in or read this site daily. We are all loving you big time!

Papamoka

McCain wants to Postpone Debate, Obama Says No Way, and Bush Address the Nation.

What a week this will be for the History Books......

McCain announced today that he will suspend his campaign and take the road back to Washington to speak with President Bush on what to do next. He suggested for Obama to do the same, asking to move the national debate that is scheduled for this coming Friday until the issues of the $700,000,000,000.00 (It helps to see how many “0’s” there are) bailout is solved.

He believes that by this weekend the bill will be passed and they can move on their merry way with a debate. I am sorry, but I want the debate, there are enough hot headed people in Washington working on this right now. I want a debate that stresses what Obama and McCain would do if they were sitting in Bush’s seat right now, because one of them will be in a few short months.

I understand why McCain is asking for all this, because in moments of pure desperation a person will say and do whatever it takes to get what they want. His aim in the White House, seriously this is his only chance. He sees the reactions to his past comments on “de-regulation” of investment and insurance companies; he will do all in his power to regain the trust of the people.

Obama has rejected the request to postpone the debate stating "It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess,” and "It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once." Obama will be preparing for the debate while consulting with bailout negotiators and Henry Paulson.

McCain needs to understand the American people as a whole are not ok with this bill to give their tax dollars to big corporate business. So he can either go along with this to appease his party or he can stick up for the people. The people of the United States need to hear this debate, and we have been waiting for this debate.

Tonight we will hear George W. Bush in what could be his final address to the nation before leaving office in January. I hope he states that more than Big Business will benefit from this $700,000,000,000.00 bail out and not just one man Mr. Henry Paulson will be accountable for the distribution of the funds. Finally, I hope he apologizes for keeping de-regulation a common
business practice.

Ms Crystal

Child Killed While School Bus Lights Flashed

**UPDATE 9/25/08: Worcester Police put two officer on the school bus stop today and ticketed two drivers that blew through the flashing red lights of the school bus. Thank you WPD!

I talked with WPD, Paul Clancy and Rep. Fresolo about this issue today.


Is that a headline that the City of Worcester needs to read in the local paper before they start listening to a concerned parent? I’ve contacted the Mayors office, my City Councilor, the Worcester Police Department multiple times regarding the possibility of just such a headline over and over again. Since May of last year, Worcester Police has sent just two patrols to watch this dangerous intersection where my baby girls exit the school bus. One patrol left before the girls were dropped off and the other went after a driver running the school bus red lights.

Grafton Street and Sunderland Road. Traffic is coming from three different stops that are double lane roads. Every single day drivers are blowing through the school bus lights and the slamming of the horn of the bus driver. In doing so, they are endangering my baby girls lives. I’m done being Mister nice guy and contacted local media such as WHDH Channel 7 in Boston and NECN. Enough is enough!

This is my family and my kids and I am pissed off with hearing excuses as to why the Worcester Police Department can not spend fifteen minutes of their time for the sake of the safety of not just my babies but my neighbors as well. All it would take is a focused point of attention to this issue a couple of days a week to patrol and protect a six year old child, an eight year old child, and two eleven year old kids from being run over while the flashing red lights of their school bus is dropping them off. I’m not the only parent at this school bus stop that is pissed off! According to the other parent at this stop, even calling the Principal at Worcester Arts Magnet is not enough to get help with this serious issue.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pissed off at the local police officers that serve honorably, I just want them to focus fifteen minutes of their time where my kids could be killed. Is that to much to ask as a citizen of the city of Worcester? Or as a parent?

Make no mistake about it, if one of my children ends up in the hospital or God forbid in a casket because another motorist ignored the flashing red school bus lights, I will take legal action against the City of Worcester for ignoring my multiple complaints. This is an accident or death that can be prevented!

Papamoka

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School Buses and Motorists

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John McCain, Rick Davis, Freddie Mac Connections

Why didn’t I get the memo that the Three Stooges had reunited again? Apparently, the new version of the Stooges is all about the money trail that has lead this nation down the road to a very expensive bailout. What a freakin’ knee slapper that is! Then again maybe this isn't so funny, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC has this informative interview on the facts behind this McCain/Davis scandal...

Video Link



It seems that Rick Davis, the campaign manager for John McCain has some skeletons in his closet over at Freddie Mac. Follow the money and you find the source of the problem. Over at the New York Times they have let the horse out of the barn on Freddie Mac still paying Rick Davis (Lobbyist) former firm $15,000 per month for doing… Nothing?

McCain Aide’s Firm Was Paid by Freddie Mac

By JACKIE CALMES and DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
Published: September 23, 2008

WASHINGTON — One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month from the end of 2005 through last month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain’s campaign manager, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement.

The disclosure undercuts a remark by Mr. McCain on Sunday night that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had had no involvement with the company for the last several years.

Mr. Davis’s firm received the payments from the company, Freddie Mac, until it was taken over by the government this month along with Fannie Mae, the other big mortgage lender whose deteriorating finances helped precipitate the cascading problems on Wall Street, the two people said.

They said they did not recall Mr. Davis’s doing much substantive work for the company in return for the money, other than to speak to a political action committee of high-ranking employees in October 2006 on the approaching midterm Congressional elections. They said Mr. Davis’s firm, Davis Manafort, had been kept on the payroll because of his close ties to Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, who by 2006 was widely expected to run again for the White House.

-SNIP-

From 2000 to the end of 2005, Mr. Davis received nearly $2 million as president of the coalition, the Homeownership Alliance, which the companies created to help them oppose new regulations and protect their status as federally chartered companies with implicit government backing. That status let them borrow cheaply, helping to fuel rapid growth but also their increased purchases of the risky mortgage securities that proved to be their downfall. - New York Times

Obviously the McCain campaign is going to deny these accusations and rightfully so. If Davis goes down then so does McCain. So what do they do from here? Let’s play “Where’s Waldo?” Davis is ducking out of campaign appearances and scheduled events for the time being. I wonder why? Over at the Chicago Sun Times they have the starting point to not place your guess…

WASHINGTON--John McCain campaign manager Rick Davis--under the spotlight because of his work for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac--is skipping a Wednesday lunch with reporters sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor.

On Tuesday, word came that McCain political director Mike DuHaime will substitute for Davis because he is "heading out on the trail" today. - Chicago Sun Times

It’s beginning to look more and more like the McCain for President campaign has a self destruct button. First they trot out the mother of all liars Sarah Palin with her bridge to nowhere and endless “Thanks, but no thanks” stump speech, now they have Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, dodging the press over his connections to Freddie Mac?

One of the things in Presidential politics is the association of guilt even if it isn’t true. George Bush and Karl Rove perfected it in 2000 and 2004! Rick Davis may not have worked for his lobbying firm for a couple of years but he still receives dividends from the performance of that firm. So yes, he does have financial gains from the Freddie Mac contract.

One of the bigger questions in this whole mess is the fact that Freddie Mac blindly paid Davis former firm $15,000 per month for access to John McCain as a candidate for President because of Davis. If $15, 000 per month is the going rate to buy a candidate for President then I’m sure that we are in fact in an economic depression. I’m thinking that President Bush and V.P. Cheney’s lobbyist were paid at a much higher rate per month. No bid contracts for Iraq just don’t miraculously appear on just one certain companies doorstep for nothing! Frankly, maybe we need to do a bailout for lobbyist too! Poor bastards…

Papamoka

Related posts...

$700 Billion Bailout Questions?
The Last Bush Rape of America
An Economic Patriot Act

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An Economic Patriot Act?

After watching the events of Washington/Wall Street for the past few weeks, I've been stumped by the lack of the WHY things are going south.

Now I'll admit that with my lack of formal education in economics it would be unwise to trust me with matters financial. Give me a few years and I'd probably cause an economic meltdown due to my ignorance. Oh. Wait. Somebody from Yale or Harvard beat me to it.

This so-called "rescue" plan of Treasury Henry Paulson is emitting a disturbing resemblance to the Patriot Act. Or I should say, the passage of the Patriot Act. Basically it is this: there is no TIME to review it. Pass it. NOW. IMMEDIATELY. Ask your questions later, but uh, by the way, you won't be able to ask questions afterwards because the law will prohibit it. Just do it. The world will end if you don't.

And another thing: take that Constitution and shove it. We don't need no stinkin' Constitution. Sorry for the series of emergencies the past 8 years, but we've got practice at this. There's a fire here people, so just shut up and pass the gasoline.

Let's take a little sidetrip to the 1920's. The "roaring 20's." The name for the decade was derived from the economic "boom," particularly in the stock market. Along came FDR in 1933 and started saving capitalism from its own excesses, and fought every inch by the "investing" class. It wasn't until the advent of World War II that Americans started making money...I mean a LOT of Americans. It produced the solid middle class that endured for 30 years.

Looking back with 20/20 vision, many economists realized that the 1920's weren't so "roaring" after all...at least for farmers and in particular, industrial workers. You see, productivity skyrocketed. A single worker on average was producing double or triple every few years what he or she was producing the year before.

But...but...where did those productivity savings go? To the top. It boiled down to the relatively simple observation that those producing goods and services were not being paid enough to purchase those same goods and services. Post World War II this problem did not exist. The middle class expanded and everyone got fat, dumb, and Republican.

Take a look, particularly in this decade, where productivity gains have gone. It's the same as the 1920's and has been so for several decades. Perhaps the subprime mortgage collapse came about more from underpaid workers than anything else. That is because Wall Street, with its golden blinders on, convinced itself that while Americans stretched their work hours, went deeper and deeper in debt, and saw their real wages fall while productivity increased...that this was as it should be.

The ultimate in chutzpah is Wall Street, over the weekend, devising a new myriad of schemes to profit even further from their galactic gambling. The last two investment banks got the Fed to agree to allow them to become holding companies. That way they can take deposits and pretend to be like a real bank. I remember what Will Rogers said in the 1930's.." A holding company is a thing where you hand an accomplice the goods while the policeman searches you. "

The is the ultimate Bush legacy: a Thelma and Louise, sans Constitution, flying off a cliff.

And we, fellow citizens, are locked in the trunk.

Duke of Madness

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Originally posted at Duke of Madness

Gas Shortages in the South East!

Is it not unreasonable for the MSM (Main Stream Media) to not report nationally that there is a severe gas shortage in the South East of America? There are two things that this nation can not function without, one is food, and the other is Gasoline!

After talking with a friend from North Carolina today I heard that most of the gas stations in his state are rationing gas because it just isn’t there. Trucks go to the refineries and end up coming back empty. The local story is that the refineries shut down because of hurricane Ike, they just have not started back up yet.

AAA: Nashville Has Worst Gas Shortage in Southeast

(AP) -- Nashville continues to see the worst gasoline shortage in the southeast.

AAA spokesman Randy Bly said Atlanta and Tallahassee, Fla. are also seeing shortages, but nothing like in Nashville, where long lines and empty pumps have been a common site since Friday morning. - AP and My Eye Witness News

Somebody explain to me why gasoline is abundant in New England but you have to travel from gas station to gas station to fill your tank in the South East? This whole scenario and manipulated shortage of gas wreaks of political punishment to keep red states red! It isn’t bad enough that America is being robbed by the mega bail out for Wall Street but now we have the oil companies manipulating and strong arming Southern States to toe the line of the Republican Party candidate. Big Oil still has not made enough money so they are punishing Red State voters for even thinking about voting Democrat. If I were a die hard Repbulican voter that had to face this level of deception, I would vote for Obama out of shear spite! Screw me, screw you!

There is not one valid reason why gas is being rationed in the South and it all points to corruption and market manipulation. After all is said and done, the Robber Barron’s are still alive and well and wielding their power regardless of what Washington thinks. Vote for the GOP and their candidate for President or you don’t get gas for your car or truck to go to work. Then again, it’s just big oil business doing what they need to do to protect their special interests.

Papamoka

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Wind Power in my Neighborhood

My friend Jeff at Wormtown Taxi has been taking pictures of a Wind Turbine going up at Holy Name in Worcester. I live in the city of seven hills and frankly many of these bad boys grabbing free energy from the wind would be nice to see on all seven hills!

I am huge in support when it comes to wind power to the point that I wanted a little egg beater up on our house but the wife won out. Now I can argue that I could have put this sucker in the back yard! Having been up to the site several times I can see why they chose Holy Name for the location. The wind is always blowing up there and the prospects of paying off this project are not in decades but just a couple of years.

Make no doubt about it, this is the top story for New England! You will not see a turbine wind powered machine like this in the Boston, Providence, or Hartford skyline. Worcester has put its foot first. You can see this wind power machine from pretty much all over the city and it sends a clear message to the people holding a knife to our throats for energy needs.

Thank you Holy Name and all the other parties responsible for this next step to energy independence. One wind turbine takes that much out of the polution in the air and even more out of the pockets of people thinking they own us.

Papamoka

McCain Liars Cry Wolf!

The only thing worse than being caught in a lie is being caught in a multitude of lies. And now the McCain campaign is complaining that all of the press is “In the Tank” against them. How dare the legitimate press that can in fact be “Sued for Defamation” check the facts coming out of not just John McCain's mouth but Sarah Palin's? How dare Fox News and Karl Rove turn against John McCain?

To top it off they call a press conference to confront the lies and then end up telling the same lies if not more? Did Pinocchio’s evil twin brother sign up to run the John McCain campaign for President? Hold off buying that extra couple of cord’s of wood to heat the house this winter, it appears the McCain camp has plenty to spare! It's pretty damn clear to me that nobody knows how to check facts in the McCain campaign now. Just make stuff up and throw it out there to grab a days worth of press coverage. Worry about the details later. Only the mud and crap hitting the fan really counts?

I first spotted this story over at the Gun Toting Liberal, then I ran into it again on Memeorandum. I’ve called the McCain for President campaign liars so many times based on facts that can be checked everywhere that it is almost like breathing. Apparently, nobody at McCain and company ever heard of Google or FactCheck.org! Politico has this to say on the latest outrage from the McCain campaign for declaring bloggers and MSM in the tank for Obama because facts don't own up to the McCain version of the truth…

McCain camp criticism rife with errors
By BEN SMITH 9/22/08 3:58 PM EDT

Sen. John McCain’s top campaign aides convened a conference call today to complain of being called “liars.” They pressed the media to scrutinize specific elements of Sen. Barack Obama’s record.

But the call was so rife with simple, often inexplicable misstatements of fact that it may have had the opposite effect: to deepen the perception, dangerous to McCain, that he and his aides have little regard for factual accuracy.

The errors in McCain strategist Steve Schmidt’s charges against Obama and Sen. Joe Biden were particularly notable because they seemed unnecessary. Schmidt repeatedly gilded the lily: He exaggerated the Biden family's already problematic ties to the credit card industry; Obama’s embarrassing relationship with a 1960s radical; and an Obama supporter’s over-the-top attack on Sarah Palin when — in each case — the truth would have been damaging enough.

-Snip-

Asked about the series of errors, McCain aides could not provide evidence to back up Schmidt’s assertions.

One McCain aide, Michael Goldfarb, said Politico was “quibbling with ridiculously small details when the basic things are completely right.”

Another, Brian Rogers, responded more directly:

“You are in the tank,” he e-mailed. - Politico

Count me as in the tank! I hate a liar, I don’t tolerate it from my kids so why would I tolerate it from someone wanting my vote to be President? Common sense is not to be found at the McCain headquarters and for that matter with the candidate.

It has become more and more apparent that John McCain thinks that American’s are just stupid and will believe whatever he tells them. Unlike John McCain, most American’s live in the real world and can easily see how very different they are from him and the words that just spew out of his mouth. His reputation as the Maverick has melted down to the point of a used Ford Pinto salesman. It won’t blow up in your face if you don’t drive the car!

Speaking of cars, did you know John McCain and the wife own 13 cars? Barack and his wife only own one. Hmmm, who lives more like you do? Then we have one more lie to add to the McCain tote board of lies from Newsweek…

When you have seven homes, that's a lot of garages to fill. After the fuss over the number of residences owned by the two presidential nominees, NEWSWEEK looked into the candidates' cars. And based on public vehicle-registration records, here's the score. John and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one.

One vehicle in the McCain fleet has caused a small flap. United Auto Workers president Ron Gettelfinger, an Obama backer, accused McCain this month of "flip-flopping" on who bought daughter Meghan's foreign-made Toyota Prius. McCain said last year that he bought it, but then told a Detroit TV station on Sept. 7 that Meghan "bought it, I believe, herself." (The McCain campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.) - Newsweek

John McCain is proving that he is only a Maverick against the truth. He should be ashamed of himself for loosing all the credibility he once had. He isn’t a Republican anymore, he is just an out right liar. We don’t need that in the White House.

Papamoka

Related posts…
The Last Bush Rape of America
American Depression Starts
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The Last Bush Rape of America

Make no doubt about it, George Bush and the policies he has followed have set the American economy up to be raped. He put a tube top on Wall Street, added some stiletto heals to the regulations and set America up to be raped! President Bush was not alone in this set up, he had help from the king of deregulation in the Senate from John McCain. McCain fought hard to deregulate the banking industry and he won. And because he won, $700 Billion dollars is about to head to Wall Street to save all the CEO’s and top executives with golden parachutes as they pack up and leave the mess on your doorstep. The rape is over, the baby is here now and orphaned by the people that created it and left for you to raise. The rape still happened!

Over at Brave New Films they have this speech from Obama on the blank check bailout…

Video Link



American’s need to wake up and face a wrong for what it is. If your child is abused by a stranger do you look the other way because the stranger was from your political party? Start looking at America as your child and you would be surprised how fast people start caring about the blatant abuse in our government. John McCain helped to create this beast and now that beast has plopped a huge bill on your door for more money out of your pockets.

America used to have a huge Conservative movement but they are silent during this crisis! Why? The truth is that the people that were supposed to be their champions just sold them all out. While the President and McCain were playing with our nations banking industry, the executives of those freed institutions ran wild and free till the money ran out. Now it is going to cost every man, woman and child in America $2300 bucks for the poor judgment that Senator McCain and President Bush showed over the past eight years. Having five children in my family, the wife and I own $16,100 dollars of the Bush/McCain error in judgment.

What Wall Street firm should I make the check out too. According to the terms of the Paulson bailout I should just sign the check and mail it to the U.S. Treasury. They’ll fill in the amount and the rest of the details later. By the way, the plan Paulson has proposed has a little feature that makes him, his entire department omnipotent and free from any oversight or court of law on how they spend the $700 Billion dollars. Are you okay with that?

Papamoka

$700 Billion Bailout Questions!

I don’t find myself agreeing with Michelle Malkin that often so pardon me while I try to swallow a little bile while writing this post. After you read what she has to say you just might find yourself agreeing with her too!

Both parties in Washington are about to screw us over on an unprecedented scale. They are threatening us with fiscal apocalypse if we don’t fork over $700 billion to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and allow him to dole it out to whomever he chooses in whatever amount he chooses — without public input or recourse. They are rushing like mad to cram this Mother of All Bailouts down our throats in the next 72-96 hours. And right there in the text of the proposal is this naked power grab: “Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.” - Michelle Malkin

There is no way the Congress or the President should agree to this plan presented by Secretary Paulson for many reasons. The number one reason is that IT IS A BLANK CHECK! “Can not be reviewed by any court of law” is not the way we want to go on this crisis. Below is a copy of the entire plan with highlighted sections in red that are very questionable. I found the document over at the New York Times…

LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY
TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS
Section 1. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as ____________________.
Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Authority to Purchase.--The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States.
(b) Necessary Actions.--The Secretary is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the authorities in this Act, including, without limitation:
(1) appointing such employees as may be required to carry out the authorities in this Act and defining their duties;
(2) entering into contracts, including contracts for services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts;
(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them;
(4) establishing vehicles that are authorized, subject to supervision by the Secretary, to purchase mortgage-related assets and issue obligations; and
(5) issuing such regulations and other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to define terms or carry out the authorities of this Act.
Sec. 3. Considerations.
In exercising the authorities granted in this Act, the Secretary shall take into consideration means for--
(1) providing stability or preventing disruption to the financial markets or banking system; and
(2) protecting the taxpayer.
Sec. 4. Reports to Congress.
Within three months of the first exercise of the authority granted in section 2(a), and semiannually thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate with respect to the authorities exercised under this Act and the considerations required by section 3.
Sec. 5. Rights; Management; Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.
(a) Exercise of Rights.--The Secretary may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act.
(b) Management of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary shall have authority to manage mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act, including revenues and portfolio risks therefrom.
(c) Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.--The Secretary may, at any time, upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell, or enter into securities loans, repurchase transactions or other financial transactions in regard to, any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act.
(d) Application of Sunset to Mortgage-Related Assets.--The authority of the Secretary to hold any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act before the termination date in section 9, or to purchase or fund the purchase of a mortgage-related asset under a commitment entered into before the termination date in section 9, is not subject to the provisions of section 9.
Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.
The Secretary’s authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time
Sec. 7. Funding.
For the purpose of the authorities granted in this Act, and for the costs of administering those authorities, the Secretary may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, are extended to include actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses. Any funds expended for actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses, shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such expenditure.
Sec. 8. Review.
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.
Sec. 9. Termination of Authority.
The authorities under this Act, with the exception of authorities granted in sections 2(b)(5), 5 and 7, shall terminate two years from the date of enactment of this Act.
Sec. 10. Increase in Statutory Limit on the Public Debt.
Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu thereof $11,315,000,000,000.
Sec. 11. Credit Reform.
The costs of purchases of mortgage-related assets made under section 2(a) of this Act shall be determined as provided under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as applicable.
Sec. 12. Definitions.
For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) Mortgage-Related Assets.--The term “mortgage-related assets” means residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages, that in each case was originated or issued on or before September 17, 2008.
(2) Secretary.--The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Treasury.
(3) United States.--The term “United States” means the States, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia.

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