Mitt's 47% Problem

The whole problem with Mitt Romney being a Republican is that he is too rich to be a Republican.  This whole idea of him not being able to buy the White House by simply writing a check off of his Swiss bank account is ludicrous.  Many of his supporters agree with him at $50,000 a plate private party fund raiser at Sex Toys Is Us in Florida.  In his mind this is simply a real-estate deal gone wrong.  He would fire the broker but he never took the time to see who was actually listing the property for sale.  He likes the neighborhood, he generally likes the neighbors, and he would support the local politics if it wasn't so damn emotional.  Other than that he might sublet the White House to anyone that can pay the rent.  Why can't half the nation just accept the fact that he should be KING?  His check will clear?

What do we American's really think is going on in politics?  It isn't about what you think.  It isn't what I think.  It is what the best and richest think that matters.  Can you write a big fat check hoping that it will give you billions in return?  No you can not.  All of them 47 percenters should just suck it up and vote for Mitt anyway.  And if you are sick and unable to afford health care then you should just die.  He has a plan to fix that.  It is the Just Die plan.  Does he or does he not look better in a business suit or not than the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?  Does he or does he not have more influence with the people that can change America?  Even if they choose not to, he has their attention.

For some odd reason I really miss the good old days when real political candidates ran for president.  People with character.  People with a mission.  People that truly loved Americans.  People that didn't have to worry about their past because they lived an honest life.

It turns out we don't have to wait.  Presiden't Obama and Joe Biden are NOT Mitt Romney and baby boy toy Paully Ryan.  But if we ever want a Monarchy then I'm voting for Mitt and Fitt.  Till then, vote with your other 47 percenters and vote Democrat across the board in November.

Thank you Mother Jones for questioning the bad check that Mitt Romney's tried to pass to buy the White House.

Papamoka
 

Rick Perry Third Rail

In politics there are several topics that are hot spots that can burn your ass. One such topic is Social Security. People like Social Security because it is a plan they have paid into all of their lives and it is supposed to be guaranteed. As much smoke and mirrors that is played into the funding of it the system is sound for decades. Most people never plan for retirement and that is going to be the only income they have in their retirement. For some people that is all they can afford and it is what it is. Not everyone is a business owner, some of us are the people doing the work to make that business thrive for meager wages.

Along comes the Tea Party and the folks that think that the government does not owe you a retirement even if you paid for it all you life. Then comes the politicians running on the extreme fringe like Rick Perry (R) Texas, that thinks that he can friend the extremist while he runs for President under the GOP ticket. NOT going to happen Ricky. Even hinting that Social Security needs to go the way of the dinosaurs is a third rail in politics. I should explain.

Social Security was enacted to protect the workers of America that could not save for retirement and ended up on the streets, no support, and eventually buried in poppers fields because they were the workers that worked for poor wages and lived in poverty all of their lives. The only ones profiting from their hard work were the business owners. President Roosevelt ended that cycle by passing Social Security to make people have a guaranteed income when they were in their declining years. FDR passed it to protect the lower classes and the elderly. And yes he screwed over business owners to make them take care of their workers. God bless his heart.

I should explain further that the Presidency of this country can only be won with the swing of the moderate vote of both parties. A larger portion of the political pie than people think. Be you Democrat or Republican, and if phasing out Social Security is a political candidates forum, would you vote for them? Hell NO! Stupid move on Governor Rick Perry's part.

Grab that third rail of politics Rick Perry and I guarantee that you will be the Governor from Texas that just ran for President and was blown out of the water by some old folks in their fifties to eighties that saw your threat on their wallet and voted no for you candidacy. You sir are a Double Dumb Ass winner. You sir need someone that has a clue as how to run a national campaign. You should call Mitt Romney or hitch a ride on Sara Palin's bus.

Just stupid.

Papamoka

Election Returns Dixville Notch NH

It’s officially over for John McCain as far as Dixville Notch New Hampshire is concerned. The Republican stronghold since 1968 overwhelmingly voted for Barack Obama for President with a 71% victory margin and a 100% voter turn out. The polls were slammed with voter turn out as all 21 voters showed up to vote just after midnight. Polls stayed open late in order to handle the turnout and closed at 12:10 AM.

DIXVILLE NOTCH, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama emerged victorious in the first election returns of the 2008 presidential race, winning 15 of 21 votes cast in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

People in the village in New Hampshire's northeast corner voted just after midnight Tuesday.

It was the first time since 1968 that the village leaned Democratic in an election. - CNN

It’s going to be a long day for news reporters and political bloggers so keep the coffee on and your mouse at the ready. (Safety Note: Please keep a fire extinguisher close by as overheated internet sites, mouses, and lap tops may erupt in flames while searching for election results today.)

Thank you BJ for the tip!

Papamoka

What is Palin Hiding?

One issue that has bothered me for a while is the release of medical records by all of the candidates for President and Vice President. Barack Obama released his, Joe Biden released his, and John McCain released his for a couple of hours. Governor Palin has yet to release her medical records and that should fire off a flare in political reporting but it has not. What is Sarah Palin afraid of that is in her medical records?

Andrew Sullivan of The Daily Dish has been asking for her medical records for months and still no records. Early last week the Palin team stated that the records would be released and yet a week later, nothing?

01 Nov 2008 09:45 pm
Palin's Medical Records

Still AWOL. No explanation. Not even a gesture, which suggests to me that some in the McCain camp realize they'd rather release nothing than be implicated in anything that might hurt them after the election. Only ABC News' Kate Snow seems to care. Only this blog has really pursued this story for two long months. For the record, I find the idea that a vice-presidential candidate refuses to either give a press conference or release full medial records as a dreadful precedent for transparency. -The Daily Dish

I have to agree with Andrew Sullivan in thinking that Mrs. Palin has something in those records that just might be scandalous and very detrimental to the McCain campaign for President. One can only assume that the worst possible information is written down in black and white in her medical records and that the immediate news flash could end her political career. If not, then what is Sarah Palin hiding?

Papamoka

*****Buzz Tracker has linked in...

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

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


Video Link



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

Florida, Ohio & Pennsylvania Swing to Obama

The latest polls are coming out and it looks like Obama is surpassing McCain in three key states. Quinnipiac University on October 1st is showing Obama with an 8 point lead over McCain in Florida and Ohio, in Pennsylvania Obama has a 15 point lead over McCain. Good news for Obama supporters, even worse news for Sarah Palin pre debate on Thursday night against Joe Biden. No pressure Governor Palin, no pressure.

FLORIDA: Obama 49 - McCain 43 pre-debate; Obama 51 - McCain 43 post-debate; OHIO: Obama 49 - McCain 42 pre-debate; Obama 50 - McCain 42 post-debate; PENNSYLVANIA: Obama 49 - McCain 43 pre-debate; Obama 54 - McCain 39 post-debate Friday's presidential debate, Gov. Sarah Palin's sagging favorability and more voter confidence in Sen. Barack Obama's ability to handle the economy are propelling the Democrat to wider likely voter leads over Republican John McCain in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to simultaneous Quinnipiac University Swing State polls released today.

No one has been elected President since 1960 without taking two of these three largest swing states in the Electoral College. Results from the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe- ack) University polls conducted before and after the debate show:
Florida: Obama up 49 - 43 percent pre-debate and 51 - 43 percent post-debate;
Ohio: Obama up 49 - 42 percent pre-debate and 50 - 42 percent post-debate;
Pennsylvania: Obama ahead 49 - 43 percent pre-debate and 54 - 39 percent post-debate. Pre-debate surveys ended at 8 p.m. Friday with post-debate surveys Saturday-Monday. - Quinnipac University Polls

After crunching some numbers it is not looking good for McCain to win without two of these key states and maybe even all three given the facts that many previous Bush won states are now in the Obama leaning column as probable wins.

Today (10/1/08) I looked at the RCP Electoral map page and clicked on the No Toss Up States option and it ends up a landslide if the election were held today in favor of Obama 348 - 190. Even changing some states back to McCain is not helping his campaign out. Giving McCain back Ohio and Pennsylvania still comes down in favor of Obama 307-231. Let’s go further and give McCain back North Carolina and Michigan and the results are still in favor of Obama 275-263.

In some reports you read they blame Palin for the lack of an upward movement in the polls for McCain but I think there is more to this. Especially, with the latest bailout plan about to pass to benefit Wall Street. Financially, older investors that once considered the banking industry one of the safest places to invest have now been hit in their own retirement investments. Once again the old saying that people will vote their wallets comes into play and when you are on a fixed income and you see a large drop in your investments it makes a difference when you vote.

Then you have to consider that John McCain was George Bush’s water boy to privatize Social Security by moving the funds from a secured source in the Treasury to Wall Street and the double whammy effect comes into play.

Then you have to think about the millions of people that the Obama campaign and other Democrat based organizations now have registered to vote and the effects against a McCain win become evident state by state.

Papamoka

Thanks to Memeorandum for the tip...

Other folks talking about this issue...

Gun Toting Liberal (My bro)

Daily Kos

Talk Left

The Moderate Voice

Newsday Spin Cycle

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

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

Obama McCain Toss Up States

When it comes to the Presidential election this year, many states are still in play and the battleground for McCain and Obama is very diverse from previous elections. States that went for Kerry or Bush are no longer locks by any political party this year.

One of the things that I am very glad to see is that the tough race that Hillary Clinton ran in the primaries has reinvigorated woman in America to participate in this election process. In the process of picking Vice Presidential candidates I was very surprised that Barack Obama did not actually pick Hillary Clinton as Vice President but that is history now. Joe Biden brings another spectrum to the Democrat ticket that expands the political theology of what it means to be a true American servant to the people. The big surprise in this election process was the coasting in during the primaries, John McCain, picking Sarah Palin the Governor of Alaska, a virtual unknown and unlikely pick for Vice President.

Personally, I honestly think McCain picked her simply because she was a woman and he hoped that her unknown status on the national stage would follow through in her run for Vice President. That didn’t hold up and Governor Palin comes with some luggage that I honestly don’t think McCain had the chance to consider or vetted in his pandering to woman voters. Make no mistake about it, the Maverick picked her because she alone could stir up the main stream media and draw attention not back to him but the Republican Party! As his campaign manager has said, this election is no longer about the issues! Something nobody speaking at the RNC convention went into any detail on, including John McCain the actual candidate for President from the Republican Party?

My thoughts are that many of the states once firmly in the Red zone are up for grabs and the Obama and McCain campaigns will have to fight hard to take or keep these states. According Real Clear Politics Polls Obama is making progress in achieving a win come November in many of these toss up states.

Florida is one state with 27 Electoral votes up for grabs according to the RCP Polls. Since March of this year to September, Obama has climbed up to a tie status with McCain which is almost a ten point jump. Just a reminder, Obama was not allowed to campaign in the primaries in Florida because of DNC rules at the time that prohibited campaigning due to Florida moving up its primary vote date. Florida is wide open and ripe for an Obama, Hillary, and Bill Clinton speech tour.

Virginia is next on the list that went for George Bush by 8+ points in the last two elections and is now a dead heat between Obama and McCain with 13 electoral votes in play. I’m giving some of that credit to Virginians not being anyone’s fool. Folks in Virginia know when the politics in America is screwed up and they elected Jim Webb as a U.S. Senator to counter the current administration claims as being a monarchy. There once was a king that pissed off one Virginian so much that he ended up leading a Revolutionary Army to victory just a couple of hundred years ago. Now that was Virginian with the true American spirit. I think they named a city after him or a state, his name escapes me right now…

"As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent," he wrote James Madison, "it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles." - George Washington

Nevada with 5 electoral votes comes up next with its never ending and growing economy that Bush won in the past two elections by just a few percentage points. One of the reasons that Nevada is growing so fast and furious in the influx of people moving into the state. The construction industry is booming and the tourist industry is off the charts. Everyone from everywhere else is moving into Nevada and that is changing the once prominent red state into a possible blue state. Immigration of Americans to Nevada is coming from the Northeast, blue states, Northwest, blue states, and the central states surrounding the Great Lakes, also blue states. Obama and McCain are 1% apart in the polls as of the time this post is being written.

New Mexico is up on the radar by a slim win by Bush in the last election but has one hell of a Governor in Bill Richardson. Ronald Reagan used trickle down politics like Bill Richardson uses trickle down philosophy in state government to help his residents in New Mexico. New Mexico residents are blessed to have Richardson as a Governor in so many ways that it isn’t even funny. I think they know it and will trust their Governor to vote blue rather than red come this presidential election.

Ohio is the battleground state to win with 20 electoral votes that went for Bush in the last election. Do the people of Ohio really think that John McCain is going to make their lives any better? I think they will see through the smoke and mirror politics of McCain and his selection for Vice President as just another clone of George Bush. Keeping tax cuts for the top 5% of income earners is more important than offering tax relief to 95% of Americans who make less than $250,000 per year. Trickle down politics is McCain, the rich keep more of what they already have to much of and you keep less?

Last thought on this rant, America is in need of change, the last eight years have proven that our leaders do not have any faith in us by the many lies they have told that were later exposed. If you want four more years of lies, misdirection, avoidance of the truth, deaths of our sons and daughters in made up reasons to go to war then by all means vote your conscience.

When you really think about it, America was born of people that had to have change to survive. They fought and died for that change that gives us all the rights that we enjoy today. America will not survive this phase of the experiment in freedom if the oppression our people face is born from within our halls of government.

Papamoka

Palin Inexperience Called on by Conservatives

I’ve been researching the choice of Vice President that John McCain made and I’m finding that even his own party is concerned about his pick. While John McCain put some serious thought into his choice for Vice President, pandering to the disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters, and of course picking someone with his moral values, a person that should be able to slide into the Presidency if God forbid anything happened to him. He forgot a simple fact, experience of his selection for VP.

Even the Conservatives in the Republican Party are concerned over Sarah Palin’s experience. I couldn’t write this any better than the folks over at the National Review that have done it for me. And frankly, I too am concerned with his pick for VP and lack of experience to run America in the lack of a heart beat in John McCain…

Cold Water on Palin
Ramesh Ponnuru

Both the pros and the cons are pretty obvious. I’m going to focus on the cons, mostly because conservatives right now seem to be paying them less attention.

The pros: She’s a pro-life conservative reformer from outside Washington, and a woman. The pick signals a boldness and willingness to mix things up that the McCain campaign, like Republicans generally, need.

The cons:

Inexperience. Palin has been governor for about two minutes. Thanks to McCain’s decision, Palin could be commander-in-chief next year. That may strike people as a reckless choice; it strikes me that way. And McCain's age raised the stakes on this issue.

As a political matter, it undercuts the case against Obama. Conservatives are pointing out that it is tricky for the Obama campaign to raise the issue of her inexperience given his own, and note that the presidency matters more than the vice-presidency. But that gets things backward. To the extent the experience, qualifications, and national-security arguments are taken off the table, Obama wins.

And it’s not just foreign policy. Palin has no experience dealing with national domestic issues, either. (On the other hand, as Kate O’Beirne just told me, we know that Palin will be ready for that 3 a.m. phone call: She’ll already be up with her baby.) - National Review

One of the things that keeps grasping at my thoughts is the fact that McCain picked Governor Palin just for the simple fact that she is a woman. Mind you, I don’t know anything about the woman or the investigations she is under while Governor of Alaska but it smells of pandering to women in general as voters. Hillary Clinton is off the list of votes you can cast and that means that there are many angry women in America that just might vote for McCain if he has a woman as his VP? Did anyone in the McCain camp tell the Senator that woman in general have opinions on many of the issues and inserting a uterus into his campaign as Vice President is not going to convince them to change their opinion’s on the issues they face every single day?

Last time I checked, Hillary Clinton is a strong Liberal Democrat that is night and day on every position to the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin! You can not interchange the two woman just because one of them comes from the land of the midnight sun! What the hell was McCain thinking? Did he think that all woman are mindless zombies and will vote for a fellow woman just because she is a woman? Let me think about this, NOT! Issues Senator McCain are important to woman, and if anything, I would tend to think the highly educated women of America can see through this stunt.

One of the things that my generation is known for is that you do not for one minute assume that any women is ignorant of politics. What is that old saying from the McCain generation? When you assume you make an Ass/U/Me.

Belly up to the sink Governor Palin, the Senator needs the dishes washed. Pick a house he owns and just wash the damn dishes. McCain only picked her as a running mate to tap into the massive Hillary Clinton vote with the full expectation of stealing the votes with a token woman as Vice President. 18 million voters were behind Senator Hillary Clinton in her race for President but they were not all woman Senator McCain! There is no other way he could win and give us four more years of Bush Policy and government in his mind than picking a woman as his VP. Does that not wreak of male chauvinism?

At the least, Obama picked someone that could help him with foreign policy, world affairs, and someone that we as American’s would not have a problem with being President if Obama were to fall. Um, Senator McCain, did you actually check out her experience in government?

Papamoka

Related stories you might find interesting...

Sarah Palin Investigated for Abuse of Power

*****Blogs for Hillary 2012 has linked to this post... Thank You!

*****Randi Rhodes Show has linked in from the forums? Thank You!

Joe Biden's Net Worth

Chris Matthews over at MSNBC and of Hardball fame has this story on the Net Worth of Joe Biden back in 2007. This will not play well over at the McCain campaign as they try and paint him and Obama as eletist.



This is going to be one hell of an election. I can't wait for the one line zingers that Joe Biden is famous for. Check back here for more commentary on this election race... Each of the DNC convention speakers will be covered.

Papamoka

Are you curious as to what the latest posts to Papamoka Straight Talk are?

Related Posts from the DNC...

Joe Biden DNC Speech
Bill Clinton DNC Speech
Hillary Clinton DNC Speech
Kennedy Speech at the DNC Convention
Michelle Obama Speech at the DNC Convention

Obama and Biden in ‘08?

Speculation and hype on whom Senator Obama is going to pick as a Vice Presidential candidate is building and the real money is squarely on the shoulders of Senator Joe Biden of Delaware. When it comes to knowing what is going on around the world I would have to say that Biden is a lock for Obama’s V.P. pick. There is not one other political person in both houses of Congress that knows world diplomacy and is as well respected around the world as Joe Biden. Biden is a human sponge when it comes to events happening all around the world and he would be a blessing not just to American's as our VP but to the world.

In contrast, John McCain will have to follow the money and pick a hundred millionaire like former Republican Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts who bankrolled his entire campaign for the most part. It would be a good fit for McCain, hundred millionaires have things in common that most of us regular working slobs do not. They have tax cuts in common simply because they both pay enormous amounts of taxes from their respective fortunes.

I’m good with Joe Biden, a Senator that takes the train home every night from the capitol, sits amongst the people and talks up a storm on any issue and he can nail all the facts. Joe Biden is a coffee shop kind of guy and that fits in with the kind of person I would like to see as our next Vice President. Over at CNN they have this speculation and report…

Obama VP buzz squarely on Biden
Posted: 12:51 PM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Speculation is building Biden will be named Obama's running mate.

(CNN) – When Joe Biden returns to Capitol Hill Monday from his two-day trip to embattled Georgia, vice presidential speculation will rest squarely on him.

The longtime Delaware senator and former presidential candidate has long been considered to be on the shortlist for Barack Obama's running mate, but his quickly-planned trip to Georgia Saturday night at the behest of that country's president left Washington buzzing he is the most likely choice.

After all, the Georgia crisis appears to have put national security issues again at the forefront of the presidential campaign, and it's an issue where John McCain has long held the advantage over Obama. The Illinois senator, so the Beltway chatter goes, needs a running-mate with foreign policy experience now more than ever.

If Biden does aspire to be on the Democratic presidential ticket, the trip couldn't have come at a better time — reinforcing his lengthy resume on matters of foreign policy and reminding voters, and Obama, he is well respected by foreign leaders half a world away.

The trip also comes days before Obama is expected to reveal his VP choice — with only days remaining until the Democratic convention, the choice is expected to come this week. - CNN



Could you picture a better debate of VP’s than Biden and Romney? I’ve seen Romney debate in the primary for President, Senatorial elections, Governor elections and he does not do well when someone with a strong political intuitions such as Joe Biden would be firing comments and accusations at him. Senator Joe would mop the floor with Romney and for that matter anyone else that McCain could pick as his V.P. choice.

I’m putting the money on Biden with Obama and Romney with McCain and that would be a bloggers wet dream to report on. McCain fumbling on his memory and Obama eloquently and correctly stating the facts. Biden pretty much would be slapping Romney upside the head with facts, figures, reports and the list goes on as Mitt finds his near perfect hair messed up with the tropical hurricane that Biden would be lambasting him with repeatedly. If you know anything about Joe Biden then you know that he has total recall and can state facts fast and furious.

Anywho, if Obama picks Biden, I’m cool with it. Even if he picks Hillary Clinton I’m cool with it. I would just love to see Joe Biden ripping someone a new avenue for human waste product.

Papamoka

*****Reuters has picked up this entire post!!! Thank You!

Technorati Tags:
Obama, Biden, Joe Biden Vice President, Vice President Choice, VP Pick, Democrat VP, Republican VP, McCain Vice President, Mitt Romney, Governor Romney, Presidential Election, Obama 08, Digg Obama, Obama Supporters, White House 09, Democrat Convention, Denver, Polls moving for Obama, Political Ticker, CNN VP Pick, Obama VP, Short List of VP Candidates, Political Choices for Vice President, Obama Campaign, Foreign Policy Experience

Pollster Calls Obama Winner!

Over at MSNBC and Keith Olberman they did a piece on a pollster that actually knows how polls work and that pollster has Obama winning the Presidential election by a large margin. 294.7 for Obama and 243.3 for McCain Electoral College votes. Personally, I think Obama will win by a landslide across America simply because he is not promising or proposing more of the same policies of George W. Bush.

The owner of the site of FiveThirtyEight.com does however state that these polls in the middle of the summer don’t pile up to a hill of beans until the conventions are over. Check the video and see what you think of the report from MSNBC…



One thing is certain, the American people are sick and tired of the screw you policies of the Bush administration and that crosses all party lines. I’m pretty sure that polls and pollsters are full of crap but I’m putting some serious weight and consideration behind this web site. What I am also putting my faith in is the power of the people to know when they have been wronged and change the status quo.

Changing the way American’s see America will be a tough road to travel but the fact that we do not have to face it alone will make the trip that much easier to deal with. Much like the old saying of I don’t mind going to hell if I can take my friends with me sort of thought. I’m up for it, are you?

Papamoka

Feel free to link to or borrow this post...

Technorati Tags:
Obama, Five thirty eight, Olberman, MSNBC, Polls, Pollsters, President Obama, McCain, McCain Poll Numbers, Keith Olberman, Politics, Presidential Election, Obama 08, McCain 08, Republican, Democrats, DNC, RNC, State Polling, National Polling numbers, Election Outcome, Latest Poll, President 2009

Spiegel and al-Maliki Endorsement of Obama

What is a guy like John McCain, the defender of freedom in Iraq, the will of the people of Iraq foremost to be independent in his mind supposed to do when the Prime Minister of Iraq endorses Obama? I told you here once before that Iraq wanted the U.S. out of Iraq and that that would be the time that they would step up to the plate.

I kid you not, al-Maliki of Iraq supports the Obama plan and that is a nail in the coffin for Senator John McCain’s campaign as a foreign policy expert on Iraq! Mind you, there is still some controversy over this endorsement but it is the biggest news on the region in months. Over at Spiegel they have this on the subject and I have one hell of a follow up opinion…

MALIKI'S PRAISE FOR OBAMA
Iraqi Leader Stirs up US Campaign

Obama is pleased, but McCain certainly is not. In an interview with SPIEGEL, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki expressed support for Obama's troop withdrawal plans. Despite a half-hearted retraction, the comments have stirred up the US presidential campaign. SPIEGEL stands by its version of the conversation.

In the interview, Maliki expressed support of Obama's plan to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months. "That, we think, would be the right timeframe for a withdrawal, with the possibility of changes."

Maliki was quick to back away from an outright endorsement of Obama, saying "who they choose as their president is the Americans' business." But he then went on to say: "But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited."

A Baghdad government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said in a statement that SPIEGEL had "misunderstood and mistranslated" the Iraqi prime minister, but didn't point to where the misunderstanding or mistranslation might have occurred. Al-Dabbagh said Maliki's comments "should not be understood as support to any US presidential candidates." The statement was sent out by the press desk of the US-led Multinational Force in Iraq.

A number of media outlets likewise professed to being confused by the statement from Maliki's office. The New York Times pointed out that al-Dabbagh's statement "did not address a specific error." CBS likewise expressed disbelief pointing out that Maliki mentions a timeframe for withdrawal three times in the interview and then asks, "how likely is it that SPIEGEL mistranslated three separate comments? Matthew Yglesias, a blogger for the Atlantic Monthly, was astonished by "how little effort was made" to make the Baghdad denial convincing. And the influential blog IraqSlogger also pointed out the lack of specifics in the government statement. - Spiegel

We live in a world of immediate information and reporting of facts and I'm just guessing that a not so popular guy in our nations capitol has instant access to any information involving Iraq. Maybe we should re-word how the retraction came. Maybe we should say that somebody in a sort of oval office with tons of interest in all events happening in Iraq placed a very angry phone call to the Prime Minister of Iraq? Maybe in that phone call some strong words were exchanged on a one sided basis and the guy in the oval like office told the supposed Prime Minister of Iraq to spin the statement backwards and twist it out of context?

Make no mistake about it, al-Maliki was intimidated into retraction of his endorsement of Obama and his plan for Iraq and we all know what kind of power and influence that was needed to do just that. There is far to much money to be made in Iraq and the pit that the money has gone into to date has been bottomless up to this point in time. How fast would you as Prime Minister of Iraq take a second look at your statements if you were threatened with the loss of hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars coming into your nation that are not accountable for or asked to be accounted for? I’d recant my statements pretty damn quick if I were him and then I would personally put a John McCain for President bumper sticker on my bullet proof limo‘s bumper. I would never ride in that limo again but the damn bumper sticker would be on it!

Make no mistake about it, this next election for President is for sale and the people making the endless amount of dollars off of this war have a friendly ear in a house somewhere in Washingtion, D.C. that just happens to be painted white. Check back soon on the mega dollars being donated to build a Library in Crawford, Texas… That would be another topic on something completely different I swear. Ummm, okay, I'm lying. Sorry.

My thanks to Memeorandum for this post...

Papamoka

Other folks talking about this issue:
The Atlantic
Taylor Marsh
The Impolitic
The Political Carnival
The Swamp… (Loved the Comments)

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

Technorati Tags:
Bush, al-Maliki, Iraq Prime Minister, Spiegel, Obama Endorsement, McCain and Iraq, War Plan Sunk, McCain Screwed, Presidential Election, Iraqi Endorsement, Political Back Peddling, Election 2008, White House 2009, KBR, Accounting of Iraq War, Lost Funds in Iraq, Republican Party, Maliki Spin, The Swamp, The Political Carnival, The Impolitic, Taylor Marsh, The Atlantic, McCain Camp Spin on Maliki, White House Spin on Maliki

Did Reverend Wright Derail Obama?

One thing that everyone can recognize is an idiot with an open microphone. In the past several days Reverend Wright has done his best to pretty much kill the chances of an African American like Barack Obama ever becoming the Democrat nominee for President. What the good reverend has done is isolate in fear what every African American is and that does not bode well for a political candidate running on a platform for one American people no longer divided, no longer separated but united as one for one single purpose. Rebuilding a broken America.

Barack Obama declared his total separation from Reverend Jeremiah Wright today, now retired from the pulpit at Trinity Church because of his outrageous statements picked up all over the main stream media. Over at the Washington Post they have this on the event…

By Peter Slevin
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Sen. Barack Obama today strongly criticized the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor, saying that Wright's comments about the United States in recent days have been "destructive" and "outrageous."

Using his sharpest language yet to describe a series of Wright performances that he said left him angry and sad, Obama accused Wright of exploiting racial divisions at the same time the Illinois senator is aiming to bring the nation together.

"When I say I find these comments appalling, I mean it," Obama told reporters in firm and somber tones. "It contradicts everything that I'm about and who I am. And anybody who has worked with me, who knows my life, who has read my books, who has seen what this campaign is about I think will understand that it is completely opposed to what I stand for and where I want to take this country."

SNIP

"I have spent my entire adult life trying to bridge the gap between different kinds of people. That's in my DNA, trying to promote mutual understanding," Obama said. "To insist that we all share common hopes and common dreams as Americans and as human beings. That's who I am. That's what I believe. That's what this campaign has been about."

"Yesterday, we saw a very different vision of America," Obama went on. "I am outraged by the comments that were made and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday."
- Washington Post

Reverend Wright in his mission to make life better for his congregation has grandstanded and used his bully pulpit for his own personal grandeur. In doing so he has drawn the line in the sand that white Americans and black Americans can never be united as one people. For the first time in his own life his pulpit reached beyond Trinity Church and across America simply because he has a black mans opinion and was the pastor of a Presidential candidate. He saw the limelight on Barack Obama and rather than let the new hope for our nation shine he turned the light on himself and the mistakes and ignorance of the past.

It will not be easy for the Obama campaign to overcome the Wright controversy. Even with his announcement today to separate himself from the Reverend, it still sticks in some circles. It raises the question of whether Obama can or will be able to coast through the rest of the election process and simply win because the numbers seemed to look that way. Did Reverend Wright put the nail in the coffin of the Obama campaign?

No matter what thought process or political theory you follow the only winner in the whole mess that Jeremiah Wright instigated is Senator John McCain. Hillary Clinton can not capitalize on this issue because it is a personal matter between a pastor and one man in his congregation. Paint it any single way you want and it just does not spin well as a political weapon against Obama as a Democrat opponent in the rest of the election process.

All of this post leads to beg the question if African Americans would ever forgive Reverend Wright for handing the nomination process to Hillary Clinton simply because he was so angry to be an African American that was wronged over and over in his own life? Then again, Obama and his campaign isn’t about the past, it’s about the future and that is very different than what Reverend Wright could ever have experienced.

Papamoka

Interesting reads on this topic: Pissed on Politics

Syndicated To:
Michael Linn Jones.com
Bring It ON!
To the Center

Feel free to link to and borrow this post…

*****Reuters has picked up this post...

Technorati Tags:
Obama, Reverend Wright, Jeremiah Wright, Democrat Politics, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Obama Wright Split, Seperation of Church and State, Barack Obama, Presidential Election, White House, Washington Post, Peter Slevin, Trinity Church, Chicago Churches, North Carolina Obama Speech, Wright speech, African American Politics, NC Primary, African American Voters, Democrats for Obama, Obama troubles, Wright on YouTube, Republican response, Obama base, Church and politics, Presidential primary

Mississippi Going for Obama

Even before the votes are counted Senator Clinton is counting the great state of Mississippi out for Senator Obama. Not that that surprises me but you would have thought she at least might have thought the contest might just be close before the results were even tallied. Given all the blunders of all the polling numbers I would never personally give the state to any candidate before the full vote count was in.

When it comes to delegates to the Democrat Convention and that is what the primaries are all about, this state plays a key role when it comes to the final process. Not simply because they are holding a primary but simply because they played by the rules of the Democrat Party on selecting a candidate. We’ll get into that a little bit latter after we look at this piece from MSNBC on Hillary Clinton’s white flag campaign for Mississippi…

Clinton battles Obama for Mississippi votes
Illinois senator favored to win majority of state's 33 delegates

Obama began the night with 1,579 delegates, to 1,473 for Clinton. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination.

Neither of the two rivals appears able to win enough delegates through primaries and caucuses to prevail in their historic race for the nomination, a development that has elevated the importance of nearly 800 elected officials and party leaders who will attend next summer's national convention as unelected superdelegates.

Obama leads Clinton among pledged delegates, 1,368-1,226 in The Associated Press' count, while the former first lady has an advantage among superdelegates, 247-211.

Adding to the uncertainty of the nominating campaign, Democrats from Florida and Michigan are pressing for their delegations to be seated at the convention.

Snip and Tuck

"Some people have said 'Well Mississippi is very much a state that will most likely be in favor of Senator Obama.' I said 'Well, that's fine,' but I want people in Mississippi to know I'm for you," she said in Hattiesburg before flying to Pennsylvania.

Obama made a stop Tuesday in Greenville before heading to Pennsylvania, too.

"I've been praying for you," a man called out.

"I believe in prayer," Obama replied. - MSNBC

Both Obama and Clinton probably have better access to polling numbers than I do and I would hope that they do. What I’m getting at is even if the numbers are bloody ugly, a candidate for President should never leave any state chucking the bird at the folks that just happen to be in the middle of the road and undecided. How many times do you have to see on the local news, national news and every single online news site that many people made their decision on who they want for the Democrat candidate for President when they actually were in the voting booth?

As for the ongoing debate over the delegate’s to the Democrat Convention from Florida and Michigan, that is or should be ended with three words, “Let Them Vote”.

Make no mistake about it, this process is not a popularity contest for the general public. This is the Democrat primary for President of the United States of America. It is a political party that allows Independent voters to participate but there are rules for all candidates to abide by. Florida and Michigan broke the rules of the Democrat Party by moving their voting dates up. In doing so the Democrat Party stripped them of their delegates to the Democrat Party Convention. If you broke the rules you get penalized for it.

There are some that say the delegates from each state should be seated as the process stands and I would have to argue with you on that point. Both candidates vowed to not run in Florida and yet Senator Clinton’s name was the only one on the ballot? Knowing many a friend and family in Florida that just happen to be Democrats they didn’t even bother to vote because they were told the election process did not count. Same goes for Michigan!

If you want to make this a fair fight then schedule a re-vote for both states with all of the candidates on the ballot. Schedule it, let the candidates campaign in the states and let the voters decide with an actual vote that THEY know will count. Don’t back door, smoke filled room, old boys of the Democrat Party decide who can and can not be seated at the convention. Doing that wreaks of political election corruption and we have had enough of that under the current occupant of the White House.

It is our political party and the people in Florida and Michigan should be given the opportunity to decide who THEY want to face John McCain in the next general election for President. If the Democrats back room dealings seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan without a re-vote then the election process is a joke for every single Democrat.

Papamoka

Cross posted at MichaelLinnJones.com

Feel free to link to or borrow this post…

*****This post was picked up by Reuters...
*****This post was picked up by The Chicago Sun Times...

Technorati Tags:
Democrat Convention, MISS, Obama, Clinton, Hillary, Barack, Florida Delegates, Michigan Delegates, Boulder Convention, Delegate Count, Vote, Florida Revote, Michigan Revote, Democrats, President, Election Tampering, Super Delegates, Politics, Presidential Election, MSNBC, White House

White House for Sale

Somebody check the Century 21 listings, I swear that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is on the market. By the looks of the offers in on this pristine address the price for the this strategic location is going into the hundreds of millions of dollars. In political home ownership it is all about location, location, and location.

As much as I love politics I detest the way it is paid for. Most of us political junkies that actually vote in large numbers can not attend a $500 or $1000 a plate dinner to support any candidate. We have to settle for the best that we can do and nuke a frozen dinner while flinging a stream of expletives at the opponents commercials on the boob tube.

One thing is certain though, some of these candidates have grass roots behind them and some of them have large, huge, mega huge businesses supporting them. For the most part they are all guilty of taking big money donations but that is part of the process that is built into being elected President. Is it not ironic that the upper classes of America (Royal’s) are donating so much to the probable winners of the election process. Even hedging your bets is not out of bounds when it comes to getting influence at the White House with the next President of the United States of America.

What is a political realtor to do but follow the money and the New York Times has this to say about it…

Iowa Victories Scramble the Money Game, Too

By LESLIE WAYNE
Published: January 6, 2008

Victories by Senator Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee in Iowa have not only upset political calculations, they have also upset the money game and spurred a growing flood of donations for these candidates while making fund-raising trickier for the rest.

Mr. Huckabee, a former Republican governor of Arkansas who ran a campaign with minimal resources, now finds more money flowing his way. As he jetted to New Hampshire from Iowa, money began to show up, click by click over the Internet — a total of $350,000 by the time he had landed at dawn. By Thursday, the campaign hopes to have an online total of $1 million in fresh cash.

The one-day surge comes on top of a rise in donations that has coincided with Mr. Huckabee’s improving political fortunes. In the last quarter of 2007, as his campaign began to take off, Mr. Huckabee took in $5 million, after raising $2.3 million in the first nine months of the year. Mr. Huckabee has scheduled fund-raisers in Texas and Florida, and his campaign has said it is getting so many requests from supporters to hold fund-raisers that it cannot schedule them all.

“I have a feeling that after tonight,” Mr. Huckabee said on Fox News on the night of his Iowa victory, “we’re going to see a huge surge in fund-raising because up until now, people said, ‘Well, we would give to you but we’re not sure you can win.’ Now they’re thinking, he already has, and he is winning.”

Snip a contribution

In some cases, Democrats who supported Mrs. Clinton out of loyalty or conviction or because they felt she could win are now taking another look at Mr. Obama, Mr. Kramer said. Donors with enough resources can hedge their bets by giving the maximum $4,600 for the primary and general races to both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton. - New York Times

First thought I have is for Governor Huckabee. Don’t sell that double wide trailer yet Reverend. If you win the office of President you might be able to park it on the front lawn of the White House but the neighbors over at the Smithsonian might complain. Snobby know it alls are like that in the nations capitol. Then there are those busy bodies over at the FBI and CIA that are always looking in your trailers windows. Very poor neighbors but great for neighborhood security. Most of the time good for neighborhood security if you take 9/11 out of the equation.

As for Barack Obama the race is not over and do not get a big head over winning Iowa alone. New Hampshire is not Iowa. Live Free or Die isn’t on the license plates of every car just because it is a catchy phrase. They actually believe in it and live it. Big government is bad and not a reflection on your liberal agenda. You sure you want the White House Barack? Latest trends are that the place has gone down hill with little support from the American people who own it to fix it up or even renovate. Absentee land lords are like that from what I hear. Are you sure Barack that you want to move into this house with all the problems it has now?

We can not discount the Co-Presidency attempt by Hill and Bill Clinton. Why they want to buy the Presidency back again is beyond belief. Didn’t they sell it out to the current slum lord? Some reports say that Hillary wants her damn drapes back and that is the only reason she is running for the office. Other rumors are that Bill thinks Monica still works there. I can not confirm either rumor but that is the way things go in politics.

Al Gore was looking to buy it from the Clinton’s some years ago but some legal problems at the last minute had his hopes dashed. Apparently, the Supreme Court decided he could not afford the mortgage even though his vote income more than met the criteria for home ownership. Al Gore, the first victim of our nations mortgage lending crisis, bookmark this page because you heard it hear first. He and Tipper were evicted and foreclosed on. Al Gore packed up his truck and moved back to Tennessee to forget America forever.

Getting back to my rant, it is simply disgusting that it will take two hundred million dollars plus to occupy the oval office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That price is a direct reflection on who really owns our nation and it is no longer Joe Six Pack and his 2.3 kids. Next time you fill up your tank start humming “Hail to the Chief” and fork over the $3.00 a gallon with a smile. Tell me which one of any of the candidates has pumped their own gas recently and then you have someone that knows what Joe Six Pack and his 2.3 kids are trying to budget for but can not.

Maybe we need rent control for the White House because nobody ever stays more than eight years? Then again maybe we need to get private funds out of our election process and put candidates that will actually serve all of the people in office. Take the money out and you will actually have people elected to the Presidency that are not beholden to the money that elected them. Would that not be a true change in American politics. This post courtesy of and thank you George W. Bush aka King George W who sold us all out to the highest bidder and enriched his inner circle! Change is coming and its one election away.

Papamoka

Originally posted at Papamoka Straight Talk

Cross posted at Michael Linn Jones and Bring IT ON!

Feel free to link to or steal this post…

Del.icio.us Tags:
bush, obama, barack obama, huckabee, edwards, giuliani, romney, election, presidency 08, democrats for president, republicans for president, hillary clinton, bill clinton, joe biden, chris dodd, ron paul, DNC, RNC, White House, change, political change, public financing of elections, money for politics, political contributions, donating to candidates, money buys votes, grass roots, my candidate, president, primaries, new Hampshire, iowa, South Carolina, Florida, California vote, liberal, centrist, moderate, undecided, America

Technorati Tags:
bush, obama, barack obama, huckabee, edwards, giuliani, romney, election, presidency 08, democrats for president, republicans for president, hillary clinton, bill clinton, joe biden, chris dodd, ron paul, DNC, RNC, White House, change, political change, public financing of elections, money for politics, political contributions, donating to candidates, money buys votes, grass roots, my candidate, president, primaries, new Hampshire, iowa, South Carolina, Florida, California vote, liberal, centrist, moderate, undecided, America