Hurricane Dow: You Can't Buy Visuals Like This

Biden has been fantastic on the stump.  Watching his clips each day has been one of the better Chicken Little booster shots I can find.

And just saw a clip from Obama today and he really seems to hitting stride on the message front.  Delivering with much more confidence now.  Contrast this to McInsane and "Pale"n who seem to be losing focus, and it's looking really good for the next two months.  The debates have potential to be brutal for the Repub ticket.

Just saw it on TPM frontpage now.  So we've got Politico, Huffington Post, and TPM features so far.

Spread the word!

Thanks Al for posting this.  I don't think people realize how serious this mess really is.  When you have Greenspan making statements like "I've never seen anything this bad,,"  It's bad.  There are more to follow.  AIG will probably not make it, WaMu was downgraded by the S&P this afternoon to "junk status", at this rate we'll have the S&P 495 by the end of the week.  FDIC does NOT have the funds to cover all the banks that will fail.  THey will need to fire up the printing presses again which will once again crush the dollar.  There is also talk of another rate cut, which will also cause even higher inflation.  Joe Six Pack is about to find out that the stock market really does matter to him...and it ain't gonna be pretty. 

The GOP knows this, they are already pointing fingers wildly and claiming this was the "Dem controlled" Senate bank commitee's fault.  Truth be damned that it was none other than McCain's BFF Phil Gramm that rammed through the legislation to allow these investment banks to run amock the way they did.  We must make certain that blame is rested squarely on Gramm where it belongs.  This is going to be a painful lesson for the American people, let's make sure they don't manage to screw up one more time in November by getting the truth out there.

Joe is great. The MSM ignore him by and large. I think from this speech one can infer how he might function in the debate. I would like to see him play McCain in a  prep debate with Barack.

If you want to spend 30 minutes - watch the full event. He tells it just like it is.

 

Saw Joe last Monday--he's even better in person!  The VP debate can't get here soon enough...

O/T, add this to the "Year of the Door Knocker".  *Bring. It. On.*

http://community.adn.com/adn/node/131339

The Republican Party of Florida is auctioning off Gov. Sarah Palin to top campaign volunteers. (Hat tip to my former Miami Herald colleague, Lesley Clark, who forwarded on the e-mail from the Republican Party of Florida.)

Anyone in Florida who volunteers this Saturday to call voters or knock on doors is eligible to meet the governor. First, though, they've got to put in some serious sweat equity.

"Volunteers must make a minimum of 500 phone calls, or knock on 100 doors to qualify. The top three volunteers statewide will meet Governor Palin during her next trip to Florida," said Jim Greer, chairman of the state party.

No word on when she'll be in the sunshine state.

 

Olbermann made fun of her.

Now I hope we find out how much she paid and other details.

 

Wow, Al, that tanning bed piece...way to make an impact. Thanks for answering my questions about polls and firewalls in a previous thread.

Just a heads up that KO is going to cover Al's tanning bed story tonight.  He just mentioned it during the segue to a commercial break.

I loved Obama and Biden on the stump today, their message was sharp, crisp, and on the point..
My question though, how far does these appearances reach? I mean , we the supporters will watch, but that's like preaching to the choir. The media doesn't show the full context, we are lucky if cable news shows 1 min of Obama's events let alone Biden's, same goes for the evening news.
How can this message reach the not so internet savvy general population?

If you google Sarah Palin Tanning bed.

I just found this link to a WAPO article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/14/AR2008091402085.html?hpid=sec-politics

You are so right - you can't buy visuals like this. Damn - that's poetry in motion for a Democrat. Speaking of Fox News (and only slightly off topic), here's a great video with a talking head actually making some accurate statements and embarrassing a McCain Senior Advisor. This is hilarious.  This guy was NOT ready for these types of questions. I think the world is nuts. Did the McCain camp forget to pay the Fox News bill this month?

They take it on the road to hit local TV.

 

Democrat for US Senate (Wisconsin 2012)

Al, to me this is the 'game changer'.  Pow!

 

Stay on this all the way for five solid weeks, relentless.

It's the economy stupid.   Bring on Bill C., let Hillary take on Palin, mono a mono.  Body-slam, lip-stick smeared on to the conciousness of US feminism.  That meme is in the 'man-purse' lol

The portents are propitious.

A bit off-topic, but I'd be interested in knowing your drop, Al, on the bit (over at TPM at least) about the Carvilles, Greenbergs, et. al., getting together to try to get "big" donors to give Obama a little 527 help, e.g., with older white women yadda yadda.  My sense is that they don't know what they don't understand, which is an awesome machine on the ground and a fierce focus on a 50-state strategy which doesn't pretend that battleground states don't exist.  Does Barak need this 'extra' help?

Yes, I know that Ben is sort of negative but I wanted to give him a shout out.  We are both in the same town in Oklahoma.  It's a liberal town but it is an oasis.  On his questions, heck, he's in Oklahoma.  I don't blame him.

But I did want to tell him and the Field that I had a great thing happen today.

A co-worker admitted that she will be voting for Obama.  This is a co-worker that has always voted for the Republican as President.  She's one of the "Southern" Democrats.  When Obama won the Iowa Caucus, she was horrified.  She told me that she would NEVER vote for a muslim.  ;-)  She didn't trust him.  He looked weird.  His name was weird.

What changed her mind?  I do not know.  I listened to her early on about her concerns and didn't push too hard.  I had hoped that she would figure it out on her own.  It took time.  So, today, she told me that Obama looks "more Presidential" then McCain.  Why?  Well, it seems that the final straw was the People Magazine article on the McCain family.  Yes, my friends, it was the People Magazine article on the McCain family.

I asked her what bothered her.  She told me that in that article that it explains that McCain does not comb his own hair.  That Cindy combs it for him.  I know this seems trivial but it really isn't.  We want a STRONG President.  We want a Father or Mother President.  We want someone to take care of us not someone who is too invalid to take care of themselves.  I am not saying that McCain can't take of himself.  But, I did find it interesting on her take.

BTW, she also now connects well with Obama.  She told me that she is scared for Obama because there are so many crazy people that want to kill him.  She told me that she doesn't understand why he is willing to risk his "beautiful" life and family to "risk" his own life to be President.  I reminded her that Reagan was shot and that any politician that brings a message of change is vulnerable.  She now connects to Obama's family.

All in all, something has shifted.  My point is that the tanning bed article might seem trivial (to some) but I had not given any thought to the People article either. I hope my story tells the story.  ;-)

Anyway, Ben Alpers email me.  We are working hard here in Norman and Oklahoma.  I know, you think that Obama is a lost cause here.  It probably is. But, Andrew Rice needs our help.

endorses Obama and will stump critical areas of the state for him.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/202418/287/61/599987

 

Lt. Gov Patty Judge rocks!  LOL

http://iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=135972

“Sarah knows how to field-dress a moose. I know how to castrate a calf. Neither of those things has anything at all to do with this election. But since we know so much about Sarah’s special skills, I wanted to make sure you knew about mine too,” she said.

Judge dismissed the idea McCain surrogates have put forward about the possibility former Hillary Clinton supporters may throw their support to Palin.

“If John McCain thinks women are than stupid, he is wrong,” she said. “In summary, just because you have a pantsuit, that does not qualify you for the sisterhood.”

http://iowapolitics.com/index.iml?Article=135971

In introducing Schweitzer, Harkin called him a valuable "WMD" -- a west-of-the-Mississippi Democrat. He also made reference to the success a previous steak fry speaker had in the presidential arena.

“Four years ago Barack Obama gave that blockbuster speech to the convention. Two years later he showed up here to speak at the steak fry, and now look where he is. Brian Schweitzer gave a blockbuster speech at the convention this year. He is here at the steak fry. Who knows what’s next for Brian Schweitzer?” Harkin said.

The opening should be John McCain saying ' the fundamentals of the economy are strong'. Then find a clip of Bush saying ' the fundamentals of the economy are strong'. Then have Biden.

We need to continue to hit the economy... but seriously, we are headed for some MAJOR scary times in the U.S. I think we are as close to 1929 as we have been since that time. Until the housing prices balance out, we are in some SERIOUS trouble. None of the banks trust each other. The market is in a spiral downfall. Whoever becomes President next is going to be faced with one of the worst economic times we've had in this country in over 70 years. We need someone who has some real idea of these issues, and that's why Obama needs to be President. No question about it, once you get past the POW, the Maverick, the Hockey Mom, and Pit Bull w Lipstick - we are in SERIOUS SERIOUS trouble with our economy. There isn't a single more important issue. Not one.

this just needs to be updated a little bit for McCain's statement today as it went out in early Sept I would guess for Michigan. I would definitely link the DOW ticker at 300 down for today to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdXaE-mMXTg

Cindy combs McInsane's hair?  Well, at least it's not Paul Wolfowitz doing the combing....ewwwwwww:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bnpTK5mgZQ

Anne, I think that could be a pretty significant endorsement and clearly in a state that is very much in play and up in the air.

Julie, your story is interesting and I'm glad to have another vote for Obama.  Clearly the "story" that she is voting for is significant I would hope that this does indeed indicate some sort of shift.  However, I can't say I'm happy to hear an American voter making up her mind based on who looks more presidentail based on a disability.

I'm feeling pretty good about things today.  Things are in moving again.  I tell ya my very astute take on today's rash of state polls.  Lots of states are really close to tied and the margins of error are signifcant.  The CO Ras poll was particularly suspect - a 3 point swing for Nader???

Tara, That 3 point swing is just all the stoners in and around Boulder who just heard about Ralph Nader for the first time and heard there is an election here in the U.S. "Yeah dude. And I'm diggin your name Ralph. You also lost a few teeth from the smack?" lol.

Didn't read the People article, but wouldn't it make sense for Cindy to help McInsane with his hair?  He really seems to have trouble with his arms, and it seems like it would be really tough for him to raise his hands up to his head much.

If this is the case, the story of someone not voting for him because of this demonstrates how vapid so much of the electorate can be.  The dude's literally insane and makes jokes about mass killing of people, and that's why we must do everything possible to keep him out of the White House, but not voting for him because of war injuries...that's just sad.  (again, assuming that's why Cindy combs his hair)

Out of all the things that could lead you to Obama's column that's what she picks?!?  This is what we're up against.

The precipitous drop in the indexes today was terrible news. And despite the Government's rhetoric about "stabilizing the markets," unless they are willing to spend billions more dollars rescuing the next domino, AIG, then the markets are going to continue their slide.

 

I'm willing to bet that Bernanke will cut rates tomorrow - he shouldn't, but he will. Inflation was already starting to creep up, now it's going to come roaring back. Stagflation - just like the 70s.

 

I think that this market news helps Obama. John McCain is an absolute idiot for repeating his line "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" today - I hesitate to make hyperbolic statements, but that one has the potential to be an election-losing remark right there, and I hope Obama gets a brutal ad out there.

Since today is my birthday, my only wish is for Barack Obama to win the Presidency, I went to a swearing in ceremony for 1000 new citizens. There was 50 people representing the Dems or Moveon, 4 McCain people. I registered 6 people alone. Everyone there got at least 2-4. Good Birthday present from Joe. I have faith NV will go blue. We have some really good numbers from voter registration drives, but could use more.

Quoting Josh Marshall here:

"Richard Cohen jumps waaaaaaaaaay off the tire swing.

I mean, this is betrayed lover counter-tire-swingism. Must read."

All I can say is what I said in my title - holy shit, really.  The no longer honorable McCain narrative has been set.  Think I'll print this out and put it under my pillow. : )

And I agree with you, Blue_SD.  There is the definite possibility that McCain's comment today will be what Obama can use to bring him down.

I thought he didn't have any hair OR teeth.  Kind of creepy if you ask me.  I am wondering what the HECK is going on at 538.  They properly show Obama ahead of McCain in Virginia but the map still shows Virginia pink.  Nevada is pink.  The numbers show McCain at 287.7 EV's.  Jerome at MyDD shows Obama ahead.  When does 538 update that damn map?

The GOP Virginia ex-governor campaigning for Obama is Tim Kaine's father in law.

Something's afoot.  In a matter of a few days Rove, several AP "reporters," Richard Cohen, Chris Wallace, Colin Powell (twice), James Baker, Henry Kissinger (ferchrissakes!), some Pox Newz bleach blonde bobblehead, and others have all decided to get harsh on McInsane and/or endorse an Obama position.  These "people" are very disciplined on message control and do not stray unless given instructions from up top.

Keep in mind these same "people" have been lying and covering for a rogue cabal that has killed hundreds of thousands and robbed the US Treasury dry over the last eight years especially.  You think they're really all worked up now over a couple of negative ads?  This must be a tactic in a larger scheme they're running now.  They've stayed close enough in the polls to win this yet, and just the like "Pale"n pick, they've proven they're willing to try drastic measures.  Can't quite put all these pieces together yet, but I'm pretty certain this isn't all a coincidence.

Your comment reminds me of the primaries where we second guessed everything Clinton did.  They aren't really running the ball...it's a conspiracy and it's really a double, fake reverse with a flea flicker, we would think to ourselves.  Not sure how this would be a strategy that they would somehow turn around and use to their advantage.

The Fox thing was awsome - and strange.  She said exactly what I have been saying.  Why can't we have an honest discussion about tax policy?  If you think cutting taxes at the top trickles down by creating more jobs then let's have a discussion about that rather that lying about the opposition.  That blew my mind to see it on FOX!  It's looking like a deluge to me.  Unfortunately, so is the financial crisis.

I completely agree with you and if you figure it out, please let everyone at the field know first.

Bonkers, what I see is a right-wing that, once being called out for the explicit lying, is nudging the McCain campaign to take a step back.

Rove in particular seemed to be suggesting McCain needs to learn nuance when they lie. I felt like he was basically saying "Hey you idiots: you're not supposed to make deception and lies so obvious!"

So while some, like Cohen, seem genuinely upset with McCain's lies, others like Rove are more concerned that McCain was dumb enough to overreach and get called on it.

 

What's interesting to me is that this concept of the media growing a pair probably wouldn't be possible had Obama played it differently and accepted a lot of bad advice. Had he run a dirtier, more personal campaign, the narrative would be about how dirty the entire campaign has gotten. Had he not consistently pointed to McCain's honor and service, the media wouldn't be discussing McCain's fall from grace. And now many are angry that he's not attacking Palin by arguing she is wholly unqualified or a 3rd-rate politician. Were he to take that angle, then as soon as she shows any political skill, the narrative would be about how Obama was wrong and then his line of attack would be destroyed and all of that work wasted. Attacking her policy is a safe bet because we can be sure it'll stay the standard GOP affair. Let the media handle the Troopergates and tanning beds.

The whole Rove thing is an attempt of him trying to start a meme, and actually failing for once!

The whole point of him saying anything about McCain's ad was what he prefaced it with -- that Obama had also been running lying, dishonest ads.  He was trying to drag BO into the same gutter full of muck that McCain has been playing in for the past month; it was an effort to set up a new kind of framing that would attach some of McCain's dishonor to Obama.

The hilarious thing, however, is that nobody bought that framing at all.  The media didn't play ball, the Obama campaign jumped all over the quote, and now the CW is that Rove thinks McCain went too far.

I understand being defensive and whatnot, and am a big fan of the tinfoil hat myself, but oftentimes Occam's Razor is the best way to go: a lot of journalists are like Richard Cohen, and they feel personally betrayed because they believed in the old McCain.  This new meme of McCain The Dishonorable Liar feels like it is personal for a lot of them.  Rove tried to get something going that would link McCain's negatives to Obama; it didn't take.

Rove is a devilish asshole, but he's not Voldermort.  And Obama, Axelrod, and Plouffe can beat him and his proteges.

Thing is, I'm talking about some of the real gatekeepers of our entire system, and not an individual campaign like the Clintons.  Having worked within BigMedia, I believe that the real stringpullers in America are the mega-mega-rich or BigMoney, and they own BigMedia.  The message gets set from up top, and it gets filtered down through all the various media channels.  This is what drives our public discourse (how do we end up talking about swines and lipstick after all?), and this is a key component of making the electorate vote against their own best interests (in other words voting for Republicans).

So we've had eight years of the Constitution being dismantled before our eyes, trillions of tax dollars wasted, and hundreds of thousands around the world dead, and these exact same people not only defended and provided cover for all this, they shouted down and mocked any of us Liberals who opposed all these policies.

Again, we're now to believe Karl Rove, Richard Cohen, Chris Wallace, etc. decided in the same week to stand up to these forces of Death and Destruction after eight years because of some tame (by Repub standards) attack ads?

What I'm trying to figure out is how this benefits BigMoney, since they are the ones who give the OK to these "people" to get critical of McInsane.  The Neocon BigMoney cabal has spent decades building up their power structure and they are not going to let go easily.  A McInsane implosion would really hurt Repub chances in down ticket races leading to perhaps the biggest DemocratIC gains in history, and Obama could be in eight years and have a few Supreme Court picks.  This would dismantle all the Neocons have done.  This sudden and drastic shift in BigMedia messaging signals to me that there's some sort of coordination going on.

I'm simply trying understand why, since I do not believe Karl Rove is sincere when he and his friends says that McInsane has "gone too far."

Yes, I agree Team Obama can handle all this, whatever is happening at the moment in BigMedia messaging.

Obama is playing a masterful game of rope-a-dope.  If he would've attacked earlier, before BigMedia shifted last week, most probably would've circled the wagons around McCain and essentially called Obama uppity for attacking the POW(tm).  Obama had to wait for just the right time to pounce from his perch on the higher ground.

And as the clip Al linked above, Biden is very, very good at understanding these dynamics as well.  That does give me comfort when dusting off the tin foil haberdashery.  No matter what nefarious plan they may be concocting, no one will be able to handle it better than Team Obama.

And as Al points out all the time, the power of massive ground game Obama has put in place will help insulate Obama from any tricks in BigMedia messaging.

bonkers, believe it or not, people that work in the media are living, breathing people with feelings and values and all those same virtues that make you and I human; they are not automatons fabricated by "BigMedia."

You have to remember that the situation you describe, this flow of power and information control is a generalization - it is generally correct, but it is not an immovable, computerized system that is forced to operate a specific way no matter the circumstances.

I am sure you understand this, but when discussing the Machine, it is easy to forget the fact that individuals are what make up the Machine (especially when groups like the GOP or corporations want to appear as a homogenous machine)

...how 'bout that Joe Biden?  He's on fire!

Jason:  Yes, individuals make up "the media," and I was and still am one of those people as a freelancer.

Most of those people like to keep their jobs, so they do what the boss says.  It doesn't matter that much what each individual thinks.  Sure, you get your small victories here and there, but mostly you're still sent out to ask people about lipstick on pigs and things like that, which is what the boss tells you to do, and that ends up being the top story.  I'll keep quiet now.  Thanks for the good debate all.

Call, Canvass, and Cash.  All that really matters at this point.

Great lines from Biden. The more I hear him, the more I love him! And I know the Virginia thread was a post back, but I thought I would post this here:

 

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/15/202418/287/61/599987

 

What would happen if McCain withdrew from the Presidential race before the election? Would Obama automatically become President or would Palin or another Repub become the Republican's presidential candidate on the ballot?

This is off topic---but can someone (or Al) tell me if push polling is illegal? is there anything that can be done agaisnt it? Lots of it going around the battle ground states all agaisnt Obama.

But, when Wall Street is disintegrating before your eyes, you can't spin that. Some stories are actually ' too big' to be talking bullshit about lipstick and pigs. Plus, a lot of those money folks have their money on Wall Street.

 

Of course, I have a poster on JJP who believes that they've decided to throw it to Obama so that they can blame him for everything and come back in 2012.

It just might be that the selection of Sarah Palin means that some elements of the Right and the Media do NOT want McCain to win in 2008.  After all, if he wins, Palin becomes the future of the Republican Party.  McCain was an attractive GOP candidate to many because he had no obvious successor, leaving the field open for Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Rudy etc.  There are a lot of guys with their eyes on 2012 already, even if McCain wins in 2008.  

those people in the media and higher ups lost a whole assload of money yesterday and they will probably lose a whole lot more again today. The smoke and mirrors is not working and they are coming to the realization, the man behind the curtain has left the building. 25,000 people lost their jobs yesterday at Lehman and AIG may yet crumble today...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/16/7641/09404/732/600333

to a tv near you.

The conflicting emotions of being happy to see this ad when so many are losing so much from the horrible Bush administration's inaction, greed and criminal behaviour for eight years.

has Obama 48 and McCain 44.  I thought Obama was 47 and McCain looks much older.  "Catherine, that is REALLY lame" you say?  Hey, I'm just trying to get in the mindset of someone who is making the decision to vote for Obama because Cindy combs John's hair.  For the low information voter we have to figure out stuff like that!  I had a friend tell me Palin annoyed her with her Minnesota-like accent and the fact that she wears a hairclip in her hair.  (I went home and threw mine out but alas, my Minnesota accent still surfaces. Sore -ee!)

I had the same thought when I saw the clip of frickin' Romney jumping in as well [someone else posted clip here; sorry can't remember who or where.] Remember when Palin fed the "Bristol's pregnant" story to the media? I thought the same thing then - wtf? Her supposed reason being to rebut rumors on the lowest rung of the blogosphere that Trig was Bristol's ?!?! Please! So, they threw the story out there, the media covered it, then, lo-and-behold, they start "running against" the mean old media who "keep writing about personal family matters"!!!! The minute I saw a headline about "Dems joyous over Rove quote" my brow furrowed. Sure, Jason, reporters are individuals but message control is too good on the GOP side. Romney, Rove, et.al. don't criticize the supposed leader of their party just because they have feelings. My best guess is that they're working toward a "Mark Penn Moment" wherein one of McCain's many lobbyists gets the sacrificial ax, but [again following the Clinton Play Book] doesn't actually even leave the campaign plane. Picture the oh-so sincere McCain saying "I have let others make decisions in my name and now I feel I have to take a moral stand...See how much of a straight-talker I am?" and comes out smelling like a rose. I'm just wondering if it's even something deeper than just damage control on over-reaching. That more chum is being thrown into the water & we, Obama, those other individual reporters are being reeled in. But that's borderline Chicken Little-ing. Just don't bite down too hard in case there's a hook.

Too funny!

Having lived in MN for several years when I was growing up, I can't tell you how much that "sore-ee" bugged me.  :)

One anecdote about John McCain's male pigishness stands out:  when Cindy teased John about his hair getting thinner while  putting her hand on this head in a playful way.  He lost it, called her a c.nt.

I agree with a previous comment that Cindy combing his hair makes him appear enfeebled.

Unbelievably, John McLame is claiming to be the 'reform' candidate that will transform the way financial markets are regulated.  Palin will, no doubt, appear too inexperienced for the financial tumult that we are going through at this moment.

Indeed, I think that is a propitious event and a game changer.

Obama will appear youthful and competent (dare I say presidential), while McLame and Palin appear desparate, incompetent, mean, and not up to the task.

Of course, my desires and biases play into this--but I refuse to believe that the voting public here in the US is THAT stupid.  I know, I know--but a guy can still dream, right?

How Ohio can even be in play is frightening. Where the hell is Strickland?  The weasly bum.

Ok, I am looking at polls indicating Obama over McLame in Florida.

Yes!

Hate the fact that some people are loosing tremendous wealth in this melt-down--but, hey, how many of these people would have voted for McLame despite the fact that he voted against increasing the minimum wage 19 times?

Let's get real hear.  Many idiots put their own greed ahead of the welfare of their fellow US citizens; they backed war and endless tax cuts.   If they have to eventually engage in manual labor to survive, I will know that there is Jesus and justice.

The hurricanes, the financial meltdown, increasing ecological havoc and despoilation--what does it take to wake US folk from thier pathetic delusions?

Jesus was a community organizer.  Wake up people!

When I graduated from the Naval Academy, John McCain was our speaker.  We each got to go on stage, shake his hand, and have a few words.  It was McCain at his best, and I cherish the picture of myself shaking his hand.

One of my buddies asked McCain for a high five.  McCain politely declined, saying that he can't lift his hands above his shoulders because of Vietnam.

He can't comb his hair because he can't lift his arms. 

There are plenty of things to knock McCain on.  I'm personally supporting Obama because of the way McCain has dishonored himself (and because I recognize Obama as a natural leader).  But I would not hit McCain on something that is again going to raise the issue that he suffered through what none of us could have.

Below is from the AP.

 

A $600 million bridge and highway project to link Alaska's largest city to Palin's town of 7,000 residents is moving full speed ahead, despite concerns the bridge could worsen some commuting and threaten a population of beluga whales.

 

First pistol pack'n Palin disrespects Polar Bears--and this week it is beluga whales.  Even for a rightwing Republican her anti-ecoloigical credentials are simply freakish.

What will she do in Florida?   I can see her and her fellow yahoos in speed-boats killing manantees from speeding jetskis, and throwing their beer cans toward the direction of people recently rendered homeless from the economic collapse.

The woman is a freak.

I read the Cohen article with great interest because it was the third in as many days from a columnist who has suddenly become completely disillusioned by McCain. First this one: http://blog.mlive.com/capitolchronicles/2008/09/my_dear_john_mccain_lett... Then yesterday: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/dannywestneat/2008178468_danny14.h... While I don't trust the Rove comments at all, I do think that McCain has been successful at destroying his own image. This might be a case of "Oh how the mighty have fallen." If these columnists hadn't held McCain in such high regard for his honorability and honesty (straight talk), they wouldn't be so disappointed in him now. If McCain had been more of a traditional politician all along, he wouldn't have had so much to lose by lying and getting caught lying. Regarding FOX's sudden change of attitude, my gut tells me that it's real and comes from the top. I think Rupert Murdoch just might think Obama is the best person for the job.

Read his comment, above. I endorse it 100 percent.

It's catty and not effective to put any focus on all on who combs McCain's hair. Save that stuff for the "slow class" blogs!

To Al's point, I think we have to stay focused and not take anything for granted.  I live in greater NYC.  It's not pretty here this morning.  At our elementary school drop-off the mood was very somber -- many families impacted.   

Over the weekend, much to my surprise, I had two separate conversations with two different Republican women who do not know each other.  They are truly on the fence about this election and really wanted to talk.  I've never talked politics with either of them before because I don't know them that well and it is generally not a secret how we all lean. In both cases, there were other Obama supporters on hand which was very helpful.

Neither of these people were enthusiastic at all about the Republican ticket, but they were simply not sure that they could bring themselves to vote for Obama. Interestingly, they both used exactly the same excuse separately of each other.  "I don't want my taxes to go up and they most definately will if Obama is elected!" 

I have since spent time reviewing Obama's tax site, digging up links to Brookings institute data, explaining how state and federal funding cuts and corporate tax breaks combined with unfunded federal mandates are responsible for driving school and property taxes up, undermining federal cuts to individuals, that we should be focused in large part on where our taxes go and how they are managed -- i.e. cost of one day in Iraq, budget deficit, ETC...   

Was also trying to stay on message associating McCain with current Bush policies and economic problems, etc... but it was slow going.

What was interesting is that these people were reluctant to let go of the 'McCain is a maverick and Palin is an outsider' thing.  They were confident that McCain cared more about their pocketbook and were weighing that against other issues (women's right to choose, the war) that unfortuntely, they might not have been losing sleep over in the first place.

It crossed my mind that these could also be cases of the 'flag pin' masquerade that Al discussed during PA primaries... in which case we are dealing with an entirely different scenario.  But I have some hope.  More than I did before our conversations. 

Anyway, the point is that while I think it's great that we are even able to have these discussions, I also think it is tremendously important to stay on message and not assume that this financial crisis is automatically going to help Obama.

If some of these people were worried about their taxes before and now they are worried about their jobs or their friend's jobs or the value of their homes, they may or may not venture out of their comfort zone when they vote.  They still need some convincing.

 

I've got an alternative theory on Rove, et al.....

It's been my contention for awhile that the Republican Party would probably split after this election along the following fault lines - self identified conservatives on one side, evangelicals on the other. Had Huckabee gone futher, it might well have happened already. I think the selection of Sarah Palin has deepend this rift and Rove, Kissinger, Fox, etc... push back right now is the first, public opening shots of that split taking place.

Think about it. Rove has played the Christianist Right like a fiddle for the last 8 years, but never really letting them run the shop. Now with a 72 year old McCain, and uber-evangelical Palin next in line, the Romney wing of the party is in serious danger of getting shoved out the door.

Realizing that there are worse things that could happen to the Republican Party (or at least their portion of the Republican Party) in 2008 than lose the election (they could win and wind up with Sarah Palin as President facing a large Democratic majority in both chambers of congress with the economy in the toilet), the fracture lines are starting to show. It doesn't take a real stretch of the imagination to understand that a Republican loss, coupled with a big economic downturn over the next couple of years, sets conservatives up for a rebound in 2010 and 2012. A Republican win, on the other hand, loses them both houses and probably the Presidency in 2012 - for the long term, and hands the keys of the party to the Evangelical base.

Given what we know of Palin's 'executive' track record so far, is there any doubt she'd show the conservative side of the party to the door should she become President? Always remember the conservative movement is extremely capable of long term thinking.

which polls show Obama over McCain in Florida? A new one out this morning?

Lisa,

 

I think you are correct that Obama needs to hammer McCain on the economy and put out ads on his tax cuts. I like the fact that the campaign had Biden appear on the morning shows. I am getting the impression that the campaign understands this.

 

Lisa, it is simple, but maybe too simple for your Republican friends to figure out:  it has been the Republican 'free lunch', ant-regulation policies that brought about this mess.

The precious tax cuts are hurting our country, and the debt is put on the back of future generations.  These are selfish people that have gotten hold of the nation's credit card to fuel their grotesque consumerism.  How and Why would anything remotely assoicated with 'reason' sink in to these fanatics.

So these 'free lunchers' want even more tax breaks to deal with the problem?

At a certain point you have to face the facts:  these are selfish, stupid people.  They are unpatriotic, and following their lead would be foolish.  Seriously, that they might have qualms about voting for McLame is positive--but don't count on these ignorant types to be converted toward sane and responsible programs.    This type of mentality is beyond help, they don't even read.   They are upscale, Neiman/Marcus low-information voters.   Bastions of affluence are full of these folks--as are the lines for botox and boob-jobs.

No, I don't think that the financial meltdown will automatically help Obama--but it would be really wierd to believe that it would help McCain more than Obama, given the former's backing of the de-regulation that lead to this imploision.    We can't tax-cut our way out of this mess--and pinning the meltdown on the policies that McLame and the Repulicans advocated for the past fifteen years seems like fair game.

AL--I didn't advocate developing a 527 blitz about the McCain hair thing, I was just pointing up the wierd nature of John and Cindy's relationship.   Its really wacked out.

If Obama and Biden play this right, this is a game-changer.  Sure, there will be challenges, but I think that the Dems need to hammer this message home for six more weeks.

The 'trickle down' ideas of the WallStreeters and Walmarters have always been counter-intuitive and delusional.  Now their answer is that the working class has to take a huge hit so that they can keep their precious tax-cuts.  This mentality is simply sick--and I would advise not to coddle such extremist, selfish people.   Present better arguments--but laugh in their face when they whine that they don't want to pay more taxes to get the nation on more sound footing.

Lisa,

You should also mention that McCain will raise taxes on people's healthcare benefits.

While it is surprising to see the lapdogs rise up (add Halperin to the mix), it's also true that the majority are still playing the fake balance game (see Weisman's Wapo article couple days back) and still others have bit Rove's bait and are taking great pains to assert that Obama's lying too.  Exhibit A is Lou effing Dobbs, who (sporting a fresh dye job - kind  of a reddish brown) went out of his way to get Dana Bash to confirm his claim that Obama's ads are false and that he uses a teleprompter (he implied, exclusively) as well.  As a confirmed McCainite, she was happy to oblige ole' Lou, but to her credit she noted that since she doesn't cover Obama, she couldn't state with certainty his usual practices.

I think what's going on here is simple: they are protecting their wealth. They realize that they have milked the cow dry, we are at a disastrous tipping point financially, and it is in their best interest to vote Dem this time around. Murdoch has been speaking positive of Obama for quite a while, and I don't doubt he understands his various assets would be earning more under an Obama administration.

I saw a chart yesterday showing the Dow's gain over each president's reign. Clinton's presidency actually saw the largest Dow growth of all, followed by Reagan. As of today, GW's presidency has seen about zero Dow growth in almost 8 years. That is a terrifying statistic for anyone invested in the index.

All the big media puppetmasters care about is money. The social conservatism and right-wing pandering is just phony support for an ultimate goal of protecting their wealth. I wouldn't be suprised if they pound McCain so hard that he either completely flips his economic policies, or hand the election to Obama with a ribbon.

Steven Hunt, First, you're preaching to the choir, man. Believe me, you are not wrong about the selfishness, and I was initially really taken back. But you can't dismiss these people as "stupid." Ignorant, maybe, but not stupid and, more importantly, they are "on the fence." They sought me out to talk -- so in the end, I decided that I should be looking at this as an opportunity! I spend alot of time with 'like minds' especially since the primaries ended, and preaching to the choir is easy! This was alot harder. But I think it could be worth the effort to at least try. If not, I haven't lost anything. We'll see. Micheline -- thanks for the heads up on health care taxes!

Lisa, I may have limited experience in life, but one thing is for sure: you can't rehabilitate a crack-head.  She/he has to want a way out of the addiction--and actively has to seek a way out after having seen the light.

So, indeed, maybe you can reason with these people--and maybe a few will back Obama's more sane approach to the economy.

God bless you and good luck with that.

Let's hope that it doesn't take eve more pain before the voting public rejects that bad medicine that they have been proscribed by the neocons.

 

 

Steven, I prefer the analogy of 'a cry for help' from a person out on the edge contemplating (national) suicide -- realizing somewhere deep inside that maybe this is the wrong (vote) choice.  In which case, it's critical that the person who responds to the call takes it seriously.  You never know.  Could save a vote.