Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Split?
Gee, this doesn't look like the opinion is split to me. I'm not sure what the Fox News reporter got in math, but he should retake the course. Notice the people laughing at him right at the end.
LA Times on Rachel Maddow
The LA Times has a good piece on my new favorite political talking head on the TV box, Rachel Maddow.
While some think MSNBC has taken a turn toward the left recently (perhaps they're wrestling for the steering wheel with Fox News), Rachel doesn't believe her personal agenda drives show content.
"I certainly have beliefs and opinions, just like anybody does," she said. "But I don't have an agenda. This wasn't like, great, an opportunity to impose 'X' on the world. I think of this as a chance to talk about the news on TV for an hour each day. How awesome is that?"
While some think MSNBC has taken a turn toward the left recently (perhaps they're wrestling for the steering wheel with Fox News), Rachel doesn't believe her personal agenda drives show content.
"I certainly have beliefs and opinions, just like anybody does," she said. "But I don't have an agenda. This wasn't like, great, an opportunity to impose 'X' on the world. I think of this as a chance to talk about the news on TV for an hour each day. How awesome is that?"
Yes or No?
Here's a nice graphical representation of the financial bailout vote by location. Click the image to make it big and pretty.
Cause and Effect?
Research coming out of MAPLight.org suggests that House members who voted yes on the financial bailout package received 54 percent more money from banks and securities firms than did members who voted no.
[O]ver the past five years, banks and securities firms gave an average of $231,877 in campaign contributions to each Representative voting in favor of the bailout, compared with an average of $150,982 to each Representative voting against the bailout – 54 percent more money given to those who voted Yes.
[O]ver the past five years, banks and securities firms gave an average of $231,877 in campaign contributions to each Representative voting in favor of the bailout, compared with an average of $150,982 to each Representative voting against the bailout – 54 percent more money given to those who voted Yes.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Is there a repairman in the house?
Seems like someone's crystal ball is on the fritz.
From Politico:
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his top aides took credit for building a winning bailout coalition – hours before the vote failed and stocks tanked.
From Politico:
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his top aides took credit for building a winning bailout coalition – hours before the vote failed and stocks tanked.
Ohio Does the Right Thing
Nice to have some good news to report.
The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled by a 4-3 vote that Ohio's early voting rules that allow new voters to register AND cast an absentee ballot on the same day are permissible. Previously, a voter needed to be registered for at least 30 days to cast such a ballot.
This should certainly help with some of the anticipated long lines that might be even longer this year, given the determined efforts of both parties in registering as many new voters as possible. It's hard to understand why the GOP filed suit against the state of Ohio for trying things to make life easier for voters.
You don't think they were hoping to disenfranchise some of these new voters, do you?
The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled by a 4-3 vote that Ohio's early voting rules that allow new voters to register AND cast an absentee ballot on the same day are permissible. Previously, a voter needed to be registered for at least 30 days to cast such a ballot.
This should certainly help with some of the anticipated long lines that might be even longer this year, given the determined efforts of both parties in registering as many new voters as possible. It's hard to understand why the GOP filed suit against the state of Ohio for trying things to make life easier for voters.
You don't think they were hoping to disenfranchise some of these new voters, do you?
Crisis Management
CNN reports on how Obama and McCain are reacting to the defeat of the bailout bill:
Sen. Barack Obama expressed confidence Monday that lawmakers would come through with a financial rescue package, while John McCain's campaign accused Obama and Democrats of putting "politics ahead of country."
Sen. Barack Obama expressed confidence Monday that lawmakers would come through with a financial rescue package, while John McCain's campaign accused Obama and Democrats of putting "politics ahead of country."
Three Scenarios
Ross Douthat, writing at TheAtlantic.com, has three possible scenarios now that House Republicans have drawn their line in the sand and refused to support the bailout that their leadership and their President supported.
I'm partial to scenario 3.
I'm partial to scenario 3.
Switchplates
These switchplates will be very cool, if and when they make it out of the design phase and into your local Home Depot. Would you put these up in your house?
The Bailout: What's In It, Anyway?
Since I had neither the time, interest, or expertise to pore through the 110-page proposal, I'm glad that someone did it for me.
Barney Frank on the Blame Game
Rep. Barney Frank, being very articulate in responding to Republican allegations that the reason GOP house members voted against the bailout because Speaker Pelosi made some partisan comments about the crisis in front of the House prior to the vote:
Abraham Lincoln on Bank Bailouts
"It is an old maxim and a very sound one, that he that dances should always pay the fiddler. Now, sir, in the present case, if any gentlemen, whose money is a burden to them, choose to lead off a dance, I am decidedly opposed to the people's money being used to pay the fiddler...all this to settle a question in which the people have no interest, and about which they care nothing. These capitalists generally act harmoniously, and in concert, to fleece the people, and now, that they have got into a quarrel with themselves, we are called upon to appropriate the people's money to settle the quarrel." - Abraham Lincoln, January 11, 1837
Bailout Breakdown
Nate Silver picks some interesting data out of the bailout voting.
Among 38 incumbent congressmen in races rated as "toss-up" or "lean" by Swing State Project, just 8 voted for the bailout as opposed to 30 against: a batting average of .211. By comparison, the vote among congressmen who don't have as much to worry about was essentially even: 197 for, 198 against.Seems that in the end, it was more about getting re-elected than it was saving our economy. Why am I not surprised?
Back to School Solutions?
If this is your back to school solution, do you mind if I ask about your problem?
More Bacon Love
Two great tastes that taste great together - bacon and cinnamon rolls! From the sound of things, it looks like the creator has a winner here. This is America, after all. Everything is better with bacon!
Say Hi to the TSA
You can send your personal message to the TSA security screeners using these metal plates that you place inside your luggage.If you're looking forward to your next cavity search, this might be the best way to move up in line.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Hannity is not Happy
Sean Hannity, he who knows of only one direction (full speed ahead, even if there's a brick wall there) isn't really pleased with the response he gets from former Clinton staffer (and current GOP lackey) Dick Morris. Watch as Morris reminds Hannity that they're talking about reality here.
Clickjacking Attacks
A whole bunch of popular web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome, are susceptible to a new class of attacks. Such great news.
The dirty little details of the multiple flaws (there may be as many as six different ones, depending on who you ask) aren't readily available, because the researchers who outlined their findings as a security conference last week are trying to keep a lid on it while vendors work on a fix.
What is known is that clickjacking is similar to cross-site request forgery, but it's just different enough that current CSFR security controls built into browsers, sites, and web apps are essentially worthless.
The dirty little details of the multiple flaws (there may be as many as six different ones, depending on who you ask) aren't readily available, because the researchers who outlined their findings as a security conference last week are trying to keep a lid on it while vendors work on a fix.
What is known is that clickjacking is similar to cross-site request forgery, but it's just different enough that current CSFR security controls built into browsers, sites, and web apps are essentially worthless.
Coin Lamp
This is brilliant. The coin lamp requires that you deposit cash before it will work. What an inventive way to get my kids to turn off the light when they leave the room. If they don't, it's a perfect lesson in values and reward.
Leave it on, guys. And thanks for helping to pay the electricity bill!
Palin Is Ready? Please.
Fareed Zakaria, writing in Newsweek, suggests that it's time to put Palin out of her misery.
McCain says that he always puts country first. In this important case, that is simply not true.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
McCain's Suspension Bridge to Nowhere
Frank Rich, is his weekly NY Times column, calls out John McCain for many sins, mostly revolving around the alleged decency and honor that McCain has used in his career that now is being shown for what it is - a mask to be worn and removed whenever it serves his goals, which currently includes the oval office.
Rich is especially incensed on the topic of McCain riding into Washington on his white horse, determined to save the country from the looming financial meltdown. Best excerpt:
By the time he arrived, there already was a bipartisan agreement in principle. It collapsed hours later at the meeting convened by the president in the Cabinet Room. Rather than help try to resuscitate Wall Street’s bloodied bulls, McCain was determined to be the bull in Washington’s legislative china shop, running around town and playing both sides of his divided party against Congress’s middle. Once others eventually forged a path out of the wreckage, he’d inflate, if not outright fictionalize, his own role in cleaning up the mess his mischief helped make. Or so he hoped, until his ignominious retreat.
Rich is especially incensed on the topic of McCain riding into Washington on his white horse, determined to save the country from the looming financial meltdown. Best excerpt:
By the time he arrived, there already was a bipartisan agreement in principle. It collapsed hours later at the meeting convened by the president in the Cabinet Room. Rather than help try to resuscitate Wall Street’s bloodied bulls, McCain was determined to be the bull in Washington’s legislative china shop, running around town and playing both sides of his divided party against Congress’s middle. Once others eventually forged a path out of the wreckage, he’d inflate, if not outright fictionalize, his own role in cleaning up the mess his mischief helped make. Or so he hoped, until his ignominious retreat.
The question is why would a man who forever advertises his own honor toy so selfishly with our national interest at a time of crisis. I’ll leave any physiological explanations to gerontologists — if they can get hold of his complete medical records — and any armchair psychoanalysis to the sundry McCain press acolytes who have sorrowfully tried to rationalize his erratic behavior this year. The other answers, all putting politics first, can be found by examining the 24 hours before he decided to “suspend” campaigning and swoop down on the Capitol to save America from the Sunnis or the Shia, or whoever perpetrated all those credit-default swaps.
RIP Paul Newman
I was saddened to read about the passing of Paul Newman after a battle with cancer. While I enjoyed him as an actor, it was what he did when not in front of the camera that earned my admiration.
I read a book in which he and A. E. Hotchner wrote about how they improbably started their Newman's salad dressing business, and how they truly broke the rules as a start-up in this industry. It was their approach that tickled me - they had nothing to lose, so why not do it the way they wanted, and have a lot of fun in the process?
The result was a huge success, with multiple product lines, and almost a quarter billion dollars donated to charity. And he had fun doing it. That was the essence of his foundation.
A statement from his foundation: “While his philanthropic interests and donations were wide-ranging, he was especially committed to the thousands of children with life-threatening conditions served by the Hole in the Wall Camps, which he helped start over 20 years ago. He saw the Camps as places where kids could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back, and raise a little hell. Today, there are 11 Camps around the world, with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Through the Camps, well over 135,000 children have had the chance to experience what childhood was meant to be."
I read a book in which he and A. E. Hotchner wrote about how they improbably started their Newman's salad dressing business, and how they truly broke the rules as a start-up in this industry. It was their approach that tickled me - they had nothing to lose, so why not do it the way they wanted, and have a lot of fun in the process?
The result was a huge success, with multiple product lines, and almost a quarter billion dollars donated to charity. And he had fun doing it. That was the essence of his foundation.
A statement from his foundation: “While his philanthropic interests and donations were wide-ranging, he was especially committed to the thousands of children with life-threatening conditions served by the Hole in the Wall Camps, which he helped start over 20 years ago. He saw the Camps as places where kids could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back, and raise a little hell. Today, there are 11 Camps around the world, with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Through the Camps, well over 135,000 children have had the chance to experience what childhood was meant to be."
"In Paul's words: "I wanted to acknowledge luck; the chance and benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, who might not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it."
Feel Alone Much?
The next time you're feeling a little lonely, imagine how this astronaut was feeling during this spacewalk, captured in this high res photo from NASA. Click the image if you want to see a larger version.
Does Email Make You Lie More?
I know it makes me type more. But I digress. A new study shows that people tend to lie more in email than in written form. I assume that means with a pencil, pen, or papyrus.
The premise of the study (involving a pool of money and almost everyone lying to a certain extent) makes for an interesting read. Click here if you want the dirty details.
1st Debate Thoughts
Here are my thoughts after watching the 1st debate between McCain and Obama last night.
- It was good to see a debate structured to allow the candidates ample time to explain their positions beyond 30-second sound bites. I especially liked the way each candidate had an opportunity to speak directly to his opponent after the initial 2 minute back and forth. Much better format than each candidate just having a couple of minutes before the moderator started giving warnings on time.
- The demeanor of the debate matched the demeanor of the campaigns. Obama was smart, focused, relaxed, and in command of his facts. McCain was aggressive, testy, and at times dismissive of Obama's answers. I can understand when you don't agree with your opponent, but you don't need to be sarcastic and/or condescending in your responses, especially in this forum.
- Part of what Jim Lehrer tried to do was to get the candidates to talk to each other. Obama did this on occasion, although not as much as I would have liked, but McCain wouldn't look at Obama or address him directly all night. What was that about? Having been a trained interviewer/interrogator for 15 years, I can tell you that eye contact, or the lack of it, can mean several things. It could be fear (people and animals drop their eyes as a sign of submission), so maybe McCain was afraid of Obama. It might have been that McCain was either angry or afraid he couldn't control his emotions, so we wanted to remain detached. Or it could be the result of something I've noticed about McCain in the past - he tends to do best when facing an enemy, real or imagined, and I've seen him demonize the other side to set up the "me vs. them" dynamic that he favors.
- Obama had a very good grasp on foreign policy and world events, and I liked how to spoke holistically about the roles other issues played in the eventual world dynamic. For McCain, I heard a lot of discussion about winning, and I'm glad I didn't have the phrase "Senator Obama just doesn't understand" in any drinking game, because I would have been blotto by the midpoint of the debate.
- I detected an undercurrent of disdain or derision from McCain when he was challenged by Obama on issues or positions. It was almost like McCain thought his 26 years of experience exempted him from being challenged, and there was a whiff of "what's this new whipper-snapper know about any of this - I was making these decisions when you were still shooting hoops in high school" in the air.
- Obama did a good job of pointing out, and then reinforcing, his priorities - energy independence, tax cuts and an economic approach that would favor 95% of the population instead of the top 2%, and addressing the health care mess. McCain kept harping on tax cuts for all (he was careful to not provide details or demographics), earmarks (although cutting $18 billion in earmarks won't pay for his $300 billion in tax cuts), and drilling/nuclear as a fix for energy (again, we only have 3% of oil reserves but 25% of consumption, so that math doesn't work, and his $300 billion in tax cuts means he's going to have a hard time funding new nuclear plants, especially with the $700 billion financial bailout in the works and his commitment to spending $10 billion a month in Iraq for an undetermined amount of time). I found it interesting that McCain only mentioned "change" once during the entire debate, and never even uttered the term "middle class". Perhaps he doesn't realize they exist.
- McCain kept using the term "check my record" or "I have a long record" as a way for people to know where he stood, but he only did that when convenient. When Obama hit him with his legacy of tax cuts for the rich and corporations, deregulation, and trickle-down economics that have led to the current financial crisis, suddenly McCain was a maverick who didn't win Miss Congeniality from his party, but his record shows broad support for the GOP strategy. His claims of being a hawk on spending don't jibe with how he's supported the Bush administrations budgets and spending plans that have caused the massive growth in spending that McCain now claims he will reverse.
- One observation post-debate: listening to the talking heads weigh in with their opinions on what I had just seen (please, spare me), they all seemed to have superficial comments that I don't think would sway undecideds. Two things stuck out, though - first, Joe Biden was great in his summary and statement of position, and he seemed to be on every network. Where was Sarah Palin? I didn't see her anywhere, and that's disappointing. It's time to put her out there to do VP-level things. Secondly, this blew by me during the debate, but Keith Olbermann pointed it out - McCain mentioned better training our interrogators to extract needed information from terrorist so that we "never have to torture again". Say what? Weren't you the guy who said the US doesn't torture? Sounded like you just admitted we've been torturing folks, John. Thanks for the 411 on that.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Just a Thought
I vividly remember a college philosophy class discussion that centered around the concept of our place in the universe. One person offered the suggestion that we make a permanent impact on the galaxy because we leave a legacy of some sort that's carried along by family and friends whenever we're gone.
That theory was countered by another student who suggested that if you take your foot out of a bucket of water, the hole that is left is the amount that we're remembered.
John McCain's "suspension" of his campaign and subsequent visit to Washington to provide leadership reminded me of the water bucket. Now that's he's off to Mississippi, the difference he made in the financial crisis can best be described as that hole.
Now that's leadership.
That theory was countered by another student who suggested that if you take your foot out of a bucket of water, the hole that is left is the amount that we're remembered.
John McCain's "suspension" of his campaign and subsequent visit to Washington to provide leadership reminded me of the water bucket. Now that's he's off to Mississippi, the difference he made in the financial crisis can best be described as that hole.
Now that's leadership.
There She Is...Sarah Palin
Wow - and I had a difficult time dealing with the Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric videos. This just may require a brain scrub. I wonder if my insurance covers that? Hmmm...
The Great Schlep
Sarah Silverman, tongue not quite firmly planted in cheek, is on a campaign of her own - to get her fellow young Jews on a grail that leads to their grandparents in Florida, where their mission is to get the old folks to vote for Obama.
The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Judgement Day for McCain?
Wow - when the conservative Wall Street Journal starts taking shots at you, it's really over:
His campaign bus is full of the people who caused the meltdown.
His campaign bus is full of the people who caused the meltdown.
Suspend?
Scout Finch, from Daily Kos:
His surrogates are all over television, attacking Obama. His campaign ads are still running and his Internet fundraising is still operational. McCain's press crew is fully operational. He spent the day with Rick Davis, his lobbyist campaign manager. And all of his campaign offices are still open and fully operational.
And now comes word via Jonathan Martin at The Politico that McCain will spend the evening doing interviews on ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Sounds like the only thing John McCain wants to put on hold is the debate with Barack Obama. And who could blame him? He's got a lot of explaining to do to the American people about how the GOP and their cronies got us into this mess.
John McCain shocked everyone with his announcement yesterday that he was "suspending" his campaign to deal with the financial crisis and he suggested there was simply no time for a debate with Obama.
But, what - exactly - did he "suspend"?
His surrogates are all over television, attacking Obama. His campaign ads are still running and his Internet fundraising is still operational. McCain's press crew is fully operational. He spent the day with Rick Davis, his lobbyist campaign manager. And all of his campaign offices are still open and fully operational.
And now comes word via Jonathan Martin at The Politico that McCain will spend the evening doing interviews on ABC, NBC, and CBS.
Sounds like the only thing John McCain wants to put on hold is the debate with Barack Obama. And who could blame him? He's got a lot of explaining to do to the American people about how the GOP and their cronies got us into this mess.
So McCain Suspended His Campaign?
Then explain all these appearances made by his proxies on various television shows today. Did they not get the memo, or perhaps they don't watch the news programs on which they appear that have been talking non-stop about suspending the campaign?
Eye of the Newt
Newt Gingrich continues to be...well, Newt Gingrich.
He seems to think that McCain suspending his campaign (except for the television appearances made by his proxies, the commercials still running in swing states, and the fact that none of his campaign offices stopped what they were doing) ranks right up there with Eisenhower's "I will go to Korea" pledge.
However, as Daniel Larison, writing in The American Conservative (no kidding) notes:
Gingrich likens [McCain's stunt] to Eisenhower’s “I will go to Korea,” but unlike Eisenhower and the Korean war McCain has no credibility concerning the crisis he is supposedly addressing. In the end, knowing when you can contribute something and knowing when to avoid complicating an already difficult situation by intruding on ongoing negotiations is what separates grandstanding from leadership. It is what separates the simple egomaniacs from the ambitious pols who nonetheless have some idea what public service is. McCain’s belief that he is indispensable in a time of crisis is the surest sign that he is unfit for any office in republican government, much less the chief magistracy of the Republic.
He seems to think that McCain suspending his campaign (except for the television appearances made by his proxies, the commercials still running in swing states, and the fact that none of his campaign offices stopped what they were doing) ranks right up there with Eisenhower's "I will go to Korea" pledge.
However, as Daniel Larison, writing in The American Conservative (no kidding) notes:
Gingrich likens [McCain's stunt] to Eisenhower’s “I will go to Korea,” but unlike Eisenhower and the Korean war McCain has no credibility concerning the crisis he is supposedly addressing. In the end, knowing when you can contribute something and knowing when to avoid complicating an already difficult situation by intruding on ongoing negotiations is what separates grandstanding from leadership. It is what separates the simple egomaniacs from the ambitious pols who nonetheless have some idea what public service is. McCain’s belief that he is indispensable in a time of crisis is the surest sign that he is unfit for any office in republican government, much less the chief magistracy of the Republic.
Frankenstein
Writing about the current financial crisis, Victor Davis Hanson calls a spade a spade:
In a larger sense, this zeal for quick profits and easy money reflected an oblivious too-good-to-be-true culture in which we drove larger cars but demanded more oil drilling from everyone except ourselves. We expected both expanded government entitlements and lower taxes.
Our government borrowed ever more money from foreign creditors, because it was a collective reflection of our own profligate financial habits. Of course, we should reform Wall Street and Washington — and punish severely the crooks in both places. But Americans should remember that Frankenstein was not the name of the monster but of its creator.
In a larger sense, this zeal for quick profits and easy money reflected an oblivious too-good-to-be-true culture in which we drove larger cars but demanded more oil drilling from everyone except ourselves. We expected both expanded government entitlements and lower taxes.
Our government borrowed ever more money from foreign creditors, because it was a collective reflection of our own profligate financial habits. Of course, we should reform Wall Street and Washington — and punish severely the crooks in both places. But Americans should remember that Frankenstein was not the name of the monster but of its creator.
The Salad That Looks Back At You
They call it Eyeball Caprese. It's a nice take on Insalata Caprese.But odd. Very odd.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Leadership
Obama's statement on McCain wanting to cancel the debate:
"It is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once," he said. "I think there's no reason why we can't be constructive in helping to solve this problem and also tell the American people what we believe, and where we stand, and where we want to take the country."
He continued, "So in my mind, actually, it's more important than ever that we present ourselves to the American people and try to describe where we want to take the country and where we want to take the economy, as well as dealing with some of the issues of foreign policy that were initially the subject of the debate."
"It is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once," he said. "I think there's no reason why we can't be constructive in helping to solve this problem and also tell the American people what we believe, and where we stand, and where we want to take the country."
He continued, "So in my mind, actually, it's more important than ever that we present ourselves to the American people and try to describe where we want to take the country and where we want to take the economy, as well as dealing with some of the issues of foreign policy that were initially the subject of the debate."
Wiener Alert, Wiener Alert!
I know that Philadelphia has it's own special kind of charm.They are particularly rabid sports fans, quite aggressive, and they expect their home teams to play smash-mouth, take-no-prisoners ball.
So it comes as a surprise that the whole place had a freak out over wieners. That's right. The baseball stadium was evacuated after a suspicious package was found outside - a package of hot dogs.
...and the home..of the...braaaaave.
Designer Vagina?
Apparently, this is both a growing trend, and a growing problem.
Everyone likes a pretty kitty.
Everyone likes a pretty kitty.
The Mocking Continues
From Drudge:
David Letterman tells audience that McCain called him today to tell him he had to rush back to DC to deal with the economy.
Then in the middle of the taping Dave got word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric. Dave even cut over to the live video of the interview, and said, "Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?"
Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."
"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"
"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"
David Letterman tells audience that McCain called him today to tell him he had to rush back to DC to deal with the economy.
Then in the middle of the taping Dave got word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric. Dave even cut over to the live video of the interview, and said, "Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?"
Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."
"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"
"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"
Country First
From Ben Smith at the Politico:
The McCain campaign's new urgency about the financial crisis didn't entirely clear his schedule this morning. My colleague Amie Parnes reports that he made it to his scheduled morning meeting with Lady Lynn de Rothschild, a Clinton backer who recently came out in support of him. All while Obama was waiting by the phone for a returned call.
The McCain campaign's new urgency about the financial crisis didn't entirely clear his schedule this morning. My colleague Amie Parnes reports that he made it to his scheduled morning meeting with Lady Lynn de Rothschild, a Clinton backer who recently came out in support of him. All while Obama was waiting by the phone for a returned call.
Hail Mary
Barney Frank, on McCain's panic:
"It's the longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys."
"It's the longest Hail Mary pass in the history of either football or Marys."
Campbell Brown: Stop the Sexist Treatment
Campbell Brown of CNN has had enough of the McCain campaign shielding Sarah Palin from the media:
Frankly I have had it, and I know a lot of other women out there who are with me on this. I have had enough of the sexist treatment of Sarah Palin. It has to end....By treating Sarah Palin differently from other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves.
Frankly I have had it, and I know a lot of other women out there who are with me on this. I have had enough of the sexist treatment of Sarah Palin. It has to end....By treating Sarah Palin differently from other candidates in this race, you are not showing her the respect she deserves.
Free Sarah Palin.
Free her from the chauvinistic chains you are binding her with.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Bailout History Graphic
Here's an interesting graph that details the history of government bailouts, adjusted for inflation. Click here for more background.
Bonus Quote of the Day
From the Political Wire:
"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself." -- The 2008 Republican Party Platform, adopted earlier this month.
I'm just sayin'.
"We do not support government bailouts of private institutions. Government interference in the markets exacerbates problems in the marketplace and causes the free market to take longer to correct itself." -- The 2008 Republican Party Platform, adopted earlier this month.
I'm just sayin'.
I'm so dizzy....
Spin it however you'd like, John. The evidence clearly shows that you supported the very approach and policies that everyone agrees helped put us in this mess.
Let the Fucking Free Market Handle It
From the Daily Kos:
On the topic of restricting executive pay as part of the financial bailout, a White House spokesman said:
With respect to executive pay, again, I'm not going to get into specific, point-by-point details on what our views are on that, other than the Secretary of Treasury said it would make more difficult to make this plan work and effective if you provide disincentives for companies and firms out there who are holding mortgage-backed securities and other securities from participating in the program. You have to remember, these are not all weak or troubled firms that own mortgage-backed securities. A lot of them are very successful banks and investment houses that have done very well, have been responsible, are holding performing assets that have value. They were not necessarily irresponsible players, and so you have to be careful about how you deal with them.
Kos responds:
On the topic of restricting executive pay as part of the financial bailout, a White House spokesman said:
With respect to executive pay, again, I'm not going to get into specific, point-by-point details on what our views are on that, other than the Secretary of Treasury said it would make more difficult to make this plan work and effective if you provide disincentives for companies and firms out there who are holding mortgage-backed securities and other securities from participating in the program. You have to remember, these are not all weak or troubled firms that own mortgage-backed securities. A lot of them are very successful banks and investment houses that have done very well, have been responsible, are holding performing assets that have value. They were not necessarily irresponsible players, and so you have to be careful about how you deal with them.
Kos responds:
Careful how you deal with them? How about you LET THE FUCKING FREE MARKET HANDLE IT then? If they want taxpayer funds to bail out their incompetence, they give up equity, they accept limits on executive compensation. If they don't want those conditions imposed on them, they don't take our money.
Simple, right? And if they don't take our money, who cares? They are strong and successful! And the taxpayers don't have to give up a dime. Everyone wins!
Your Urgent Help Needed
From Angry Bear - now we're taking scam lessons from Nigeria.
Dear American:
I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.
I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.
I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s.
This transactin is 100% safe. This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.
Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.
Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson
Dear American:
I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.
I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.
I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s.
This transactin is 100% safe. This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.
Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.
Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson
McCain Will Always Have Rush
Media Matters reports on Rush Limbaugh's continued false and baseless smears on Barack Obama's ethnicity: Summary: Rush Limbaugh baselessly asserted of Sen. Barack Obama: "Do you know he has not one shred of African-American blood?" Limbaugh continued: "He's Arab. You know, he's from Africa. He's from Arab parts of Africa. ... [H]e's not African-American. The last thing that he is is African-American."
I agree with Al Franken. Rush Limbaugh is a big, fat idiot.
Two Classes of Airport Contraband
Bruce Schneier has some interesting ideas on a pretty large logic gap in our airport screening processes. He posits that the TSA is effectively looking for two distinct classes of contraband: the kind that will get you in trouble if you try to bring it on a plane (knives, bombs, guns) and the kind that they will happily take away from you and throw in the trash as you stand there (bottles of liquid, scissors, corkscrews).
Real terrorists probably won't try to smuggle in a gun or bomb via TSA screeners, because getting caught would put a crimp in their plan - security doesn't need to catch EVERY gun or knife, because just the threat of being caught is a good deterrent.
For the other class of contraband though, there is no penalty - if I'm trying to sneak liquid explosives or something in my water or shampoo bottle and they find it, they'll just toss it away and I can try again, and again, and again until I get it through. Now, security needs to find it 100% of the time to be considered effective.
I hadn't really thought of it from that perspective, but I am now.
CNN Grows a Pair
CNN's Tom Foreman decides to call out John McCain for his continued lying about Barack Obama's positions, this time regarding the current economic crisis.
No plan from Obama? No way. To the contrary, Senator Obama has talked at length about reforming Wall Street, getting CEO pay packages under control, instituting new regulations to protect homeowners. In short, what everybody wants: stabilizing the economy.
No plan from Obama? No way. To the contrary, Senator Obama has talked at length about reforming Wall Street, getting CEO pay packages under control, instituting new regulations to protect homeowners. In short, what everybody wants: stabilizing the economy.
A Second Opinion
Bob Herbert, in his NY Times column, doesn't waste any time getting to the point:
Does anyone think it’s just a little weird to be stampeded into a $700 billion solution to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression by the very people who brought us the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression?
How about a second opinion?
Does anyone think it’s just a little weird to be stampeded into a $700 billion solution to the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression by the very people who brought us the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression?
How about a second opinion?
Monday, September 22, 2008
EPA against limiting rocket fuel ingredient in water
You read that correctly. The EPA has decided that there's nothing to see here. Please move along.
Pay no attention to the fact that the pesky chemical in question, perchlorate, turns up in at least 395 sites in 35 states. And ignore scientific studies that conclude that perchlorate exists "at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses".
Everyone is brushing off the Democrats who believe the EPA has caved to the Defense Department. The Pentagon is outraged that anyone would think that.
What could possible make anyone think this administration is less than honest?
NRA Targets Obama
FactCheck.org has a good analysis of how the NRA is now falsely stating in both mailers and TV ads that Barack Obama wants to ban handguns, hunting ammo and use of a gun for home defense.Much of what the NRA passes off as Obama's "10 Point Plan to 'Change' the Second Amendment" is actually contrary to what he has said throughout his campaign: that he "respects the constitutional rights of Americans to bear arms" and "will protect the rights of hunters and other law-abiding Americans to purchase, own, transport, and use guns."
The NRA, however, simply dismisses Obama's stated position as "rhetoric" and substitutes its own interpretation of his record as a secret "plan." Said an NRA spokesman: "We believe our facts."
Perhaps so, but believing something doesn't make it so. And we find the NRA has cherry-picked, twisted and misrepresented Obama's record to come up with a bogus "plan."
Where Are They?
The Washington Post is pissed.
John McCain selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate 23 days ago. Since then, Ms. Palin has not held a single news conference with the national media....Meanwhile, Mr. McCain, who once referred to the media as his base, has himself become inaccessible. He promised to hold weekly news conferences as president but has not held a news conference as a candidate in more than a month. A candidate who stiffs the media on the campaign trail isn't likely to perform better once in office.
John McCain selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate 23 days ago. Since then, Ms. Palin has not held a single news conference with the national media....Meanwhile, Mr. McCain, who once referred to the media as his base, has himself become inaccessible. He promised to hold weekly news conferences as president but has not held a news conference as a candidate in more than a month. A candidate who stiffs the media on the campaign trail isn't likely to perform better once in office.
Ready...Fire...AIM!
The McCain campaign has decided to commence firing on the NY Times for doing something evil and dastardly - their job.
When the Times reported that senior campaign advisor Rick Davis had accepted over $2 million in lobbying fees from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stop more strict regulation of the two entities, they were reporting the truth.
Steve Schmidt, a top McCain strategist, responded harshly, stating on a conference call that the Times was no longer a journalistic entity. Schmidt called it a "pro-Obama advocacy organization" and claimed the paper "attacks" McCain every day. Schmidt went on: the Times is "an organization completely, totally 150-percent in the tank for the Democratic candidate" and has "cast aside its journalistic integrity and tradition" to get McCain.
Funny thing, though. Neither Schmidt or Davis pointed out any errors in the Times story. Not one.
When the Times reported that senior campaign advisor Rick Davis had accepted over $2 million in lobbying fees from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stop more strict regulation of the two entities, they were reporting the truth.
Steve Schmidt, a top McCain strategist, responded harshly, stating on a conference call that the Times was no longer a journalistic entity. Schmidt called it a "pro-Obama advocacy organization" and claimed the paper "attacks" McCain every day. Schmidt went on: the Times is "an organization completely, totally 150-percent in the tank for the Democratic candidate" and has "cast aside its journalistic integrity and tradition" to get McCain.
Funny thing, though. Neither Schmidt or Davis pointed out any errors in the Times story. Not one.
This Crisis Brought To You By - the GOP
By a nearly 2-1 margin, Americans blame Republicans over Democrats for the current financial crisis that's engulfing the country, according to a CNN poll.
Let's be clear here - the poll results don't say it's the Bush administration. They don't pin it on any particular department or agency. They blame Republicans.
The same polling shows that most people believe Barack Obama would do a better job of pulling the country out of this crisis than his opponent, McCain in the Membrane.
Let's see...Republicans are to blame. People believe the Democrat would do a better job in fixing what the GOP has done to destroy our economy.
Tell me again why you're considering voting Republican?
Let's be clear here - the poll results don't say it's the Bush administration. They don't pin it on any particular department or agency. They blame Republicans.
The same polling shows that most people believe Barack Obama would do a better job of pulling the country out of this crisis than his opponent, McCain in the Membrane.
Let's see...Republicans are to blame. People believe the Democrat would do a better job in fixing what the GOP has done to destroy our economy.
Tell me again why you're considering voting Republican?
One...TRILLION...Dollars
Hey. Doctor Evil. Here's something for you to think about. In 2007, Wall Street's five largest firms - Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley - paid out a record $39 billion in bonuses.
Shareholders in those firms lost over $79 billion in stock declines during that same period.
The Treasury Department wants to use $1,000,000,000.00 of your tax dollars to buy out the bad paper the surviving firms still own. This same Treasury Department is resisting efforts by House Democrats to impose pay limits on Wall Street executives and others in the financial service industry.
Your tax dollars at work. And I'll bet you don't see a dime of return.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Take A Stand Instead of a Pose
Will Durst nails it:
Got a message for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. Hey lady. How ya doing? Me too. It’s going around. Listen, the couch is over there and you might want to lie down and take a Zen moment to get over your bad self. You had a nice run: your moment in the sun, complete with an SNL skit featuring your Doppelganger, Tina Fey, but now the honeymoon is over and you should moose up and use this quiet time to devise an actual stance in lieu of a pose. I’m sorry to be the one to have to say this, but you are so earlier-this-month. It’s your partner, John McCain, who’s back in the news. And not in what you call your good way.
His iron grip on what is generally regarded as reality slipped like the manual transmission on a Model T Ford with a faulty handbrake parked on a San Francisco hill facing up. He’s reverted to his pre-convention state of fumbling and foundering and flummoxing and falling into a fevered form of flabbergast. And it’s that nasty old economy that’s the piranha in his pants biting his big white furry butt. Again.
Earlier this year he said he didn’t know much about it. And it’s not that hard to believe him. If he could point out three distinct differences between Lehman Brothers and the Jonas Brothers, I’d be as shocked as a giraffe on a glass escalator after too many fermented Blackberries that the Arizona Senator either did or didn’t invent. You might say he takes an arm’s length approach to the economy. You might also say that arm length is extended enough to qualify for frequent flyer miles.
It was drinking the Daily Gallup Kool-Aid that transformed Dr. Unconcerned into Mr. Proactive. But even with the makeup and the rubber mask, the role still seems a bit off kilter on a man who is so notoriously free market that he escorted the French philosopher Laissez- Faire out of range of the security cameras, fed him a handful of Rufies, then locked him in the evidence room behind a file cabinet wrapped in a pile of piano blankets.
Responding to the recent Chernobyl-sized meltdown on Wall Street, the Bush Successor Wannabe insisted that, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong,” demonstrating a cluelessness you don’t normally associate with folks still in possession of a pulse or not related to one of the judges on “So You Think You Can Dance.” But totally in line from a guy not sure of how many houses he owns. And I have a quick question here: When you own seven houses, how big do your pants pockets need to be to accommodate all your keys? He should do what I always do: Trade four houses for a hotel.
McCain jumped off the Deregulation Express so fast, that Jamaican Bolt guy probably tried to buy his shoes. His cure for what ails us calls for empanelling a blue ribbon study group like the 911 Commission, sounding like reform the same way that a pneumatic jack-hammer sounds like a dial tone. He put off proposing concrete solutions, such as equipping tourists with steel umbrellas to repel falling hedge fund brokers, but maybe he’s squirreling that one away for his fact-finding commission. He did talk about dismantling the Old Boy Network in Washington, and that could actually work. Especially when you consider the Senator’s current standing as Ranking Old Boy.
Skin in the Game
Former Clinton administration numbers guy Robert Reich has a great idea when it comes to this blank check being offered by our government to bail out the financial services dunderheads:
The government (i.e. taxpayers) [should get] an equity stake in every Wall Street financial company proportional to the amount of bad debt that company shoves onto the public. So when and if Wall Street shares rise, taxpayers are rewarded for accepting so much risk.
Kevin Drum has an even better idea:
The government (i.e. taxpayers) [should get] an equity stake in every Wall Street financial company proportional to the amount of bad debt that company shoves onto the public. So when and if Wall Street shares rise, taxpayers are rewarded for accepting so much risk.
Kevin Drum has an even better idea:
So here's another idea. Instead of an equity stake, we offer ailing banks the following deal: the taxpayers will buy your toxic waste for 20 cents on the dollar. (Or 10 cents or 30 cents. Whatever.) We'll hold it for a maximum of 24 months, at which point you can buy it back from us at, say, a 10% premium, and then sell it off yourselves. If you choose not to buy it back, Uncle Sam will sell it off. If we sell it at a profit, we'll keep the upside. If we sell it at a loss, you guys will make up the difference. The payback terms will be, oh, let's say three points above LIBOR over five years.
And what control do the banks have over how much we sell this stuff for? None. They have to trust us to get the best possible price. To coin a term, they have to give us a blank check. Seems like a fair exchange.
Way To Go, Ohio
In the words of Chrissy Hynde of The Pretenders: Hey, ho, way to go, Ohio. The Ohio jobless rate continues to spiral upward, to 7.4% in August. That's the highest rate in sixteen years. 445,000 of our neighbors are out of work. 106,000 of them joined the ranks just in the past twelve months.
Where are the job losses most acute? Manufacturing, again. Cars, refrigerators, and other durable goods just aren't needed as much as they were when, you know, we all had jobs and disposable income.
George Zeller, an alleged economic research analyst based in Cleveland, seems to be wishing upon a star when he plainfully laments, "It would certainly help if we get a recovery in the auto industry."
Perhaps it's time for George and the rest of us to stop wishing for a return to the glory days, and start fielding some useful ideas on building our future. The auto industry is going to continue to pare down in order to survive. Any industry that revolves around fossil fuel products will eventually circle the drain unless they adapt and overcome.
It's time for Ohio leadership in business, education, and government to step up with their plan on how we're going to retrain, retool, and rededicate the resources of this state to prepare for the next economy.
It's past time for Ohio citizens to get off their collective asses and embrace the concept of lifetime learning, understanding that the days when you could learn one thing and ride that bus to retirement are long gone.
And it's about damn time we offered tax incentives for companies and technology groups that bring their future-looking business models to Ohio, where they should be graded yearly by the number of jobs they create (and retain) and how much they grow their business in the process. They should lose their special tax status when they don't hit those targets.
It's time for Ohio, and everyone here, to execute. No more promises. No more rhetoric. Let's get it done.
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