We've heard from McCain that the questions about Obama's past associations are really about his rival's judgment.
But now, as I posted earlier, we know that the man he calls a "PLO spokesman" was funded by a group McCain leads.
Similar associations have also been made between a group McCain joined that supported central american terrorists and thugs in the 1980s. There are photos of him meeting Gen. Pinochet, a dictator, in Chile without preconditions.
And of course, as politico has told us, McCain has spoken out in support of ACORN, the voter registration group.
Now, I'm not sure the guy's really a PLO spokesman, or ACORN is evil. But McCain seems to think they're up there with Pinochet.
So what does it say that he associates with such people? How much do we know about the real McCain?
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Now on Fox: McCain financed anti-semitic PLO terrorist!
Surveying the news this morning, I learned on Fox that this election could be decided by a videotape the LA Times has of Barack Obama saying something at a dinner for a PLO terrorist.
McCain has put this forward. ABC News reports today on a radio interview in which McCain referred to Obama's toast for a "PLO Spokesman." The name is Rashid Khlaidi, who's a Palestinian activist but a moderate one -- and a college professor, so it's no surprise Obama might go to a dinner.
The Times says it can't release the tape because of a promise with its source. So we don't really know if it's damning or not.
Funny thing, though: We do know, courtesy of the Huffington Post, that John McCain has funded this "PLO Spokesman," distributing a half-million bucks to the pro-Palestinian group he chaired.
Of course, he's actually no more a terrorist than Joe is a Plumber. But if he was, I imagine he'd rather half a half-million bucks than a toast. I'm sure the folks on the right demanding the tape will want to make sure we get all the details of McCain's relationship with this terrorist.
McCain has put this forward. ABC News reports today on a radio interview in which McCain referred to Obama's toast for a "PLO Spokesman." The name is Rashid Khlaidi, who's a Palestinian activist but a moderate one -- and a college professor, so it's no surprise Obama might go to a dinner.
The Times says it can't release the tape because of a promise with its source. So we don't really know if it's damning or not.
Funny thing, though: We do know, courtesy of the Huffington Post, that John McCain has funded this "PLO Spokesman," distributing a half-million bucks to the pro-Palestinian group he chaired.
Of course, he's actually no more a terrorist than Joe is a Plumber. But if he was, I imagine he'd rather half a half-million bucks than a toast. I'm sure the folks on the right demanding the tape will want to make sure we get all the details of McCain's relationship with this terrorist.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Crawl on Fox News
I got stuck watching Fox News while eating at Der Wenierschnitzel today. While I was nauseated, not by the food but by what passes for "journalism" on that channel (my j-profs would have shot me for behaving like that) I was mesmerized by the crawl on the bottom of the screen ...
"God endorses McCain ... Official: Palin Not 'Completely Crazy,' Ready To Lead ... Obama Is Having Sex With Your Daughter Right Now ... McCain's Economic Plan Will Eliminate Cancer ... Cindy McCain Will Give Hand Job To Everyone Who Votes For Her Husband ... Democrats Cause Bubonic Plague ... Obama: America Can Kiss My Black Ass ... Biden: I Hate Puppies ... "
"God endorses McCain ... Official: Palin Not 'Completely Crazy,' Ready To Lead ... Obama Is Having Sex With Your Daughter Right Now ... McCain's Economic Plan Will Eliminate Cancer ... Cindy McCain Will Give Hand Job To Everyone Who Votes For Her Husband ... Democrats Cause Bubonic Plague ... Obama: America Can Kiss My Black Ass ... Biden: I Hate Puppies ... "
Monday, October 27, 2008
So much for the "laughable curve"
Arthur Laffer has been making the rounds with his book proclaiming that the 'Age of Prosperity' is over.
He should call it the age of debt.
This is, of course, the guy who came up with the Laffer Curve that told Ronald Reagan he could cut taxes to stimulate the economy and raise revenues in the process, eliminating the budget deficit and national debt and making us all prosperous.
So what happened? Well, the economy did surge, though due as much to Reagan abandoning any plan to stop spending (according to David Stockman, his own budget chief) as to the tax cuts. The annual deficits surged. The national debt we hand to our kids soared from less than $1 trillion over the first 204 years of our nation to around $10 trillion today.
Not only did official spending and annual deficits soar, politicians learned to take wars and other pet projects 'off budget.' And most of them share the blame, though we did best under Bill Clinton and a GOP Congress, and worst under George Bush and a GOP Congress, in terms of fiscal responsibility.
But we're buried in freaking deep by now. More than one in four dollars we pay in taxes now goes for debt service, soon to be one in three. If our mortgaged nation were a mortgaged home, we'd turn in the key and let the creditors take in back.
Worse, perhaps, is how this national lack of responsibility seemed to impact the business world. The tech bubble, the housing bubble, cdos, etc., etc., all fed by an orgy of debt helped along by federal action to eliminate the rules that kept business from sinking into the same hole.
Which would be fine, except that they also got permission to lie about it to investors, and funneled more and more of our retirement dollars into these sinkholes.
This has all come crashing down lately. And it's now pretty clear that the age of 'conservative,' Laffer economics was really an age of debt. What we thought of as prosperity was really just the thrill a gullible college kid might feel when the first credit card arrives in the mail.
You have fun buying rounds for a night or two, then regret it when the bill arrives.
As a nation, we've gotten the bill. And conservative tax-bashers are going to choke when they realize that, yes, we really all have to pay.
He should call it the age of debt.
This is, of course, the guy who came up with the Laffer Curve that told Ronald Reagan he could cut taxes to stimulate the economy and raise revenues in the process, eliminating the budget deficit and national debt and making us all prosperous.
So what happened? Well, the economy did surge, though due as much to Reagan abandoning any plan to stop spending (according to David Stockman, his own budget chief) as to the tax cuts. The annual deficits surged. The national debt we hand to our kids soared from less than $1 trillion over the first 204 years of our nation to around $10 trillion today.
Not only did official spending and annual deficits soar, politicians learned to take wars and other pet projects 'off budget.' And most of them share the blame, though we did best under Bill Clinton and a GOP Congress, and worst under George Bush and a GOP Congress, in terms of fiscal responsibility.
But we're buried in freaking deep by now. More than one in four dollars we pay in taxes now goes for debt service, soon to be one in three. If our mortgaged nation were a mortgaged home, we'd turn in the key and let the creditors take in back.
Worse, perhaps, is how this national lack of responsibility seemed to impact the business world. The tech bubble, the housing bubble, cdos, etc., etc., all fed by an orgy of debt helped along by federal action to eliminate the rules that kept business from sinking into the same hole.
Which would be fine, except that they also got permission to lie about it to investors, and funneled more and more of our retirement dollars into these sinkholes.
This has all come crashing down lately. And it's now pretty clear that the age of 'conservative,' Laffer economics was really an age of debt. What we thought of as prosperity was really just the thrill a gullible college kid might feel when the first credit card arrives in the mail.
You have fun buying rounds for a night or two, then regret it when the bill arrives.
As a nation, we've gotten the bill. And conservative tax-bashers are going to choke when they realize that, yes, we really all have to pay.
Murrow be damned!
Another broadcast journalist has to be credited for lowering the already low standing of the ol' news profession.
After recently serving softballs to John McCain, Florida WFTV anchor Barbara West interviewed Joe Biden with a series of question right out of the Fox News talking points. Ayres, Acorn, you name it.
Fair play aside, she even went as far as to ask if Obama's fairly mild economic proposals didn't make him a Marxist for wanting to 'spread the wealth around.' (This 'redistribution' thing is more than a little silly, since both Obama and McCain just voted to redistribute $700 billion in taxpayer dollars to the big banks.)
But really, Marxist? She actually quote Karl, and Biden asked the obvious question -- is this a joke? -- but she was instead serious, or thought she was.
Now, I learned in journalism school about Edward R. Murrow, the broadcaster who helped take down Joe McCarthy and bring an end to the redbaiting of fine Americans for political gain.
Ms. West probably did, too, but now it sees she's joined the right wing brigades who want to bring this back. We've come to expect this from Fox and politicians like Palin and Bachman, the woman who called for loyalty investigations quite recently.
But from a local newscaster? Shameful.
After recently serving softballs to John McCain, Florida WFTV anchor Barbara West interviewed Joe Biden with a series of question right out of the Fox News talking points. Ayres, Acorn, you name it.
Fair play aside, she even went as far as to ask if Obama's fairly mild economic proposals didn't make him a Marxist for wanting to 'spread the wealth around.' (This 'redistribution' thing is more than a little silly, since both Obama and McCain just voted to redistribute $700 billion in taxpayer dollars to the big banks.)
But really, Marxist? She actually quote Karl, and Biden asked the obvious question -- is this a joke? -- but she was instead serious, or thought she was.
Now, I learned in journalism school about Edward R. Murrow, the broadcaster who helped take down Joe McCarthy and bring an end to the redbaiting of fine Americans for political gain.
Ms. West probably did, too, but now it sees she's joined the right wing brigades who want to bring this back. We've come to expect this from Fox and politicians like Palin and Bachman, the woman who called for loyalty investigations quite recently.
But from a local newscaster? Shameful.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Get Rich The McCain Way!
At a recent campaign stop, McCain told his audience, "I want you to be wealthy." Wow, that's taking a controversial, hard-hitting stand.
Sorry. What I really want is to do is become a multimillionaire the McCain way - marry someone rich!
President McCain - America's First Kept Man.
Sorry. What I really want is to do is become a multimillionaire the McCain way - marry someone rich!
President McCain - America's First Kept Man.
Joe the Dictator?
Can't leave without noting an item at Huffington Post that details a meeting between John McCain and the bloody Chilean dictator Pinochet, back in 1985. Seems he was for meeting dictators without preconditions before he was against it.
He's been out campaigning as the guy for Joe the Plumber, Joe the Teacher, Joe the Hedge Fund Manager.
Guess he's also the candidate for Joe the Dictator.
He's been out campaigning as the guy for Joe the Plumber, Joe the Teacher, Joe the Hedge Fund Manager.
Guess he's also the candidate for Joe the Dictator.
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