Catching up on the craziness

There is so much craziness going on, and all of it seems to be coming from the Party of No, at various levels.

The picture is not of Republican crazies, more on this group later.

First, Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman signed a bill that restricts abortion to less than 20 weeks based on the assertion that fetuses feel pain after that.

Based on that logic, shouldn't he also be signing a bill that bans circumcision? I'm just askin'.

*****

Hillary Clinton's name is being tossed around as a possible nominee to SCOTUS to replace Justice John Paul Stevens. A Republican friend of mine is promoting a conservative Internet "poll" which so far has 91% of respondents voting "no" to the possibility of a Clinton appointment. I would love to see Secretary Clinton appointed.

Also a lot of talk is being generated about Obama has to pick a "mainstream" nominee. What in the world does that mean? Republicans want a a progressive president to pick a conservative Supreme Court Justice. Ha! Obama could pick Mother Teresa (were she still alive) and Republicans would fight the nomination. So, President, pick whoever you want, because you are going to get a fight anyway, so you might as well fight for someone that fires up your base.

*****

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell want the big banks to fail. In fact, he says we can't get out of this recession until they do.

Not only is the GOP the Party of No, they are the Party of Fail. Rush Limbaugh wants the president and the country to fail, now their senate leader is wanting the banks to fail.

Sorry, Mitch, but the President's plan (that rescued us from economic meltdown) is working. I hate to get all "economics" on you (maybe in a later post), but we need to be hoping for the banks to succeed, just as we need to be hoping for small businesses to succeed.

*****

And John McCain. What can I say? He is just a poor old man that should have quit while he was ahead. Americans used to love and respect him. Many Democrats and independents supported his presidential bid in 2000. You know, when he was making his name known as a maverick.
Now he has just gone Borneo it seems (that's an old college phrase for "whacko").

*****

Speaking of old college days and such, I'm sure glad that there are still some hippies entertaining us.

Enjoy this video by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Trick or Treat

Trick or Treaters in this neighborhood were greeted by the future president, and never was so much laughter heard from little kids and even more from their parents.

Barack got fist bumps from 3 and 4 year olds, comments such as "Obama brings change," and even had his picture taken by a mom. We probably had 50 or 60 kids, some in groups of 6 or 7, some by themselves, some 16 or 17 years old. The older ones discussed the election seriously. Some came to the door while their parent waited in the car at the curb. The parents hooted and hollered, and some motioned for Barack to come to the car so they could meet him.

A couple of kids said they wanted to see the scary mask, so they saw this guy.

The choice is clear.

These kids will hopefully tell their parents, and those of voting age will be reminded of how important this election is.

Never miss an opportunity to promote your candidate.

Western Tribune Column and Art Announcement

On Saturday, October 25, 2008 at Avondale Park in Birmingham...Art in the Park. Ted Openshaw will have on display and for sale his work. About a hundred other artists. 10-4

Ok I forgot about posting my column from the Western Tribune the other day. Here it is.

********************************************************

“Mr. Ayers, I don't care about an old washed-up terrorist.”

Those were John McCain’s words in reference to former radical Bill Ayers during the final presidential debate.

If he doesn’t care, why did his campaign begin placing Robocalls, automated phone calls, the very next day that say the following?

"Hello. I'm calling for John McCain and the RNC because you need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist, Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home, and killed Americans."

Furthermore, during the debate, John McCain said he was not running a negative campaign.

This is the most deceitful presidential candidate I have ever seen, and I can’t believe anyone would vote for him.

Barack Obama was eight years old when Ayers committed his despicable acts. Since then, Ayers has become a distinguished professor and received man of the year awards.

As William Ibershof, the federal prosecutor of the Ayers case said, "I am amazed and outraged that Senator Barack Obama is being linked to William Ayers’s terrorist activities 40 years ago when Mr. Obama was, as he has noted, just a child. Although I dearly wanted to obtain convictions against all the Weathermen, including Bill Ayers, I am very pleased to learn that he has become a responsible citizen.”

A responsible citizen.

I am not sure I would even assign that label to John McCain, the way he is acting.

Then there is this. After Obama explained that he voted against a ban on a procedure because it did not include protections for the health of the mother, McCain mocked “health of the mother”, saying that was an “extreme” position. If my daughter was experiencing a difficult pregnancy that was going to kill her, I would not consider it extreme to lose the fetus to save her life.

A tragedy, yes. Extreme, no.

When this particular disregard for women is considered along with his stated position of being against equal pay for women, I am amazed that any female would vote for the man. To do so would be regarding themselves as second class citizens.

Debate Winner

The winner of last night's presidential debate was Joe the Plumber (for a while he had his own Wikipedia page, now it's redirected to that link).

So let's see what the polls say. Again, call-in and text-in polls don't count. Scientific polls do.

CNN Obama 58 McCain 31

CBS Obama 53 McCain 22

Insider Advantage Obama 49 McCain 46

All that adds up to no gain for McCain.

The hardest thing to believe is that there are still people who are undecided as to who they will vote for. What does it take?

Anyway, this morning Joe the writer is about to become Joe the wallpaper stripper/painter. Let's get busy.

Western Tribune Column October 15 2008

My Western Tribune column from October 15, 2008


McCain's ace in hole turns out a joker


The John McCain campaign was a hand of cards just waiting to fold under the up swell of support that Barack Obama expected after his acceptance speech in Denver. But McCain chose Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, in hopes that her experience in the Governor’s office and her fundamental Christian beliefs would excite Republicans as well as attract independents.

That strategy worked, as long as American voters were kept uninformed about her. Over time, we have learned a lot, and I could produce a long list of misstatements and missteps that she made, but the ethics violation announced on Friday trumps them all.

A bipartisan Alaska legislative panel found Palin in violation of the state ethics law. The statute says that holding office is a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal interest is a violation of that trust. In common language, she abused her power as an executive officer of the state.

Sarah Palin has been hammering the voters with questions about Barack Obama in an attempt to cast doubts on his trustworthiness. Now that she has been shown to have violated the public trust, should she be casting stones at Obama?

In past weeks Palin has claimed that her executive experience has prepared her to lead the country. Now, when we think about her executive experience, we are reminded of her abuse of power. Do we really want to send someone to Washington with that record after enduring eight years of Dick Cheney?

Moving up the ticket to John McCain, questions have been raised about his judgment. Barack Obama highlighted this argument effectively during the second debate when he questioned McCain’s judgment in voting for the war in Iraq.

Now we can really question his judgment in choosing his vice presidential pick. The investigation was authorized in July, well before he announced his choice. He or his staff had to know that the investigation was underway.


McCain is known to be a gambler, but why would a candidate take a risk with the most important decision he makes during his campaign? What does it tell us about the kind of forethought that might go into his selections for cabinet members?

McCain’s ace in the hole has turned out to be a joker, and it’s time for the voters to call his hand.

Early Voting...Tonight's Debate

Early voting has been going on in several swing states. Why don't we have this in Alabama? It would allow voting by people who may be unable to vote on November 4.

Absentee and Early Voting

Early voting differs from absentee voting in that voters may visit an election official’s office or, in some states, other satellite voting locations, and cast a vote in person without offering an excuse for not being able to vote on election day.

Early voting generally is conducted on the same voting equipment used in the regular election, as opposed to absentee voting, which is conducted on mail-in paper ballots. The time period for early voting varies from state to state, but most often it is available during a period of 10-14 days before the election, generally ending on the Friday or Saturday immediately preceding the election.

For information on voting absentee in Alabama click AlabamaVotes.gov

Early voting is taking place in several swing states, and of course, early voters are polled just like regular voters. Here are some results, from fivethirtyeight and early voter poll results are listed alongside likely voter poll results:

In New Mexico Early voters Obama + 23% Likely voters Obama +6%

In Ohio Early voters Obama +18% Likely voters Obama +4%

In Georgia Early voters Obama +6% Likely voters McCain + 11%

In Iowa Early voters Obama +34% Likely voters Obama +10%

In North Carolina Early voters Obama +34% Likely voters McCain +5%.

This averages to 23% advantage for Obama.

Interesting observations:

In 2000 and 2004, early voters leaned toward the Republican. Bush had 62% of early voters in 2000 against Gore, and 60% against Kerry in 2004.


In past elections, early voters tended to be older, and more male than female. CW should allow that this favors Republicans, so one would expect McCain to do better among early voters.

Early voters seem to be staunch supporters, so this should not be taken as an indicator of how undecided voters will cast their ballots.

What can be learned is that Obama's base, his staunch supporters, are turning out. Barring unforeseen events, they should also turn out on election day.

Picture credit CNN Getty Images

The final presidential debate is tonight, from Hofstra University in New York. The candidates will be sitting awful close to each other. Obama better watch out, because McCain has vowed to "whip his you know what." I'd love to see them get into a scrap. Tune in.

Bill Ayers...Marylin Shannon

A lot of people who read this blog were not around, or not paying attention to the news in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s when Bill Ayers was doing his thing. But the McCain campaign is trying to paint Obama with the same brush they paint Ayers with. So I thought I would put a few facts out there.

Ayers was a member of the 60’s radical group the Weather Underground, or the Weathermen, a group that bombed public buildings to protest the war in Southeast Asia.

The Weathermen got their name from the lyrics to a Bob Dylan song, Subterranean Homesick Blues. Admit it, this brings back memories.




While Ayers has admitted to the acts for which he is accused, he was never convicted for any of them.

Much of what Ayers has said in recent years has been taken out of context. In 2001 after the 9/11 attacks he wrote a letter to the Chicago Tribune, in which he wrote, "I condemn all forms of terrorism — individual, group and official...Today we are witnessing crimes against humanity on our own shores on an unthinkable scale, and I fear that we may soon see more innocent people in other parts of the world dying in response.”

Yet people still try to portray him as a terrorist. They disregard that he is now a Distinguished Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, or that he had worked extensively for social justice and educational reform. In 1997 he was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award by the city of Chicago.

Ayers was one of the three co-authors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge grant proposal in 1995 that won almost $50 million for school reform. Barack Obama was named to the Chicago Annenberg Challenge Project Board of Directors to oversee grants in the Chicago area. In addition both Ayers and Obama served on the board of the Woods Fund of Chicago, an anti-poverty group between 2000 and 2002. The Woods Fund of Chicago is an offshoot of the Woods Charitable Fund. Ayers is still on the board.

This is hardly an association that should reflect on Obama. Even William C. Ibershof, the lead federal prosecutor of the Weathermen Underground case thinks not. He wrote, in the New York Times on October 9, 2008, "I am amazed and outraged that Senator Barack Obama is being linked to William Ayers’s terrorist activities 40 years ago when Mr. Obama was, as he has noted, just a child. Although I dearly wanted to obtain convictions against all the Weathermen, including Bill Ayers, I am very pleased to learn that he has become a responsible citizen.”

But if you really want to bring up guilt by association, consider this clip:

MCCAIN SPOKESPERSON PFOTENHAUER: The article also concluded is that if Senator McCain had hung out with somebody who had bombed abortion clinics, no one would consider [raising the issue] illegitimate.


Enter Marylin Shannon. Shannon was a McCain delegate to the Republican Convention, from Oregon, who praised a woman convicted of attempted murder of an abortion clinic doctor.

From Raw Story:

McCain and Shannon appeared together at a fundraiser for the Oregon Citizens Alliance in 1993, a gathering of Christian right extremists that even fellow Republicans advised McCain not to attend because the group was so far outside the mainstream.

Speaking before McCain, Shannon offered some kind words for Shelley Shannon, who was accused and later convicted of shooting an abortion doctor: "I'm not related to Shelly Shannon, but I think she's a fine lady," the vice chairwoman of the state Republican Party said. McCain apparently said nothing to contradict that judgment, and less than three months later he voted against a bill that would make abortion clinic bombings a federal crime.

So McCain not only "pals" around with terrorist's buddies, he endorses domestic terrorism by practically condoning bombing abortion clinics. OK, that may be a stretch (although McCain's vote was wrong), wait, it's not a stretch. McCain is siding with those who promote violence against doctors. Read the Raw Story link.

Anyway, the point is, this type of guilt by association reeks of McCarthyism. Don't we ever learn?

Rough Seas Ahead

I am so glad that I am not a Republican today, because I would be so embarrassed to be associated with the party. McCain supporters are getting up in front of crowds and acting like complete fools. And the world is watching.

But it starts at the top. Much has been said of McCain's uncontrollable anger and his erratic behavior.



I wonder if some of his anger is due to guilt about how he treated his first wife, Carol McCain. You remember, the woman who was injured in an automobile accident while he was being held prisoner, and who he abandoned, disfigured and disabled, for his current wife Cindy.

Story

In 1979 – while still married to Carol – he met Cindy at a cocktail party in Hawaii. Over the next six months he pursued her, flying around the country to see her. Then he began to push to end his marriage.
Carol and her children were devastated. ‘It was a complete surprise,’ says Nancy Reynolds, a former Reagan aide.
‘They never displayed any difficulties between themselves. I know the Reagans were quite shocked because they loved and respected both Carol and John.’

.....

But Ross Perot, who paid her medical bills all those years ago, now believes that both Carol McCain and the American people have been taken in by a man who is unusually slick and cruel – even by the standards of modern politics.
‘McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory,’ he said.
‘After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona. And the rest is history.

Now, while the Republicans are having their angerfests, (after admitting that if they talk about the economy, they lose), Obama is reaching out to people in a calm and determined manner, offering hope and solutions.

So when you are navigating rough seas, like today's economy, who do you want, the calm determined captain looking ahead, or the angry, erratic captain jumping from place to place?

A Shout Out to Bigots?

The Democrats are up 3-0 in the debate series. Here are the numbers, using a couple of the same polls I used after the first presidential and vice-presidential debates. Fox polls and Drudge polls don't count, so don't ask.

CNN Obama 54 McCain 30

CBS Obama 40 Tie 34 McCain 26

Racism?

And that sheriff in Lee County, Florida who used Obama's middle name yesterday while introducing Sarah Palin may have been in violation of federal law. Story

A complaint sent to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel alleges that Scott violated the Hatch Act because his agency receives federal dollars, and Scott was engaging in political activity while on duty and in uniform. Erica S. Hamrick, senior attorney for the agency, said in an e-mail Tuesday that an investigation was being opened. Neither she nor her office could be reached for further comment Tuesday. ...

Some also are questioning whether Scott violated the county code of ethics. The statute says no county government employees are allowed to wear any uniform or clothing that would identify them as such while engaging in a political campaign not sponsored by the county, even if they are off-duty.

Some believe the comment could have had "racial connotations":

James Muwakkil, founder of the 300-member Fort Myers Coalition for Justice and a life member of the NAACP and ACLU, called for a formal apology. He said that while he supports the sheriff’s right to speak his mind, he criticized him for doing so while in uniform. He felt it was an affront to all county residents who may not share the sheriff’s views. He also felt there were racial connotations.

The entire McCain campaign is teetering toward racism. I know that one racist supporter does not mean the whole campaign is, but in Clearwater yesterday, this happened.

At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."
Story

It's not a big jump to think of John McCain's referral to Barack Obama as a disdainful "That one" last night as a shout out to bigots.

Depersonalizing African Americans has long been a tactic of white bigots, and the use of terms such as "boy" or "that one" is easily recognizable.

Recall that John McCain voted against the law that created the national Martin Luther King Holiday in 1983, and in 1987 supported the Arizona Governor's effort to rescind the Holiday in his state. In speaking to the Arizona Teenage Republican Convention that year about the Governor's decision "McCain said that he felt (governor) Mecham was correct in rescinding the holiday." [Washington Post, 1/14/1987; Phoenix Gazette, 4/13/1987].

So it's no surprise that someone his age could still hold feelings of animosity even if, like George Wallace, he has had a change of heart in his later years. It's becoming obvious.

What I've Been Waiting For

You knew it was coming. And there couldn't be a better time.

Some of you are too young to remember these hearings in 1990, or the criminal activity that led up to them, or John McCain's link to Charles Keating. This 13 minute video will get you up to date. Now, who do you want in charge of the economy? 747 Savings and Loans institutions failed, and the cost to taxpayers was $124 billion.

Robert Bennett, the Special Counsel for the Senate Ethics Committee said during the 1990 hearings: “of the five senators here before you, Senator McCain had the closest personal friendship with Charles Keating. Their friendship predated Senator McCain's political career. Senator McCain also was the only one who received personal as well political benefits from Charles Keating.” [Senate Ethics Committee Hearing into the Keating Five]



Talk about poor judgement, relationships with questionable characters, in fact, characters who have served time in prison. Maybe they will bring this up Tuesday night during the debate.

A Smackdown

Well Obama won the debate but I'm probably not the best person to ask because I happen to agree with him on all the issues.

So lets see what others are saying. Independent polls are probably a good place to start. These are not fake polls like Fox's "text in" polls.

CBS: Obama won 39%, McCain won 25%, Draw 36%

Insider Advantage: Obama won 42%, McCain won 41%, Undecided: 17%

CNN: Obama "did better" 51%, McCain "did better" 38%

All the pundits said that since McCain was having such a bad week and since foreign policy was supposed to be his strong suit, then he needed to win to regain some momentum. they said a tie was as good as a win for Obama.

So all of these really are good poll results for Obama.

CBS gave some more information:

Nearly half of those uncommitted voters who watched the debate said that their image of Obama changed for the better as a result. Just eight percent say their opinion of Obama got worse, and 46 percent reported no change in their opinions. McCain saw less improvement in his image.

Thirty-two percent have improved their image of McCain as a result of the debate, but 21 percent said their views of him are now worse than before.

Why did voters' image of Obama improve? Many volunteered that they were impressed by his poise and knowledge about the issues, that he was more knowledgeable about the issues than they thought previously. When it came to McCain, those same voters said he "didn’t control himself well under pressure," that he was "angry and bad-tempered," and that he "talked too much about the past."


Obama smacked McCain on Iraq:

And so John likes -- John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003, and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong.
You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between Shia and Sunni. And you were wrong. And so my question is of judgment, of whether or not -- of whether or not -- if the question is who is best-equipped as the next president to make good decisions about how we use our military, how we make sure that we are prepared and ready for the next conflict, then I think we can take a look at our judgment.

A total smackdown on the curmudgeon.

And Spain.

He even said the other day that he would not meet potentially with the prime minister of Spain, because he -- you know, he wasn't sure whether they were aligned with us," Obama said. "I mean, Spain? Spain is a NATO ally. If we can't meet with our friends, I don't know how we're going to lead the world in terms of dealing with critical issues like terrorism."

And McCain, it's Ahmadinejad (in Iran) and Zardari not "Qadari" (in Pakistan).

And why would you say Pakistan was a failed state in 1999? It was a democracy, with a few problems, but no where near the failed state we might experience if the McCain/Palin ticket wins.

And why were you afraid to look at Obama? Could you not look another leader in the eye? Or was it because it's hard to look someone in the eye when you know they are right and you are wrong?

You are no foreign policy expert John. Your judgement is flawed John. You lied about supporting veterans John.

You would not be a good president, John.

McCain Can't Handle It

Can John McCain not walk and chew gum at the same time? Seems that way, as he wants to skip Friday's planned debate to to return to Washington to do whatever he thinks he can do regarding the $700 billion bailout?

What he doesn't need to do is go in there and screw up the plan with it close to being finalized that addresses most or all of the concerns lawmakers and Main Street have about it.

What's unusual is that McCain also suspended his presidential campaign.

Here's what all of this tells us.

McCain is erratic and unpredictable in times of crisis. The most recent crisis was hurricane Gustav, and in crisis mode McCain had the start of the Republican convention delayed. They said they didn't want to appear in a celebratory mood, forgetting that, compared to the Democrats, Republicans don't convene in a celebratory manner anyway. At any rate, these events and the McCain response show us that in crisis mode they just can't deal with everything going on plus the normal stuff.

McCain can not focus on all of the nation's needs. He is proving that by having to suspend his campaign to address the economic needs. I mean, they aren't even able to release ads during this time. It's like his campaign is an ant bed, and somebody just kicked it. Campaign staff is in crisis mode, like the ants, who crazily run around gathering eggs and larvae, suspending all their other duties, until the babes are carried deeper and the repaired smaller ant bed has the appearance of normality. And it's not long until all the ants have disappeared. What are they doing in there? Probably trembling in fear of the next kick. Trouble is, the big "unkicked" ant bed next door is still functioning normally.

McCain is narcissistic. I guess all presidential candidates are to some extent. But congress is progressing with a bill, plans are in place for debate, and the candidate who admits that economics isn't his thing, suddenly wants us to believe that the country's financial markets won't survive without his input, turning this crisis into a savior moment for McCain..."me, me, me...I can fix it (even though I don't understand the problem)." Meanwhile, Senate leaders are asking him to stay away, "We need leadership, not a photo op," Harry Reid said.

McCain is an angry man. And we need a solid, calm leader during times of crisis. Like Peggy Noonan said today on "Morning Joe," he looks like he's on the balls of his feet, ready to lunge forward. And we all know, we don't like going to Grandpa's house when he's in a bad mood. Remember how he's a little bit scary, sitting there brooding in his rocking chair? And jumpy and nervous? Do you want Grandpa as your president?

Good Try, Republicans

Once again the conservatives who read this blog have come through. On a day when the focus is on the economy, instead of trying to make a case for their guy, they post comments on this post trying to shift the focus to Bill Clinton. Astonishingly, one said

"...9/11 was TOTALLY on Clinton's watch..."

Most Americans realise Clinton was not president on September 11, 2001. Click on the link above to see my response to that.

Their reason for trying to focus on Clinton is obvious. John McCain offers nothing for the economy. Yesterday he said he wanted to form a "commission" to look into it. That is what republicans do, pass the buck to a commission. Commissions take months if not years to come to any conclusions, and I think the American people want solutions now.

Who remembers Herbert Hoover saying "The economy is fundamentally sound..." then what happened? For those who don't remember, the Great Depression began during the first year of his presidency. And McCain says the "fundamentals of our economy are strong..." And what will happen if he gets elected? Let's not find out.

McCain's economic advisor is Phil Gramm, who wrote the legislation that allowed the deregulation that resulted in the current crisis. Read this .

Another McCain advisor, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, was asked what McCain did as chairman of the Commerce Comittee to help him understand the financial markets.

“He did this,” Holtz-Eakin told reporters yesterday morning, holding up his BlackBerry. "...you're looking at the miracle John McCain helped create and that's what he did."

John McCain invented the Blackberry?

The Blackberry was actually created by Research in Motion, a Canadian company.

The McCain campaign, as Karl rove reminded us, is depending on half truths, untruths and flat out lies.

The truth detectors have finally caught up with Sarah Palin as well, and her popularity is dropping like a rock. Her favorable rating is less than 50% now and she is the least favored among the four presidential and vice presidential candidates.

McCain's Economic Fundamentals

John McCain, in his own words, admitted he "doesn't really understand economics," and, if you remember back to January he indicated he depends on advisers like Phil Gramm. Well Gramm, and by extension McCain, of course, said we are just in a "mental recession" and that America is made up of a "nation of whiners".

Investors and common folk are whining today, after yesterday's Wall Street meltdown, and McCain has solidified his misunderstanding of the economy by proclaiming that the "fundamentals" of our economy are strong.



If people were not really suffering, whether it is from $4.59 gasoline, shrinking wages, rising unemployment, unaffordable health care, disappearing retirements or losing their house, McCain's response to the crisis yesterday would be comical.

"Senator McCain, what economy are you talking about?" Obama asked.

I will tell you what economy he is talking about...the Bush economy. Here is what he is trying to do. McCain is trying to convince you that the Bush economy is strong, because he is offering nothing different from the policies that got us into this mess.

And we can not afford to elect McCain as "Bush 44", and we can not afford 4 more years of Bush economics.

While we are waiting to see what happens with the economy today, we can consider whether Sarah Palin is a racist, and whether she called Obama "Sambo" and Hillary a "Bitch"?

Obama Responds...and Education

It's about time. The Obama campaign finally takes on the lies and distortions of the McCain campaign in this ad released this morning.




Who is better prepared to be president?

Let's start with education.

Think about your president. Shouldn't he...or she...be someone who is highly and appropriately educated? OK, then let's look at the education background of the candidates. Thanks, Tom and Erica for sending me information on this.

Obama:
Occidental College - Two years.
Columbia University - B.A. political science with a specialization in international relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden:
University of Delaware - B.A. in history and B.A. in political science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)

McCain:
United States Naval Academy - Class rank 894 of 899

Palin:
Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester
North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study
University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester
University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in journalism

I wonder why Palin transferred so often?

To administer the law or enforce the law, which is sort of what the job of the executive branch of government is, isn't an understanding of the law important? And to uphold the constitution of the United States, wouldn't an understanding of the U. S. Constitution be helpful.

Joe Biden teaches a seminar on constitutional law at Widener University.

Barack Obama taught constitutional law at Chicago School of Law for 12 years (1992 to 2004).

Based on education and understanding of the constitution, who do you think is better prepared to be president and vice president of our country?

Don't Mess With Bessemer Opinions

I love the anonymous posters who time after time show they don't know what they are talking about. From Thursday, after my post the previous day which showed Sarah Palin did not know that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not government agencies:

Do your research and stop knocking this off your blog. Fannie and Freddie were already part of the government even though they had stockholders. Do some reading!

OK. I read. Off the web sites of the companies, and I copied this from their Frequently Asked Question pages, although if you read enough...you realize that they are private companies without having to resort to the question and answers.

From the Freddie Mac web site:

Is Freddie Mac a government agency?

No. Freddie Mac was chartered by Congress as a private company serving a public mission; however, Freddie Mac is not an agency of the Federal or any state government nor does Freddie Mac receive federal funds. In fact, Freddie Mac is one of the nation's largest federal taxpayers. Freddie Mac is owned by its shareholders and, like other corporations, is accountable to its shareholders and a board of directors.

From the Fannie Mae web site:

Is Fannie Mae a private company or is it part of the government?

First established in 1938 as a government agency, Fannie Mae in 1968 became a private, shareholder-owned company with a charter from Congress requiring the company to support the housing finance system. It is a financial services company serving the American home mortgage industry. The company offers banks and other mortgage lenders financing, credit guarantees, technology and services so lenders can make more home loans to more consumers. Fannie Mae's stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (FNM/NYSE).

Then the same person, I am quite sure, posted this on my 9/11 remembrance.

While you hate the haters, you have become one yourself.

Now I have publicly stated that I do not "hate" republicans" and I do not "hate" John McCain. I have a lot of respect for John McCain, as I knew him in 2000. But the policies of George W. Bush, which McCain has adopted, yeah, I hate those policies, if you must use that word. And the hypocrisy of the 2008 McCain, I don't care for that.

I even have respect for Sarah Palin for her accomplishments, but the more I learn about her, the less respect I have.

Speaking of the McCain hypocrisy, here's an example.

This picture shows John McCain boarding the yacht of A-list con man Raffaello Follieri and his then-movie star girlfriend Anne Hathaway in August 2006 in Montenegro.

Why is this significant? First, who is the real celebrity, Barack Obama or the guy that wines and dines and celebrates birthdays on expensive yachts with Hollywood movie stars and rich playboys?

Second. Is that Rick Davis in front of McCain? "A few months after McCain's yacht party, Follieri strengthened his ties to McCain's orbit by retaining Rick Davis's well-connected Washington lobbying firm, Davis Manafort, and offering Davis both an investment deal and help in securing the Catholic vote for McCain's presidential bid. "

And this is the guy who wants to do things differently?

Read the rest of the story in The Nation . "Following his guilty plea this week, Follieri now faces up to five years and three months in jail. " Nice guy to party with.

For those who don't like to read lengthy articles, just watch this video, "The Real McCain."

McCain's Slime, Palin's Ethics

How can I write about Bessemer issues when the McCain/Palin fib machine puts out enough garbage everyday to fill a dumpster?


John McCain has allowed his campaign to sink the the lowest slime level I have seen in decades in a political campaign. Worse than...Slimy the Worm, Oscar the Grouch's friend!

There are many similarities. Slimy is known for such things as parachuting out of an airplane and doing things heroic. He used to just squeak and wiggle, but more recently began to talk. But enough of the similarities.






So Barack Obama supported teaching children about inappropriate touching to help protect them from pedophiles, and McCain comes up with an ad saying he was wanting to teach them "comprehensive sex education."

So John McCain is against protecting little girls from sex perverts, I guess?

The Obama campaign responded:

"It is shameful and downright perverse for the McCain campaign to use a bill that was written to protect young children from sexual predators as a recycled and discredited political attack against a father of two young girls."

Palin ? Ethics?

Sarah Palin takes per diem pay for staying at her own home, and let's the taxpayers pay for her 7 year old daughter's plane tickets and claims to be against wasteful spending?

Sarah Palin lies about being against the bridge to nowhere, and McCain flat out lies about it saying she "stopped the bridge to nowhere." And you McCain/ Palin fans are still considering voting for them?

Does integrity not matter to Republicans?

And shouldn't the Vice President of the United States understand our government's role in issues like housing?




She said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers."

Shouldn't she know that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not taxpayer funded and are private companies? (It's the Bush (Bush=McCain) bailout that might be too expensive for taxpayers, however, but that is another story).

"You would like to think that someone who is going to be vice president and conceivable president would know what Fannie and Freddie do," said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. "These are huge institutions and they are absolutely central to our country's mortgage debt. To not have a clue what they do doesn't speak well for her, I'd say."

And you Republicans still think she is qualified to run the country?

My suggestion if McCain is elected: let's start the life support on November 5 just to insure that "heartbeat away" thing doesn't become a reality.

McCain's Record on Veterans...Poor

One of those suspicious (not so) “anonymous” commenter's left this earlier… after my comment that said John McCain does not support veterans.

“...does not support veterans???? LMAO...omg.You are hilarious!!! He has gone to Iraq and actually TALKED to the soldiers, didn't just do a photo op. Not only is he FOR veterans....HE IS ONE....”

Now, if that anonymous person will only read this, and see that each and every entry is documented, he or she will learn that yes, John McCain has a sorry record when it comes to supporting veterans. And look, read the Obama stuff too. There are serious issues confronting our veterans, and we have treated them like crap.

From AFL/CIO with plenty of documentation.

McCAIN REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST VETERANS’ HEALTH BENEFITS

McCain Opposes the 21st Century GI Bill Because It Is Too Generous. McCain did not vote on the GI Bill that will provide better educational opportunities to veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, paying full tuition at in-state schools and living expenses for those who have served at least three years since the 9/11 attacks. McCain said he opposes the bill because he thinks the generous benefits would “encourage more people to leave the military.” (S.Amdt. 4803 to H.R. 2642, Vote 137, 5/22/08; Chattanooga Times Free Press, 6/2/08; Boston Globe, 5/23/08; ABCNews.com, 5/26/08)

McCain Voted Against Increased Funding for Veterans’ Health Care. Although McCain told voters at a campaign rally that improving veterans’ health care was his top domestic priority, he voted against increasing funding for veterans’ health care in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. (Greenville News, 12/12/2007; S.Amdt. 2745 to S.C.R. 95, Vote 40, 3/10/04; Senate S.C.R. 18, Vote 55, 3/16/05; S.Amdt. 3007 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 41, 3/14/06; H.R. 1591, Vote 126, 3/29/07)

Opposed an Assured Funding Stream for Veterans’ Health Care. McCain opposed providing an assured funding stream for veterans’ health care, taking into account annual changes in veterans’ population and inflation. (S.Amdt. 3141 to S.C.R. 83, Vote 63, 3/16/06)
McCain Voted Against Adding More Than $400 Million for Veterans’ Care. McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against providing an additional $430 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for outpatient care and treatment for veterans. (S.Amdt. 3642 to H.R. 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06)

Voted Against Establishing a $1 Billion Trust Fund for Military Health Facilities. McCain voted against establishing a $1 billion trust fund to improve military health facilities by refusing to repeal tax cuts for those making more than $1 million a year. (S.Amdt. 2735 to S.Amdt. 2707 to H.R. 4297, Vote 7, 2/2/06)

McCain Opposed $500 Million for Counseling Services for Veterans with Mental Disorders. McCain voted against an amendment to appropriate $500 million annually from 2006-2010 for counseling, mental health and rehabilitation services for veterans diagnosed with mental illness, post traumatic stress disorder or substance abuse. (S. 2020, S.Amdt. 2634, Vote 343, 11/17/05)

McCain Voted in Support of Disabled Veterans Only 25 Percent of the Time from 2004-2005. While McCain claims he “has been a leading advocate” for veterans with disabilities, statistics show he supported the Disabled American Veterans’ interests only 25 percent of the time in 2004-2005. In 2006 that figure slipped to 20 percent of the time. (Project Vote Smart)

McCain Voted Against Providing Automatic Cost-of-Living Adjustments to Veterans. McCain voted against providing automatic annual cost-of living adjustments for certain veterans’ benefits. (S. 869, Vote 259, 11/20/91)

INCLUDING BETTER ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE FOR GUARD AND RESERVISTS

McCain Opposed Increasing Spending on TRICARE and Giving Greater Access to National Guard and Reservists. Although his campaign website devotes a large section to veterans issues, including expanding benefits for reservists and members of the National Guard, McCain voted against increasing spending on the TRICARE program by $20.3 billion over 10 years to give members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families greater access to the health care program. The increase would be offset by a reduction in tax cuts for the wealthy. (www.johnmccain.com/Informing/ Issues/9cb5d2aa-f237-464e-9cdf-a5ad32771b9f.htm; S.Amdt. 324 to S.C.R. 23, Vote 81, 3/25/03)

McCAIN ALSO VOTED TO OUTSOURCE JOBS AT MILITARY FACILITIES

McCain Supported Outsourcing VA Jobs. McCain opposed an amendment that would have prevented the Department of Veterans Affairs from outsourcing jobs, many held by blue-collar veterans, without first giving the workers a chance to compete. (S.Amdt. 2673 to H.R. 2642, Vote 315, 9/6/07)

He Also Supported Outsourcing at Walter Reed. McCain opposed an amendment to prevent the outsourcing of 350 federal employee jobs at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—outsourcing that contributed to the scandalous treatment of veterans at Walter Reed that McCain called a “disgrace.” (S.Amdt. 4895 to H.R. 5631, Vote 234, 9/6/06; Speech to VFW in Kansas City, Mo., 4/4/08)

AND HE REPEATEDLY VOTED AGAINST FUNDING FOR THE VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT

2003: McCain Voted Against $122.7 Billion for Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted against an appropriations bill that included $122.7 billion in fiscal 2004 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies. (H.R. 2861, Vote 449, 11/12/03)

2001: McCain Voted Against $51 Billion in Veterans Funding. McCain was one of five senators to vote against the bill and seven to vote against the conference report that provided $51.1 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as funding for the federal housing, environmental and emergency management agencies and NASA. (H.R. 2620, Vote 334, 11/8/01; Vote 269, 8/2/01)

2000: McCain Voted Against $47 Billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of eight senators to vote against a bill that provided $47 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs. (H.R. 4635, Vote 272, 10/12/00)

1999: McCain Voted Against $44.3 Billion for Veterans Programs. McCain was one of five senators to vote against a bill providing $44.3 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, plus funding for other federal agencies. (H.R. 2684, Vote 328, 10/15/99)

1996: McCain Voted Against a $13 Billion Increase in Funding for Veterans Programs. McCain voted against an amendment to increase spending on veterans programs by $13 billion. (S.C.R. 57, Vote 115, 5/16/96)

1995: McCain Voted to Underfund Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain voted for an appropriations bill that underfunded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development by $8.9 billion. (H.R. 2099, Vote 470, 9/27/95)

1995: McCain Voted Against Closing Tax Loopholes to Increase Veterans Funding by $74 Million. McCain voted against eliminating tax breaks and closing tax loopholes to provide revenue to restore some of the proposed cuts in Veterans Affairs spending. (S.C.R. 13, Vote 226, 5/25/95)

1994: McCain Voted Against Funding the Department of Veterans Affairs. McCain was one of nine senators to vote against appropriating $90 billion in budget authority for the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development departments. (H.R. 4624, Vote 306, 9/27/94)

Barack Obama's Plan

A Sacred Trust

Barack Obama believes America has a sacred trust with our veterans. He is committed to creating a 21st Century Department of Veterans' Affairs that provides the care and benefits our nation's veterans deserve.

Allow All Veterans Back into the VA: One of Obama's first acts will be reversing the 2003 ban on enrolling modest-income veterans, which has denied care to a million veterans.

Strengthen VA Care: Obama will make the VA a leader of national health care reform so that veterans get the best care possible. He will improve care for polytrauma, vision impairment, prosthetics, spinal cord injury, aging, and women's health.

Combat Homelessness among Our Nation's Veterans: Obama will establish a national "zero tolerance" policy for veterans falling into homelessness by expanding proven programs and launching innovative services to prevent veterans from falling into homelessness.

Fight Veterans Employment Discrimination: Obama will crack down on employers who commit job discrimination against guardsmen and reservists.

Help for Returning Service Members

Obama will improve the quality of health care for veterans, rebuild the VA's broken benefits system, and combat homelessness among veterans.

Ensure a Seamless Transition: Obama will demand that the military and the VA coordinate to provide a seamless transition from active duty to civilian life.

Fully Fund VA Medical Care: Barack Obama will fully fund the VA so it has all the resources it needs to serve the veterans who need it, when they need it. Obama will establish a world-class VA Planning Division to avoid future budget shortfalls.

Fix the Benefits Bureaucracy: Obama will hire additional claims workers, and improve training and accountability so that VA benefit decisions are rated fairly and consistently. He also will transform the paper benefit claims process to an electronic one to reduce errors and improve timeliness.

Improved Mental Health Treatment

Obama will improve mental health treatment for troops and veterans suffering from combat-related psychological injuries.

Improve Mental Health Treatment: Obama will improve mental health care at every stage of military service. He will recruit more health professionals, improve screening, offer more support to families and make PTSD benefits claims fairer.

Improve Care for Traumatic Brain Injury: Obama will establish standards of care for Traumatic Brain Injury, the signature injury of the Iraq war.

Expand Vet Centers: Obama will expand and strengthen Vet Centers to provide more counseling for vets and their families.

Barack Obama's Record

Record of Advocacy: As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Obama passed legislation to improve care and slash red tape for our wounded warriors recovering at places like Walter Reed. He passed laws to help homeless veterans and offered an innovative solution to prevent at-risk veterans from falling into homelessness. Obama led a bipartisan effort in the Senate to try to halt the military's unfair practice of discharging service members for having a service-connected psychological injury. He fought for fair treatment of Illinois veterans' claims and forced the VA to conduct an unprecedented outreach campaign to disabled veterans with lower than-average benefits. Obama passed legislation to stop a VA review of closed PTSD cases that could have led to a reduction in veterans' benefits. He passed an amendment to ensure that all service members returning from Iraq are properly screened for traumatic brain injuries. He introduced legislation to direct the VA and Pentagon to fix disjointed records systems and improve outreach to members of the National Guard and Reserves.

If you are a veteran and want to support Obama, Join Veterans for Obama now.

RNC Day 4 Fight Fight Fight

That's about all that McCain said last night.

CW tells us that candidates with yellow ties don't win. Candidates who speak before a green background don't win. Candidates who put their viewers to sleep don't win. Candidates who don't offer policies different from those of their unpopular predecessor don't win.

America still knows nothing about what the McCain Palin administration will do about the changing climate, the housing crisis, high fuel costs, affordable education, affordable health care and getting our troops home.

Instead McCain is still assuring us he will continue the Bush doctrine.

And yesterday morning and this morning republican strategists are defending their decision not let Sarah Palin appear before the press. Even though we still have not heard from her about the issues we are interested in, they say they don't need to let her be interviewed by Time or Meet the Press or others. Is that because they are afraid that if we learn of her position on issues, or lack of knowledge, it will let Americans see why they should not vote for the ticket she is on?

The evening began with beer maven Cindy McCain making this statement (my quotes are from the prepared texts, so may vary slightly from the speeches delivered):

Our country was born amidst the struggle for freedom ... and our party arose from a great battle for human rights, dignity and equality for all people. We give way to no one and no other party in that cause.

What? All people? Human rights, dignity and equality? They are fighting against any legislation that gives equality to gays and lesbians, and want to write inequality into the constitution, and they say "equality for all people?" I don't think so. Their "Straight Talk" leaves out about 10% of the population.

And claiming that they are better than the Democrats in the fight for equality? Hardly. Heck, they don't even believe in equality for blacks.

In fact, as the Birmingham News reported, the modern southern Republican Party was born out of racism.

History lesson.

Angry Dixiecrats that met in Birmingham in 1948 after walking out of the Democrat National Convention following Hubert Humphrey's speech on equality later morphed into the Republican Party in the Southern States.

Humphrey:

"My friends, to those who say that we are rushing this issue of civil rights, I say to them we are 172 years late. To those who say that this civil rights program is an infringement on states' rights, I say this: The time has arrived in America for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadow of states' rights and to walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights.

"Let me say at the outset that this proposal is made with no single region, no single class, no single racial or religious group in mind. All regions and all states have shared in the precious heritage of American freedom. All states and all regions have at least some infringements of that freedom - all people, all groups have been the victims of discrimination."

Racists Dixiecrats nominated Strom Thurmond for president. He, and most of the others, became Republicans. Case closed.

McCain's speech was interrupted repeatedly by protesters, some of which were Iraq Vets Against the War, holding up signs such as "McCain Votes Against Vets", reminding us that the republican candidate did not vote for the 21st century G. I bill, and has a poor record on Veteran's issues.



And notice, too, in the video, the green backdrop for McCain as he speaks. Is this expansive lawn and mansion one of his homes? Wow!

No, the McCain Palin ticket does not offer change. He did admit that his party failed during the last 8 years.

We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption.

And we can not afford 4 more years like the last 8 years.

Later today I will post something to help Americans regain their sense of normalcy after this week. Check back later.

In addition:

Racism still exists at the RNC

Republican Convention Day 1

Republican Convention Day 1

Nothing important happened. Oh, Laura Bush, who most people respect, and Cindy McCain, who needs fashion advice, spoke in a non-partisan plea for people to come to the aid of those affected by hurricane Gustav. People should do this. This is not a contest, but you can do this through either campaign, or through the Red Cross, or in a number of other ways.

RNC Cause Greater link

Barack Obama Together We Can Help

Red Cross

Interesting that Republicans tried to make a case after Michelle Obama gave her speech that Democrats had wasted the first day of their convention, and then Karma catches up with them, because as far as promoting their agenda, the first day of the Republican convention was wasted.

Because as Gustav was pounding Louisiana, without the worst case effects that many feared, the talk on news outlets began to address other issues. And instead of beginning to address Republican convention news, they began to report on issues related to Sarah Palin.

I have some issues about Sarah Plain and John McCain that I wonder about, and I will raise them as questions here.

It is reported that John McCain really, really wanted Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Reports are that Republican big wigs did not want a pro-choice candidate on the ticket. A floor fight might have erupted at the convention had Lieberman been chosen. My question: Does McCain's choice of Palin represent a lack of balls on McCain's part, a weakness that he can't stand up for what he wants?

Sarah Palin made a choice (key word) to have a child that will require a lot of care, more care than the average child. No one will argue with her choice. But what does it say about her that she would seek a job that will require her to travel and be away from that child, and be a heartbeat away from a job that will really take all of her time (since she will be learning on the job) such that she will not be there to care for the child...or taking care of the child might distract her from very important national security issues. My question: Should a mother of a special needs child take a job that may interfere with her caring for that child?

Sarah Palin knows (or does she) that candidates for president and vice president are placed under media scrutiny. She made a choice to accept this challenge in spite of the spotlight that she knew would be focused on her family. My questions: What does it say about Sarah Palin that she would force her 17 year old daughter in to the media spotlight when the daughter is dealing with personal issues? Why would she place her future grandchild in the position of always being known as the child...whatever?



Palin does not know what the vice-president does, so she may not have realized the type of scrutiny that goes on down here in the lower 48. My question: should a candidate for the vice presidency actually know what the vice president does?

Palin sought and received millions of dollars in earmarks and pork for her town of Wasilla when she was mayor. My questions: Does this show that she is not the anti establishment maverick she claims to be? Was she for the "bridge to nowhere before she was against the bridge to nowhere?"

Sarah Palin was director of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that was formed to raise money for Republican women. My question: is Sarah Palin really against earmarks and lobbyists money or only when it benefits her politically?

Sarah Palin is under investigation for abusing her position as governor to get her brother in law fired, and the firing of Walt Monegan. Monegan claims his refusal to fire Wooten was a major reason that Palin dismissed him.

Palin had a press conference addressing this issue in early August. See raw video of the press conference here. Republicans, used to avoiding indictments and prison time, may fully believe that Palin is innocent, but investigations are sometimes tricky and indictments sometimes unexpected. My question: Is it wise for a political party to nominate a candidate that may soon be in prison?

Other questions are over to the left, in a poll about the choice of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate.