A very scarey video.
LibertyAir Blog
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Count the Lies 78
After last night's debate the count went way up. John McCain is not even trying to be honorable or honest any more.
McCain's Lie Counter.
Obama Is Right: McCain Was Wrong
Jed Lewison of the Jed Report has put together another great video.
LibertyAir Blog
McCain had no defense for Barack Obama's best riff of the night. Fact is,
McCain was wrong on Iraq. As they say, the YouTube doesn't lie:
LibertyAir Blog
Biden on NBC
One of the more interesting side notes of last night's debate was that while Senator Biden was on CBS, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, and ABC, while Governor Palin was completely absent.
Here is Biden on NBC.
LibertAir Blog
Here is Biden on NBC.
LibertAir Blog
Barack Obama's "America's Leadership" TV Ad
A really strong add. One that keeps up the positive. I know some wish Barak Obama was hitting harder, but I think the positive message of hope can be more affective, if used right. It also feels more authentic for Senator Obama.
LibertyAir Blog
LibertyAir Blog
Barack Obama on the Debates in Greensboro, NC
Barak Obama was back on the stump again today. Here is part of his speech from North Carolina. Senator Obama is going after John McCain about the middle class. A really great populist speech.
LibertyAir Blog
LibertyAir Blog
Frank Lutz Group
Fox pollster Frank Luntz who has become a mainstay of debate reporting had a focus group last night, and in his report he showed that a majority of his group was “moved” by Obama’s performance.
Fox pollster Frank Luntz’s focus group showed that a majority was “moved” by Obama’s performance.
Fox pollster Frank Luntz’s focus group showed that a majority was “moved” by Obama’s performance.
McCain's Smirks and Facial Contortions
One of the things I noticed during the debate last night was John McCain could not sit calmly, he seemed to feel a need to react to everything that Obama said. A clip circulated by Democrats showed the McCain demonstrating all of those traits: smirking when Obama gave his answers, eyes blinking, unwilling to even look at his opponent.
The media narrative did make mention of this, it will be interesting to see if it holds.
LibertyAir Blog
The media narrative did make mention of this, it will be interesting to see if it holds.
LibertyAir Blog
Friday, September 26, 2008
This Was Helpful??? Part Three
House Republican Whip Roy Blunt was just interviewed by Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, and he told Mitchell that McCain killed the deal at the White House on purpose yesterday:
I could not believe what I was hearing. Blunt was saying that John McCain was "helpful," because he killed the deal - not because he was looking to create compromise. John McCain was not there to help get a deal done, but to kill it.
That isn't a maverick bringing everyone together as a leader, it's the erratic, confused actions of someone who has no clue. Remember McCain was not going in opposed to the compromise plan. He had totally coopted Barak Obama's principles.
Is this what we can expect from a President McCain? When the choice is between making war or brokering peace, John McCain always goes for war. It's what hot-heads do. Especially when they're no longer at their prime.
"I do think that John McCain was very helpful in what he did. I saw him this morning, we've been talking with his staff. Clearly, yesterday, his position in that discussion yesterday was one that stopped a deal from, uh, finalizing that no House Republican, in my view, would've been for. Which means it probably wouldn't have passed the House. Now, Democrats are in the majority, they can pass anything they want to without a single Republican vote. But they don't seem to be willing to do that. I'm pleased we can have negotiations now that get us back to things that we think can protect the taxpayers better, create more options, are, frankly, be better understood in the country than the plan, than the path that we were on just a couple of days ago."
I could not believe what I was hearing. Blunt was saying that John McCain was "helpful," because he killed the deal - not because he was looking to create compromise. John McCain was not there to help get a deal done, but to kill it.
That isn't a maverick bringing everyone together as a leader, it's the erratic, confused actions of someone who has no clue. Remember McCain was not going in opposed to the compromise plan. He had totally coopted Barak Obama's principles.
Is this what we can expect from a President McCain? When the choice is between making war or brokering peace, John McCain always goes for war. It's what hot-heads do. Especially when they're no longer at their prime.
This Was Helpful??? Part Two
Think Progress has more on what John McCain did at the White House yesterday.
House GOP Aides: McCain ‘Not Familiar With The Details’ Of The Financial Bailout
Bailout negotiations “dissolved into a verbal brawl” at the White House yesterday, as some House Republicans, led by Eric Cantor (R-VA), said they wouldn’t back a bipartisan negotiation on the package. The House GOP faction stunned the participants at the meeting yesterday by announcing their own plan which “advocates tax cuts and relaxed regulations.”
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said the House GOP proposal would not work.
“Democratic leaders questioned McCain’s involvement in the House Republicans’ opposition to the plan.” McCain met with House GOP leaders before heading to the White House, but neither party seemed to know what they were talking about:
Boehner and McCain discussed the bailout plan, but Republican leadership aides described the conversation as somewhat surreal. Neither man was familiar with the details of the proposal being pressed by House conservatives, and up to the moment they departed for the White House yesterday afternoon, neither had seen any description beyond news reports.
At 1:25 p.m., McCain left Boehner’s office through a back door, walking across the Capitol’s rotunda to the applause of tourists. Graham conceded the group knew little about the plan the nominee had come to Washington to try to shape.
At the bipartisan White House meeting that McCain “didn’t speak until 43 minutes into the meeting.” He “sat silently for more than 40 minutes, more observer than leader, and then offered only a vague sense of where he stood, said people in the meeting.”
Sen. Chris Dodd said, “Instead of being a rescue plan for our economy it was a rescue plan for John McCain.” Sen. Chuck Schumer urged Bush to “respectfully tell Sen. McCain to get out of town. He’s not helping.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid added, “We had [Republican] Senator [Bob] Bennett, a high ranking official, who said these are the principles. And then, guess who came to town? And it all fell apart.”
McCain’s handling of the negotiations serves to underscore his comment in Dec. 2007 that he is “not an expert on Wall Street” and “not an expert of some of this stuff”.
House GOP Aides: McCain ‘Not Familiar With The Details’ Of The Financial Bailout
Bailout negotiations “dissolved into a verbal brawl” at the White House yesterday, as some House Republicans, led by Eric Cantor (R-VA), said they wouldn’t back a bipartisan negotiation on the package. The House GOP faction stunned the participants at the meeting yesterday by announcing their own plan which “advocates tax cuts and relaxed regulations.”
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said the House GOP proposal would not work.
“Democratic leaders questioned McCain’s involvement in the House Republicans’ opposition to the plan.” McCain met with House GOP leaders before heading to the White House, but neither party seemed to know what they were talking about:
Boehner and McCain discussed the bailout plan, but Republican leadership aides described the conversation as somewhat surreal. Neither man was familiar with the details of the proposal being pressed by House conservatives, and up to the moment they departed for the White House yesterday afternoon, neither had seen any description beyond news reports.
At 1:25 p.m., McCain left Boehner’s office through a back door, walking across the Capitol’s rotunda to the applause of tourists. Graham conceded the group knew little about the plan the nominee had come to Washington to try to shape.
At the bipartisan White House meeting that McCain “didn’t speak until 43 minutes into the meeting.” He “sat silently for more than 40 minutes, more observer than leader, and then offered only a vague sense of where he stood, said people in the meeting.”
Sen. Chris Dodd said, “Instead of being a rescue plan for our economy it was a rescue plan for John McCain.” Sen. Chuck Schumer urged Bush to “respectfully tell Sen. McCain to get out of town. He’s not helping.” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid added, “We had [Republican] Senator [Bob] Bennett, a high ranking official, who said these are the principles. And then, guess who came to town? And it all fell apart.”
McCain’s handling of the negotiations serves to underscore his comment in Dec. 2007 that he is “not an expert on Wall Street” and “not an expert of some of this stuff”.
Breaking: McCain Will Debate
John McCain has decided to try the tried and true tactic of retreat and declares victory. McCain’s campaign said Friday morning that he will attend tonight’s debate with Senator Barack Obama at the University of Mississippi, reversing his earlier call to postpone the debate so he could participate in the Congressional negotiations over the $700 billion bailout plan for financial firms.
Even though no deal is on hand, McCain has decided it is on firm enough footing that he can deign being in Mississippi for the evening. Of course he wants you to know that he will be right back to Washington DC.
Even though no deal is on hand, McCain has decided it is on firm enough footing that he can deign being in Mississippi for the evening. Of course he wants you to know that he will be right back to Washington DC.
What Do They Think?
I'm genuinely curious as to what earnest Republicans and/or conservatives think about Sarah Palin now that she has done three interviews. Did they watch her full interview with Katie Couric? Did they hear it like I did, or did they hear something that gave them confidence in her as a Vice President? Did they hear Governor Palin ramble incoherently about the bailout like me, or did they feel she is ready to deal with a major financial crisis? When they listened to Palin struggle to rehash talking points about the Middle East were they concerned? Or like me are they bothered by the way she rejects diplomacy with Iran and think that it's audacious for her to describe diplomacy as "beyond naive" and "beyond bad judgment," despite the opposite conclusion from Colin Powell, Madeleine Albright, Warren Christopher, James Baker, and Henry Kissinger.
Listening to her stumble trying to explain why the U.S. must never "second guess" Israel's "security efforts" gives me chills. What do reasonable Republicans or conservatives think? When I first heard the argument that Russia was next door to Alaska so Palin has foreign policy experience, I laughed. But I have to wonder did a reasonable person watch her explain why Alaska's proximity to Russia really does offer her foreign policy experience, and think she made a valid argument?
Reasonable people can disagree about the nature of Palin's difficulties. Some will argue that Palin just hasn't had time to learn about government and policy issues. Others will argue she isn't very bright. Others still may make the case that she's just cracking under the pressure. But the cause isn't especially important -- reasonable people should agree that the Republican vice presidential nominee is way out of her depth, and has no business seeking national office.
At the risk of sounding impolite, Sarah Palin is embarrassing herself, her party, her ticket, and her supporters. The notion that she could be the leader of the free world is a joke. It has nothing to do with her being a woman, or being from Alaska. It has everything to do with the fact that she is not prepared, does not seem to have done any preperation before being nominated, and shows little interest in learning now.
Really, what does an earnest honest Republican think about Palin after watching any of her three interviews? Does it give him or her pause? Does he or she cringe, but suppress the fear for the good of the party?
I would like to know.
Listening to her stumble trying to explain why the U.S. must never "second guess" Israel's "security efforts" gives me chills. What do reasonable Republicans or conservatives think? When I first heard the argument that Russia was next door to Alaska so Palin has foreign policy experience, I laughed. But I have to wonder did a reasonable person watch her explain why Alaska's proximity to Russia really does offer her foreign policy experience, and think she made a valid argument?
Reasonable people can disagree about the nature of Palin's difficulties. Some will argue that Palin just hasn't had time to learn about government and policy issues. Others will argue she isn't very bright. Others still may make the case that she's just cracking under the pressure. But the cause isn't especially important -- reasonable people should agree that the Republican vice presidential nominee is way out of her depth, and has no business seeking national office.
At the risk of sounding impolite, Sarah Palin is embarrassing herself, her party, her ticket, and her supporters. The notion that she could be the leader of the free world is a joke. It has nothing to do with her being a woman, or being from Alaska. It has everything to do with the fact that she is not prepared, does not seem to have done any preperation before being nominated, and shows little interest in learning now.
Really, what does an earnest honest Republican think about Palin after watching any of her three interviews? Does it give him or her pause? Does he or she cringe, but suppress the fear for the good of the party?
I would like to know.
This Was Helpful???
Democrats and some Republicans had made a lot of headway on the bailout plan. Then Republican John McCain came to town (having never read the bipartisan plan) and instead promoted "tax cuts for corporate America and less regulation". Again lets remember that for decades John McCain has been for deregulating the economy, and has up until the last two weeks run on an economic plan of tax cuts for corporate America and less regulation, so his grand idea was more of the same. Republican John McCain's radical injection of himself into the bailout negotiations is just more of the same and is exactly what led us into this economic failure.
For a week John McCain tried to cast himself as a populist, but then when a deal was about to be made he threw out an alternative plan that Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke had already said would not work in Congressional testimony to the House (which McCain probably missed as he was meeting with U2's Bono) and came out against the plan.
Some highlights of the bailout plan that John McCain now doesn't want:
- Two oversight boards would be formed—one with congressional representation, another would have the power to undo decisions by the Treasury Secretary.
- The Treasury Secretary would be prohibited from acting in an arbitrary or capricious manner or any way inconsistent with existing law.- Regular, detailed reports would be made to Congress disclosing exercise of the Treasury Secretary's authority.
- An independent inspector general would be set up to monitor the use of the Treasury Secretary's authority.
- The Government Accountability Office would be required to perform audits to ensure proper use of funds, appropriate internal controls, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
- Maximize and coordinate efforts to modify mortgages for homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
- Loan modifications would be required for mortgages owned or controlled by the federal government.
- A percentage of future profits from the bailout fund would be made available to the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund to meet America's housing needs.
For a week John McCain tried to cast himself as a populist, but then when a deal was about to be made he threw out an alternative plan that Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke had already said would not work in Congressional testimony to the House (which McCain probably missed as he was meeting with U2's Bono) and came out against the plan.
Some highlights of the bailout plan that John McCain now doesn't want:
- Two oversight boards would be formed—one with congressional representation, another would have the power to undo decisions by the Treasury Secretary.
- The Treasury Secretary would be prohibited from acting in an arbitrary or capricious manner or any way inconsistent with existing law.- Regular, detailed reports would be made to Congress disclosing exercise of the Treasury Secretary's authority.
- An independent inspector general would be set up to monitor the use of the Treasury Secretary's authority.
- The Government Accountability Office would be required to perform audits to ensure proper use of funds, appropriate internal controls, and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
- Maximize and coordinate efforts to modify mortgages for homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
- Loan modifications would be required for mortgages owned or controlled by the federal government.
- A percentage of future profits from the bailout fund would be made available to the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital Magnet Fund to meet America's housing needs.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Breaking News: WaMu fails
This just in.
Washington Mutual, the giant lender that came to symbolize the excesses of the mortgage boom, was seized by federal regulators on Thursday night in the largest bank failure in American history.
Regulators simultaneously brokered an emergency sale of virtually all of Washington Mutual to JPMorgan Chase. The remainder of WaMu, the nation’s largest savings and loan, will be operated by the government. Shareholders and some bondholders will be wiped out. WaMu deposits are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to the $100,000 limit for each account. WaMu customers are unlikely to be affected.
Washington Mutual, the giant lender that came to symbolize the excesses of the mortgage boom, was seized by federal regulators on Thursday night in the largest bank failure in American history.
Regulators simultaneously brokered an emergency sale of virtually all of Washington Mutual to JPMorgan Chase. The remainder of WaMu, the nation’s largest savings and loan, will be operated by the government. Shareholders and some bondholders will be wiped out. WaMu deposits are guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation up to the $100,000 limit for each account. WaMu customers are unlikely to be affected.
McCain Bailout plan: More deregulation
Remember how McCain was going to come in and save the day? What he really did was try to ambsush the Democrats, and score some cheap points. McCain came into the White House where a deal was imminent and suddenly offered an alternative plan that would include fewer regulations and more corporate tax breaks for businesses. Got that? We are in a crisis because of deregulation and what is McCain's solution? More deregulation.
LibertyAir Blog
John McCain said this was a crisis that needed to be dealt with, and then politicized the deal that was almost done. The Politico has more.
LibertyAir Blog
John McCain said this was a crisis that needed to be dealt with, and then politicized the deal that was almost done. The Politico has more.
And Now Something Just For Fun
JibJab puts out some great videos, and I needed to put something on fun. The news has been a little too depressing lately.
LibertyAir Blog
LibertyAir Blog
Brave New Films: John McCain's health records must be released
Brave New Films treads where the main stream media dares not go. They ask the question, where are John McCain's health records. Months ago the McCain campaign put out some of John McCain's medical records in a highly controlled process that saw a few reporters given three hours to scan over a thousand pages, where they could not take any pictures, make copies, and had limited notes. It was ridiculous that the media let this go, but they did. Today I saw a television add put out by Brave New Films that declared that "John McCain's health records must be released."
I went to look for the Ad, but instead found this longer version. Watch it, it's very interesting.
LibertyAir Blog
I went to look for the Ad, but instead found this longer version. Watch it, it's very interesting.
LibertyAir Blog
John McCain: I haven't read the Paulson plan
John McCain made big news about "suspending" his campaign (he didn't) because he was going to ride into Washington and save the day, but it turns out that as of Tuesday he had not read the Paulson plan. Watch here:
LibertyAir Blog
LibertyAir Blog
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