Archive for October, 2008

Is another mans desperate campaign meme… via Fox News (of course):

BETHLEHEM, PA-A day after Senator McCain did not even mention Bill Ayers during the Nashville debate ( despite the anticipation by many that he would) his campaign sent out a strong statement,by John M. Murtagh who’s family’s house was fire-bombed by Ayer’s militant group, the Weather Underground, when he was a 9 year old kid.

“When I was 9 years-old the Weather Underground, the terrorist group founded by Barack Obama’s friend William Ayers, firebombed my house. Barack Obama has dismissed concerns about his relationship with Ayers by noting that he was only a child when Ayers was planting bombs at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. But Ayers has never apologized for his crimes, he has reveled in them, expressing regret only for the fact that he didn’t do more.

What is fantastic about this attempt at swiftboating is that it really isn’t selling that well and the only ones who buy it are the same folks who, like George Bush, forget the lines to “Fool me once…” and will simply be “fooled again” (thanks W. for the timeless quote).  And with the exception of Fox News, as far as I can tell, the “terrorist” meme is getting properly debunked across most every major news outlet.  It simply isn’t working.  Instead, it makes McCain’s campaign look more desperate with each similar proclamation against Barack Obama.

It’s Tuesday and time for Drinking Liberally in the Tri-Cities and tonights DL falls on the same day as the Predential Debate between Barak Obama and that other older gentleman with the Grandpa Simpson laugh.  So come on down early since the debate starts at 6:00pm.

Drinking Liberally in the Tri-Cities

O’Callahans - Shilo Inn

50 Comstock Rd.

Richland

7pm 6:00pm till?

[UPDATE: HA has news that the court is allowing the suit to push forward]

While Attorney General, Rob McKenna may appear (non-partisan) to have done right in bringing suit against the BIAW for its illegal campaign fundraising, it was a clear partisan move to omit the culpability of Dino Rossi.  But it wasn’t enough.  And today retired Justices Robert Utter and Faith Ireland are taking a step further.

Based upon our earlier notice, the State Attorney General has already brought suit against a subsidiary of the BIAW for its illegal campaign fundraising that was designed to support Rossi’s candidacy. The actions taken by a Republican Attorney General and a bi-partisan Public Disclosure Commission against the BIAW show that the violations are serious and their prosecution is not a partisan issue, as some have claimed.

However, the Attorney General took no action on our assertion that the BIAW had improperly coordinated with a candidate, and we therefore have brought suit on this claim.

In order for PDC rules to have any teeth there needs to be accountability and it’s disturbing that it takes a private group outside of the enforcement tools of the AG’s office to bring things into the open.  Especially when it was very clear Dino Rossi was teaming prior to his announcing to build a war chest of funds to promote his candidacy. And if the AG office and the PDC is going to have any future credibility they should get in front of this.  Doing so will have far reaching benefits in Washington State elections as we continually see more and more outside interests promoting candidates with big money.

Washington campaign laws are in place to ensure our elections are fair, that all candidates know what they are facing from their opponents in terms of campaign financing. These rules are there to ensure that special interests cannot buy their way into a legislative process designed to serve and protect the interests of all citizens. Without enforcement our laws are meaningless.

While the BIAW is stinking real bad over these independent expenditures, Dino Rossi is certainly the skunk. But will local media across the state cover this story?  It isn’t just a matter of reporting the truth (which should be the #1 mission of the daily news).  Local media should make it known to candidates that there is a political price to pay for not following the rules.

So, we… us taxpayers and stuff… just got saddled with bailing out Wall Street.  Perhaps all for not as the markets could still crash on the rocks and the very banks we prop up, could still fall down.  It’s pretty obvious why:

The Keating scandal is eerily similar to today’s credit crisis, where a lack of regulation and cozy relationships between the financial industry and Congress has allowed banks to make risky loans and profit by bending the rules. And in both cases, John McCain’s judgment and values have placed him on the wrong side of history.

This preview is part of a full documentary that is coming out at 9am this morning at http://www.keatingeconomics.com.

But it’s short, and for about the 1.4 seconds at the end it seemed worth it.

These guys put out more than one album but I can’t find it anywhere.  What was it called?

The Williams Brothers put out some good stuff.   A bit cheesy but outstanding harmonies.  I found this album and can download it but the song I’m looking for is not on it and for the life of me I can’t remember either the name or the other album.

Patrick?

He voted against the bailout.

Thanks Doc.  And to the others in the Wa delegation (except for that tool Reichert who is too stupid to actually understand what was going on anyway)… thanks as wwell.

Too bad it passed anyway.

Stupid stupid stupid…

Somewhere in the back of my mind the “angry liberal” in me hoped Palin would have that deer in the headlights moment, seize up, and perhaps even walk off stage.  But she didn’t.  And the realist in me knows that wasn’t likely to happen.  Otherwise the McCain camp would have never agreed to show up.  That debate would have been one where she was forced to answer questions and last night she wasn’t.  Instead she was allowed to wander aimlessly through her talking points and skip through any serious discussion in her perky although quirky fashion.  And with expectations so low, the conservative cheer squad were doing back flips over her ability to perform the whole 90 minutes without seizing up or saying something incredibly stupid. But incredibly stupid is what was her performance.  It was brilliant in that she could quickly shift gears and pull out a standard talking point, but incredibly inept in that the shifting gears was the method of avoiding the questions altogether.

There was no debate.

Biden did exactly what he needed to do.  Answer the questions and show his aptitude to address complex matters and not attack Palin.  And it wasn’t as if he didn’t have the opportunity.  As she zigged and zagged Biden could have easily pressed her to explain herself.  But I doubt it would have been anymore affective at getting her to show some competence as the initial question in the first place so… never mind.  Biden stuck to contrasting the Obama/Biden candidacy with that of McCain and that was all that was needed.  Palin really doesn’t fit into the equation.  At this point she is just a set of pre-recorded conservative talking points.  They may not come out in any particular order but that doesn’t really matter to anyone already convinced.

But there was no debate.

[It's 5 am, the TV is on and I just heard Pat Buchannon say Palin won the debate. I think I'll watch the Obama Channel on Dish Network 73... ahhhhh]

If dying were a disease I’m sure some pharma-co would come out with a new drug and a highly paid celebrity surrogate to market it.  Unfortunately, dying is certain.  And sometimes certain and painful.  But Martin Sheen shilling for the anti-1000 group wants you and I to not have a choice in the matter.  I want a choice.  Especially an informed, mentally sound and appropriate choice.

Enjoy the bs…

It must be a Multi Media Day!!!

I just love these things.  It was put up back in July but kinda relevant for this run up to November 4.

Are you Registered?

h/t - Slog

Uh huh.

SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil prices rose above $99 a barrel Thursday in Asia on expectations the U.S. Congress will pass a reformulated $700 billion financial industry bailout package this week that will help stabilize a faltering economy.

This is what we are getting for our $700 billion bailout?  Oh but don’t worry, it gets better.

The Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration said Wednesday in its weekly report that crude stocks rose by 4.3 million barrels, or 1.5 percent, to 294.5 million barrels for the week ending Sept. 26. Analysts had expected stocks to rise or fall of 1.5 million barrels, according to a survey by energy research firm Platts.

At the same time, gasoline inventories rose by 900,000 barrels, or 0.5 percent, to 179.6 million barrels. Analysts expected stockpiles of the motor fuel to fall in the range of 1 million to 3 million barrels.

Fuel consumption for the four-week period ended Sept. 26 reached about 19 million barrels a day, down 7 percent from the same period a year ago, according to the EIA.

“The demand just isn’t there,” Kornafel said. “The refineries aren’t buying crude to turn it into gasoline because consumers aren’t buying it on the road.”

Just tell that to the folks living in the South…

As recovery from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike continues in Houston and in other parts of the South, people trying to get back to work and normal routines are being hampered by a shortage of gasoline. The problem is most acute in the Atlanta, Georgia area, but also includes some other important southern cities like Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Charlotte in North Carolina.

Ken Medlock, an energy specialist at Rice University in Houston says the closing of refineries prior to the two hurricanes created a shortage in the gasoline distribution system for many areas.

Methinks one of these things does not explain the other.

So who are we bailing out by funneling billions in tax dollars into a failing market?  I’m sure there is a complicated explanation out there that would make your eyes glaze over but the reality of the average persons wages vs. expenses doesn’t seem to change here.  It begs the question: Does the bailout support the status qou?  Is business as usual such a good thing to prop up at tax payer expense?

I’m no economist by any stretch, but when Friday rolls around, I think Congress should hit the brakes and not vote for this latest package.  Give it another week… or two or three.  Yea, the Dow took a big hit earlier but hasn’t blown its ballast and turned towared the abyss.  What’s the damn rush?

Who can feel sorry for someone who can’t… er… ok… I kinda feel sorry.  She was too stupid to tell McCain “no thanks” for that carreer path to nowhere.