A USA Today article noted that Kansas Republicans comes in “two shades of red that often clash” – for social conservatives and pro-business moderates.
But John “McCain has really bridged that divide,” said Thomas Frank, author of “What’s the Matter With Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America.” “The country club set really like McCain, and values voters really like (Sarah) Palin.”
As a result, and despite Barack Obama’s familial ties to El Dorado, as Kansas State University political scientist Joseph Aistrup told the newspaper, “The question is not whether McCain wins, but by how much.”
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158 Comments
Kansans give me the shuddering jeebies, and I’ve lived here all my ife.
In a real sense Palin is a mystery to me, if she is saying something that outwardly appeals to the Social conservatives I have yet to notice it. I guess one of those cute winks maybe a high sign to the R.R..
Or maybe she is sending secret messages off camera and the pastors are relaying them from the pulpits on Sundays. As I mentioned before I met a Palin supporter and he said he favored her because she would govern by the word of God. But there were many others within the party that McCain could have chosen that would have got me to notice. But to me Palin is like one of those cute models they have at the car shows. She is standing beside the car gently waving her hand in the direction of the car. But she does not say anything, she is to add to the beauty of the car and not there to be listen to.
McCain appeals to pro business? So far he is just saying the same worn out, does not work at all crap.
The me-me about tax cuts for big business generating jobs and keeping jobs in the United States. But that has worked out just as well as watering the street to make it grow into a four-lane highway!
Heheheh. Gotta laugh at the obama supporters who, in a blind fever during the primaries, made their ridiculous crowing noises that obama could turn kansas blue. They even howled in glee that grmie would vote for obama and touted it a sign of obama’s power.
Really?
I laughed then.
Still laughing.
How’s that working for ya?
The last poll I saw, which was, if memory serves, The Survey USA poll from last week, had McCain leading in Kansas 53 to 41. To put that in perspective, McCain reportedly still thinks he can win Pennsylvania, even though some recent polls have shown him trailing by twelve. Does anyone think Obama can win Kansas when he’s trailing by twelve? Probably not. Yet McCain is still chasing Pennsylvania. You can argue that McCain is running ads and campaigning in Pennsylvania, whereas Obama is not reportedly traveling to Kansas. The Senator from Illinois, however, is most assuredly running ads and campaigning in Pennsylvania, and it has been said that his ground game has improved there since last spring. Taken in all, it seems that if McCain’s twelve point lead in Kansas is safe, then Obama’s at the very least upper single digit or low double digit lead in Pennsylvania ought to be safe as well.
I’m still not convinced that moderate Republicans, nation-wide as well as in Kansas, are going to be overly inspired to go to the polls and vote for the McCain / Palin ticket. The moderates I’ve talked to have a low opinion of Palin’s preparedness, and if Palin can’t conceivably be called upon to fulfill her constitutional responsibility to step in if McCain suffers an illness, how responsible is it to vote for the McCain / Palin ticket during this challenging time? Republicans will have to sort that one out and be confident, a couple years down the road, that they made a responsible decision.
How many times do you have to get hit over the head before you figure out who’s hitting you.
Harry Truman
Making the same mistake over and over and expecting different results is the definition Insanity.
Religion has no place in politics, the only purpose religion serves in the political realm is to patronize the Social Conservatives for political gain.
When people from other states ask whats wrong with Kansas, or people comment why Kansas is so backwards. It’s not that Kansan’s are stupid, it’s the naivety of religious conservatives who put too much faith in God, and Country,(politicians) and not in themselves. A Sucker is someone who thinks other people have the best interests for them, and continue to believe so after getting burned over and over.
The difference between Wealthy people and the poor, is that the wealthy are well connected and help each other out, the poor are isolated and uneducated, both have an exponential growth factor, one negative, and one positive. The only real break, struggling Americans can get, is through socialist strides, as you can already see, the wealthy are very social individuals, that have a lot of nets to catch them, the only difference is that they are lucky, they have the connections, while a lot are still ungrateful. A working man can bust his ass more than a white collar worker who trudged through college, but working harder doesn’t earn you more money, it’s who you know that earns you more. Having a college degree doesn’t necessarily earn you more money, but who you met in college is what earns you more. You see, the wealthy deserve their wealth, most worked for it, but most are graced to have been introduced to a person that gave them new opportunities, Socialism already exists, the military is socialists, the rich are socialists, prisons are socialists, the extreme poor are socialists, you see about the only people in America who aren’t socialists, is the single family middle class unit, which makes up a good chunk of the population, providing most of America’s productivity, spending, and taxes. I think the least we can do, is provide National Health care, which neither candidate has a good plan for.
Here is how Kansans think.
The boys were talking about a dead animal in the back of a pickup in front of the bar. I took a look at it. It was a weasel. “Weasel,” I said. “N-o-o-o-o-o,” said the boys. It seems them there “wissels” weren’t that color. I went home and got a book by noted professors and showed the boys the full page color print. “See, it’s a weasel,” I said. The most sage among them studied the picture, rubbing and twisting his mouth in thought.
“That there,” he said, pointing at the picture, “ain’t no wissel.”
Kansas will probably remain reliably red. It will for sure if those of us who aren’t red don’t get out and vote. Tuesday, Nov 4, turn off the TV, put down the Xbox, turn off the computer, and go vote.
Kansas…pffffft!
I’m getting out my computer electoral map. You know, the one the networks have where they can draw pictures and zoom in on the states, etc?
And so here is Kansas. Let’s zoom in on it.
What is it? I was born here and I don’t know.
SO I’m gonna use my computer magic and drag Kansas over to California. Yeah and they thought the skies were crud there before?
Now I’m gonna give Kansas a little shake to give all the good and progressive folks a chance to fall into a better land. Shake, shake, and done.
What to do with Kansas now? Well Kansas doesn’t matter anyway. So I’ll use my technology and shrink it. Let’s make it really small. Like tinier than the District of Columbia. Good. Uh, now let’s take Kansas and….put it…(zooming out on my map)…let’s put Kansas innnn… uh not fair to inflict these idiots on just anybody. Let’s zoom out a little further and SPACE! Yeah let’s put Kansas in space.
You reference Thomas Frank. Why? He is a liberal hack who has no credibility what so ever. His stock in trade is telling Republicans how stupid they are. Is Frank the new Burdett Loomis? Is he now the go to guy for the lazy media when they need a quote about Republicans? Heres a hint. Try going to a real Republican. You never go to a Republican when you want a slant on what the Democrats are doing. Oh well, just trying to be helpful.
Pro business moderates? Give me a break.
Are the aircraft execs that fear Peterjohn “pro-business” or pro corporate welfare?
Oh by the way ksfrmgrrl. Try counting to ten S L O W L Y and taking some deep breaths before you pound out your venomous hate filled response to my slamming of your hero Thomas Frank(ly) wrong about everything.
The Republicans holding onto Kansas, always a probability, became a certainty when McCain became the nominee. That being the case, I think it will still be interesting to watch. There is a lot of interest from younger voters, and the Democrats did up their registrations here. It will be interesting to see what happens in the state as a result of this.
And some of the votes from Obama will probably come from undercounted populations, so it will be interesting to see how close it gets.
Thomas Frank knows you better than you know yourself Chrissy. And you know Frank not at all.
Barnie–
Damn good post!
KGrrl–
8,000 registered Republicans have voted early in Sedgwick County. 11,000 registed Dems have voted early.
Tell me when that’s happened before.
Uh . . . never?
I’m not saying that Obama will turn Kansas blue, but he’s doing way more than what the last three Dem candidates did.
ChrisEatsBigMacs says the press should interview a “real” Republican.
*Cheney is still in his undisclosed bunker.
*W. isn’t giving interviews.
*Jack Abramoff’s in jail.
*Karl Rove couldn’t find Kansas on the map even though he’s been here.
*Larry Craig is tapping his foot in a public restroom.
*David Vitter is wearing diapers at a brothel.
Scooter Libby has gone away quietly.
*Bill Frist, former Senate Majority Leader, is facing criminal indictment for fraud and insider trading.
*Tom DeLay, former Speaker of the House, is facing conspiracy and money laundering charges.
*Randy “Duke” Cunningham, former Repube Congressman from CA, is serving 2 and 1/2 years for bribery, mail fraud, and tax evasion.
*Mark Foley, Congress-R, resigned in shame after sex scandal.
So, yeah, Chris. It’s getting harder and harder to find a “real Republican” who’s willing to be interviewed about their beliefs.
Oh heck . . . I left out Bob Ney, former Governor of Ohio.
Republican.
Of course.
As you can see from the content of posts before mine, the left curse their country and spit upon its advantages.
Obama comes from a background of division, spent twenty years in a church that indoctrinated him into a divide of racial hatred and blaming the United States for every foul deed they could come up with.
This attitude, in general, is the attitude of the progressive Liberal Democrat. These people would stab a knife deeply into the heart of our founding fathers by distorting events and coming up with their own twisted versions of history.
Fortunately for those who live in Kansas, there lives a majority of like-minded people that believe in themselves, their country and in God.
These conservative Kansans know the gentleness of soft flowing wheat fields, the amber waves of grain beautifully versed in the “America the Beautiful” song.
Let’s see together and remind ourselves who we are, where we’ve been and hopefully where we are going.
All rise ladies and gentlemen, stand and sing with me:
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
May God bless John McCain, Sarah Palin, the people of Kansas and the United States.
God Bless America and pray that he will keep us bountiful through our impassioned worship and praise of his words.
Keep the faith!
“America the Beautiful” by Ray Charles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghz4_kikLkE
Wow, is church out already, ReguLIAR?
Ray Charles, a staunch liberal and civil right activist
former heroin addict too actually . . .
mccain/palin can’t even bridge their own split, but they can still bridge kansas gop?
Maybe we should call the waaaaaambulance for chrissy?
Dont worry chris. You posts are usually too stupid to bother with a response. I like to let that kind of stupidity and bigotry speak for itself.
I’m pretty sure chrissy only knows about Thomas Frank from what the wingnut media tell him.
Because, ya know, wingnuts are not known for actually READING the stuff they whine about.
Waaaaaaaa. Waaaaaaaaaaaa…
Hang on chrissy. The waaaaaambulance is coming.
There appears to be a problem with advance voting in Wichita. People are not getting their ballots and the local election office is contacted they just say “don’t worry about it”. If you have not received your advance vote ballot and applied weeks ago, call:
CNN Voter Hotline
If you have a problem voting or see a problem, call the CNN Voter Hotline at 877-GOCNN08 (1-877-466-2608); CNN will report on some of your calls and our partner, InfoVoter Technologies, can help get you in touch with your election board or find your voting location.
“mccain/palin can’t even bridge their own split, but they can still bridge kansas gop?”
Oh they’ll carry a majority of the mindless in Kansas.
But overall? It’s gonna be a bridge to nowhere. The rest of the country will say “Thanks, but no thanks” to EIGHT MORE YEARS of wingnuttia.
Really, Mxyie?
Because I’ve been calling Wichita and Hutch voters from the Dem HQ’s to make sure they’ve gotten their Advance Ballots, and so far I haven’t heard of anybody not getting one.
Going door-to-door, ditto.
Maybe they forgot to sign their forms or something. If so, they can still vote early.
Chrissy, since you are so desperately seeking my attention…
“Thomas Frank(ly) wrong about everything.”
What exactly is he wrong about?
Or is that “everything” kinda like Bible Spice saying she reads “all of them”?
Who wants to bet chrissy is too dumb to know the answer to either of those questions?
Regular
Posted October 26, 2008 at 9:24 am | Permalink
As you can see from the content of posts before mine, the left curse their country and spit upon its advantages.
_________________________________________________
I see the blog a$$hole is at it again.
nitwit
Kansas recent voting history.
TOTAL VOTES CAST:
1992: 1,157,256
1996: 1,074,300
2000: 1,072,216
2004: 1,187,756
1992: Clinton 34% Bush 39%
1996: Clinton 36% Dole 54%
2000: Gore 37% Bush 58%
2004: Kerry 37% Bush 62%
I predict two changes for the 2008 presidential race.
1. More voters
2. A closer race
Yes, McCain will win all six electoral college votes. He would have won no matter who was the nominee of the Democratic Party. He has that little “R” behind his name.
The Party may be split in ideology, but when it comes time to vote they still ALL recognize that little “R.”
Hey, ReguLIAR?
Which powerless minority did your pastor damn to an eternal lake of everlasting fire this morning?
Gays and their “agenda”?
Unwed moms (except for Sarah Palin’s daughter of course)?
Unwed moms who terminate their pregnancy?
Parasitical welfare bums (except for Rush Limbaugh, of course, who was never on welfare, so stop saying that!)
Secular humanists who have taken over our educational system?
“Yes, McCain will win all six electoral college votes. He would have won no matter who was the nominee of the Democratic Party. He has that little “R” behind his name.”
Agreed, Linda.
That’s why I thought it was so absurd in the primary season for some of the blue dogs here to say obama was gonna turn kansas blue in a way Hillary could not.
Pure hyperbole.
I’m not one of the Country club set and will make up my own mind about who I for vote, right or wrong.
Check this out. A U.S. State Personality Map.
http://newsroom-static.mcclatchyinteractive.com/creatives/0908/personality/statePersonality.html
The most laid back and balanced states, seem to be Colorado, Texas, Utah, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Missouri, and Kansas.
Worsts states, Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Idaho, Nevada, Maryland, Delaware, and Arkansas. Pretty interesting lol
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/September-08/U-S–Regions-Display-Marked-Personality-Differences.html
David Frum in this morning’s Washington Post urges the Republic Party to cut loose McPalin and concentrate on keeping some sort of presence in the new congress.
He quotes a senior House GOP member: “There is not a safe Republican seat in the country,” he warned. “I don’t mean that we’re going to lose all of them. But we could lose any of them.”
Opps, left Oklahoma out as one of the good and balanced states.
Arizona doesn’t look to bad either. The east coast where the populations is dense, seems heavily neurotic.
I am not a native Kansan, but when did Kansas last vote for a Democratic president? Has the state ever voted for a Democratic president?
This election is like no other election we have ever seen and with the current Wall Street crisis and the prospect of more job losses to come, I think even moderate Republicans know that their beloved party is in trouble.
And how many moderate Republicans are now blaming the Religious Right for the hijacking of the GOP party? Maybe this is the year the moderate Republicans will decide to punish the Religious Right by either not voting or for voting Obama in their secret behind-the-curtain polling place?
Agnatha
Posted October 26, 2008 at 9:05 am | Permalink
The Republicans holding onto Kansas, always a probability, became a certainty when McCain became the nominee.
—
Maybe. But I believe the deal was sealed with the addition of Palin to the ticket.
The skids were greased by the GOP for McCain to win the candidacy because no other candidate would let them claim the center. The only way the GOP could win POTUS, with Bush holding a 27% approval rating, was to find another 23.1% of voters to like their candidate enough to vote for him/her.
So it came to pass, and life for the GOP seemed to be good.
Then, out of the blue, McCain picked Caribou Barbie as his running mate, idea being to fire up the base. The base is Kansas, or includes Kansas. They are indeed fired up (some of ‘em here are berzerk, actually).
However, it cost him the independents. Bit time. And it’ll likely cost the GOP the election. In fact, it may send the GOP to the very place it thought it had sent the Democrats in 2004.
So the GOP wanted to shelve its patented high hard one in favor of a little curveball. Unfortunately, McCain shifted his fielders right and then hung that curveball when he added Imelda Palin to the ticket. The result is likely to be a base clearing triple hit into the left field corner — if not something deposited in the street beyond the left field bleachers.
In biz this is known as “hoping for A while rewarding B,” or pursuing a strategy that’s internally inconsistent.
mom, here is a site showing a history of Kansas elections: It was 1964 the last time Kansas went Democratic in a presidentail election. Hasn’t happened often, we’re a bit behind the learning curve.
http://www.270towin.com/states/Kansas
“mom” –
LBJ carried Kansas, I think, in 1964.
You might have to go back to Kansas Governor Alf Landon, who lost to Roosevelt in 1936.
Thanks for the info Linda and Monkeyhawk. I am a registered independent and alot of people I know are very moderate in their politics, both
Democrats and Republicans. And the one common thing I keep hearing from the Republicans is that they are becoming more and more annoyed by the Religious Right who seem to be rabid, even vicious with their personal attacks on anyone – even fellow Republicans who disagree with them.
Perhaps this is the year the moderates of the Republican Party show the Religious Right just how much power they have without the moderates?
This will certainly be an interesting election – that’s for sure.
mom, the people I know best are those same “moderates” you mention. And, for the same reason you state are disappointed (sometimes disgusted) with the Republican Party. Most of them hope with enough rope the “social” conservatives will hang themselves.
I don’t think it will ever happen as they seem possessed of their ideas of morality being legislated. They seem to “think?” if they were only able to get The Constitution to reflect the Bible we would automatically solve all problems since morality would be forced on the sinners. Kinda like forcing democracy on Iraq… They also seem unable to recognize that most Americans can achieve morality without mixing organized religion and politics.
These same people seldom see beyond the “social / moral” issues to what should be important in the governance of America.
The Republican Party needs their numbers so continue to pander to them. I wonder if they will ever be smart enough to see their agenda isn’t furthered once they’re used to get enough votes to get the candidate elected?
I think this is the direction the GOP will take in the next 10 days. They’re probably fightin….er, discussing this very article in somebody’s den strategically located among Yale, Harvard, and Dartmouth as we speak:
—
NOT EVEN CLOSE
Sorry, Senator. Let’s Salvage What We Can.
By David Frum
Sunday, October 26, 2008; Page B01
There are many ways to lose a presidential election. John McCain is losing in a way that threatens to take the entire Republican Party down with him.
…In these last days before the vote, Republicans need to face some strategic realities. Our resources are limited, and our message is failing. We cannot fight on all fronts. We are cannibalizing races that we must win and probably can win in order to help a national campaign that is almost certainly lost. In these final 10 days, our goal should be: senators first.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102302081.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
—
So Palin and McCain will find a place between the bus wheels to exist for the next 10 days while the GOP works to lose no more than 5 Senate seats.
Sounds about right to me.
Obama is a dangerous demagogue, pure and simple. Anyone ever heard of Huey Long? That’s what Obama is, except Huey came right out and said he was going to redistribute wealth. Obama is lying through his teeth telling you one thing, but will do another.
If you thought the New Deal, Fair Deal and Great Society were liberal, you haven’t seen anything yet. At least FDR, Truman and LBJ would never back down from protecting America’s pride and erdaicating the world of evil. Obama will do no such thing. I’m sure he’ll be meeting with Kim Jong-Il, Hugo Chavez, and the Iranian president before he takes the oath.
The Democrat Party will screw up royally over the next two years. When Obama’s Marxist policies are so hated by American voters, in 2010, the Democrat Party will lose so many seats in the House and Senate their heads will spin. Clinton never had a filibuster-proof Senate, and he was forced to the center by the GOP Congress. Obama is going to stick to his Marxist playbook, and in 2012, the Republicans will be able to run anyone and oust this demagogue.
But what if it’s the other way Joe?
WHAT if Democrats actually manage to turn this bad patch of a country around?
Why, the Republican party might be out of power for…oh, maybe the rest of our lives.
But Republicans don’t mind redistributing the wealth to the top wealthiest Americans and wealthiest corporations by way of tax cuts, do they?
Who do you think foots the bill for those tax cuts? Hint – the hardworking middle class people who are on the verge of losing their jobs to these wealthiest corporations who use their tax cuts to relocate their jobs overseas.
How is that good for America?
ICTisInferior
Posted October 26, 2008 at 10:49 am | Permalink
The Democrat Party will screw up royally over the next two years. When Obama’s Marxist policies are so hated by American voters, in 2010, the Democrat Party will lose so many seats in the House and Senate their heads will spin.
—
I think it’ll take another two years, at the soonest. Say 2012 – at the soonest.
After all, those wily Democrats ain’t stupid, and if one’s honest with oneself one must admit they had pretty good seats in Congress during 2004-2006. In other words, they understand as well as, if not better than, the GOP just why they were able to come back so quickly. Their comeback followed a 6-year lock by the GOP on both Leg and Exec branches. Forgive me, but I don’t believe the Democrats are any less honest than the GOP when it comes to wielding such power — which is I believe your point as well.
Plus, there will be a bloody civil war for the GOP to overcome. It ain’t easy to do that in 2 years, especially when half the party is addicted to berserker behavior in their leaders.
Neo-Conservatives will be gone after what they have done.
The socialist like Obama will destroy themselves because the only thing we know about socialism is that it doesn’t work.
It has failed throughout history. Anyone trying to make it work will meet the exact same fate as the Romans.
I take solice in knowing that socialism failing is a law of nature. Just like the law of supply and demand.
Ron Paul Republicans own the 2012 elections. Maybe not president, but all we need is 30% of the house in order to get freedom put into the laws they pass.
You have Mccain railing against the bridge, you have palin wanting the bridge (then not wanting, thanks, but then no thanks is right on).
Together they are a true bridge to nowhere, but one Kansans will embrace with their self defeatist mindsets.
Ron Paul Republicans own the 2012 elections. Maybe not president, but all we need is 30% of the house in order to get freedom put into the laws they pass.
hahahahahahahahahaheeheeheeehheheheheheh
The bottom line that most will NOT face is that the USA will be 50% Hispanic by 2050. That is a fact.
I’ve never met a pro-business moderate in all my life.
“You reference Thomas Frank. Why? He is a liberal hack who has no credibility what so ever. His stock in trade is telling Republicans how stupid they are. Is Frank the new Burdett Loomis? Is he now the go to guy for the lazy media when they need a quote about Republicans? Heres a hint. Try going to a real Republican. You never go to a Republican when you want a slant on what the Democrats are doing. Oh well, just trying to be helpful.”
Consider your blindly partisan posting history here, and your credulous acceptance of the wackiest right wingers (you are the individual who suggest Jerome Corsi as a presidential debate moderator, not a suggestion from someone who lives in the reality based community), your ability to identify someone as a “hack” is questionable at best. Thomas Frank certainly is fiercely partisan. However, he researches a topic well and produces defensible and well supported arguments. Corsi, on the other hand, is a hack and his work has easily discredited as factually inaccurate.
ICTisInferior
Posted October 26, 2008 at 10:45 am | Permalink
Obama is a dangerous demagogue, pure and simple. Anyone ever heard of Huey Long? That’s what Obama is, except Huey came right out and said he was going to redistribute wealth. Obama is lying through his teeth telling you one thing, but will do another.
__________________________________________________
That’s YOUR opinion and not a very well thought out opinion at that.
Redistribution of wealth has been a mainstay of the Bush administration; the middle class pays taxes and republicans give it to the wealthy few and the large corporations.
I look forward to seeing that trend reversed.
All I can say is that Kansans must:
1) really like war and want to get into another one in the next 4 years
2) are happy to not work on Tankers and would rather have Europeans do so.
3) are always happy to vote for a candidate that is pro-life but won’t be able to change the law
4) satisfied with an inexperienced VP that hasn’t spent much time trying to understand foreign and national politics
5) likthe status quo and think Bush did a great job the last 4 years
6) aren’t smart enough to question the GOP
One last thing, Kansans are showing that they can be easily be fooled and get nervous about having a black leader that doesn’t look like them.
The R’s are just more comfortable with the Big Daddy image, they buy into the upper echelon having the great vision and compassion to keep a steady hand on the till and guide the country to prosperity.
Same reason they bought into bush the defender.
BY the way, McCain and Bush both know that they don’t have to do much to for Kanasans in order to get their votes. ALll they have to be is republican and the Kansans with love them, for some weird reason.
Pendant responds to me:
Agnatha
Posted October 26, 2008 at 9:05 am | Permalink
The Republicans holding onto Kansas, always a probability, became a certainty when McCain became the nominee.
—
“Maybe. But I believe the deal was sealed with the addition of Palin to the ticket.
“The skids were greased by the GOP for McCain to win the candidacy because no other candidate would let them claim the center. The only way the GOP could win POTUS, with Bush holding a 27% approval rating, was to find another 23.1% of voters to like their candidate enough to vote for him/her.
“So it came to pass, and life for the GOP seemed to be good.
“Then, out of the blue, McCain picked Caribou Barbie as his running mate, idea being to fire up the base. The base is Kansas, or includes Kansas. They are indeed fired up (some of ‘em here are berzerk, actually).
“However, it cost him the independents. Big time. And it’ll likely cost the GOP the election. In fact, it may send the GOP to the very place it thought it had sent the Democrats in 2004.”
Well written Pendant, but I do disagree with you some in the particulars about Kansas.
Republican victory in Kansas (again) was sealed with McCain, no Palin necessary. The right wing base is still the most reliable constinuancy Republicans have in Kansas, and would not be able to bring themselves to vote for Obama. The base voters here will vote for McCain, Palin or no Palin, because they might as well as long as they are voting for the likes of Tiarht, Wagle, Journey, etc. Palin doesn’t make a difference in Kansas, because the “base” wasn’t going anywhere, and they will not sit out elections The prize in Kansas are the moderates, including the Republican leaning foul weather voters who rose up to knock off Kline and Ryun. If the Republicans had nominated the guy who won the caucus here instead of McCain, Obama’s chances here would have been much better, because Huckabee would have turned off many of the same voters who were turned off by Kline. Kansas is reliably Republican, and the Christian Right has taken over much of the machinery of the party here, but we are not, despite what people think, anywhere close to the center of wingnuttia. That is south of the Mason Dixon line, or in regions such as eastern Oklahoma and southern Missouri. Compared to these places, Wichita is like Greenwich Village, and Wichita is far more conservative than the northeastern I-70 corridor where half the population of Kansas now resides.
There are base voters in Kansas, but they don’t rule the state like they do in much of Oklahoma, or Missouri, or states like Mississipi, Alabama, etc. When the right goes too far, they get smacked down, not in favor of “liberals”, but in favor of moderate conservatives.
Like Thomas Frank has said, McCain bridges the divide. Where I differ with him, and apparently you, is that I don’t think that needed Palin to do that. In fact, if anything, Palin hurts McCain slightly in Kansas, because some of the JoCo millionares and other suburban moderates are looking at Palin and wondering what McCain was thinking. I don’t think it will turn many of them towards Obama, but if there is any movement from the Palin selection, it will be in that direction.
This is a golden opportunity for the Republican moderates to make a statement and reclaim their party. If Kansas Repubs either refrain from voting, or vote against their party, the necessary soul searching and purge of the party will happen. And the RWE’s will once again be cast to the wayside.
Their other alternative is to be called Rino’s, and be the passive republicans they’ve been driven to be.
In the larger scheme of national politics, kansas repubs effect on the winner will be negligent this election, so they really have nothing to lose, but their party to gain back.
Barnie
“Religion has no place in politics”?
You are a hypocrite.
How about:
Rev. Jesse Jackson
Rev. Al Sharpton
Rev. Jeremiah Wright
Rev. Father Flager
Rev. Louis Farrakhan
ALL Obama supporters and advisors, over the years! (Even if Obama tries to distance himself from them, now.)
What will be interesting is what happens to Sarah Palin after Nov 4th. If McCain/Palin are not elected (and it looks very likely they will not), then will Palin be welcomed back to Alaska as their beloved governor or are there now too many questions lingering about the way she does things? I saw today on a website that the major newspaper in Alaska endorsed Obama -did anyone else see that?
The Troopergate was only one investigation and from rumblings on the internet blogs, there seems to be more questions regarding Palin’s handling of government projects, such as that gas pipeline she keeps crowing about. Will there be more questions about Palin? Will there be another ‘maverick’ that wants to topple the Palin political machine and claim the title of the real ‘maverick’?
Or will Palin now get her own radio talk show and be a fellow Rush Limbaugh and keep stoking the hatred of the Republicans against the Obama Administration?
Or, perhaps, Palin will continue to be the darling Messiah of the Religious Right and they will break away from the GOP and start their own party?
Like I said before, this election will certainly be an interesting one to watch.
Franklin, when you lie on a SUNDAY, it makes the baby jesus cry…
NONE of those named have ever been political advisors to obama.
link please?
Franklin – what is your beef? I remember the many Evangelical Christians who were on the speed dial to George W. Bush but yet you don’t seem to count them on your list – why not?
You forget that the Constitution is for everybody – not just those people you deem ‘worthy’.
But I also remember Billy Graham – he was a personal friend and adviser to BOTH Democrat and Republican presidents.
I think the message about ‘relgion and politics don’t mix’ is when one religion tries to take over the politics – that is where there is real danger to the rest of the country. Case in point – Evangelical Christians who hijacked the GOP party and have now run it to the ground.
“This is a golden opportunity for the Republican moderates to make a statement and reclaim their party.”
Uh, I think they are too busy cowering and hunkering down, when they are not working for sebelius and parkinson…
Let’s not forget mcsame and hagee. And palin and the witch hunter….
wingnut logic. It’s funny when it isnt just freakin’ sad.
Looks like palin’s going to the the Joe the Plumber effect. People have taken a closer look at her, and she don’t seem as pretty and appealing as at first blush.
She went for the gold, and won’t even end up with a bronze.
“In fact, if anything, Palin hurts McCain slightly in Kansas, because some of the JoCo millionares and other suburban moderates are looking at Palin and wondering what McCain was thinking.”
Those latte drinkin’ republicans in Joco dont like “billies” of any kind. Hillbillies, prairiebillies, or snowbillies!
KFG
“none” is a strong word, is it not?
Lets start with someone I left out of my list, who was that Black “anti-gay” pastor that YOU gave Obama a hard time about? I forget his name, but I am sure you remember, as you blasted Obama for tagging along with THAT pastor, on dozens of occassions!
Now, Jew hating Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan ran the “Million Man March” on Washington. Obama attended the “Million Man March”. Farrkhan lives in Obama’s old State Senate District. The Nation of Islam is based in Chicago. Farrakhan often speaks at Obama’s Church. Obama’s Church gave Farrakhan an award.
Pastor Jeremiah Wright was on the original Obama Websites with a campaign position.
Jesse Jackson and Michelle Obama are close friends. Michelle Obama claimed, once, that she “practically grew up” in the Jackson home.
Obama’s ENTIRE job, as a “community organizer” was to get Black churches involved in the political process.
Obama says this, in Obama’s own book!
Many of the ACORN and Community Organizer meetings that Obama RAN were in the basements of Chicago churches!
mom
My “beef”?
I think Churches have a duty and responsibility to be involved in legislative issues and moral issues.
I am sick and tired of hypocrites who bash the “Religious Right” while they ignore, or make excuses for, the “Religious Left”.
Is that so hard to understand?
Oh, My GOD!
“Now, Jew hating Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan ran the “Million Man March” on Washington. Obama attended the “Million Man March”. Farrkhan lives in Obama’s old State Senate District. The Nation of Islam is based in Chicago. Farrakhan often speaks at Obama’s Church. Obama’s Church gave Farrakhan an award.”
Hee hee hee heeeeeeee.
And Kennedy’s secretary was named Lincoln, and Lincoln’s secretary was named Kennedy.
Must be a conspiracy.
Jesus Paulie. The shark called… And then hung up. He’s given up on you.
As mom mentioned above, The Anchorage Daily News endorses Obama for POTUS.
Don’t miss this part where this is admitted: “…Yet despite her formidable gifts, few who have worked closely with the governor would argue she is truly ready to assume command of the most important, powerful nation on earth. To step in and juggle the demands of an economic meltdown, two deadly wars and a deteriorating climate crisis would stretch the governor beyond her range. Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time.”
————-
Obama for president
Palin’s rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand
Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.
Gov. Palin’s nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency — but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.
More at:
http://www.adn.com/opinion/story/567867.html
“I am sick and tired of hypocrites who bash the “Religious Right” while they ignore, or make excuses for, the “Religious Left”.”
Not me. I loath ALL religions, left and right :)
McCain will carryKansas – about 55-43 with 2 for the libertarian. Eagle-endorsed commie lib Tankerless Todd will be re-elected about 60-40 as will Roberts. However, with large Democratic majorities in the Congress and a Democrat in the White House they will be quite rightly marginalized.
I got a kick out of the Eagle’s endorsement of Tiahrt – mainly bcause he is a good pork-barreller.
#
situveux1
Posted October 26, 2008 at 12:02 pm | Permalink
I’ve never met a pro-business moderate in all my life.
________________________________
You dont get out much, do you? Is that basement damp?
“I am sick and tired ….”
Well hell, Franklinpaulie and here I was thinking you were dead.
Prepare for more and greater personal illness and fatigue!
Linda
McCain Palin will WIN Alaska by at least a 20% margin.
What do Wichita and Anchorage have in common? LOL, you will never guess:
“Ownership change
The McClatchy Company has owned the Daily News since 1979, when it bought a controlling interest from Kay Fanning, who had been editor and publisher since the death of her husband, Larry Fanning, in 1971. Kay Fanning continued as the head of the paper until mid-1983.
The Daily News was the first of two newspapers that the then-122-year-old, California-based, McClatchy Company bought outside the state. (The Kennewick, Washington, Tri-City Herald was the other.) McClatchy would later grow to become a national newspaper company.
[edit] Criticism
In 1997, the weekly Anchorage Press newspaper ran a controversial article that alleged the Daily News’ quality and newsroom morale had declined substantially since the McClatchy buyout and the Daily News’ subsequent victory in its newspaper war with the Anchorage Times, which went out of business in 1992. The Press article’s title, “Paper in Peril,” was a parody of the name of the Daily News’ 1989 Pulitzer-winning series. While the Press’ extensive interviews (mostly of unnamed sources) pointed out genuine problems and turmoil in the Daily News’ newsroom, many believed the article unfairly maligned McClatchy in general and Daily News Editor in Chief Kent Pollock in particular[citation needed]. Others believed the article unintentionally reflected at least as poorly on the rank-and-file reporters and editors as it did on management”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchorage_Daily_News
Wichita and Anchorage suffer from stubborn, lefty journalists who will run their home town newspapers into the ground in support of liberal causes!
CapnAmerica
Posted October 26, 2008 at 9:41 am | Permalink
Hey, ReguLIAR?
Which powerless minority did your pastor damn to an eternal lake of everlasting fire this morning?
Gays and their “agenda”?
==================================
Naw…We have a ‘gay’ deacon, even though he doesn’t talk about it much.
We talked about the giving donations to the Church’s ‘trunk candy event.’ Instead of ‘trick or treating’ the kids can come by the open trunks of parishioners and grab candy. They especially like those trunks of the Cadillac’s and Lincolns. :D
Actually, an Obama victory will be bad for the country, but absolutely wonderful for the Republican Party.
Remember Clinton?
“Middle Class Tax Cut”?
“End Welfare As We Know It”?
Obama will be forced to break ALL of his moderate sounding promises.
Obama will keep all of his radical left promises.
If Obama wins, Obama will have won by pretending to be a “moderate” — but it will be impossible for Obama to GOVERN as a “moderate” —
Much is made of the Clinton economy. The truth is, the ONLY positive thing that Bill Clinton did, economically, was to cut the capital gains tax rate. This caused a HUGE increase in federal revenues.
Obama wants to RAISE the capital gains rate.
Hate for Republicans does not serve you well. You should study how successful Democrats have managed to get re-elected.
Obama sounds more like LBJ and Jimmy Carter than Bill Clinton.
Instead of ‘trick or treating’ the kids can come by the open trunks of parishioners and grab candy. They especially like those trunks of the Cadillac’s and Lincolns.
Just a question, not an argument, because, as we all know, Halloween is a pagan, devil-worshipping holiday, are those trunks only for the children of that particular church or for all children trick or treating?
Remember Clinton?
Yeah, he was in office for 8 years, and you all keep bringing hime up after 8 years of falling failing economics. Thanks for the reminder!
#
Predestined
Posted October 26, 2008 at 1:51 pm | Permalink
Instead of ‘trick or treating’ the kids can come by the open trunks of parishioners and grab candy. They especially like those trunks of the Cadillac’s and Lincolns.
Just a question, not an argument, because, as we all know, Halloween is a pagan, devil-worshipping holiday, are those trunks only for the children of that particular church or for all children trick or treating?
==========================================
Usually just children of the church, but in the past years, the neighborhood children come by and get their candy. :)
We do it primarily and as I understand it, because one child was hit by a car while ‘trick or treating.’
That was the original intent – safety.
Sorry to disappoint, we don’t burn witches or put them in stocks. :)
Pre
How do Democrats get reelected?
Apart from a strong third party race splitting the vote, Democrats win by pretending to be moderates.
IF Obama wins, Tiahrt is safe until Tiahrt decides to retire.
IF Obama wins, Republicans take both houses of Congress, in 2 years.
Obama can not vote “present” as President. Obama will, finally, have a record that he can not hide.
By the way, Clinton left office in a bear market and a recession.
“The Hamiltonian-Bull Moose tendency is the great, moderate strain in American politics. In some sense this whole campaign was a contest to see which party could reach out from its base and occupy that centrist ground. The Democratic Party did that. Senior Democrats like Robert Rubin, Larry Summers and Jason Furman actually created something called The Hamilton Project to lay out a Hamiltonian approach for our day.
McCain and Republicans stayed within their lines. There was a lot of talk about earmarks. There was a good health care plan that was never fully explained. And there was Sarah Palin, who represents the old resentments and the narrow appeal of conventional Republicanism.
As a result, Democrats now control the middle. Self-declared moderates now favor Obama by 59 to 30, according to the New York Times/CBS News poll. Suburban voters favor Obama 50 to 39. Voters over all give him a 21 point lead when it comes to better handling the economy and a 14 point lead on tax policy, according to the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.
McCain would be an outstanding president. In government, he has almost always had an instinct for the right cause. He has become an experienced legislative craftsman. He is stalwart against the country’s foes and cooperative with its friends. But he never escaped the straitjacket of a party that is ailing and a conservatism that is behind the times. And that’s what makes the final weeks of this campaign so unspeakably sad.”
–David Brooks, today’s NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/opinion/26brooks.html?hp
—
The GOP is sick, sick, sick. It’ll have to shed a bunch of itself to get back to health. Actually, it may have to break apart and reform multiple times before it’s ready to lead again.
The question is, which bunch will it get shed of first?
“But I suspect that the main reason for the dramatic swing in the polls is something less concrete and more meta than the fact that events have discredited free-market fundamentalism. As the economic scene has darkened, I’d argue, Americans have rediscovered the virtue of seriousness. And this has worked to Mr. Obama’s advantage, because his opponent has run a deeply unserious campaign.”
–Paul Krugman, today’s NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/opinion/26krugman.html?hp
—
Unserious isn’t the word for it. Unhinged from reality is more like it.
There are over 230 PUMA websites.
“Party Loyalty My ASS!”
PUMA followers are told to say that they are voting for Obama, if polled. That, alone, could throw off the pollsters.
http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2008/10/pumas-the-democrats-the-media-doesnt-want-to-talk-about/
How about some stories on the “splits” in the Democrat Party?
The bias of the media is best illustrated by the stories that the media refuse to run.
Pedant
Though it is difficult to explain in soundbites, the mortgage mess was caused by DEMOCRATS.
The vast majority of economists, bankers and financial professionals know that sub-prime loans were invented by Democrats, pushed on banks by Democrats, and that those lenders were protected from regulators, by DEMOCRATS!
PAULSON WAS A DEMOCRAT!
Pedant
Paulson is no conservative:
“Robert Novak called attention to Paulson’s Democrat DNA last October. It’s worth reminding you of Paulson’s instincts and the liberal allies he has installed at the Treasury Department:
…[T]he former Goldman Sachs CEO does not act or sound much like a conservative Republican to the GOP remnant at the Treasury. “It’s not in Hank Paulson’s DNA,” one official told me. Is he loyal to Bush? “Hank is for Hank,” he replied.
Paulson marched to his own drummer… by naming Eric Mindich, chairman of Eton Park Capital Management, to head the Asset Managers’ Committee of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets. A former Goldman Sachs colleague of Paulson’s, Mindich is a top-level Democratic fundraiser. He was in Sen. John Kerry’s inner circle for the 2004 presidential campaign and backs Sen. Barack Obama for 2008.
Republicans in the administration were amazed that the White House acquiesced in appointing a Democratic activist to lead a group “to develop best practices” for asset managers. These critics wonder why President Bush did not ask Paulson why he could not name a Republican financier for this position…[A] Treasury spokesman replied that “we were looking for somebody who is well respected in the industry” to fill what is “not really a political position.” By that measure, no Treasury job can be considered political.
That includes Bob Steel, under secretary for domestic finance…Brought to the Treasury by Paulson a year ago, Steel is a retired Goldman Sachs vice chairman who worked there with Rubin and Paulson. Federal Election Commission records show no political contributions by Steel since the 2002 cycle, when he gave exclusively to Democrats (including Sen. Charles Schumer of New York). Steel, who is Board of Trustees chairman of Duke University in Durham, N.C., contributed to the North Carolina Democratic Party and its Senate candidates, Dan Blue and Erskine Bowles.
Although Paulson was a generous Republican contributor and prodigious Bush fundraiser (over $100,000) in the 2004 cycle, his earlier political giving was more varied. He contributed to Bill Clinton in 1992, Democrat Bill Bradley’s 2000 presidential campaign, the feminist Emily’s List and Wall Street’s favorite Democrat, Chuck Schumer. Most of the Paulson family’s Democratic contributions come from the secretary’s wife, Wendy, who has supported Hillary Clinton.
All this was known to Bush in May 2006 when he tapped Paulson as a Treasury chief who would command respect on Wall Street. It should be no surprise then that he is regarded in his own administration as less a true Republican secretary than a transition to the next Democratic Treasury — a trademark of a lame-duck regime.
Paulson is also an activist eco-zealot who pushed Gore-esque, mandatory global warming reduction schemes as head of the Nature Conservancy and while at Goldman Sachs. From a 2006 WaPo profile touting Paulson’s green pedigree:
“It isn’t every day that the Sierra Club finds itself welcoming a nomination to George W. Bush’s Cabinet while ultraconservatives decry the move,” said Carl Pope, the Sierra Club’s executive director.
“But on issues like global warming, Hank Paulson appears to favor managing risk rather than cooking the books,” Pope said. “It is heartening that someone of Mr. Paulson’s stature in the financial world is willing to say that immediate action must be taken to combat global warming.”
Last year under Paulson’s direction, Goldman Sachs issued an eight-page position paper on environmental policy, saying it accepts a scientific consensus, led by United Nations climate experts, that global warming poses one of the greatest threats this century.
Like Bush, the Goldman Sachs statement endorsed a market for businesses to buy and sell rights to emit greenhouse gases, saying it will spur technology advances by companies “that lead to a less carbon-intensive economy.” But, it added, “Voluntary action alone cannot solve the climate change problem,” a position contrary to the Bush administration’s view.
The Nature Conservancy, under Paulson’s direction, likewise supports a mandatory approach. It supports legislation by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., to cap U.S. greenhouse gases at 2000 levels, within five years. The Senate defeated the measure last year.
Then there are Paulson’s longtime ties to the ChiComs. The Center for Security Policy’s Frank Gaffney blew the whistle during Paulson’s confirmation hearings in 2006. Prescient as always, Gaffney foresaw the very national security and economic conflicts of interest that now cloud the Paulson bailout plan. Paulson’s China promotion and profiteering are all the more relevant given the clamoring of foreign banks for a piece of the monster bailout action — and Paulson’s confirmation yesterday on ABC’s “This Week” that foreign-based banks would not be excluded:
Under Mr. Paulson’s leadership at Goldman Sachs, the company has been instrumental to the growth of Chinese economic power and particularly to its penetration of Western capital and other markets. He has been directly involved in developing his firm’s relationships with the PRC, priding himself on having made 70 trips there since late 1991. Consider just a few of the deals Goldman has managed, underwritten or otherwise facilitated under Henry Paulson’s leadership:
In 2005, Goldman Sachs not only advised the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) in its attempted takeover of Unocal. It also strove to ensure that the Chinese state-owned company’s bid prevailed after ChevronTexaco offered $17 billion in an effort to keep Unocal in U.S. hands. CNOOC was able to up the ante to $18.5 billion for the American concern, thanks to a bridge-loan Goldman Sachs arranged (along with J.P. Morgan). Fortunately, despite the assiduous efforts made by Mr. Paulson and his firm to secure Unocal for Communist China, the American people and Congress strenuously opposed the transaction, leading ultimately to its derailing.
In late January 2006, Goldman Sachs purchased a stake in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China’s biggest bank, for $2.58 billion. According to press reports, Mr. Paulson’s personal stake in this transaction was $25 million.
This is but one of many such state-owned banks the Chinese are interested in bringing to Hong Kong and other Western capital markets. As I told the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission last August”
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/09/22/why-henry-paulson-must-be-contained/
McCain finally says he’s the third coming of Bush!
NBC’s Tom Brokaw pointed to a review of McCain’s record, which showed he voted with Bush 92 percent of the time.
“So it’s a little hard for the public to separate you from this administration, isn’t it? ” Brokaw said.
McCain said there were times he has broken with the Bush administration, but added: “So do we share a common philosophy of the Republican Party? Of course.”
Obama has probably voted with Bush about 90% of the time, as well. I would bet that Obama has voted with Bush at least 80% of the time.
How many times has Bush vetoed anything that came out of Congress?
Not that often, really, and Obama usually votes with the majority.
Obama voted for the last Energy Bill, that Bush signed.
McCain voted against it.
Obama voted for the last Budget, McCain voted against it.
Obama voted for the “Bridge to Nowhere” earmark, in Alaska, McCain opposed it, Palin killed it.
Get used to it Franklin.
The Republican party and its ideals are finished. PROBABLY for the rest of your life.
Greed eventually devoured itself. Enjoy the political sidelines!
Predictions – after Nov 4:
Palin will become a talk-show host on FAUX.
McCain will retire from the Senate.
McCain will subsequently find his way to the Sunday talk show circuit on the MSM.
I’m sure Boxlock, Franklin, Regular, outlander can all identify with the common, plain McCain/Palin ticket:
The Republicans’ attempt to make the case that Barack Obama is hoity-toity and they’re hoi polloi has fallen under the sheer weight of the stunning numbers:
The McCains own 13 cars, eight homes and access to a corporate jet, and Cindy had her Marie Antoinette moment at the convention. Vanity Fair calculated that her outfit cost $300,000, with three-carat diamond earrings worth $280,000, an Oscar de la Renta dress valued at $3,000, a Chanel white ceramic watch clocking in at $4,500 and a four-strand pearl necklace worth between $11,000 and $25,000. While presenting herself as an I’m-just-like-you hockey mom frugal enough to put the Alaska state plane up for sale on eBay, Palin made her big speech at the convention wearing a $2,500 cream silk Valentino jacket that the McCain staff had gotten her at Saks.
Forgot HLP and Nathaniel whose family is probably the most like McCain.
econ,
Make some prints of this, and tape them to your bathroom mirror, refrig, etc.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/election2008/ig/Election-Funny-Pictures/McCain-Bush-Hug.htm
agnatha said: Consider your blindly partisan posting history here, and your credulous acceptance of the wackiest right wingers (you are the individual who suggest Jerome Corsi as a presidential debate moderator, not a suggestion from someone who lives in the reality based community), your ability to identify someone as a “hack” is questionable at best. Thomas Frank certainly is fiercely partisan. However, he researches a topic well and produces defensible and well supported arguments. Corsi, on the other hand, is a hack and his work has easily discredited as factually inaccurate.
- – - – - — — – - – - – - – - – - — – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - –
My oh my oh my. You speak of my “blindly partisan posting history” as if you and your ilk are anything but. Snap out of your Obama induced wet dream. As for Jerome Corsi, yes I did suggest him as a possible Presidential debate moderator. I was trying to think of someone so repulsive, so odorous, so offensive, that you people would scream your heads off. Kinda like we in real America feel about Jim (liar) Leher, Gwen (awful) Iffel and any other PBS hack that always seems to get these assignments. Bob Schiefer was a pleasant surprise as He did a good job with the 3rd. debate.
As for Jerome Corsi, America owes him a debt we can never repay for exposing “Lurch” for the phony that he was and is. A month ago he traveled to the Country of Barack Obama’s birth, Kenya, to try and find proof that He is Constitutionally unqualified to be President. Just as he was about to hit pay dirt, He was arrested and detained and only through the grace of God was He able to escape the Country and live to tell about it. Funny isn’t it. If BHO was truly born in Hawaii as his phony birth certificate claims to show, there would be no reason to worry about Corsi or anybody else poking around in Kenya.
econ was correct!
McCain doesn’t allows agree with Bush.
McCain was agin the 39.6% to 36% tax cut, but now he’s fer it. And he’s attacking Obama for ending what he was earlier agin.
New McCain Rips Old McCain’s Argument That Bush Tax Cuts Benefit The ‘Wealthy’
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/17/mccain-wealthy-taxes/
“Now that he has to court the hardline anti-tax factions of the conservative movement, McCain is changing his story on tax policy. In 2000, 2001, and 2003, McCain was one of the people “interested” in talking about “who the, quote, ‘wealthy’ are in America” when he argued against Bush’s tax cuts that “mostly benefit the wealthy“:
“There’s one big difference between me and the others – I won’t take every last dime of the surplus and spend it on tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthy.” [McCain campaign commercial, January 2000]
“I am disappointed that the Senate Finance Committee preferred instead to cut the top tax rate of 39.6% to 36%, thereby granting generous tax relief to the wealthiest individuals of our country at the expense of lower- and middle-income American taxpayers.” [McCain Senate floor statement, May 21, 2001]
“But when you look at the percentage of the tax cuts that – as the previous tax cuts – that go to the wealthiest Americans, you will find that the bulk of it, again, goes to wealthiest Americans.” [NBC’s “Today,” Jan. 7, 2003]
McCain now appears more interested in protecting the “wealthy” than he does in straight talk.”
doesn’t allows SB doesn’t always”
Ben posted October 26, 2008 at 3:07 pm
McCain will subsequently find his way to the Sunday talk show circuit on the MSM.
————-
His appearance today seems to be trying to get some sympathy votes? Or maybe it was supposed to be comedy?
‘McCain looks lost on “Meet the Press”‘
http://www.salon.com/opinion/walsh/election_2008/2008/10/26/mccain_mtp/index.html
“If John McCain was hoping to counteract Colin Powell’s stunning Barack Obama endorsement by doing “Meet the Press” a week later, I’m sure he’s disappointed. McCain seemed lost and not entirely convinced of his own arguments in an uninspiring sit-down with host Tom Brokaw.”
Conservatives for Obama tell us why –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBLnwMbYmUw
“My oh my oh my. You speak of my ‘blindly partisan posting history’ as if you and your ilk are anything but.”
This is known as projection. The assumption that those who oppose you have the same motivations you do, just opposite.
“Snap out of your Obama induced wet dream. As for Jerome Corsi, yes I did suggest him as a possible Presidential debate moderator. I was trying to think of someone so repulsive, so odorous, so offensive, that you people would scream your heads off. Kinda like we in real America feel about Jim (liar) Leher, Gwen (awful) Iffel and any other PBS hack that always seems to get these assignments.”
Oh, right. Yes, PBS, the evil empire that gave the modern conservative movement it’s initial exposure, and by extension was the unwitting midwife to the birth of it’s ranting insane child, the modern right wing nutcase. That being said, PBS, as always, provides reliable information, and intelligent opinion from across the political spectrum. Where would Faux be without the senior pundit training ground of the McLaughlin Group?
“Bob Schiefer was a pleasant surprise as He did a good job with the 3rd. debate.”
Uh oh, I actually agree with you here. But you are still not an inhabitant of reality based world.
“As for Jerome Corsi, America owes him a debt we can never repay for exposing ‘Lurch’ for the phony that he was and is.”
Corsi’s expose of “Lurch” was discredited by reputable researchers. Much like his Obama Nation was exposed for the garbage it was by reputable researchers.
“A month ago he traveled to the Country of Barack Obama’s birth, Kenya, to try and find proof that He is Constitutionally unqualified to be President.”
And how did that work out?
“Just as he was about to hit pay dirt, He was arrested and detained and only through the grace of God was He able to escape the Country and live to tell about it.”
Don’t they all say that? Oh, I almost got my proof, but I was foiled at the last minute. Corsi is as reliable and as honest as a three dollar bill.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/corsis_dull_hatchet.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-fg-kenyaobama8-2008oct08,0,3308005.story
Funny, I don’t see anything about his trying to find “proof” that Obama was born in Kenya.
Pathetic, simply pathetic.
“Funny isn’t it. If BHO was truly born in Hawaii as his phony birth certificate claims to show, there would be no reason to worry about Corsi or anybody else poking around in Kenya.”
No, it’s not fake. Corsi is bullsh*tting his credulous audience of people like you, Chris.
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html
John S (for Senile) McCain the Third (for Shrub’s 3rd term) has another senior moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oWzaioeTT0
(Notice, also, he doesn’t have Condoleezza’s endorsement. )
Monkeyhawk,
Thanks for link.
‘McCain Forgets His Own Military Endorsements!’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oWzaioeTT0
Seems odd how McCain lists 4, can’t remember the 5th, so he repeats the 4 again? And still can’t remember the 5th.
Malkin?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAAHAHAHA!
Colin Powell’s stunning Barack Obama endorsement? You must have been the only one who was surprised by it. The only surprise the rest of us had was that he did not wait till this weekend.
(Heavy southern accent on) You all remember Colin Powell don’t ya? He was that “plantation boy”, “Uncle Tom”, or whatever other derogatory term you people use when referring to a Black who sells out to “whitey” when He sold everybody on that there Iraq War. Remember his trip to that little ole U.N. General Assembly where he provided proof positive that Saddam Hussien had weapons of mass destruction? Now ole Colin was either an ignorant dufus who was easily misled by a bunch of good ole boy neocons or He was telling the truth. You all can’t have it both ways. (Heavy southern accent off).
Either way I seem to recall you lefties being plenty PO ed when He did it. But now he’s your hero again. The prodigal son has come home.
Here’s a news flash for you. If McCain recovers some in the polls this week and the race appears to be in doubt, look for a stunning resignation and endorsement of BHO by Condi Rice.
Chrissie keep closing your eyes and praying for a win It looks like the Dems are going to be in full power soon.
Perhaps you’d like to join HLP and prissy boy Nathaniel in their move to India?
Nathaniel might even be able to buy a wife there!
KANSAS VOTING THE AL QAEDA PARTY LINE!!!
John McCain isn’t boasting about a new endorsement, one of the very, very few he has received from overseas. It came a few days ago:
“Al Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,” read a commentary on a password-protected Islamist Web site that is closely linked to Al Qaeda and often disseminates the group’s propaganda.
The endorsement left the McCain campaign sputtering, and noting helplessly that Hamas appears to prefer Barack Obama. Al Qaeda’s apparent enthusiasm for Mr. McCain is manifestly not reciprocated.
Why the Moose-Dresser needed a $150,000 wardrobe.
http://tinyurl.com/6y226s
A gallery of her Alaskan fashion sense.
ChrisfromMcpherson, if you think you are a representative of what real America is, you obviously haven’t been out much.
#
mxyzptlk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:12 pm | Permalink
KANSAS VOTING THE AL QAEDA PARTY LINE!!!
John McCain isn’t boasting about a new endorsement, one of the very, very few he has received from overseas. It came a few days ago:
“Al Qaeda will have to support McCain in the coming election,” read a commentary on a password-protected Islamist Web site that is closely linked to Al Qaeda and often disseminates the group’s propaganda.
The endorsement left the McCain campaign sputtering, and noting helplessly that Hamas appears to prefer Barack Obama. Al Qaeda’s apparent enthusiasm for Mr. McCain is manifestly not reciprocated.
———————–
No link for that eh?
And you know of this Website and didn’t report it to the FBI?
I think someone should pay you a visit and confiscate your computer.
#
Political_mama
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:23 pm | Permalink
ChrisfromMcpherson, if you think you are a representative of what real America is, you obviously haven’t been out much.
—————————–
How many states have you lived in besides Kansas Pmom?
Just asking…
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:22 pm | Permalink
Why the Moose-Dresser needed a $150,000 wardrobe.
————————
Obviously MonkeyHock missed the fact, that the clothes aren’t Palin’s.
They will be returned after the campaign, much like the tux rented for prom. Of course, MonkeyHock didn’t go to a prom as he had no one that would go with him.
It explains a lot about him actually. :D
“Regular” –
Al Qaeda endorses McCain
http://tinyurl.com/665a3f
He’s good for their recruiting efforts.
#
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:37 pm | Permalink
“Regular” –
Al Qaeda endorses McCain
http://tinyurl.com/665a3f
He’s good for their recruiting efforts.
——————————–
You think knowing about a password protected Website of a known enemy is funny?
Even if the link comes from the NYT, someone could be in trouble.
Personally, I call B.S.
“Regular” –
Perhaps you’d like to explain to Piper Palin she has to give back this $790 Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Canvas Montorgueil PM bag she’s carrying.
http://tinyurl.com/5g2cbv
http://www.eluxury.com/estore/browse/product_detail.jsp?id=11870159
#
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:00 pm | Permalink
“Regular” –
Perhaps you’d like to explain to Piper Palin she has to give back this $790 Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Canvas Montorgueil PM bag she’s carrying.
http://tinyurl.com/5g2cbv
http://www.eluxury.com/estore/browse/product_detail.jsp?id=11870159
——————–
You show me a catalog shot and think that is proof of something?
I posted two links, “Regular.”
You’ll see little Piper carrying that same bag.
But you know that.
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:06 pm | Permalink
I posted two links, “Regular.”
You’ll see little Piper carrying that same bag.
====================================
Yeah, I can get the same handbag for $49.00 in Mexico.
Like I said, proof of what?
Palin’s $150,000 Makeover May Raise Her Tax Bill
By Ryan J. Donmoyer
Oct. 22 (Bloomberg) — Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s costly makeover may raise her tax bill. …
As for her taxes, Palin earned $166,080 last year, according to her IRS returns. Under some circumstances, the Internal Revenue Service may consider the clothing taxable as income to her, experts said. As a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker learned last year, the write-off for donating used designer clothing can amount to a fraction of their retail value.
“This is clearly income,” said Paul Caron, associate dean of the University of Cincinnati School of Law and editor of TaxProf Blog. “The charitable deduction will not eliminate all, or most, of the income.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=ayg4oNopCTac
“…, if the clothing is a nondeductible personal consumption benefit, her taxable income increases by the $150,000 spent.
Unluckily for Ms. Palin, the clothing appears to constitute nondeductible personal consumption. “
Are you suggesting, “Regular” that little Piper Palin is carrying a counterfeit bag?
That’s illegal, you know.
Piper Palin pals around with smugglers and counterfeiters!
#
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:15 pm | Permalink
Are you suggesting, “Regular” that little Piper Palin is carrying a counterfeit bag?
That’s illegal, you know.
—————————
I don’t know.
Perhaps it could be a Secret Service purse, where it provides a locating sensor for her where about.
Squirm, “Regular.”
#
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:22 pm | Permalink
Squirm, “Regular.”
———————-
For what reason?
When you put up B.S., expect it to be treated as such.
“Regular” gives us –
“Perhaps it could be…”
Give it up, “Regular.”
You have less credibility than Ashley Todd.
#
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:25 pm | Permalink
“Regular” gives us –
“Perhaps it could be…”
Give it up, “Regular.”
You have less credibility than Ashley Todd.
======================
Yeah right.
- You make a claim from an irrelevant source
- You expect it to fly
Sorry, you lose.
Regular
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:30 pm | Permalink
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:22 pm | Permalink
Why the Moose-Dresser needed a $150,000 wardrobe.
————————
Obviously MonkeyHock missed the fact, that the clothes aren’t Palin’s.
They will be returned after the campaign, much like the tux rented for prom. Of course, MonkeyHock didn’t go to a prom as he had no one that would go with him.
It explains a lot about him actually. :D
–
Actually, Regular, it was reported that the clothes are going to be given to charity after the election. That’s even worse – to spend $150,000 on clothes she plans to wear for 2 months?
What’s more telling is the fact that the McCain campaign concedes that Palin won’t be needing the new clothes after Nov 4th?
Palin pretends to be the hockey mom and yet allows the McCain campaign to dress her in elitist clothes that costs money than the majority of average Americans make in a year.
That was political stupidity at its finest!
#
mom
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:28 pm | Permalink
Regular
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:30 pm | Permalink
Monkeyhawk
Posted October 26, 2008 at 6:22 pm | Permalink
Why the Moose-Dresser needed a $150,000 wardrobe.
————————
Obviously MonkeyHock missed the fact, that the clothes aren’t Palin’s.
They will be returned after the campaign, much like the tux rented for prom. Of course, MonkeyHock didn’t go to a prom as he had no one that would go with him.
It explains a lot about him actually. :D
–
Actually, Regular, it was reported that the clothes are going to be given to charity after the election. That’s even worse – to spend $150,000 on clothes she plans to wear for 2 months?
What’s more telling is the fact that the McCain campaign concedes that Palin won’t be needing the new clothes after Nov 4th?
Palin pretends to be the hockey mom and yet allows the McCain campaign to dress her in elitist clothes that costs money than the majority of average Americans make in a year.
That was political stupidity at its finest!
===============================
Not really…
Especially if the wardrobe of Palin is limited and would not survive the rigors of the campaign.
I’m sure duh Libs would say something about her Walmart dresses and suits.
About that Ashley Todd hoax story – anybody else hear that the police are looking into the fact that this woman was encouraged to do this by the McCain campaign? If they get that confirmed, then McCain and Palin are certainly doomed to lose big time.
Perhaps this is the October surprise??
I’m sure the Secret Service would choose a French company like Louis Vuitton over, say, and American company like Coach…when it comes to installing locating sensors for tracking one’s “where about.”
By the way, I had a hard time even copying that f’d up prose with anything approaching a straight face.
Secret Service in the purse biz, oh yeah.
(I’m sure there’s a story forthcoming about you know who’s intimate dealings with purses and the Secret Service back in the glory days of the USAF, tho).
If I spent $150,000 on designer clothes, then I would certainly expect them to survive more than 2 months of campaigning – it’s not like the woman is out shoveling manure.
Get a grip Regular..
The only people who were putting down anyone’s clothes were the Republicans when they were talking about Michelle Obama buying her clothes off the rack.
Sounds like the elitist ones are on your side of the aisle in this one.
mom, agreed, it was incredibly stupid.
“Here’s $150,000 worth of designer clothing, now go out there and have a heart to heart with hockey moms everywhere.”
cuckoo for cocoa puffs
#
Pedant
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:32 pm | Permalink
I’m sure the Secret Service would choose a French company like Louis Vuitton over, say, and American company like Coach…when it comes to installing locating sensors for tracking one’s “where about.”
By the way, I had a hard time even copying that f’d up prose with anything approaching a straight face.
Secret Service in the purse biz, oh yeah.
(I’m sure there’s a story forthcoming about you know who’s intimate dealings with purses and the Secret Service back in the glory days of the USAF, tho).
===================
Actually no. I was on leave the times the POTUS came to bases I was stationed at.
I was however, at bases when the Secretary of State or some Ambassador arrived.
There were quite a bit of deception by the Secret Service on exactly when and where they would land.
Happened a lot in the cold war, where the Base Commander would be out to greet someone from the State Department and the commander knew all along they were landing somewhere else.
I’ve also seen doubles (dressed alike) of dignitaries.
#
mom
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:33 pm | Permalink
If I spent $150,000 on designer clothes, then I would certainly expect them to survive more than 2 months of campaigning – it’s not like the woman is out shoveling manure.
Get a grip Regular..
The only people who were putting down anyone’s clothes were the Republicans when they were talking about Michelle Obama buying her clothes off the rack.
Sounds like the elitist ones are on your side of the aisle in this one.
=====================
Don’t think I ever brought that up now did I?
Commenting on fashion is not my usual fare.
“Especially if the wardrobe of Palin is limited and would not survive the rigors of the campaign.” — Regular
#
Regular
Posted October 26, 2008 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
Commenting on fashion is not my usual fare.
========================================================
Since your fashion consists of vary-colored depends, I can see why.
#
JMWalker
Posted October 26, 2008 at 8:18 pm | Permalink
#
Regular
Posted October 26, 2008 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
Commenting on fashion is not my usual fare.
========================================================
Since your fashion consists of vary-colored depends, I can see why.
—————————–
That is the best you got?
mom
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:30 pm | Permalink
About that Ashley Todd hoax story – anybody else hear that the police are looking into the fact that this woman was encouraged to do this by the McCain campaign? If they get that confirmed, then McCain and Palin are certainly doomed to lose big time.
Perhaps this is the October surprise??
Interesting qustion. The McCain campaign was very fast getting this story out and spread around by their sycophants in the media. I hope she figures the only way she will get off easy is by turning ’states evidence’ and telling the police about hr handlers and their involvement.
It is easy to understand why the McCain people did this – they are hoping to stir up racial fears. Hopefully the truth about the McCain campaign’s hoax will do the opposite.
I’m wondering about that.
As far as I can find out, Todd is still in jail. Very odd given that vaughn told us she was at most guilty of a misdemeanor. Of course, there are no court proceedings on the weekends. SO they may have let her do the weekend in the pokey to mull things over. They wouldn’t risk all that unless they thought she had something more to tell them.
It’s heartening that the KS GOP can smooth over its culture war divide — the Bubbas v. Bankers.
Does that mean they’re on the same page on Bush’s — now McCain’s — Misbegotten War, Bush’s Misbegotten Deficit and Bush’s Misbegotten Recession?
Bush-McCain’s Misbegotten War and Fiscal Disaster are, kinda, then, too, also, though, the GOP Elephants in the room.
Their senior adviser and liaison with the christian right, Karl Rove, said he knows “the math.” Last time around, he was wrong.
Hmmm, I DID find out her bail was set at $50,000 but no one seems to have ponied up yet.
Money to dress up Sarah. But the hoaxer gets to sit in the big house. Cons do NOT take care of their own.
mom
Posted October 26, 2008 at 7:30 pm | Permalink
About that Ashley Todd hoax story – anybody else hear that the police are looking into the fact that this woman was encouraged to do this by the McCain campaign? If they get that confirmed, then McCain and Palin are certainly doomed to lose big time.
—————-
If they would do something like that, they would deserve to lose. Of course they wouldn’t, and anyone that would entertain a serious thought is not very bright.
“Of course they wouldn’t, and anyone that would entertain a serious thought is not very bright.”
ACORN forced her to do it!
Anybody familiar with bail bonds?
What is the bond on 50K? Doesn’t this woman have any family or friends?
It’s interesting out in the blogosphere. Much like happened here, the hoax story went to sleep for the weekend and seems to be waking up again.
wiki says:
Bond agents generally charge a fee of 10% of the total amount of the bail required in order to post a bond for the amount. This fee is not refundable and represents the bond agent’s compensation for his or her services.
Seems Alaska has some issues Palin may need to pay attention to as the state’s governor.
——
AFN wants an energy emergency declared
The Alaska Federation of Natives on Saturday called on the state and federal governments to declare an energy emergency in rural Alaska, and to cap the price of heating oil and gasoline in villages across the state.
more at:
http://www.adn.com/rural/story/568006.html
So, $5,000 huh? That is a pretty good chunk of change to give up.
But why is she even in jail?
Regular
Posted October 26, 2008 at 8:11 pm | Permalink
That is the best you got?
===================================================
Why, does the truth hurt that much?
outlander posted October 26, 2008 at 8:45 pm
mom posted October 26, 2008 at 7:30 pm
About that Ashley Todd hoax story – anybody else hear that the police are looking into the fact that this woman was encouraged to do this by the McCain campaign? If they get that confirmed, then McCain and Palin are certainly doomed to lose big time.
—————-
If they would do something like that, they would deserve to lose. Of course they wouldn’t, and anyone that would entertain a serious thought is not very bright.
————————
The McCain campaign may not have “encouraged” Todd, but it seems likely that their regional communications director pushed the bogus story to media.
The police thought Todd’s story (backward “B”, etc) was bogus from the beginning.
“B” Hoax Photographer Speaks: “I Only Gave Copies of the Photos to Police…and College Republicans”‘
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/astral66/2008/10/smoking-gun-b-hoax-photographe.php
“… Here’s the quote from today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (emphasis mine):
Mr. (Dan) Garcia took the widely published picture of Ms. Todd with her injuries. He said he took several photographs with a digital camera to document what had happened. He said he only gave copies of the photos to police and Ms. Todd’s employer, the College Republicans. One photo appeared on The Drudge Report on Thursday, setting off a storm of media attention.
Here, then, is the direct link between the College Republicans working for the McCain campaign and the story that the McCain campaign was pushing through it’s regional communications director, Peter Feldman, to the Pittsburgh media outlets.”
Hmmm, look what I found.
http://wonkette.com/403807/ashley-todd-our-greatest-hope-for-freedom
I think McCain wants her tossed under the bus. However, it seems to me they would have been better served by bonding her out and getting her into a ’secure facility’. If she talks about the role of her handlers this thing could get even more interesting?
How did those pictures get up on the internet so quickly? Why was the McCain campaign saying so much about the ‘attack’ in the hours following the hoax? Who was she with during the time between the ‘attack’ and going to the police?
I would assume she will have a hearing in the morning. Could be interesting.
I don’t like our voting system. My vote for Obama will be wasted because Kansas is a red stste. If our voting system was really fair, every single vote would count. None of this electoral college stuff. I always wonder why we bother to vote when our votes should count as approximately 1/200 millionth of a vote, not zero.
Obama Bombshell Redistribution of Wealth Audio Uncovered!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck
He out and out calls for ‘administrative legislative redistribution of wealth’!!!
He said and elaborated on it.
He is a socialist/communist in pure form.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1021/p09s01-coop.html
Why the economy fares much better under Democrats
On job and income growth, the record couldn’t be clearer.
By Larry M. Bartels
from the October 21, 2008 edition
PRINCETON, N.J. – John McCain is a maverick and Barack Obama is a postpartisan problem-solver. But you wouldn’t know it by looking at their economic plans. Both candidates’ proposals faithfully reflect the traditional economic priorities of their respective parties. That makes the track records of past Democratic and Republican administrations a very useful benchmark for assessing how the economy might perform under a President McCain or a President Obama. The bottom line: During the past 60 years, Democrats have presided over much less unemployment and much more robust income growth.
The $52.5 billion plan Senator McCain announced last week includes $36 billion in tax breaks for senior citizens withdrawing funds from retirement accounts and $10 billion for a reduction in the capital gains tax. Those are perks for investors, most of whom are relatively affluent. (McCain is also proposing a two-year suspension of taxes on unemployment benefits, but that’s a fraction of the plan’s cost.) He also favors broader tax cuts for businesses and wants to extend President Bush’s massive tax cuts indefinitely, even for people earning more than $250,000 per year.
McCain’s proposals reflect the traditional Republican emphasis on cutting taxes for businesses and wealthy people in hopes of stimulating investment – “trickle down” economics, as it came to be called during Ronald Reagan’s administration. But will proposals of this sort really “stop and reverse the rise of unemployment” and “create millions of new jobs” as McCain has claimed? The historical record suggests not.
President Bush’s multitrillion-dollar tax cuts, which were strongly tilted toward the rich, could not prevent (and may even have contributed to) significant job losses. On the other hand, when Bill Clinton raised taxes on affluent people to balance the federal budget (while significantly expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit for working poor people), unemployment declined substantially. Under Clinton’s watch, 22 million jobs were created.
Prefer a broader historical comparison? In the past three decades, since the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries oil price shocks of the mid-1970s and the Republican turn toward “supply side” economics, the average unemployment rate under Republican presidents has been 6.7 percent – substantially higher than the 5.5 percent average under Democratic presidents. (The official unemployment rate takes no account of people who have given up looking for work or taken substantial pay cuts to stay in the labor force.) Over an even broader time period, since the late 1940s, unemployment has averaged 4.8 percent under Democratic presidents but 6.3 percent – almost one-third higher – under Republican presidents.
Lower unemployment under Democratic presidents has contributed substantially to the real incomes of middle-class and working poor families. Job losses hurt everyone – not just those without work. In fact, every percentage point of unemployment has the effect of reducing middle-class income growth by about $300 per family per year. And the effects are long term, unlike the temporary boost in income from a stimulus check. Compounded over an eight-year period, a persistent one-point difference in unemployment is worth about $10,000 to a middle-class family. The dollar values are smaller for working poor families, but in relative terms their incomes are even more sensitive to unemployment. In contrast, income growth for affluent people is much more sensitive to inflation, which has been a perennial target of Republican economic policies.
Although McCain portrays Senator Obama as a “job killing” tax-and-spend liberal, the new $60 billion plan Obama unveiled last week also has a tax break as its centerpiece – a tax break specifically tailored to create jobs by offering employers a $3,000 tax credit for each new hire over the next two years. Obama’s proposal would also extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks for those who remain jobless, as well as match McCain’s in suspending taxes on unemployment benefits.
Obama’s new proposal complements $115 billion in economic stimulus measures he had already announced, including $65 billion in direct rebates to taxpayers and $50 billion to help states jump-start spending on infrastructure projects. All of this is squarely in the tradition of Democratic presidents since John F. Kennedy, who have relied on public spending and tax breaks for working people to stimulate consumption and employment during economic downturns.
These and other policies have produced not only lower unemployment under Democratic presidents but also more economic output and income growth. In fact, over the past 60 years, the real incomes of middle-income families have grown about twice as fast under Democratic presidents as they have under Republican presidents. The partisan difference is even greater for working poor families, whose real incomes have grown six times as fast under Democratic presidents as they have under Republican presidents.
Of course, past performance is no guarantee of what will happen when the next president takes office. However, given the striking fidelity of both presidential candidates to their parties’ traditional economic priorities, the profound impact of partisan politics on the economic fortunes of American families over more than half a century ought to weigh heavily in the minds of voters.
The one silver lining of this massive economic melt-down is knowing that stock-brokers like Franklin are hurting the most.
How’s business, Frankie, baby?!
Anybody else would say, “gee, maybe radical Republicanism isn’t so good for the economy.”
But not Frankie, baby. Nope, the only problem is that we didn’t have enough right-wing radicalism.
Dammit, man.
Reap what you’ve sown.
Reap it good.