McCain's Health Failing?

With less than a month before the election the McCain campaign has taken a strange tactic. They have pulled the Senator from the road and retreated to his ranch in Arizona.

In such a tough battle as this that is odd. Personally the only reason I can think of is, either they are rethinking the entire campaign strategy or he has some sort of health problem they are hiding.

The latter theory has a lot of traction since his strange facial twitching on camera this week and his apparent befuddlement trying to find his way off stage. Some doctors think he may have suffered a mini-stroke, while others attribute it simply to the grueling schedule of the campaign.

The other possibility of him reformulating his campaign could also be true, considering that even Republican pundits are admitting he may well lose the race. I would expect McCain to go completely negative in his future campaign. He will take the low road and attack Obama on whatever scurrilous basis he can find. He has few other options.

Then there is the third possibility, and that is an October surprise. I would guess it would come in the form of a "national security" problem such as a terrorist attack or other deus ex machina most likely either cooked up or allowed to happen by the Bush administration as a parting gift to McCain. Osama Bin Laden has been quiet for a while, so look for a new video or worse and you can bet any action to stop it will be delayed long enough for something bad to happen.

Paranoid? Let me know in three weeks. Meanwhile why is McCain hiding and where are his medical records?

McCain Will Turn To The Dark Side

As McCain pulls out of Michigan, he has few options left for his campaign but to turn to the dark side. Look for lots of really slanderous negative ads from his bunch and lots of whisper campaigns on the Internet.

Can Obama combat this stuff? Sure he can, but negative campaigns work if they are hammered out long enough. Keeping the topic on McCain's weak points will win the day. First it's the economy! Next it's McCain's own record. The following Obama ad shows some great promise.

Palin Still Incoherent In Interview Today

Sarah Palin was interviewed on FAUX News today and she is back to her rambling ditzy self. It makes me wonder if she wasn't getting information fed to her by a audio prompter. She just can't make any sense out of the answer to the question about "flexibility in the office of Vice President"

McCain's Health Care Plan - New TV Ad

House Passes Bailout

Finally the House of Representatives have come to their senses and passed the economic rescue measure. It is not perfect and it is understandable that their constituents are upset, but it is a bitter pill that we need to swallow.

The final vote was 263-171 meaning that around 30 members changed their votes from last week. Now if Bush will sign it we can start trying to pick up the pieces.

Palin Read Her Answers - Crib Notes!

What you might not have seen on last nights debate was the obvious fact that Palin was reading from crib notes when she answered questions. ThinkProgress.org has the split screen of her and Biden and you can clearly see her reading most of her answer.

Notes are one thing, but full blown talking points are another. The split screen clearly shows it and I have top wonder if the networks didn't consciously avoid showing the image of Sarah reading?

“The problem for Mrs Palin, however, is that she often seemed to run out of talking points - at which point her answers would devolve into the confusing ‘blizzards of words,’” writes Newsweek’s Andrew Romano.

Biden Wins Debate - Palin Doesn't Suck Too Bad

OK, since everyone else is doing debate postmortems, here goes mine.

I watched the debate on CNN and though I had at first ridiculed the "debate-o-meter" that they had hooked up to those undecided voters in Ohio, I found it very interesting as the little graph unrolled at the bottom of the screen.

From what I could tell, Biden got far more positive responses than everyone's favorite Hockey Mom. What was really interesting was watching how quickly people responded to certain phrases. For example, every time Palin called herself or John McCain a "maverick" the meter dropped. People either do not like the idea of mavericks or they know it's a ruse.

The other interesting thing was that the Iraq war pretty much flat lined. As an issue no one seemed interested in Palin's explanation for McCain's plan of action in Iraq, but when Biden gave a litany of the Bush failings there and he said Obama supported an orderly withdrawal of troops, the meter pegged in his favor. Additionally, when Palin tried to characterize that position as waving a white flag of surrender, the meter dropped. People were not buying it.

The other interesting thing about the graph at the bottom of the screen was how people responded to Biden's comments about Bosnia and Darfur. When he spoke of ending the genocide in Bosnia, the meter rose quickly and the subject of Darfur also got a very positive response. To me this says a lot about the character of Americans. We are concerned about injustice and suffering around the world, not just here. Now that is an America I am proud to be part of.

The biggest drop for Palin came when she used the term "Joe Six Pack" The green line indicating male response fell so fast it almost looked like it was moving backwards. That was the first time the meter bottomed out. Americans don't like to be spoken of as stereotypes, and Palin misjudged it big time.

So overall, I think Biden won. He was clear and calm and looked presidential. Palin was perky and charming, but had little substance beyond talking points, but considering the expectations we had been suckered into, she didn't suck too much.

Shea Stadium Closes - Nobody Notices

There was a big brouhaha about the closing of Yankee Stadium in New York. The "House that Ruth Built" is being demolished to make way for parking for the new Yankee Stadium. A sad time for loyal Yankee fans and one that brought lots of news coverage.

Just a couple of days ago the other major league baseball stadium in New York was shuttered as well, but hardly anyone noticed. Shea Stadium, built in 1964 adjacent to the New York World's Fair will meet the wrecking ball this month. The new Citi Stadium, where the NY Mets will play is rising in the parking lot, much like Yankee Stadium. The difference is, no one is making a big deal of this change.

Perhaps because so many people didn't care for Shea or for the Mets? Who knows? I will remember it because I attended that Fair back in 1964 and saw the stadium when it opened. All shiny and new and wreaking of the 1960's.

Though I never attended any Mets games, I will miss it. It is another reminder of my youth. Like the downtown theaters here in Dallas and the hotels along the Las Vegas Strip, these places remind me of a time long ago when life seemed very different than today. Going to the movies was an event. Visiting the World's Fair was a glimpse into the future and standing beneath the big Genii at the Dunes Hotel made me feel like I was in a fairy tale.

I guess waxing nostalgic come with growing older, but still I wonder if there might be men and women in New York who will find a piece of their past missing when they go to the new Citi Stadium. The might look at the empty lot and for a moment see the shiny new Shea Stadium. A glimpse into the future that was never meant to last. Like the buildings of the Fair, Las Vegas Hotels and much of the landmarks of my childhood, they were disposable architecture.

I wonder when someone will build something meant to last for the ages again?

McCain Campaign Leaves Michigan

The erratic campaign of John McCain is pulling up stakes in Michigan and leaving the state. The GOP had been encouraged by the 2000 primary in Michigan where McCain made a good showing and additionally counting on a blue-collar backlash against Obama.

Whatever the reason, they have left, pulling all TV ads and ending direct mail in the state. Guess Michigan will stay blue after all?

Homer Votes For Obama?

Americablog finds some of the niftiest stuff. Here is a leaked scene from the Simpsons where Homer tries to vote for Obama.

Up Is Not Down!

A friend found this being distributed at the Gay Pride Parade in NYC. I suspect it is from ACTUP but I can't be sure. The reason I re-post it is because it is absolutely true. Now it's time we took this list to heart and started making some real changes in our country.

We Will Not Protect You

THIS IS NOT A TEST
DOWN IS NOT UP
DAY IS NOT NIGHT
SITCOMS ARE NOT EQUALITY
COCKTAILS ARE NOT A CURE
MARRIAGE IS NOT FREEDOM
LIFESTYLES ARE NOT LIVES
FIGHTING IN THE MILITARY IS NOT A CIVIL RIGHT
WALMART IS NOT A LIVING WAGE
CNN IS NOT JOURNALISM
LOGGING PUBLIC FORESTS IS NOT ECOLOGY
EMERGENCY ROOM CARE IS NOT HEALTH CARE
INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS ARE NOT SOCIAL SECURITY
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS ARE NOT PENSIONS
DEFENSE CONTRACTORS ARE NOT DEFENSE
MERCURY CLOUDS ARE NOT CLEAR SKIES
PHOTO OPS ARE NOT TOWN HALL MEETINGS
FREE MARKETS ARE NOT DEMOCRACIES
FEAR IS NOT GOVERNANCE
U.S. FUNDAMENTALISM IS NOT BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE'S
FUNDAMENTALISM

THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL

McCain's Top Ten Lies

The folks at Politico.com took McCain's challenge seriously. While being interviewed by the Des Moines Register, McCain claimed that all the statements in his campaign ads were 100% true. He Even challenged the Register to check them.. Well they didn't take him up on that but Politico did and here is their Top Ten list of his lies:

1. On "The View," McCain claimed Sarah Palin did not take or request earmarks as governor of Alaska. "Not as governor, she didn't," McCain said. But in her first year in office, she requested $256 million in earmarks from the federal government.

2. Shortly after announcing Sarah Palin as his running mate, the McCain campaign ran an ad claiming, "She stopped the bridge to nowhere" — perhaps the most thoroughly debunked claim about the Alaska governor, who supported the bridge project before changing her position late in the game. Asked about the bridge during her 2006 gubernatorial bid, Palin replied: "I'm not going to stand in the way of progress."

3. At the Republican National Convention, McCain claimed Obama's national health insurance plan would "force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages and force families into a government-run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor." But according to factcheck.org, Obama's plan does not place burdens on small business, and people would have the option of keeping their existing insurance plans.

4. In a campaign ad, "Dome," McCain claimed Obama's election would result in "painful income taxes, skyrocketing taxes on life savings, electricity and home heating oil," the clear implication being that Obama wants to hike these tax rates. But factcheck.org says Obama hasn't proposed a tax on electricity or home heating oil and wouldn't raise taxes on investments for individuals earning less than $200,000 a year.

It's possible Obama's election would result in these tax rates increasing. But this McCain-Palin claim is a little like the Obama camp's misleading attack on McCain's Social Security plan, tagging his opponent with the most undesirable, unintended and far from certain consequences of his policy proposals.

5. McCain has repeatedly accused Obama of supporting higher taxes on people making as little as $42,000 a year. "Two times, on March 14, 2008 and June 4, 2008, in the Democratic budget resolution, he voted to raise taxes on people making just $42,000 per year," McCain said this week. But this is a misleading claim: Obama's votes were for nonbinding resolutions, which supported allowing certain Bush administration tax cuts to expire but didn't actually have the effect of raising taxes.

6. In a July visit to Colorado, McCain told voters: "I want to look you in the eye: I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase. I will not do it." Last Sunday, however, McCain acknowledged to ABC's George Stephanopoulos that his health care plan could lead to some people paying taxes on employer-provided health insurance.

"It depends on what plan they have," McCain said. "But that's usually the wealthiest people."

7. McCain's campaign claimed adviser Rick Davis had taken a leave of absence from his firm, Davis Manafort, and vigorously attacked a New York Times story suggesting that Davis had profited from Davis Manafort's relationship with mortgage lender Freddie Mac. "Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006," wrote McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb, who called the Times story "demonstrably false."

"Mr. Davis has never — never — been a lobbyist for either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac."

But Davis Manafort was receiving $15,000 monthly payments from Freddie Mac as recently as August, and while the payments didn't go to Davis personally he still stands to gain from the success of his firm.

8. McCain has boasted of never requesting a single earmark, saying in January: "I have never asked for nor received a single earmark or pork-barrel project for my state." But he has requested federal funding for special projects back home, including $10 million for a center at the University of Arizona, $5 million for a home-state water project and spending authority to purchase land around Arizona's Luke Air Force Base.

Politifact says it's a matter of debate whether these projects constitute pork-barrel spending — but clearly McCain has searched for federal help in his own backyard.

9. In last Friday's debate, McCain accused Obama of "voting to cut off funds for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan." But Obama has consistently voted in favor of war funding bills, including an earlier version of the bill McCain was discussing. The Illinois senator voted against this particular proposal because it did not push the Bush administration toward a timetable for withdrawal. McCain's comment was technically defensible — but rather too sly to be called "absolute truth."

10. In July, McCain accused Obama of skipping his visit to a military hospital in Germany because he was told he couldn't bring reporters and video cameras. McCain ran an ad saying: "Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." But when pressed to provide evidence that Obama had canceled the visit for this reason, McCain's campaign could not support their claim — and media reports found no evidence that Obama had ever planned to bring media with him.

Letterman Mocks Palin, Too! - Top Ten List

For the past week, since McCain ditched his appearance on Letterman to "return to Washington" (a lie), David Letterman has been merciless in his criticism of McCain. His monologues are rife with McCain jokes and he peppers his show with lines about McCain ditching him like an "ugly date".

Now, he has Sarah Palin in his sights and his wit and that of his writers is on target!

Here's last nights Top Ten List of things heard from the Palin debate camp in Arizona. Be sure to put a drum roll before number one!

10. "Let's practice your bewildered silence."

9. "Can you try saying 'yes' instead of 'you betcha'?"

8. "Hey, I can see Mexico from here!"

7. "Maybe we'll get lucky and there won't be any questions about Iraq, taxes or healthcare."

6. "We're screwed!"

5. "Can I just use that lipstick-pit bull thing again?"

4. "We have to wrap it up for the day -- McCain eats dinner at 4:30."

3. "Can we get Congress to bail us out of this debate?"

2. "John Edwards wants to know if you'd like some private tutoring in his van."

1. "Any way we can just get Tina Fey to do it?"

McCain Rants Against The Bailout He Voted For!

John McCain has gone around the bend. AmericaBlog posted this clip of him on the MSNBC program "Morning Joe" ranting about how the bill "put us on the brink of economic disaster" and yet he forgets he voted for it last night. Maybe he is just mumbling words and really meant pulled us from the brink of economic disaster, but with McCain, who can tell? Add to this mess, the fact that McCain lies again about Obama's involvement saying he "phoned it in". Obama was on the floor of the Senate last night speaking in favor of the bill, while McCain said nothing and simply voted.

LGBT Alaskan's On Sarah Palin - Video

The Human Rights Campaign sent a reporter to Wasilla, Alaska to see what LGBT Alaskans thought of Governor Palin. They were not very happy and sight many many specific instances of how Sarah Palin has made life worse for LGBT people in Alaska.

Did McCain Have A Stroke Onstage?

If you look at the video of an appearance today you can clearly see McCain start blinking his left eye. As he finishes his speech he cannot find his way offstage. The combination of the twitch and the confusion my be a sign of a mini-stroke. Watch it.

Palin Is A Skilled Debater - Really!

OK, so we've been led down the garden path on Sarah Palin. The Republicans have been trying to lower expectations for the debate with a series of interviews and other embarrassing stuff. True to form for the McCain campaign which only has one play, surprise. The fact that Palin is not a bad debater has remained a secret until now.

She holds her own in the gubernatorial debate in Alaska. Whether she can do the same with Biden is still a question, but I suspect she will be pretty good. Since they have been lowering expectations for her, even holding her own will look like a win.

Watch this video and expect a sharp exchange at the debate, not a deer in the headlights.

McCain - " I Always Aspire To Be A Dictator"

More from that Des Moines Register interview. Perhaps he is starting to sound a little too much like Bush?

The Angry John McCain Song - Video

Yes it's silly but I needed a laugh this morning.


Or in Mandarin if you really need a laugh.

McCain Turns Testy And Angry

John McCain has a reputation for having quite a temper. So far that has been kept in check on the road, but this rare interview with the Des Moines Register shows the real John McCain simmering below the surface. He does not answer questions and he is downright aggressive and sarcastic when faced with simple questions.

AmericaBlog.com has more on the story.

Obama Ahead In Polls On Economy

When it comes to economic issues, Barack Obama is ahead of John McCain in most peoples minds. That is a good thing for America and the Obama campaign.

In a Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters Barack Obama gets 51% to John McCain's 43%. The story in Ohio is similar with Obama getting 50% and McCain getting only 42%. Pennsylvania was even more telling with Obama at 53% and McCain at 39%.

The economic question ranks high for obvious reasons and is likely to be a major factor in the rest of the campaign. These three swing states might prove vital for the Barack Obama to win enough electoral votes to gain the presidency.

Obama In Reno - Another Great Speech

It will be great to have a president who can actually get people inspired like this!

Palin Even Worse In Latest CBS Interview WIth Couric

Just when you thought she couldn't look any ditzier, Sarah Palin comes through in a pinch! Katie Couric asks her what newspapers or magazines she reads. A simple question, right? Not for Our Gal Sarah. She dodges and weaves like a prizefighter and fails to name a single publication. Heck I would have settled for Field and Stream!

Sarah Palin Look-Alike Sought For Adult Film!

Barack Obama inspires musicians and artists to create amazing work. Now, apparently Sarah Palin has done the same thing. Whether it is art or not will be a matter of much discussion I suspect.

Palin On CBS Again Tonight! More Material For Tina Fey.

This is an excerpt from the Katie Couric interview that will play tonight. IN this segment, Palin intimates that Biden is too old. I guess she forgets that McCain is 71.

Watch CBS Videos Online

McCain's Double Talk Express

Want proof John McCain is riding the "Double Talk Express"? His shifting positions on regulation and the economy are breathtaking, wildly swinging from one position to another.

London Banker Commits Suicide - Distraught At Credit Crunch

Back in 1929 Wall Street brokers literally leaped from the windows of the brokerages to their deaths. It was not a figure of speech, it was real. Now in this latest financial crisis a banker in London did something similar.

Kirk Stephenson, a banker who was married with an eight-year-old son, jumped in front of a 100mph express train at Taplow railway station, Berkshire, England. The city of London is in shock and hopes are that the credit crunch will not move others to the same grizzly fate.

Obama Speaks On The Economic Crisis

Bush Gives Lame Speech - A Failed Presidency

If you ever wanted to see how a failed presidency looks, watch this clip of Bush as he stumbles through this statement on the failure of the financial rescue package. He looks whupped!

Your Retirement Account Just Lost 7% - Hows that Bail Out Sound Now?

OK, so all you angry constituents have gotten it out of your system, now let's talk reality in this Wall Street mess.

AmericaBlog.com has the story if you have a 401K or retirement account you need to rethink your views.

- If you had $10,000 in your retirement account this morning, you just lost $700 of it.
- If you had $100,000 this morning, you just lost $7,000 of it.
- And if you had $1,000,000 this morning, you just lost $70,000 of it.

As Charlie Gibson on ABC noted, losing 7% on the market in a year would be a huge story.

The market, made up of not only Fat Cats but average Americans lost over $1 trillion today. No w how does that $700 billion sound?

777 - The New Magic Number

Today, everyone gets an immediate image when you say the numbers 9-11. Tomorrow, everyone will know the new magic number, 777. The real number is -777.68 the largest drop for the Dow Jones industrial average in history. It is in reaction to the political shenanigans pulled by House Republicans in Washington.

After announcing that there was a deal, the House narrowly defeated the Treasury finance package designed to keep our economy going. Democrats delivered 2/3rds of their members and the Republicans produces only 1/3rd of theirs.

OK the package was unpopular and a tough pill to swallow. I am not a fan of bailing out Wall Street, but without some sort of deal, credit markets will freeze and the wheels that drive our country will grind to a halt. So get the anger out of your system , scream into a pillow or something and then call your Congressperson and tell them to go back and make a deal.

It probably won't be the Great Depression Act II, but it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. And by the way, John McCain was on TV claiming he had brokered the deal earlier, now after the vote he is trying to spin it the other way.

Want more of this crap? Vote for McCain and you will get it and worse.

Republicans Kill The Deal - Market Crumbles! McCain To Blame

So here comes John McCain riding in on his "maverick" horse to save the day, but he fails and the stubbornness of the house prevails. So much for his support. Worse still, some Democrats also blocked the deal and as it went down in defeat, the market tumbled over 700 points! Thanks Congress!

Apparently House members can't take a little heat from their constituents for the good of the country. Most folks are rightfully mad about the bailout, but the truth, like it or not, is it needs to happen. Without the secured credit, NOBODY, let me repeat that, NOBODY will be able to get credit for anything.

Here is the awful truth. Wall Street got so frigging greedy they had to find a new source for their goldmine. They picked housing and began backing companies making odd-ball loans. The sub prime mortgage problem is the result. So many investor rushed into mortgages as a way to make a bundle quick that they forgot the little problem of foreclosure. The smart ones bailed out a couple of years ago, and now the stupid and greedy ones are left.

Why not just let them fail the public cries. Heck if we make bad decisions we fail, why not Wall Street. I agree with the sentiment but I cannot support the logic. The big problem is the banks and companies making these bad loans and investing in them are the same companies that give credit to builders, small business owners, manufacturers, and even consumers. With their assets tied up in bad debt the credit spigot is turned off.

That means Best Buy can't sell new digital TVs, and GM can't sell cars and everyone from WalMart to Mom and Pop can't get credit for new inventory. See how big this is?

Overseas China will not have any market and their economy will tremble as well, and since they own all our debt, they won't have money either. This is a chain of cause and effect and the fat cat bankers are not only part of the problem but their companies are part of the solution.

No banks, no money. Pretty simple when you look at it that way.

Now start calling your Congressperson and telling them to get back in session and be part of the solution!

Obama Draws Thousands In Detroit

Speaking from a stage set up in the middle of the street, Barack Obama drew tens of thousands of supporters to see him speak. Michigan's economy is already in trouble as thousands of auto-maker jobs are on the line. Against that background, Obama's speech was very well received.

McCain Is A Gambler Not A Maverick

Did McCain Swear During Debate? Hothead!

YouTubers have discovered something that might be relevant in the debate that the press missed. As Barack Obama is criticizing him for nit knowing who the President of Spain is McCain can clearly be seen muttering and fuming. At one point he clearly says "horseshit". This is the kind of thing people who know John McCain would not be surprised at, since he has a record as a hothead and having a hair trigger temper. Is this the kind of man we want with his finger on the button?

Palin Believes Dinosaurs & Humans Coexisted?

Yup, she is a true believer of the Young Earth crap. According to an article in the LA Times:

"Soon after Sarah Palin was elected mayor of the foothill town of Wasilla, Alaska, she startled a local music teacher by insisting in casual conversation that men and dinosaurs coexisted on an Earth created 6,000 years ago -- about 65 million years after scientists say most dinosaurs became extinct -- the teacher said."

Ah, the powers of home schooling!

Palin Gets Gooned Again On SNL

Damn Tina Fey does a great Sarah Palin!