“They came for Joe the Plumber, they came for Fox News, who’s next?”
Co-host Peter J. Johnson on Fox News & Friends, prior to hero-worshipping TV anchor Barbara West during its “Fear Obama Telethon,” where the only non-socialist information they discussed in regard to Obama was the story about neo-Nazis plotting to kill him.
–WKW
AmericaBlog’s John Aravosis is a Republican-turned-Democrat who has brought the sleaziness of Rovian politics to his media empire. He’s spent the better part of the last few months examining John McCain’s blinking while raking whatever muck that passes through these Internet tubes.
Which is why he’s the perfect dupe for our pal Martin Eisenstadt. In his latest lie-passing-for-a-story, Eisenstadt made up a story about the RNC spending $900 on a spray-on tan for Sarah Palin, which Aravosis eagerly gobbled up. Remember, every “Big scoop” that Eisenstadt has made turned out to be completely false. This is what happens when you pull things out your ass.
Not that I would imagine that this would matter to Aravosis, who’s in a hurl-shit-against-the-wall-and see-what-sticks frenzy. After all, he used the Fox Newsian ploy of putting a question mark at the end of the title (”Did Palin pay $900 for a spray-on tan?”) But if he does, he could always take 10 seconds to look up Eisenstadt and find out he’s a hoax. I admit that I fell for an Eisenstadt invented story once, and I still kick myself for it. But at least I have the defense of not having my easily-Googled research on Eisenstadt to look up.
Of course, I still recommend AmericaBlog for readers looking for liberal news. He has some top-notch bloggers over there, notably Joe Sudbay and Chris Ryan. And, hey, Aravosis is fine for people who like sexist Rovian muckrackers.
–WKW
“We consider this criminal and terrorist aggression … If they do it again we will defend our territory.”
– Walid Moallem Syrian Foreign Minister
“US commandos launch deadly raid into Syria”
US HELICOPTERS based in Iraq have crossed eight kilometres into Syria and launched a commando raid that left at least eight people dead, according to the Syrian Government.
The unprecedented incident threatens to unleash a new wave of anti-American feeling in Syria and across the Middle East at a time when the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, is looking forward to improved relations with the US after next week’s US presidential election.
Syria has long been a conduit for foreign fighters attempting to slip into Iraq to attack coalition troops. US officials say that military action inside Iraq has reduced their number. And tense relations between Syria and the Iraqi Government have improved enough that earlier this month, Syria sent an ambassador to Baghdad for the first time since the early 1980s.
But US officials charge that militants still are able to operate openly in Syria, and that Damascus needs to do more to rein them in. They accuse fighters who filtered across the Syrian border of fomenting trouble recently in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, and of an attack in May that killed 11 Iraqi policemen.
Details of the attack on Sunday were sketchy. A military officer in Iraq confirmed that US forces conducted a raid into Syria, but declined to provide more information. In Washington military representatives asked about the operation did not deny that a raid had taken place. Although they would not confirm the attack, they used language typical after raids conducted by secretive special operations forces.
The Bush Doctrine remains in play until January, whether Sarah Palin understands it or not. Welcome to the October surprise, as the U.S. not only attacked Syria, but Pakistan, as well. Gotta rally that base, one way or another.
–WKW
In a recent speech, here’s a comment Sarah Palin had on Democrat Barney Frank:
“Now they do this in other countries where the people are not free — government as part of the family, taking care of us, making decisions for us,” she said during a rally in Sioux City, Iowa. “I don’t know what to think of having in my family Uncle Barney Frank or others to make decisions for me.”
Josh Marshall asks aloud: Why is Sarah Palin referring to Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) as “Uncle Barney Frank”?
Talk Left says it’s a reference to “Uncle Joe Stalin. They seem to believe it’s a wink to people who understand cryptic Communist references.
Personally, I believe it’s a dog-whistle to her rabid fundamentalist base. By calling him “Uncle” she’s making sure her base knows that she disrespects Frank for being openly gay. Either that, or she’s calling him a pedophile.
From a list of euphemisms for the LGBT community:
Uncle: n. North American origin. A pederast interested in young boys or an elderly male.
If she explains it, she’ll make up something folksy, I’m sure. But it was a dog whistle to homophobes, plain and simple.
–WKW
Former Department of the Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Analysis Robert Carroll had this to say about John McCain’s Health Care Plan:
Another point to emphasize in an analysis of the McCain health credit is that it is highly redistributive. That is, it rechannels a significant portion of the current tax subsidy for health care to the low and moderate income, which is where a lot of the insured happen to reside in the income distribution. I would think that those on the left would find this aspect of the proposal, plus spending another $1.4 trillion (over ten years) on health care, to be somewhat attractive.
And while nearly 70 percent of economists told the The Economist that they found John McCain’s health care plan to be “Bad” or “Very Bad,” Carroll extolled its virtues in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal:
The McCain health-care insurance tax credit may well be one of the most misunderstood proposals of this presidential election. Barack Obama has been ruthless in his attacks. But the tax credit is highly progressive and will provide a powerful incentive for people to purchase health insurance. These features under normal circumstances should endear Democrats to the proposal. …
… How large an effect does this proposal have on the number of uninsured? Based on estimates by career economists in the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Analysis of similar proposals discussed in the Washington Beltway several years ago, the McCain health-care tax credit can be expected to increase the number of insured by 15 million and probably more. The Lewin Group, a respected private health-care research outfit, recently estimated that the McCain credit would increase the number of insured by as much as 21 million. It is true that many may no longer get their insurance through their employer, but they will be given the resources to purchase insurance on their own.
Will the insurance that is purchased be a generous plan with first dollar coverage or low deductibles? It is much more likely to be a plan with higher deductibles that is more focused on providing true insurance against catastrophic losses rather than a more generous plan that includes a lot of prepayment for routine and predictable medical expenses. But this is precisely one of the objectives of the policy: to reduce the current tax bias that encourages people to funnel routine health expenses through insurance policies.
Mr. Carroll’s opinion is to be trusted, as he’s vice-president for Economic Policy at the Tax Foundation (1). He was an Economic advisor to the President of the U.S. (2). He’s a writer of scholarly papers and columns on the economy (3) (4).
A socialist health care plan that offers less coverage. It’ll benefit everyone. At least, it’ll benefit everyone firmly clutching “The Fountainhead” and “Capitalism and Freedom.”
(1)Tax Foundation is not a reliable source - Paul Krugman.
(2) That President being George W. Bush.
(3) Along with top McCain advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin.
(4) Along with Greg Manikew, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2003 to 2005.
–WKW
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 Folksy Alaskan Governor
* 1 Angry Senator, extra entitlement
* 83 Lobbyists
* 1 Fox News Channel
* 1 cup, barely veiled racism
* 1 War on the media
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat campaign to 1,375 degrees F. Lightly grease the war on the media.
2. Insert Palin into the mix. Then hide her.
3. In the largest possible oven, mix all ingredients together rapidly and haphazardly
4. Bake in preheated oven for two months, or until the completely unstable and moments from exploding.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Avoid serving at all costs, or watch your party completely implode.
–WKW
The Permanent Republican Majority never took John McCain and Sarah Palin into account. In her latest adventure, Palin dropped the puck at a game between the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings - and the Blues starting goalie injured himself on the carpet runway they laid out for Palin and family to walk on the ice:
From the Associated Press:
“Legace injured after tripping over the carpet for VP candidate Palin”ST. LOUIS (AP) — Blues goalie Manny Legace left after one period Friday night with a hip injury that occurred when he slipped on the carpet placed on the ice for Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The Alaska governor dropped the ceremonial first puck before the Blues hosted the Los Angeles Kings. A narrow carpet walkway was placed from the gate at the Blues bench to center ice for Palin, her husband and two of her daughters.
To be fair, Legace’s injury is by no means the fault of Palin. But sports fans aren’t really known for their sense of fairness when it comes to things like this. Move Missouri to the “Definitely Obama” category.
–WKW
The richest 1 percent of Americans own 40 percent of America’s wealth. In his continuing effort to show that he connects with common folks like Joe the Plumber, John McCain has a bold new strategy as he unveils his “Keep Your Wealth” Bus Tour in order to secure the votes of the upper 1 percent.
Wealth = “abundance of valuable material possessions or resource.”
John McCain is wealthy.
Americans overall have negative savings.
Joe Sixpack has no wealth to keep.
The “Keep Your Wealth” Tour - yet another bold, fresh, Mavericky idea from John McCain.
–WKW
John McCain, terse as ever, has refused to be drawn into the political fun about Sarah Palin using $150,000 of donor’s money to buy a new wardrobe for her and her family.
Of course, McCain could have put all this to rest if he’d have bought the clothes for Palin himself. After all, he and wife Cindy are worth in the neighborhood of $100 million. Should McCain somehow pull off a shocking, riot-causing victory over Obama, however, I’m sure he’ll be able to buy Palin whatever she needs, being that his own tax plan will save himself $373,000.
–WKW
It seems as though golf teaching professionals are overwhelmingly conservative. And those that hurl their golf clubs in anger are almost 100 percent behind John McCain, I’ve been told.
–WKW
From Sorry Dad, I voted for Obama:
Q: “John McCain IS an American Veteran. How can you not support yourself?”
A: He supports himself quite well, it’s OTHER veterans he doesn’t support. Especially injured ones.
This ends this episode of “simple questions to extremely stupid questions.”
–WKW
The Brad Blog has reported that a John McCain voters in Tennessee have seen their vote for McCain SWITCHED TO SOCIALIST BARACK OBAMA!!!
Republicans must immediately come together as one to INSURE FAIR ELECTIONS and investigate these machines and who makes them. They must not sit idly by while VOTES ARE BEING SWITCHED!!!
From the Brad Blog:
Now, finally — and thankfully — we have a report of voters experiencing votes flipping from the Republican candidate John McCain, to the Democratic candidate Barack Obama in a second TN county. Does this mean someone can actually take some action to get these machines the hell out of service now?!…
From Tennessee’s Decatur County Chronicle today…
Several Decatur County voters are concerned about problems with the voting machines at the Election Commission Office. Voters claim they tried to vote for McCain for President but the machine checked Obama instead.
At least three voters encountered the problem when casting their early ballot on Saturday morning. Franklin Boroughs says he intended to vote for Republican but rather the computer had checked the Democratic candidate instead.
Like Davidson County, TN and Putnam and Jackson Counties, WV, Decatur uses the same ES&S iVotronic machines infamous for vote-flipping and failure.The machines should never be used in any American election. But since the Democrats apparently won’t call for these machines to be removed and impounded immediately, despite so many similar reports this year and in previous elections, perhaps the Republicans can now demand the machines be impounded and removed from service immediately, and each voter be given a paper ballot instead.
–WKW
That the term “socialist” is being thrown at Barack Obama so much during these final days of the election is yet more proof that conservatives either will say anything necessary to win, or they’re blithering ideologically blind idiots.
From Merriam-Webster:
SOCIALISMMain Entry: so·cial·ism \
\ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm\
Function: noun
Date: 18371: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
Now, the argument could be made that the federal government’s massive and repeated bailouts of financial institutions and banks are a step toward socialism, but even then it’s a stretch. No one’s brought up the concept of eliminating private property.
As for Obama, what he’s been preaching is to step away from the perverted Laissez-faire economics of the past eight years and progressive taxation.
In the end, the mainstream media should be ashamed of itself for not stomping all over all this socialist talk. “Socialist” is a noun, and it can be defined. Everything you hear from the likes of Bay Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh and others of their ilk is just plain nonsense. Calling Obama a socialist is not an opinion. It’s a fear-mongering lie.
–WKW
NEW YORK CITY — Rock star Sarah Palin, fresh off her performances on “Saturday Night Live” and “The 700 Club” went wild in New York, sources close to this blog say. Palin went on a wild $150,000 shopping spree for clothes, trashed her hotel room and hurled a television out the window onto the street below before biting the head off a puffin and then calling Barack Obama a socialist buddy of terrorists.
“The room just stank of moose urine and Spenard,” said an anonymous worker at the Omni Hotel in Manhattan. “We’ll probably never get the rock salt and polar bear feces out of the curtains.”
The NYC is just the latest spree for Palin, the Rock star who is running for the vice-presidency for the Republican Party - previously she ran up a tab of some $20 million during her time as rock star mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, and fired a city worker who upset her husband, Todd, a famous snowmobile racer.
Some have blamed Palin’s meteoric rise to the top of the political world for her increasingly eccentric behavior. In the last six weeks, the former TV journalist has called the majority of Americans “anti-American,” and called Democratic Presidential nominee a socialist who “pals around with terrorists,” while whipping up hate at her daily concerts.
But sources close to Palin - who has surrendered her work as Alaskan Governor to members of John McCain’s campaign - say it’s par for the course for the rock star politician.
“We’re used to it,” said one Alaskan, who refused to be named for fear of retribution. “I mean, she built a $26-million road in the middle of nowhere that leads to nothing and no one uses, after all.”
Still, many seemed focused on the $150,000 shopping spree, which comes at a time when 80 percent of U.S. states report job losses, home foreclosures continue, and some families fore go prescription drugs in order to end meet. Nonetheless, the Palin camp remains defiant.
“She’s entitled to it,” said Palin spokeswoman Sharon Leighow.
Despite the rock star behavior, Palin continues to be a huge draw, with her concerts generally outdrawing McCain’s. Nonetheless, the source at the Omni Hotel remains unimpressed.
“There are chunks of halibut and salmon everywhere,” said the source. “And seeing a headless puffin is just sad. That’s really not right.”
–WKW
John McCain has made it a talking point that Al Qaeda has said Iraq is the central battleground in the fight against terrorism and terrorist organizations are always straightforward and upfront when they make assessments.
“For the first time I have seen Osama bin Laden and General Petraeus in agreement, and that is, the central battleground in the battle against al Qaeda is in Iraq today. And that’s what bin Laden is saying and that’s what General Petraeus is saying and that’s what I’m saying.”
So, one wonders if McCain will soon promote the fact that, Al Qaeda supporters have endorsed him for President.
Really:
WASHINGTON – Al-Qaida supporters suggested in a Web site message this week they would welcome a pre-election terror attack on the U.S. as a way to usher in a McCain presidency.
The message, posted Monday on the password-protected al-Hesbah Web site, said if al-Qaida wants to exhaust the United States militarily and economically, “impetuous” Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is the better choice because he is more likely to continue the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This requires presence of an impetuous American leader such as McCain, who pledged to continue the war till the last American soldier,” the message said. “Then, al-Qaida will have to support McCain in the coming elections so that he continues the failing march of his predecessor, Bush.”
One of the reasons that Al Qaeda supports McCain is that - seven years after the 9/11 attack - McCain has admitted to knowing how to capture bin Laden, but that he isn’t telling anyone how to do it. They really must appreciate that.
Now, I wonder if McCain will hit them with that zippy “I’m not George W. Bush” line. That’d show them.
–WKW