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Proof that McSame is Dumbya cloned

by Americans for Control of Bodily Functions

Posted on Oct 16, 2008, 1:05 PM

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Don't you love the smell of Repug Desperation in the Morning?

by Anonymous

Don't ever change.

Posted on Oct 16, 2008, 11:42 AM

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Thank God for the public school system of the 90s

by American Bad Ass

At work my co-workers and I were discussing the possiblity of another Great Depression. I said I would be OK with WPA style work camps, migrant farm labor struggles etc - as long as I didn't have to suckle at the breast of RoseofSharon for nourishment.

I noticed the blank stares of non recognition from my mostly 20 something to 30 something co workers - most all of them products democratic controlled California public school system of the 90s.

While their "education" apparently never exposed them to one of the great American classic novels of all time "Grapes of Wrath" - I am relieved that all of them know how to put a condom on a bannana.

Posted on Oct 9, 2008, 3:05 PM

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McLovin takes credit for Wall Street Welfare victory before vote fails and stocks tank

by Can't make this stuff up

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his top aides took credit for building a winning bailout coalition – hours before the vote failed and stocks tanked.

The rush to claim he had engineered a victory now looks like a strategic blunder that will prolong the McCain’s campaign’s difficulty in finding a winning message on the economy.

Shortly before the vote, McCain had bragged about his involvement and mocked Sen. Barack Obama for staying on the sidelines.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14088.html

Posted on Sep 29, 2008, 11:50 PM

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McScanners

by One car, One house, One spouse

Posted on Sep 29, 2008, 11:40 PM

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DOW CLOSES LOWER TODAY THAN FIRST DAY OF BUSH'S PRESIDENCY

by Repuglican Legacy

Stock Dive Is Bookend Of Bush Economics

The headline from the world of politics and economics today seems fairly self-evident: in the wake of the House of Representative's failure to pass a bailout package for Wall Street, the Dow dropped by the largest point margin in any single day in history.

But that number told only half the story. Indeed, much of what transpired on Wall Street and in the halls of politics put a bookend on what now seems to the final - poor - chapter of the Bush administration's economic record.

On Monday, the Dow finished lower than when George W. Bush assumed the presidency: 10,587.59 on January 19, 2001 compared to 10,365.45 at its close on September 29, 2008.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/29/stock-dive-is-bookend-of_n_130398.html

Posted on Sep 29, 2008, 11:36 PM

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McSame Campaign Manager Davis paid by Freddie Mac until last month

by Lobbyists R Us

"John McCain's campaign manager and Freddie Mac essentially had what amounts to a secret half a million dollar lay-a-way plan. For almost three years and as late as last month, Freddie Mac made secret, monthly payments of $15,000 to Rick Davis's firm, apparently in exchange for providing special access to a future McCain White House. If McCain knew about this, his presidential campaign should be in serious trouble. If he didn't know about it, he ought to fire Rick Davis immediately," said David Donnelly, Director of Campaign Money Watch.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/219235.php

Posted on Sep 29, 2008, 11:33 PM

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John McCain is headed to Ole Miss finally, wins the debate before it even begins!

by Damn! That $5000 makeup works wonders

Or, more accurately, before he even announced he was definitely going to attend. Click the image for a full screenshot of the Wall Street Journal source page.

Although the fate of tonight’s presidential debate in Mississippi remains very much up in the air, John McCain has apparently already won it — if you believe an Internet ad an astute reader spotted next to this piece in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal this morning.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/26/john-mccain-is-headed-to-ole-miss-finally-wins-the-debate-before-it-even-begins/

Posted on Sep 26, 2008, 4:04 PM

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Former AIG CEO to sell $1 billion worth of stock after bailout

by this is what pisses everyone off

OK, now this is what pisses off everyone with the bailout. The government propped up AIG and now the former CEO (who is still being charged with fraud dating back to his days at AIG) Maurice Greenberg is selling his shares which are currently valued at $3.02 per share for a cool billion dollars. Maybe it's not too late to include something in the AIG bailout that prevents such profiteering after a bailout? Let taxpayers get their money back first and then let sleazy CEOs like Greenberg to get paid later. Again, it is very questionable whether the American government will ever see the bailout money back from AIG no matter how many people talk about 12% interest returns. Talk it up after we get the initial investment back and then tell me about profits.

Too bad McCain's last second addition had nothing to do with such payouts, but was focused on creating the problems that led to this crisis in the first place. It wouldn't surprise me if McCain's tax cut addition would benefit Greenberg as he cashes in. After all, he certainly benefited from less regulation.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/26889541

Posted on Sep 26, 2008, 9:05 AM

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Jon Stewart - side by side of Republican't Bush's Iraq and Economy speeches

by and McSame makes Chimpy look good

Jon Stewart puts Bush's primetime speeches about needing to go to Iraq and Wall Street bailout side by side.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/26/64845/2967/182/611037

After the jump: Another clip from the Daily Show showing John McCain and his own words about the economy.

Posted on Sep 26, 2008, 8:42 AM

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Letterman Attacks McCain Day 2: "I Feel Like An Ugly Date" (VIDEO)

by Anonymous

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/25/letterman-attacks-mccain_n_129467.html

The late-night comic banged away at McCain on Thursday from the opening of his monologue.

"You're here on a good night," he told the audience. "So far none of our guests have canceled."

He talked about daredevil David Blaine's feat of hanging upside down in New York's Central Park for 60 hours.

"They just left the guy hanging there," he said. "It's the same thing McCain did to me last night."

He described socialite Paris Hilton _ Thursday's guest whose celebrity was once used in a McCain campaign ad to mock Obama _ as McCain's first choice for a running mate.

"Here's how it works: you don't come to see me? You don't come to see me? Well, we might not see you on Inauguration Day," Letterman said.

Noting that McCain wanted to postpone Friday's first debate with Barack Obama, Letterman said running mate Sarah Palin wanted to put off her debate with Democrat Joe Biden until after Election Day. Letterman said McCain taking Palin to meet world leaders at the United Nations was like "take-your-daughter-to-work day."

Letterman's Top 10 list was "surprising facts about Sarah Palin," read by citizens of Wasilla, Alaska, where she was once mayor.

No. 10: Palin "sometimes calls John McCain grandpa."

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 11:20 PM

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NOBAMA!

by BARRY'S GOTTA GO.............................

ZIP

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 5:04 PM

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Rockefeller Reveals 9/11 FRAUD to Aaron Russo

by Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nD7dbkkBIA

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 11:13 PM

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WATCH: Letterman Mocks McCain For Canceling Appearance

by REPUGS CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH

Update: In addition to repeatedly mocking McCain for skipping out on his scheduled appearance Wednesday, Letterman also devoted, fittingly, his nightly top 10 list to the subject of "Questions People Are Asking The McCain Campaign." Number Five: "Are You Doing All This Just To Get Out Of Going On Letterman?"

Watch the clip:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/24/john-mccain-cancels-lette_n_128998.html

"In the middle of the taping Dave got word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric. Dave even cut over to the live video of the interview, and said, "Hey Senator, can I give you a ride home?"

Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sarah Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 3:05 PM

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IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE! HERES A FRESH FACE, JOE BIDEN ONLY 30 YEARS IN DC!

by BARRY OBAMA

AND HE'S ONLY 65! NEW MEAT FOR A NEW AMERICA

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 1:08 PM

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Palin Gets Extra Time For Financial Disclosure . . . until after her debate

by WHAT IS SHE HIDING???

WASHINGTON — Sarah Palin requested and received an extension of the deadline for revealing her personal finances, until the day after her only debate with Democrat Joe Biden.

The Republican vice presidential candidate received a four-day extension Thursday from the Federal Election Commission.

The federal financial disclosure report was initially due next Monday. Now, Palin has until Oct. 3, the day after her debate in St. Louis with Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

Earlier this month, Biden released a decade of personal financial records that showed the veteran U.S. senator from Delaware earned less than many of his congressional colleagues. For example, Biden and his wife, Jill, earned $319,853 in 2007. On Thursday, Biden submitted an updated report to the Federal Election Commission.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/25/palin-gets-extra-time-for_n_129215.html

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 2:57 PM

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Palin Gets Extra Time For Financial Disclosure . . . until after her debate

by WHAT IS SHE HIDING???

Documents detail Palin's political life . . .Fresh face, old tricks

by and she's ready from day one

Some of the details as stated in the 2006 Democratic research document:

* Palin Is Too Socially Conservative for Libertarian Alaska. Palin is a strong conservative — something she repeated throughout her primary campaign but now seems to try to back off from. She is not only pro-life but is involved with — and even steered tax money toward — organizations that give misleading information on abortion. She called herself a “hard-core fiscal conservative” who wanted government to get to the bare bones. The Anchorage Daily News asked whether her “socially conservative positions square with Alaska's generally libertarian approach to those issues.” Palin also supported a flat tax, an idea even Bob Dole thought was absurd.

* Palin’s Management Style is to Bully and Demand Political Loyalty. Palin’s tenure as mayor of Wasilla was marred by tremendous staff turnover, first when she fired most of the top staff — including the city’s librarian — because she questioned their loyalty, and then later when staff quit because of her micromanaging style. Wasilla even lost the opportunity to hire a police chief because he said the job seemed too political.

* Palin’s Not Ready for Primetime. Palin argues that she was the mayor of the fastest growing city in Alaska. While that may be true, Wasilla’s population is still 1 percent of the rest of the state of Alaska. The last budget Palin approved, $12.5 million, is 0.2 percent of the $7.3 billion budget Tony Knowles approved.

* Palin Signed Ordinance to Issue $15 Million in General Obligation Bonds and Increase the Sales Tax From 2 to 2.5 percent. In 2001, Palin signed an ordinance authorizing the city to issue general obligation bonds in the principal amount of $14,700,000 to finance the acquisition and construction of park and recreation capital improvements. The ordinance also increased the sales tax from 2 to 2.5 percent and put the issue on the ballot. After it was adopted by voters, Palin signed an ordinance issuing the bonds. In 2002, Palin signed an ordinance putting the higher sales tax into effect. [Ordinance 01-55 (am),12/10/2001; Ordinance 02-14 (sub), 4/8/2002; Ordinance 02-49, 8/12/02]

* Palin Called Herself “Such a Weasel” for Not Having a Firm Stand on the Property Tax Cap.
“Does that mean she’d vote for it? ‘I still have five more weeks to make up my mind, like everybody’s trying to do,’ Palin said. ‘I wish it were not a statewide issue.’ Palin said she has declined requests by Tax Cap Yes to speak in favor of the initiative. Yet, she said, she doesn’t object to her name’s continuing to be listed on the group’s Web site among 10 current or former government officials — half from Mat-Su — in support of the initiative. Palin acknowledged that she was sounding quite the politician. ‘I am so sorry I’m such a weasel,’ she said.” [Anchorage Daily News, 10/8/00]

* Palin Asked City Librarian About Censoring Books, Insisted It Was ‘Rhetorical.’ In 1996, according to the Frontiersman, Wasilla’s library director Mary Ellen Emmons said Palin asked her outright if she could live with censorship of library books. Emmons said, “This is different than a normal book-selection procedure or a book-challenge policy. … She was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can’t be in the library.” Palin said in response, “Many issues were discussed, both rhetorical and realistic in nature.” [Frontiersman, 12/18/96]

* Wasilla’s Pension Was Only Funded at 73 Percent When Palin Left, as Opposed to Almost Completely When She Became Mayor. In fiscal 2002, Wasilla funded 73 percent of its defined benefit pension plan obligation and had 52 percent unfunded liability as a percentage of its covered payroll. In fiscal 1995, Wasilla funded 97.5 percent of its obligation and had 4.3 percent unfunded liability as a percentage of payroll. [Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 2003, page 29; Wasilla Comprehensive Annual Financial Report 1996, page 45]

* Palin Supported Penalties for Using Skateboards on Public or Private Property in Wasilla.
“Beginning Oct. 15 — after the expected opening of the $233,000 Wasilla Skate Park — skaters will be breaking the law if they use their skateboards, in-line skates, bicycles, scooters (or any other recreational, non-motorized wheeled device) on public or private property where signs are posted forbidding their use.”

The Frontiersman added, “In the ordinance approved Monday, the penalty for first-time violators of the ordinance is a written warning and the skate device may be confiscated for 10 calendar days. For a second offense, a $50 fine shall be paid and the skate device may be confiscated for 30 calendar days. A third-time offender will have to pay a $100 fine and will lose his or her skate device permanently.” [Frontiersman, 9/18/98]

* Palin Went to See Ivana Trump at Costco, Saying Alaska was So Desperate for “Any Semblance of Glamour and Culture.” “Sarah Palin, a commercial fisherman from Wasilla, told her husband on Tuesday she was driving to Anchorage to shop at Costco. Instead, she headed straight for Ivana. And there, at J.C. Penney’s cosmetic department, was Ivana, the former Mrs. Donald Trump, sitting at a table next to a photograph of herself. She wore a light-colored pantsuit and pink fingernail polish. Her blonde hair was coiffed in a bouffant French twist. ‘We want to see Ivana,’ said Palin, who admittedly smells like salmon for a large part of the summer, ‘because we are so desperate in Alaska for any semblance of glamour and culture.’" [Anchorage Daily News, 4/3/96]

* Documents Show While Mayor Palin Had Thank You Notes to Campaign Donors Printed by Her Assistant on City Time and Arranged Campaign Travel from Her Office. “The Voice of the Times, a separate editorial section within the opinion pages of the Daily News, made the original public records request that produced many of the documents that Murkowski’s campaign handed out Thursday, including a stack of telephone records, e-mails — such as a campaign note from her mayor e-mail address to Ruedrich — and invoices from Wasilla City Hall. The documents appear to show, for example, that on one occasion Palin arranged campaign travel from the mayor’s office. On another, her city administrative assistant printed thank-you notes to campaign donors. The administrative assistant, Mary Bixby, said in brief interview with the Daily News in late July that she was directed to perform those tasks while on the clock for the city.” For any mistakes she did make, Palin said, “I apologize.” [Anchorage Daily News, 8/18/06]

* Palin Made a Bet With Her Husband About Whether Murkowski Would Get Into the Race — the Loser Had to Get a Tattoo. “Palin told The Associated Press that she and her husband, Todd, made a bet on whether Murkowski would run. If the governor says he’ll enter the race, Palin has to get the Big Dipper tattooed on her ankle. If Murkowski says no, Todd gets a wedding ring inked on his finger.” [Anchorage Daily News, 5/26/06]

* Palin Obtained a Business License for Marketing and Consulting, Saying that She Wanted To Line Up Her Ducks if She Chose to Pursue It. “Asked about the business registered under her name, Palin said, ‘Rouge Cou, it’s a classy way of saying redneck. It’s a French word, rouge is red, cou is neck. It’s for marketing and consulting, in case I wanted to go that route, I’d have my ducks all lined up and have a business license. I just was granted that business license. … I would like to, with some of the endeavors that I have going on right now, there comes a time when one desires to be paid for them!’” [Anchorage Daily News, 6/8/05]

http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=2478DECD-18FE-70B2-A8783D80B0308C12

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 3:01 PM

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WP BREAKS yet another Palin Scandal - Caribou Barbie in bed with mining industry lobbyists

by Anonymous

Palin Accepted $25,000 in Gifts, Alaska Records Show.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/25/AR2008092503988_pf.html

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has made a crackdown on gift-giving to state officials a centerpiece of her ethics reform agenda, has accepted gifts valued at $25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center whose board includes officials from some of the largest mining interests in the state, a review of state records shows. [snip]

About a quarter of the entities bestowing gifts on the governor are represented by one of Alaska's most influential mining lobbyists, who said in an interview that she was not involved in the tributes. The lobbyist, Wendy Chamberlain, has a relationship with the governor's family through the friendship of their teenage daughters. [snip]

Records show that 23 of the gifts were offered during Palin's early months in office, when she was pushing the legislature to address a state corruption scandal by passing a package of ethics reforms. She accepted 18 gifts after the law passed in July 2007. Among other provisions, the law forbade executive branch officials from taking gifts from lobbyists or from interests with pending state business. [snip]

Palin has noted that passage of the tough ethics law was a proud accomplishment. She took office amid a widespread federal investigation of influence-peddling by Veco, a now-defunct oil pipeline services and construction company, that had led to indictments of prominent state legislators and eventually to charges against Ted Stevens, the state's senior Republican senator, who is now on trial in Washington. [snip]

Palin forwarded her ethics proposals to the legislature in January 2007, her first month in office. That month, she accepted three gifts from Calista's chief executive, Matthew Nicolai: a $2,200 ivory puffin mask, a woven grass fan worth $300 and a $150 ivory necklace. Nicolai, who did not return phone calls, runs the large corporation, which profits from a multibillion-dollar gold-mining operation on its land. [snip]

Palin has also reported as gifts two fact-finding trips that mining companies sponsored for her husband, Todd. The trips were among several sponsored by mining companies for state officials. [snip]

Chamberlain also represents the Pebble Partnership, which has proposed a massive gold mine on Bristol Bay that has encountered opposition from conservationists. Palin has come under fire for speaking out against a statewide initiative, Proposition 4, that would have imposed costly environmental regulations on mining operations, particularly the Pebble Mine. A hearing by a state ethics watchdog agency has been scheduled for mid-November to see whether statutes prohibiting partisan activity apply to the governor's statements on the initiative.

Mining interests did not play a major fundraising role in Palin's gubernatorial campaign, but post-election donations to her inaugural committee came from four mining companies, including Northern Dynasty, the Pebble Mine co-developer. The money was spent on inaugural balls and on travel by the governor and her family for events. The amounts were not disclosed.

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 11:43 PM

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Say "Thanks but No Thanks" to the Campaign to Nowhere

by I'm Caribou Barbie and I approve this message

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZFGj9f2hrA&eurl=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/26/81617/1783/155/611072

Posted on Sep 26, 2008, 8:29 AM

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Now We Know Why The McCain Campaign Is Hiding Palin

by Anonymous

COURIC: Why isn’t it better, Governor Palin, to spend $700 billion helping middle-class families struggling with health care, housing, gas and groceries? ... Instead of helping these big financial institutions that played a role in creating this mess?

PALIN: Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up the economy– Oh, it’s got to be about job creation too. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions.

Update by kos: I just want to make sure you guys understood this answer properly about the $700 billion bailout:

Reducing taxes has to be accompanied by tax reductions.

Got it? Good. Carry on.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/25/14357/9792/960/610251

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 3:10 PM

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McCain’s flourishing flip-flop list - Awesome Mavericky Change on Demand

by John Sidney McCain III First, Nation Last

McCain’s flourishing flip-flop list
Posted November 20th, 2006 at 9:00 am

Spotlight | Permalink

Update: This post has been updated, expanded, and broken down by category.

Just to follow-up briefly on Michael’s guest-post from yesterday, Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) new-found opposition to Roe v. Wade is rather remarkable, even for him.

In 1999, McCain was in New Hampshire, campaigning for the GOP nomination as a moderate. He proclaimed himself a pro-life candidate, but told reporters that “in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade.” He explained that overturning Roe would force “women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.” Yesterday, campaigning for the GOP nomination as a conservative, McCain said the opposite.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let me ask one question about abortion. Then I want to turn to Iraq. You’re for a constitutional amendment banning abortion, with some exceptions for life and rape and incest.

MCCAIN: Rape, incest and the life of the mother. Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So is President Bush, yet that hasn’t advanced in the six years he’s been in office. What are you going to do to advance a constitutional amendment that President Bush hasn’t done?

MCCAIN: I don’t think a constitutional amendment is probably going to take place, but I do believe that it’s very likely or possible that the Supreme Court should — could overturn Roe v. Wade, which would then return these decisions to the states, which I support…. Just as I believe that the issue of gay marriage should be decided by the states, so do I believe that we would be better off by having Roe v. Wade return to the states.

The old McCain didn’t want an amendment and didn’t want Roe overturned. The new McCain completely disagrees with the old McCain.

It’s worth noting that politicians’ opinions on abortion can, and often do, “evolve” over time. Dick Gephardt and Al Gore, for example, both opposed abortion rights before eventually becoming pro-choice. With this in mind, McCain’s unexpected shift may simply reflect yet another pol whose thinking has changed over time.

Or, far more likely, McCain is once again abandoning any pretense of consistency and integrity, and is now willing to say literally anything to win.

Let’s return, once again, to McCain’s flourishing flip-flop list, which is now a Top 11 list.

* McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but has since decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks. (Indeed, McCain has now hired Falwell’s debate coach.)

* McCain used to oppose Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy, but he reversed course in February.

* In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.

* McCain supported a major campaign-finance reform measure that bore his name. In June, he abandoned his own legislation.

* McCain used to think that Grover Norquist was a crook and a corrupt shill for dictators. Then McCain got serious about running for president and began to reconcile with Norquist.

* McCain took a firm line in opposition to torture, and then caved to White House demands.

* McCain gave up on his signature policy issue, campaign-finance reform, and won’t back the same provision he sponsored just a couple of years ago.

* McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

* McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.

* McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

* And now he’s both for and against overturning Roe v. Wade.

It’s not exactly a newsflash that McCain is veering ridiculously to the right in a rather shameless attempt to reinvent himself, but Dems should take advantage of the situation and help establish the narrative now. Despite his rather embarrassing record of late, we still have major media figures telling the public that “no one would accuse McCain of equivocating on anything.”

Now is the time to begin characterizing McCain — accurately — as a man with no principle beliefs. Dems should not only criticize McCain’s constantly evolving opinions on nearly everything, they should openly mock him for it now, so that the storyline becomes second nature (like the GOP did with “serial exaggerator” Al Gore).

The nation is seeing McCain 2.0, and we like the old one better.

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/9111.html

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 3:15 PM

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Meanwhile, National Enquirer story alleging that Sarah Palin had an adulterous affair

by while Mayor of Wasilla

National Enquirer story alleging that Sarah Palin had an adulterous affair while Mayor of Wasilla

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/national_enquirer_world_exclusive_sarah_palins_secret_lover_revealed/celebrity/65481

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 7:55 PM

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Gimme The Money, Or The Debate Gets It!

by Anonymous

A senior campaign official says that McCain will NOT debate -- no matter what -- if Congress hasn't reached an agreement on a bailout package.

Yep. Solve the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression in the next 48 hours, or I ain't showing up. That's John McCain's "leadership". Do what I say, or I'll hold my breath and turn blue. (Or hold my breath and turn the whole country blue?)

Better still:

The aide did not know whether Gov. Palin would attend Oct. 2's vice presidential debate if Congress, by that point, still hasn't reached a deal.

Um... wha? Palin might not be able to attend either, because she has to... um... do Senate stuff? Conduct photo ops with leaders more important than her? What exactly would be cutting into her schedule, such that she couldn't manage to show up for her one scheduled pre-election appearance in front of a crowd made up of anything but hardcore Republicans?

Sheesh. This is just sad, at this point.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/24/203734/601/829/609389

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 7:52 PM

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25 Harshest Reactions To the Republican Wall Street Bailout

by Anonymous

"The point is this is one of the most important irrevocable economic decisions we will ever make. Let's make it in a state of panic."

— Stephen Colbert

http://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/09/24/25-harshest-reactions-to-the-wall-street-bailout/

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 7:50 PM

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McCain campaign manager’s lobbying firm paid by Freddie Mac through last month.

by Anonymous

The New York Times reports tonight that, until last month, Freddie Mac paid $15,000 a month to the lobbying firm owned by Rick Davis, John McCain’s campaign manager:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/23/davis-lobbied-freddie/

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 7:37 PM

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John McCain's Keating Five Problem In 97 Seconds (VIDEO)

by Anonymous

Here's a new video taking a look at John McCain's Keating Five problem in just 97 seconds.

The video combines archival footage of CBS and NBC News (including a report from Andrea Mitchell!) with reporting by CNN's John King aired just last month.

The bottom-line is that two decades after his role in the savings and loan crisis, John McCain is still the same old guy, more focused on deregulation than on delivering the sensible protections we need.

UPDATE: ThinkProgress catches McCain being asked about the Keating Five scandal yesterday by a local Ohio reporter.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/24/john-mccains-keating-five_n_128807.html

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 7:28 PM

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McCain Comments On Involvement In Keating Five: ‘It Was A Very Unhappy Period In My Life’

by Anonymous

McCain Comments On Involvement In Keating Five: ‘It Was A Very Unhappy Period In My Life’

During the savings and loan scandal in the late 1980s, Charles Keating — a wealthy Arizona businessman and chairman of the failed Lincoln Savings and Loan Association — turned to John McCain to ask for his assistance as he was trying to stave off the government intervention. Keating found a champion for deregulation in McCain.

Soon after arriving in Congress, McCain flew on Keating’s corporate plane to vacations in the Bahamas. He “did not pay for most of the trips until years later, when the matter became public.” By 1987, “McCain had received about $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates.” McCain was investigated and ultimately admonished by the Senate ethics committee. Keating went to prison.

McCain’s involvement in the “last great financial scandal in our country” has largely been ignored by the media. But local Ohio reporter Tom Beres finally forced McCain to comment on the Keating Five scandal in an interview yesterday.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/24/mccain-keating-5-comment/

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 7:35 PM

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NOBAMA!

by NOPE!

NO

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 4:31 PM

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YOU'RE BRILLIANT!!! WHAT'S YOUR SECRET???

by 1 CAR, 1 HOUSE, 1 SPOUSE

YOU SPEAK VOLUMES IN JUST 3 WORDS. DO YOU WRITE YOUR OWN MATERIAL???

Posted on Sep 24, 2008, 7:14 PM

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SORRY, I DONT USE THE DAILYKOS OR THE OTHER INANE BLOGS TO DO MY THINKING FOR ME

by BESIDES, WHY WASTE MUCH TIME WITH YOU GUYS?

IN ADDITION, FACTS ARE MEANINGLESS TO YOU. I COULD POST REEMS OF INFORMATION, WHY BOTHER TYPING MY FINGERS TO A NUB, WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO IGNORE THE TRUTH?

IT ONLY TAKES A SIMPLE NOBAMA TO MAKE MY POINT AND GET YOUR MOTORS RUNNING.

DON'T LIKE MCCAIN, CAN'T STAND OBAMA! EITHER WAY WE ARE SCREWED, I'M VOTING FOR THE EVIL OF TWO LESSERS.

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 1:06 PM

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Probably talking to an empty head but could you finally answer a question that was posed

by to you some time ago

You keep crowing that you think your own thoughts and are a self-made idiot.

Please give us an example of one original thought you've had.

Thanks for nothing.

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 2:54 PM

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Obviously the UURR resident genius' CAPS-LOCK key is stuck on CAPS

by Anonymous

Bet all that keyboard shouting is drowning out his ability to think straight. At least it has caused his head to swell up beyond all reason.

Let's send him some pesos so that he can buy a new keyboard.

Hey, SHOUTER, where can we send our donations?

Posted on Sep 25, 2008, 3:19 PM

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Repugs Salivating over Financial 9/11- Shock Capitalism in Action

by I'm Milton Friedman and I Approve this msg

In the summer of 2001, the Bush Administration failed to heed the many warnings of an impending terrorist strike. In the wake of the 9/11 strikes they quickly rammed through Congress the most serious abridgement of our Constitutional rights since the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.

They also used the fear sowed by the strikes to launch the nation into a costly and unnecessary war in Iraq.

Fast forward. The Administration has again sat idly by, ignoring all the warning signs, as a financial 9/11 hit the country. But back to their old tricks, BushCo takes to heart the old notion that crisis and opportunity walk in the door, hand-in-hand.

This time they're pushing through – quickly now – a $700 billion dollar bail-out. This is the single largest Congressional appropriation ever. And it goes for what – schools, homeowners, homeland security, war? No, it’s to be thrown at banks. That’s right banks.

What’s worse is that Treasury Secretary doesn’t even want you to know what he’s doing with the money and doesn’t want to be held accountable for how it’s spent and there's wiggle room for it to go higher than $700 billion.

Yes, BushCo is trying to stall until the November election. But if you focus on that you’ll loose the bigger picture. This crisis/opportunity is about busting the treasury so they can steal your Social Security. It’s happened before.

After Argentina’s 2001 meltdown, the government confiscated individual retirement accounts to pay back creditors. These weren’t even government pensions – they were the "private" accounts – similar to 401K’s – that had replaced that nation’s Social Security-like system years earlier.

Absurd, you say. They’d never get away with that here, you say. Oh they can, they’ve spent years telling us how we should invest for own retirement and not trust the government. What better way to prove it than to throw it all at Wall Street. As Will Rogers used to say, "Republicans don’t believe government works, so they get elected and prove it".

Social Security is more than a retirement account. It’s a widow-and-orphans account, a shit-hits-the-fan account and a live-to-be-105 account.

Social Security works because it leverages small donations into a larger pool that acts as a buffer for all of us. In other words, it makes us all our brother’s (and sister’s) keepers. Its collectivism, it works and the right hates that. Their wealth and privilege is kept by telling us that their capital and "expertise" is needed to "create" jobs, technology and progress. It’s horseshit. It’s the hard-work of millions of Americans who built this country – the houses, the farms, the dams, the schools, the hospitals – not the fraudulent monitor blips of Wall Street vampires, nor their political stooges, nor their sewage-spewing media cartels.

So channel Toto here. That little dog wasn’t fooled by the smoke and colored lights. He paid attention to the man behind the curtain. This bailout quacks like a rip-off for good reason.

Let there be no ambiguity about recession or housing prices or your 401K. The bailout will not change any of those. Japan tried TWICE to bailout its banks and it didn’t work. They went into a long depression; their housing prices cratered; their stock market fell and never recovered.

The only thing accomplished by this, is that a massive amount of your money will be stolen from you and given to Wall Street.

So say it loud, say it proud, "NO BAILOUT"!

This is no time to stand watch for the death of the Republic, brothers and sisters. I want you to get angry, as angry as Lou Dobbs is about Mexicans, as angry as James Dobson is about gays, as angry as Sarah Palin is about wolves.

Again, "NO BAILOUT"!

Throw you’re bemused irony in the trash bin, flush your world-weariness down the toilet, crumple up your sophisticated ennui and set it on fire. Your brothers and sisters need you. They have no time for adolescent posturing.

So, I repeat, "NO BAILOUT"!

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/23/14240/2734/503/607665

Posted on Sep 23, 2008, 1:45 PM

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BARRY DON'T SCARE ME.

by KARL MARX

Kommrade!

Posted on Sep 23, 2008, 12:12 PM

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Thanks for reminding US of Repuglican Wall Street Socialists

by REPUGS Privatize Profits, Socialize Losses

The financial crisis gripping the U.S. has the largest banks and insurance companies begging for massive government bailouts. The banking, investment, finance and insurance industries, long the foes of taxation, now need money from working-class taxpayers to stay alive. Taxpayers should be in the driver’s seat now. Instead, decisions that will cost people for decades are being made behind closed doors, by the wealthy, by the regulators and by those they have failed to regulate.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080917_wall_street_socialists/

Posted on Sep 23, 2008, 12:39 PM

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Things that make you go hmmmm?

by Time to reconsider outsourcing to India???

CEO murdered by mob of sacked Indian workers

Rhys Blakely in Bombay

Corporate India is in shock after a mob of sacked workers bludgeoned to death the chief executive who had dismissed them from a factory in a suburb of Delhi.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4810644.ece

Posted on Sep 23, 2008, 2:50 PM

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BARRY IS SCARY!

by NOBAMA IN 2008!

WHY IS BARRY NOW BARRACK? WHO WANT'S A PRESIDENT THAT USES AN ALIAS. WHAT IS HE HIDING, BESIDES BEING A LIBERAL?

Posted on Sep 23, 2008, 11:27 AM

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Thanks for bringing up the matter of DECEPTION

by REPUGS WANT YOUR MONEY

Posted on Sep 23, 2008, 12:35 PM

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Newsweek's Jonathan Alter invokes the Keating 5 scandal, says McCain getting a free ride

by from the Media

Newsweek's Jonathan Alter invokes the Keating Five scandal, says McCain getting a free ride from the media

NEWSWEEK'S JONATHAN ALTER: "[Y]ou remember the Keating Five scandal that he was a part of, which, by the way, it's crazy but there's been very little about it in the press in the last few weeks. And McCain thinks he's getting a hard time, he's really getting a free ride on the fact that he was in the middle of the last great financial scandal in our country. But his reaction to that, you would have thought, would have been more regulation of the financial services industry. Instead he moved forward on campaign finance reform after being caught in that scandal, but did nothing – nothing – to try to prevent another savings and loan crisis from happening down the road. He was missing in action when it came to even learning the basic lessons of a scandal that he said taught him all kinds of things that he would never forget."

http://www.americablog.com/2008/09/newsweeks-jonathan-alter-invokes.html

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 9:59 PM

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Bonuses begin for Wall Street?

by Repugs put your tax dollars to Work

A $2.5 billion bonus package was set aside for Lehmans' employees.

Fury at $2.5bn bonus for Lehman's New York staff

By David Prosser
Monday, 22 September 2008

Up to 10,000 staff at the New York office of the bankrupt investment bank Lehman Brothers will share a bonus pool set aside for them that is worth $2.5bn (£1.4bn), Barclays Bank, which is buying the business, confirmed last night.

The revelation sparked fury among the workers' former colleagues, Lehman's 5,000 staff based in London, who currently have no idea how long they will go on receiving even their basic salaries, let alone any bonus payments. It also prompted a renewed backlash over the compensation culture in global finance, with critics claiming that many bankers receive pay and rewards that bore no relation to the job they had done.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/fury-at-25bn-bonus-for-lehmans-new-york-staff-937560.html

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 9:56 PM

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Report Says Goldman Sachs ‘Among Biggest Beneficiaries’ Of Paulson’s Bailout

by Conflict Of Interest?

Conflict Of Interest? Report Says Goldman Sachs ‘Among Biggest Beneficiaries’ Of Paulson’s Bailout

In making his push to administer the largest federal bailout of Wall Street in history, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is seeking unfettered authority. McClatchy poses the question today, “can you trust a Wall Street veteran with a Wall Street bailout?,” referring to Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/22/paulson-goldman-bailout/

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 8:40 PM

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Our military training for crowd control in the U.S.

by October Surprise?

Army Unit to Deploy in October for Domestic Operations

Beginning in October, the Army plans to station an active unit inside the United States for the first time to serve as an on-call federal response in times of emergency. The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent thirty-five of the last sixty months in Iraq, but now the unit is training for domestic operations. The unit will soon be under the day-to-day control of US Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command. The Army Times reports this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command. The paper says the Army unit may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control. The soldiers are learning to use so-called nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals and crowds.

http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/22/headlines#10

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 8:28 PM

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By 2-1 Americans Blame GOP For Financial Crisis

by Maybe folks aren't as stupid as GOPers think

GOP takes brunt of blame for economy, Obama gains

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll suggests that by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans blame Republicans over Democrats for the financial crisis that has swept across the country the past few weeks — one factor that may have contributed to an apparent increase in Barack Obama’s edge over John McCain in the race for the White House.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/22/republicans-blamed-obama-gains-over-financial-crisis/

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:53 PM

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Let's have the American taxpayer bail out the foreign banks while we're at it

by We're Repugs and we Approve

Who's Pulling Strings for UBS?

Mon Sep 22, 2008 at 07:55:25 AM PDT

Here's a surprise:

The financial crisis that began in the United States spread to many corners of the globe. Now, the American bailout looks as if it is going global, too, a move that could raise its cost and intensify scrutiny by Congress and critics.

Foreign banks, which were initially excluded from the plan, lobbied successfully over the weekend to be able to sell the toxic American mortgage debt owned by their American units to the Treasury, getting the same treatment as United States banks....

The prospect of being locked out of the bailout set off alarm bells among chief executives of overseas banks whose American affiliates also hold distressed mortgage-related assets, like Barclays and UBS. The original text provided access to the $700 billion bailout for any financial institution based in the United States.

Sure, what the hell, let's have the American taxpayer bail out the foreign banks while we're at it. Gee, I wonder how foreign banks have enough sway with the administration to successfully lobby to be included in the bailout? Could it be their connections?

Since 2002, Gramm has been an executive with the U.S. operations of UBS, the giant Swiss Bank. An unintentionally hilarious interview with Gramm on the Wall Street Journal editorial page last week asserted that Gramm has "been a key instigator of some of the biggest money-making UBS deals of recent years." The interview was noteworthy not just for first-class butt-kissing, but for deliberately gliding over the avalanche of disasters in the past year that has turned UBS from a respected Swiss titan of discretion and risk management into a laughing stock.

Yup, McCain's BFF, economic guru, and registered lobbyist for UBS. What a coinky-dink.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/22/10552/3292/144/605982

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:40 PM

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"DECISIONS BY THE SECRETARY... ARE NON-REVIEWABLE ... AND MAY NOT BE REVIEWED BY ANY COURT

by OF LAW OR ANY ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY"

"DECISIONS BY THE SECRETARY... ARE NON-REVIEWABLE ... AND MAY NOT BE
REVIEWED BY ANY COURT OF LAW OR ANY ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY"

A critical - and radical - component of the bailout package proposed by the Bush administration has thus far failed to garner the serious attention of anyone in the press. Section 8 (which ironically reminds one of the popular name of the portion of the 1937 Housing Act that paved the way for subsidized affordable housing ) of this legislation is just a single sentence of thirty-two words, but it represents a significant consolidation of power and an abdication of oversight authority that's so flat-out astounding that it ought to set one's hair on fire. It reads, in its entirety:

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/22/dirty-secret-of-the-bailo_n_128294.html

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:30 PM

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* McCain's Campaign Manager Made Nearly $2 Million

by Defending Mortgage Giants From Regulation

McCain's Campaign Manager Made Nearly $2 Million Defending Mortgage Giants From Regulation

Several current and former executives of the companies came forward to discuss the role that Rick Davis, Mr. McCain’s campaign manager and longtime adviser, played in helping Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac beat back regulatory challenges when he served as president of their advocacy group, the Homeownership Alliance, formed in the summer of 2000. Some who came forward were Democrats, but Republicans, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed their descriptions.

“The value that he brought to the relationship was the closeness to Senator McCain and the possibility that Senator McCain was going to run for president again,” said Robert McCarson, a former spokesman for Fannie Mae, who said that while he worked there from 2000 to 2002, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac together paid Mr. Davis’s firm $35,000 a month. Mr. Davis “didn’t really do anything,” Mr. McCarson, a Democrat, said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/us/politics/22mccain.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=politics&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:29 PM

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Repug Paulson to the US -- Grab Your Ankles

by Anonymous

There's a plan afoot to screw the US taxpayer. It was proposed by the Treasury Secretary. He will attempt to ram it through Congress this week using scare tactics. The bottom line is this is the worst piece of legislation to come down the pike in a very long time. It should not be passed in present form.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/22/92222/4077/864/606279

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:26 PM

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McBush conference call BACKFIRES

by Repug Whining Liars Strike Back

Grampy McSame is angry. Really angry. You see apparently, they've had it up to here with the liberal media calling them liars, while at the same time giving Obama a free ride. So campaign strategists Steve Schmidt and Rick Davis convened a conference call to register their outrage at the MSM for this unfair treatment and to highlight their criticisms of Senators Obama and Biden, Problem is.....the media ain't buyin' it. At least not Ben Smith from Politico:

Sen. John McCain’s top campaign aides convened a conference call today to complain of being called “liars.” They pressed the media to scrutinize specific elements of Sen. Barack Obama’s record.

But the call was so rife with simple, often inexplicable misstatements of fact that it may have had the opposite effect: to deepen the perception, dangerous to McCain, that he and his aides have little regard for factual accuracy.

Follow me below for the details......

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/22/1799/49510/376/606783

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HabIoeqzL40

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:24 PM

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Conservative Republicans oppose bailout con

by Support Main Street not Wall Street

"After reviewing the administration's proposed bailout plan, I believe it is completely unacceptable," [South Carolina Sen. Jim] DeMint, chairman of the Senate Republican Steering Committee, said in the statement. "This plan does nothing to address the misguided government policies that created this mess and it could make matters much worse by socializing an entire sector of the U.S. economy."

"This plan fails to oversee or regulate the government failures that led to this crisis," DeMint added.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has pressured congressional leaders to approve the bailout as soon as possible to prevent panic from spreading across the U.S. and world financial markets.

But Paulson’s ambitious schedule may become derailed because of growing opposition from conservative Republicans and rank-and-file Democrats.

"This plan will not only cause our nation to fall off the debt cliff, it could send the value of the dollar into a free-fall as investors around the world question our ability to repay our debts," said DeMint. "It's also very likely that this plan will extend the cycle of bailouts, encouraging other companies to behave in reckless ways that create the need for even more bailouts, triggering an endless run on our treasury."

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/demint-opposes-wall-street-bailout-2008-09-22.html

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:18 PM

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One car, One house, One spouse

by Gonna vote for someone just like me

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 6:15 PM

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VOTE FOR OBAMA?

by YO MAMA!

BARRY AINT GETTIN MY VOTE

Posted on Sep 22, 2008, 3:22 PM

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83 Wall Street lobbyists work for John Snidey McCain III

by Lobbyists for McSame

[T]he Democratic National Committee, using publicly available records, has identified 177 lobbyists working for the McCain campaign as either aides, policy advisers, or fundraisers.

Of those 177 lobbyists, according to a Mother Jones review of Senate and House records, at least 83 have in recent years lobbied for the financial industry McCain now attacks. These are high-paid influence-peddlers who have been working the corridors of the nation's capital to win favors and special treatment for investment banks, securities firms, hedge funds, accounting outfits, and insurance companies. Their clients have included AIG, the newest symbol of corporate excess; Lehman Brothers, which filed for bankruptcy on Monday sending the stock market into a tailspin; Merrill Lynch, which was bought out by Bank of America this week; and Washington Mutual, the banking giant that could be the next to fall. Among these 83 lobbyists are McCain's chief political adviser, Charlie Black (JP Morgan, Washington Mutual Bank, Freddie Mac, Mortgage Bankers Association of America); McCain's national finance co-chairman, Wayne Berman (AIG, Blackstone, Credit Suisse, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac); the campaign's congressional liaison, John Green (Carlyle Group, Citigroup, Icahn Associates, Fannie Mae); McCain's veep vetter, Arthur Culvahouse (Fannie Mae); and McCain's transition planning chief, William Timmons Sr. (Citigroup, Freddie Mac, Vanguard Group).

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/09/9753_mccain_campaign_lobbyists_wall_street_aig.html

Posted on Sep 19, 2008, 10:09 AM

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"What we are witnessing may be the greatest destruction of financial wealth

by that the world has ever seen"

"What we are witnessing may be the greatest destruction of financial wealth that the world has ever seen"

What we are witnessing may be the greatest destruction of financial wealth that the world has ever seen -- paper losses measured in the trillions of dollars. Corporate wealth. Oil wealth. Real estate wealth. Bank wealth. Private-equity wealth. Hedge fund wealth. Pension wealth. It's a painful reminder that, when you strip away all the complexity and trappings from the magnificent new global infrastructure, finance is still a confidence game -- and once the confidence goes, there's no telling when the selling will stop.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/17/AR2008091703834.html?hpid=topnews

Posted on Sep 19, 2008, 10:02 AM

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WTF are you talking about

by Anonymous

The Dow is down like 40 pts this week, big fucking deal

Posted on Sep 19, 2008, 6:48 PM

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Move Along. Nothing to see here. Johnnie "Wetstart" McBush makes a promise.

by Anonymous

"A vote for me will guarantee that the forces that have brought down our economy will be out of business." - John Sidney McSame III

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/09/19/1423906.aspx

Posted on Sep 20, 2008, 12:09 AM

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Society of the Pwned - I'm John McSame and I don't know what the fuck is going on

by Anonymous

This has been a great week for the ownership society. Not only do we all own an insurance company, but now we've got ourselves hundreds of billions in bad debt. I don't know what to do with it all first.

Kevin Drum writes the post I was about to write, about the other way you could have gone about righting the ship.

...if Uncle Sam can afford to spend a trillion bucks or so rescuing Wall Street, it would be nice if they could spend a trillion bucks shoring up all the poor saps losing their homes because they can't make the payments on those option ARMs they were talked into buying during the boom years. We could do it if we wanted to, and the risk wouldn't even be appreciably different from the Wall Street bailout. The feds would have to make distinctions (just as they will with overleveraged banks), and some homeowners would qualify for a rescue package while others wouldn't. The ones who qualified would get loan relief, which most of them would eventually make good on, in the form of restructured financing. People would be helped, the subprime crisis would get attacked at its roots, and although it would cost a lot of money up front, in the long term the price might end up being fairly modest (by present-day brobdingnagian standards, that is). Moral hazard is an issue, but no more than it is for the bank bailout.

That's exactly correct. If you stepped in to bail out homeowners and pay off their restated ARM rates, suddenly they would have more money to spend in retail. The "illiquid assets" that these banks were holding would suddenly have value. The market would go up across sectors because consumer-based businesses would see more robust growth. The economy would expand and the people would see the fruits of it instead of the bankers who mad bad bets in the first place. It may sound unfair, but I don't think anybody would compare it unfavorably to what we're seeing today.

There's a chance that this wouldn't work so smoothly, of course. But the real point is that it doesn't get considered. And that's because the new President and Vice President are the Treasury Secretary and the head of the Federal Reserve. They, like many economists, essentially view financial crises from the standpoint of the banks and the stock market, instead of those poor souls who put their hard-earned money into them. What's more, Paulson used to run Goldman Sachs, and even if he isn't collecting money in stocks from them, he has relationships with those who are.

There is no voice for taxpayers in a situation like this, and so nobody should be very surprised when taxpayers are left with all the burden at the end. The elites snap their fingers, shrug their shoulders and try again with the full backing of the federal treasury, and the workers see nothing but debt as far as the eye can see. This has been the reality in our country for all but only those few years after the Depression, after a global meltdown that could not be stopgapped. The big money boyz are a lot more sophisticated about protecting their own fiefdoms these days, but that doesn't mean they can survive forever. They went to the edge of the cliff this week, and this temporary reprieve doesn't mean they won't fall over.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/society-of-pwned-by-dday-this-has-been.html

Posted on Sep 20, 2008, 12:20 AM

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We don't need truth and reconciliation, we need punishment.

by We'll put people in prison.

Want a glimpse of the future? The NEW AMERICA? Alan Grayson FL-08 . . .

Alan Grayson has built a formidable presence with a powerful, unapologetic, progressive message. In his primary campaign, Grayson highlighted his work fighting against government fraud and waste and defending whistleblowers who leveled allegations of malfeasance against Iraq War defense contractors.

This could be the most uplifting 3 minutes you spend all day! Woo-hoo!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpJpSNjokso

Alan Grayson: I'm Alan Grayson, and I'm the Democratic candidate for Congress in Florida's district eight. And I'm the attorney of record in every single case now pending in Federal court involving war profiteers in Iraq. These are cases in which I represent whistleblowers. The Florida Civil Rights Association named me Humanitarian of the Year for my work in this regard, Taxpayers Against Fraud named me lawyer of the year, and I've been featured in Vanity Fair magazine, in media like CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes, and even DailyKos, imagine that.

I'm running because I'm fed up with the government mismanagement, the Bush administration's shameless pandering to war profiteers. I think they set out on a deliberate course to make this war good for the people who were their friends. And I want to try to hold them accountable when I'm in Congress. When I'm in Congress... the Bush administration's worst nightmare is going to be me with subpoena power because I know everything that they've done, and I'm going to hold them accountable for it.

Matt Stoller: But wait wait, let me just interrupt you there, the Bush administration's gone in 2009.

Alan Grayson: Oh but all the people they set up as the new kings and queens of America are still around. What Eisenhower said, that we need to fear the military industrial compex, has become true because they have manufactured a five year war that they want to perpetuate for a generation or even a century so that they can keep lining the pockets of their friends, the war whores.

Matt Stoller: So, people are going to say, let bygones be bygones, or let's have some sort of truth and reconciliation commission, what do you think needs to happen?

Alan Grayson: We don't need truth and reconciliation, we need punishment. We need people to be held accountable for all the mistakes that they made that have screwed us up in this war and screwed us up in this economy. The economy is falling apart, the chickens are coming home to roost. You cannot spend $10,000 for every man, woman, and child in America for a war that never should have taken place in the first place.

Matt Stoller: But be specific, what do you mean by punishment?

Alan Grayson: We'll put people in prison. We'll take away the thing that they care about the most, their money. They stole, they hurt the troops, they killed people, they hurt the taxpayers year after year and they've destroyed this economy. They're not going to get off scot-free.

Matt Stoller: Who's 'they'?

Alan Grayson: The people who have been running this government and their assistants who have been running companies like Halliburton. Think about it, we have a Vice President who was the head of Hallburton, who got a $23 million parting gift from them when he became Vice President. And he was the one who instigated this war and made Halliburton the largest army contractor in existence.

Matt Stoller: But wait a minute, Democrats, not a majority of Democrats, but they just immunized the telecom and cable companies that were wiretapping. Why would they hold any of these war profiteers accountable?

Alan Grayson: I can only tell you what I'm going to do, what I'm going to try to do. I'm going to be just one of four hundred and thirty-five, but everybody understands that the country has to move in a different direction. And I'm the one whose going to say this is the direction I think we should be moving in. We need to hold people accountable, no more corporate welfare. No more people who think they can benefit from other people's sadness, their disabilities, their problems. That's not going to be feasible any more in the new America. In a new America, all boats will rise, and we'll judge things, as Darcy Burner just said a few minutes ago, by what is good for everybody, not what's good for the friends of George Bush.

Posted on Sep 19, 2008, 9:58 AM

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Johnnie "Wetstart" McCain And The USS Forrestal Fire

by Anonymous

McCain crashed 5 jets, plus was responsible for the Forrestal fire. Something made the plane behind McCain fired a rocket, which hit McCain's external center fuel tank, and caused a fire. McCain panicked, and dropped two bombs into the fire.

Surviving crewmen and those who investigated the Forrestal fire case reported that McCain deliberately 'wet-started' his A-4E Skyhawk to shake up the guy in the F-4 Phantom behind his plane.

'Wet-starts', done either deliberately (the starter motor switch allowed kerosene to pool in the engine and give a wet start) or accidentally, shoot a large flame from the tail of the aircraft. 'Wet starting' was a common practice among young 'hot-dog' pilots.

In McCain's case, the 'wet-start' 'cooked off' and launched the M34 Zuni rocket from the rear F-4 that punctured the Skyhawk's fueltank, knocked the M-65 1000 lb bomb off it's 500 lb rated mount, and touched off the explosions and massive fire.

The USS Oriskany came along side to treat the wounded.

They were transferred to other ships.

When the carrier Oriskany came along side, and McCain was put in a chopper and whisked away. McCain was the only Forrestal crewman to be immediately transferred

I have a hunch McCain left for his own safety, because the crew wanted blood.

http://judicial-inc.biz/82jjohn_mccain_and_the_uss_forresta.htm

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 9:17 PM

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Obama-Biden Up 16 Points Over McCain-Palin in California

by and Miss Alaska has cancelled her tour

http://www.politickerca.com/jeffmitchell/2300/field-polls-shows-californians-continue-prefer-obama-wide-margin

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:59 PM

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John Sidney McCain III’s Problem: He IS the Problem

by Lobbyists for McCain

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:57 PM

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“John McCain can’t decide whether he’s Barry Goldwater or Dennis Kucinich”

by Barack Obama approves this message

“On Monday, he said the economy was fundamentally sound, and he was fundamentally wrong.

On Tuesday, he said the government should stand by and allow one of the nation’s largest insurers to collapse, putting the well-being of millions of Americans at risk. But by Wednesday, he changed his mind.

He said he would take on the ol’ boy network, but he seemed to forget that he took seven of the biggest lobbyists in Washington from that network and put them in charge of your campaign.

John McCain can’t decide whether he’s Barry Goldwater or Dennis Kucinich.”

Barack Obama hit the stump today in Espanola, NM, and was relentless in his mockery of John McCain.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/09/18/barack-obama-john-mccain-cant-decide-whether-hes-barry-goldwater-or-dennis-kucinich/

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:55 PM

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Are they kidding? The End of Capitalism

by Anonymous

We Are A Nation of Morons, led by complete Idiots, making us complicit in our own self destruction.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/sec-temporarily-ban-short-selling-report/story.aspx?guid={FF4C26A3-14EA-4585-B8AE-F993A5EBC9A1}&dist=msr_1

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission intends to temporarily ban short-selling, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night. It's unclear if the commission has approved the move, the Journal reported. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson were briefing congressional leaders Thursday night. The U.S. move would follow a similar action by U.K. regulators on Thursday.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Banning short-selling would have immediate, important, and awful implications, and it's a disgusting away to potentially manipulate the election:

An implicit demise of the free-market system: Are we serious, here? We're not allowing market traders to buy and sell the securities they wish to buy and sell? This is not only an attack on traders who currently have short positions (what would happen to them -- would they be closed out?), but also a landmark attack on personal liberties.

The inability to hedge long positions without going to the options market: What will strategic traders do now if they can't hold short positions on stocks? Will they just have to go to the options market and buy puts on those stocks they wish to sell?

The complete destruction of many hedge funds: Hedge funds have upwards of a trillion dollars of wealth, and managers depend on their ability to short stocks. Banning short sales would ruin trading strategies for many of these funds.

A temporary bump in the market until the ban subsides, and then a major crash as investors are again able to short the market: Does anybody not think this will happen? I can't even fathom how many points the market will drop the day short sales are allowed again.

The erosion of any confidence investors still have in the U.S. market: Who in their right minds would want to invest in the U.S. markets if they're aware the government can come in and seize their property at will? I'll tell you who: absolutely nobody. This would be incredibly damaging to the long-term health of the U.S. economy.

Further analysis from the excellent Barry Ritholtz over at The Big Picture:

This is nothing short of a total panic by people who have no clue what they are doing. And to think, I mocked Russia for being a nation run by market commies.

This is the ultimate bailout attempt, which will have repercussions far far beyond our imaginations:

1) We suffer a loss of Market Integrity; The US is now a Banana Republic

2) Blatant market manipulation: this is nothing more than an attempt to force markets higher;

3) 60 days prior to a presidential election? This is a none-too-subtle attempt to influence the elections -- especially coming on top of the Fannie/Freddie bailout;

4) The coming pop will create a huge air pocket, ultimately leading to us crashing much lower;

5) Expect a huge increase in volatility -- upwards first, then down;

We Are A Nation of Morons, led by complete Idiots, making us complicit in our own self destruction.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/18/211942/538/833/603259

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:48 PM

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John Sidney McCain IIII nvented the Blackberry (Techno remix)

by Anonymous

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqF1khIKp3o&eurl=http://www.americablog.com/

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:41 PM

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Bush/McCain plan wants taxpayers to take over Banks' bad debts

by Repugs Privatize Profits, Socialize Losses

Bush's plan is socialism for Wealthy Bankers while everyone else takes it in the ass.

Bush is cooking up a plan to let U.S. taxpayers clean up the colossal mess created by greedy bankers selling mortgages with unrealistic terms. This mess is a much much bigger mess than the Savings and Loan Crisis Daddy Bush forced the taxpayers to foot the bill for in the 1980s, after lax regulation of Savings and Loans lead to abuses and corruption.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080918/financial_meltdown.html

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:36 PM

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Daily Kos Cafferty Connects the Dots for Seniors

by McPrivatization and SS

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/18/2138/71766/854/603246

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:32 PM

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Inuit Soothsayer Predicts Palin's Political Future

by Anonymous

Inuit Soothsayer Predicts Palin's Political Future

In a blockbuster interview, an Inuit soothsayer in Wasilla, Alaska has revealed the political future of Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, including her secret plan to create millions more special needs children and the discovery of a meth lab in the White House basement!

I met with "Toniehet," an elderly female soothsayer, in my motel room in Wasilla, Alaska. Wrinkled, with a single amused eye, having lost the other in a childhood accident that also removed her right cheek and jaw, Toniehet has been a revered soothsayer for 73 of her 87 years. Accompanied by a doting granddaughter, Toniehet perched on the edge of a frayed blue couch as she divined the political future of Sarah Palin in an explosive two-hour session. Here are highlights:

"While I do not know this lady, Sarah Palin, I can see that her future is bright, although it will come at the considerable expense of others. First of all, she will become President of the United States a mere 97 minutes after John McCain is sworn into office. Having achieved his lifelong dream of attaining the Oval Office, and with no further plans, John McCain will succumb to a massive stroke, causing this to be the first time in history that two presidents are sworn in on the same day.

"Mrs. Palin will take McCain's death in stride, moving immediately from the solemn ceremony to the White House with the entire Palin clan in tow. This will precipitate another first, as there will not be enough bedrooms in the White House to accommodate the 40+ member clan, causing President Palin and her handsome husband to locate their own king-size bed in the Oval Office, separating their sleeping quarters from the working area with an antique tapestry hung from a length of baling wire.

"One of Sarah's first acts will be to create 33 million new special needs children after her new Surgeon General identifies them as possessing the same genetic deficiency that afflicts their Democratic parents. The parents will be sent off and the kids will be moved in with loving families for further study.

"In other news, the U.S. public will be delighted when the Palin clan greets four new babies only six months into Sarah's term...but will be horrified when a meth lab is discovered in the White House basement!"

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:28 PM

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GOD (BLEEP) AMERICA!

by JOSH HOWARD, OBAMA SUPPORTER!

JUST LIKE MOST LIBERALS AND BARRY OBAMA, THEY DONT NEED THE NATIONAL ANTHEM OR AMERICA!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/091708dnspomavslede.112d818.html

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 5:13 PM

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BS ALERT!!!

by DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS

WHAT'S THIS GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING IMPORTANT???
QUICK, LET'S HEAR YOU SING THE WHOLE NATIONAL
ANTHEM. KNOW THE LYRICS? CAN YOU HIT THE HIGH
NOTES.

YOU'RE A JOKE. TELL US SOMETHING WORTH HEARING.

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:25 PM

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DEMOCRATIC LED CONGRESS SURRENDERS TO MONEY CRISIS! MAY DECIDE TO ADJOURN

by SURRENDER, IT'S WHAT LIBERALS DO BEST!

SECOND ONLY TO BADMOUTHING THE USA

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aVPBaUbYV_qQ

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 5:00 PM

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BS ALERT!!!!

by Anonymous

PROBABLY ADJOURNING BECAUSE REPUG OBSTRUCTIONISTS ARE
MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET ANYTHING DONE. WHY DON'T
YOU TELL UURR READERS ABOUT THE RECORD NUMBER OF REPUG
FILIBUSTERS SINCE THE DEMS TOOK OVER. REPUG GRIDLOCK
PROVING THAT TALK OF BI-PARTISANSHIP AND WORKING ACROSS
THE AISLE IS A PIPE-DREAM.

US ONLY HOPE IS TO CLEAN HOUSE AND START OVER WITH A
DEMOCRATICALLY CONTROLLED HOUSE, SENATE AND WH.

OR MAYBE THE DEMS ARE JUST SMART. LET MCBUSH EXPLAIN
HOW HIS "COMMISSION" IS GOING TO GET US OUT OF THIS
MESS.

Posted on Sep 18, 2008, 8:22 PM

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White House: McCain Campaign’s Attack On Congress ‘Isn’t That Smart’»

by Get your Repug Talking Points Here!

The White House, however, thinks a rush to pass legislation isn’t prudent. In today’s briefing, Press Secretary Dana Perino said she didn’t know if the White House even had a legislative request for Congress to act on, and hesitated to push legislation during a “market correction”:

I don’t know if we will have specific actions that we would ask them to take. … But I think Democrats themselves, and maybe some Republicans, have questioned whether or not they will be able to get anything done in the next two weeks. And it probably isn’t that smart to try to finalize a legislation in the middle of a market correction as we’re trying to figure out what other possible necessary steps may or may not need to be taken as we move forward.

Perino said any call for a lame-duck session is “premature,” adding, “I think right now that the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve have things in hand.” Watch it:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/18/white-house-mccain-recess/

Posted on Sep 19, 2008, 12:23 AM

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