The definition of socialism, courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
1: 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
Hmm, so was McCain a Socialist when he supported the bailout plan? The US has effectively nationalized, in part, the banking system. The Federal Government now owns a portion of a number of financial institutions, or will shortly. Who knew Bush was a Socialist?
Now let's talk about spreading the wealth around. Conservatives and McCain supporters are acting as if Obama was channeling Karl Marx when he talked to Joe the Non-Licensed Plumber, who wasn't buying a business but told Obama he was. ( I believe the technical term for that is lying.) Obama used the phrase "spread the wealth around". Oh, the humanity! It proves he's a Socialist!
Except...what does ANY tax plan do but spread wealth around? Even Bush's tax plan spreads the wealth around...it just spreads it more to people who are already wealthy.
Now let's take a look at Sarah Palin's record as Governor. She increased the taxes on oil companies, and gave the money to every man, woman, and child in Alaska. Each resident in Alaska got $4200. Just for living there. How is that NOT "spreading the wealth" around?
Moreover, if you were a child, and did no labor at all, you STILL got the check. See definition #3 above. How is that NOT Socialism?
They are going for the "I don't know what Socialism is, but I sure know it's bad" vote.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
My troll
I have a troll. A troll is someone who monitors a blog and comments about it in opposition to the blog, or the candidate supported by the blog, or other blog contributors or commenters.
My troll has repeatedly made requests that I say something nice about my candidate instead of bashing McCain and Palin. So, in the spirit of reaching across the aisle, here goes:
Barack Obama is intelligent, inspirational, and articulate. He talks about, and finds ways to, unite people rather than divide them. He talks about working for ALL of America, not just "the real Americans" or "America loving" parts of a state. He is steady and thoughtful. He represents the very essence of the American Dream, coming up from a working class background to the heights of achievement in academics and in politics, by virtue of hard work, skill, and talent.
His tax plan will give Sarah Palin a tax cut. Cindi McCain's taxes will go up, and Senator McCain's taxes will go down marginally, based on his US Senator pay.
Barack Obama will conduct a foreign policy that relies on the best people out there, not people with whom the President finds comfort. His foreign policy will be tough without being combative, unless necessary. It will also be inclusive, recognizing that globalization of the economy requires globalized responses to terror and anti-democratic challenges. It will not be erratic, impulsive, and arrogant.
Barack Obama understand what life is like in working and middle class families. He did not grow up with the advantages of someone whose father and grandfather could grease the skids for him. He had to earn his way to everything he has achieved, and understands the struggles of people who face enormous challenges every day of their lives.
Barack Obama has proven himself as a skillful executive. His campaign has been the most brilliant I have seen in my lifetime. They have anticipated and met every challenge, they have built the mother of all ground operations, they have inspired and mobilized a new generation of voters, and they will win a victory of historic proportions that will realign American politics for years to come.
America will overwhelmingly elect a liberal Senator from Chicago who is not, in fact, entirely white.
Lee Atwater and Jesse Helms, among others, are doing the Tilt-A-Whirl in their graves.
My troll has repeatedly made requests that I say something nice about my candidate instead of bashing McCain and Palin. So, in the spirit of reaching across the aisle, here goes:
Barack Obama is intelligent, inspirational, and articulate. He talks about, and finds ways to, unite people rather than divide them. He talks about working for ALL of America, not just "the real Americans" or "America loving" parts of a state. He is steady and thoughtful. He represents the very essence of the American Dream, coming up from a working class background to the heights of achievement in academics and in politics, by virtue of hard work, skill, and talent.
His tax plan will give Sarah Palin a tax cut. Cindi McCain's taxes will go up, and Senator McCain's taxes will go down marginally, based on his US Senator pay.
Barack Obama will conduct a foreign policy that relies on the best people out there, not people with whom the President finds comfort. His foreign policy will be tough without being combative, unless necessary. It will also be inclusive, recognizing that globalization of the economy requires globalized responses to terror and anti-democratic challenges. It will not be erratic, impulsive, and arrogant.
Barack Obama understand what life is like in working and middle class families. He did not grow up with the advantages of someone whose father and grandfather could grease the skids for him. He had to earn his way to everything he has achieved, and understands the struggles of people who face enormous challenges every day of their lives.
Barack Obama has proven himself as a skillful executive. His campaign has been the most brilliant I have seen in my lifetime. They have anticipated and met every challenge, they have built the mother of all ground operations, they have inspired and mobilized a new generation of voters, and they will win a victory of historic proportions that will realign American politics for years to come.
America will overwhelmingly elect a liberal Senator from Chicago who is not, in fact, entirely white.
Lee Atwater and Jesse Helms, among others, are doing the Tilt-A-Whirl in their graves.
Sarah's Excellent Shopping Spree
Oh, my goodness, children. She is truly the gift that keeps on giving. First there is the revelation that The First Hockey Mom had $150,000 spent for her wardrobe, and her family's wardrobe, by the Republican National Committee. Someone has pointed out that $150K is more than the average American family from a God-and-America-loving state would spend on clothing in 80 years. No word on what the rate would be for those America-hating Godless liberals. Of course, for Cindy McCain, that would be what she spends in about 45 minutes.
Then there is the delightful picture of her speaking with a very patriotic scarf about her neck. The scarf probably cost $400 and is red, white, and blue, with a motif of stars and stripes and parading animals which appear to be...wait for it...YES! Donkeys! Nary an elephant in sight!
Now, if you'll recall, Rachel Ray did an ad for Dunkin' Donuts in which she was seen wearing a black and white patterned scarf, which some people said looked like a kaffiyeh, a scarf worn by many Palestinians, most famously Yassir Arafat. The people who thought this way railed against Dunkin'Donuts because they thought Rachel Ray was supporting terrorists, and DD pulled the ad.
So, clearly, Sarah Palin is secretly in league with socialists and terrorists- loving-America-Hating-Godless-Liberal-Democrats! Off with her head!
Oh, and by the way...the expenditures are probably illegal, too.
My God, who ARE these morons???
Then there is the delightful picture of her speaking with a very patriotic scarf about her neck. The scarf probably cost $400 and is red, white, and blue, with a motif of stars and stripes and parading animals which appear to be...wait for it...YES! Donkeys! Nary an elephant in sight!
Now, if you'll recall, Rachel Ray did an ad for Dunkin' Donuts in which she was seen wearing a black and white patterned scarf, which some people said looked like a kaffiyeh, a scarf worn by many Palestinians, most famously Yassir Arafat. The people who thought this way railed against Dunkin'Donuts because they thought Rachel Ray was supporting terrorists, and DD pulled the ad.
So, clearly, Sarah Palin is secretly in league with socialists and terrorists- loving-America-Hating-Godless-Liberal-Democrats! Off with her head!
Oh, and by the way...the expenditures are probably illegal, too.
My God, who ARE these morons???
Sunday, October 19, 2008
So Much for the Bradley Effect
From Craig Hickman's blog (I have no idea where he got it):
-So a canvasser goes to a woman's door in Washington, Pennsylvania. Knocks. Woman answers. Knocker asks who she's planning to vote for. She isn't sure, has to ask her husband who she's voting for. Husband is off in another room watching some game. Canvasser hears him yell back, "We're votin' for the n***er!"
Woman turns back to canvasser, and says brightly and matter of factly: "We're voting for the n***er."
In this economy, racism is officially a luxury.-
Somewhere, Tom Bradley is having a good laugh.
I see that FOX and the Republicans are calling Obama a "Socialist". Apparently, "liberal" as an epithet has lost its sting.
Which administration was it that effectively nationalized the banking system? Would that be the Republicans? Isn't that sort of government intervention the very definition of Socialism?
Joe Scarborough has memory issues, or he's a complete moron. Perhaps both. In a panel this morning on "Meet the Press" he talks about the possibility that the House, the Senate, and the President could all be from the same party for the first time since 1936, raising the specter of FDR.
Seems to forget that Bush had the House and Senate solidly in Republican hands for most of his two terms. Not to mention the Supreme Court. Another Joe, another putz.
Speaking of Joes, the most famous plumber in the world since Super Mario is whining that he was treated unfairly by the media. What, he thought he could get the camera time and not have the media ask questions? And why not blame the McCain camp for putting him out there, unvetted? If anybody is to blame, it's the McCain people for making him the centerpiece of their campaign, and leaving him out to face the media without media handlers, a la Palin.
Shame on the media for actually asking questions.
-So a canvasser goes to a woman's door in Washington, Pennsylvania. Knocks. Woman answers. Knocker asks who she's planning to vote for. She isn't sure, has to ask her husband who she's voting for. Husband is off in another room watching some game. Canvasser hears him yell back, "We're votin' for the n***er!"
Woman turns back to canvasser, and says brightly and matter of factly: "We're voting for the n***er."
In this economy, racism is officially a luxury.-
Somewhere, Tom Bradley is having a good laugh.
I see that FOX and the Republicans are calling Obama a "Socialist". Apparently, "liberal" as an epithet has lost its sting.
Which administration was it that effectively nationalized the banking system? Would that be the Republicans? Isn't that sort of government intervention the very definition of Socialism?
Joe Scarborough has memory issues, or he's a complete moron. Perhaps both. In a panel this morning on "Meet the Press" he talks about the possibility that the House, the Senate, and the President could all be from the same party for the first time since 1936, raising the specter of FDR.
Seems to forget that Bush had the House and Senate solidly in Republican hands for most of his two terms. Not to mention the Supreme Court. Another Joe, another putz.
Speaking of Joes, the most famous plumber in the world since Super Mario is whining that he was treated unfairly by the media. What, he thought he could get the camera time and not have the media ask questions? And why not blame the McCain camp for putting him out there, unvetted? If anybody is to blame, it's the McCain people for making him the centerpiece of their campaign, and leaving him out to face the media without media handlers, a la Palin.
Shame on the media for actually asking questions.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Joe the Horticulturist
...is what the McCain campaign should have called him, because he was a plant.
Check this out:
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/joe-the-plumber-admits-he-wasn.html
Now, this guy is going to be on all the morning shows...wonder how long this will take to blow up in McCain's face? Karl Rove used to be better at this stuff. Guess the kid, Steve Schmidt, just hasn't got the Old Man's chops.
McCain did well on debating points, probably better than he has all season. But his angry expressions, little outbursts, and general appearance of agitation didn't help him one bit. I have said all along that this was Kennedy/Nixon all over again, and last night proved it. McCain didn't look like the guy you want steering the ship. Obama did.
Toast. Look it up in the dictionary, you'll see McCain's picture.
Alternate meaning: toast- as in what we will do with champagne when Obama is elected. He clearly had a better grasp of the economy, and foreign policy, and domestic issues as a whole throughout the debates. He'll make a fine president of these United States.
Get used to the idea, folks. As Curtis Mayfield said, " A change is gonna come."
Check this out:
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/joe-the-plumber-admits-he-wasn.html
Now, this guy is going to be on all the morning shows...wonder how long this will take to blow up in McCain's face? Karl Rove used to be better at this stuff. Guess the kid, Steve Schmidt, just hasn't got the Old Man's chops.
McCain did well on debating points, probably better than he has all season. But his angry expressions, little outbursts, and general appearance of agitation didn't help him one bit. I have said all along that this was Kennedy/Nixon all over again, and last night proved it. McCain didn't look like the guy you want steering the ship. Obama did.
Toast. Look it up in the dictionary, you'll see McCain's picture.
Alternate meaning: toast- as in what we will do with champagne when Obama is elected. He clearly had a better grasp of the economy, and foreign policy, and domestic issues as a whole throughout the debates. He'll make a fine president of these United States.
Get used to the idea, folks. As Curtis Mayfield said, " A change is gonna come."
Thursday, October 9, 2008
What Do We Really Know About John McCain?
...is what the ads would look like if Steve Schmidt were runnng Obama's campaign.
OMINOUS VOICE: What DO we know...about John McCain?
OMINOUS MUSIC CUE: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: He tells us he spent five years in a *prison camp* in the 60's...but he was surrounded by Commnists all that time. What did they do to him? What did they do to his mind? One of his jailers said he would make a good President...but he didn't say * of what*.
AVERAGE AMERICAN: I don't know where McCain really was all that time. He's never given us a lot of detail. And he was endorsed by the Communists? How can we trust him?
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain disobeyed orders and flew lower than he was supposed to on that mission. Nobody actually saw his plane hit by a missile.
OMINOUS MUSIC: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain. Disobeyed orders. Stayed in a hotel for 5 years with Communists. Can we really trust him?
Of course they have to resort to crap like this. Liberal isn't scary enough, when the economic situation your pals caused is what's scaring people. And they can't come right out and say " Jesus Christ, you can't vote for him, HE"S BLAAACCCKKKK!!!"
So they use this "terrorist" horse manure.
Let's review: At the time of Obama's birth, Saddam Hussein was as well known in Iraq as Hank Rebouzniak is now in Hollywood. Who is Hank Rebouzniak? Exactly. Nobody had heard of Saddam Hussein at the time of Obama's christening, not even in Iraq. So to suggest that somehow Obama's dad knew that someday this unknown guy was going to become dictator of a country, 15 years before it happened, makes as much sense as Bat Boy being the father of Bristol Palin's baby.
It is ugly, and has no place in the debate, to suggest that Obama is a terrorist. It's an easy way to justify anything that happens to him, in the eyes of some people. Some might even think it was their patriotic duty to prevent him from becoming President by any means, legal or otherwise.
If Obama is a terrorist, then Nancy Reagan is a terrorist, for having met and dined with King Hussein of Jordan. So were Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon.
These rumors need to be squashed. Let's have a debate on the issues. If you can't debate the issues, then shut the f*** up.
OMINOUS VOICE: What DO we know...about John McCain?
OMINOUS MUSIC CUE: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: He tells us he spent five years in a *prison camp* in the 60's...but he was surrounded by Commnists all that time. What did they do to him? What did they do to his mind? One of his jailers said he would make a good President...but he didn't say * of what*.
AVERAGE AMERICAN: I don't know where McCain really was all that time. He's never given us a lot of detail. And he was endorsed by the Communists? How can we trust him?
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain disobeyed orders and flew lower than he was supposed to on that mission. Nobody actually saw his plane hit by a missile.
OMINOUS MUSIC: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain. Disobeyed orders. Stayed in a hotel for 5 years with Communists. Can we really trust him?
Of course they have to resort to crap like this. Liberal isn't scary enough, when the economic situation your pals caused is what's scaring people. And they can't come right out and say " Jesus Christ, you can't vote for him, HE"S BLAAACCCKKKK!!!"
So they use this "terrorist" horse manure.
Let's review: At the time of Obama's birth, Saddam Hussein was as well known in Iraq as Hank Rebouzniak is now in Hollywood. Who is Hank Rebouzniak? Exactly. Nobody had heard of Saddam Hussein at the time of Obama's christening, not even in Iraq. So to suggest that somehow Obama's dad knew that someday this unknown guy was going to become dictator of a country, 15 years before it happened, makes as much sense as Bat Boy being the father of Bristol Palin's baby.
It is ugly, and has no place in the debate, to suggest that Obama is a terrorist. It's an easy way to justify anything that happens to him, in the eyes of some people. Some might even think it was their patriotic duty to prevent him from becoming President by any means, legal or otherwise.
If Obama is a terrorist, then Nancy Reagan is a terrorist, for having met and dined with King Hussein of Jordan. So were Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon.
These rumors need to be squashed. Let's have a debate on the issues. If you can't debate the issues, then shut the f*** up.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Baby Got Perk
Gosh she is perky. And she sure has gumption.
And if there is anything this country needs in these perilous times...
...it sure as hell ain't perkiness and gumption. I don't want to be winked at, no matter how fetching the winker.
And I especially don't want someone who says " I'll answer the questions *I* want to answer, and the hell with the media." Oh yeah, and the bit about wanting more power than the Vice President already has, in the age of Cheney as Puppeteer-in-Chief? Not so desirable.
I want someone who understands the issues, knows some history, can remember more than one Supreme Court case, and can remember the name of one news organ that she reads. I want someone who actually understands foreign policy issues, not just memorizes talking points. I want someone who isn't going to look into the camera and lie through her teeth.
Here is the perfect Palin moment in the debate, for me: She chides Biden for dwelling on the past, using Ronald Reagan's line " There you go again...". Talk about dwelling on the past, trying to conjure up Reagan at his Great Communicator best in a debate, as a way of ginning up the base. Take that, Kathleen Parker.
Both did a great job, for what they had to do. Biden was a convincing President-in-waiting, if the need should arise. Palin staunched the hemorrhaging of support, and didn't throw up on the podium. Anybody who had concerns about the candidates' capabilities had their questions answered last night.
On to Tuesday's debate.
And if there is anything this country needs in these perilous times...
...it sure as hell ain't perkiness and gumption. I don't want to be winked at, no matter how fetching the winker.
And I especially don't want someone who says " I'll answer the questions *I* want to answer, and the hell with the media." Oh yeah, and the bit about wanting more power than the Vice President already has, in the age of Cheney as Puppeteer-in-Chief? Not so desirable.
I want someone who understands the issues, knows some history, can remember more than one Supreme Court case, and can remember the name of one news organ that she reads. I want someone who actually understands foreign policy issues, not just memorizes talking points. I want someone who isn't going to look into the camera and lie through her teeth.
Here is the perfect Palin moment in the debate, for me: She chides Biden for dwelling on the past, using Ronald Reagan's line " There you go again...". Talk about dwelling on the past, trying to conjure up Reagan at his Great Communicator best in a debate, as a way of ginning up the base. Take that, Kathleen Parker.
Both did a great job, for what they had to do. Biden was a convincing President-in-waiting, if the need should arise. Palin staunched the hemorrhaging of support, and didn't throw up on the podium. Anybody who had concerns about the candidates' capabilities had their questions answered last night.
On to Tuesday's debate.
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