Debate

I watched the debate last Friday night. I was impressed with Jim Lherer's moderating and the way he insisted that the candidates speak to each other instead of in the third person. McCain seemed unable to address Obama in the first person though, despite several attempts by the moderator to have a direct conversation and debate... Obama seemed a little more able to speak to McCain directly, although he tended to want to address the American people. I think in McCain's case it is from decades of Senatorial formality that he is unable to address a single person and must speak to the masses. But Obama is the one who's eliteist. Riiiiight.

I was amazed as I listened to McCain accuse Obama of not understanding the difference between a strategy and a tactic. Only to confuse the two himself in his description of a tactic (the surge) as a strategy.
Obama then demonstrated his grasp of strategy vs. a tactic. Only to have McCain describe a tactic as a strategy again in regard to Afganistan.

I was sad that Obama didn't change the framework of the issues effectively. He could have been a little more assertive with regard to what is a priority for America.
McCain was expecting his expose of Obama's definition of "wealthy" as individuals who make more than $250,000 a year to outrage Americans. Most of the Americans listening I think were saying "I wish I made $250,000 a year" not "Outrageous! I make ten times that! This will not stand!!!" So no points there. We as a nation have been driven to the outskirts of an economic wasteland by eight years of "Conservative" policies. My brother calls for an investigation into the Senate Banking Commitee but I think any investigation would reveal that the rapeublican policy of deregulation and hands-off-the-market regulation combined with a willingness to look the other way was behind this.
What surprises me is that anyone is surprized that this happened. Economists have been screaming about this for years.
But back to the debate. Poor responses from both of the candidates on what they would do about this "crisis" and how it would effect their administration's first days in office.
Poor response from Obama when talking about Iran. Instead of falling into the Republican framework and calling Iran a "rouge" nation he could have used that opportunity to refer to Iran as a "Mavrick" nation.
He missed one shot there. But then he doesn't have me advising him on his speaches either...
McCain just spouted the usual party line about taxes and terrorists. Nothing of substance at all. He tried to scare America a bit more. At least Obama took him on regarding his support of Bush inc's plans for the rest of us.
I'd give Obama the edge on this debate, but not by much.

New Slogan

McCain / Palin

Putting a Pretty Face on an UGLY Campaign.

I smell a turd being carried by a rat which stinks BTW

Bailout?

Remember when Bush tried to privatize Social Security and make it so that all the federal monies went to Wall Street investment banks? Remember how he was bitch slapped by everyone from both parties?
We thought he had gone away and was licking his wounds. He was just waiting.
This "Financial Crisis" and associated bailout is just his (hopefully) last great big fuck you to America.
700 billion dollars to the bankers who have squandered billions?
"Piss off!" I say.

Let the banks get the money they need by taking back the money these financial rapists (read: CEO) took from hard working Americans.
When a financial institution pays 72 million to an officer and then turns around and claims insolvency, they are lying. The money is out there; it's in the pool house, 9th home, private jet etc...
Then they try to ram this through like Iraq, the Patriot Act etc... it makes me want to move to Cuba or Venezuela because at least the governments there are honest about socialization. They don't just lie to you and steal your money. They just take your money.
I would rather have honesty than lies. Either way they take your money...

Desperation

The McCain campaign released a video on You Tube claiming that Obama is sexist and called Palin a pig.
If one listens to the Obama speech one will clearly understand that he is not calling her a pig. He is using an old saying that McCain himself used describing the Hillary healthcare proposal.
These folks are just not at all telling the truth.
Palin was for the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it. She still took 27 million dollars from the federal government.
As for "taking on BIG OIL" I hardly call imposing a windfall profits tax taking them on.
Palin is in the oil camp just like the rest of the Rapeublican party.
At teh convention when Rudi led the crowd in a chant of "Drill Baby Drill" the Saudi, Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan leaders were thinking to themselves " boy these people are insane and we are going to be sooooo rich." The lack of critical thinking and logic that is demonstrated by Americans who support increasing production to solve the problem of supply is baffling to me. I understand if you work for Shell or Texaco that you want more dependence on oil for energy but a mother of three working at Target? What is she going to gain? Nothing.
Oh well. Americans are mostly stupid I suppose.

The sky is green and the trees are blue

Look, I actually watched McCain and his speech to accept the Republican nomination. I have to say that he did a really good job. I felt sincerity from him and I do believe that he wants to make America better. I just don't believe for a second that he is going to make America better for me. If I were the heir of a massive fortune, owned a fortune 500 company, sports team, television station or participated in the accumulation of wealth similar to those folks, perhaps he would be addressing my interests. I don't, and he isn't. Palin isn't talking to me either. She's talking at me, trying to get me to react out of fear to vote for the Repub's. Fear is a powerful motivator. So is sex. So if Palin in her hotness can con you into thinking that the Republicans are going to perform an about-face after eight years and actually match the actions to the rhetoric then she has done her job. If McCain can con you into thinking that he is going to be a 'maverick' and rid the government of waste, special interest and corruption as well as protect you from the evil scary Iranians then he has succeeded.
I know it will work on some of America. It just isn't working on me.

The trees are green and the sky is blue.

Just because Sarah Palin says that Obama is going to raise your taxes doesn't mean that he will.
In her speech she made some comment about her sister opening a gas station and that Obama wants to tax her business!!! Shocking! LIBERAL!!! The problem is that she led you to believe that Obama is going to RAISE taxes on that business. She fails to point out that McCain/Palin will expect that business to pay taxes just like Obama/Biden. Everyone (except the oil companies) pays taxes.

She's good. I just hope that America can remember the past eight years and realize that this ticket is just more of the same.