Pray for McCain

I am not suggesting the race is over. Not by a long shot. And I will be working a 12-hour shift on election day as a pollwatcher in Sanford, Florida. (I have a feeling its necessary.)

But something has changed. Or maybe its me who has changed. For months, I have been battling (friendly-like) with my McCain friend in West Virginia. He would send me the latest smear attack from FAUXNEWS or RedState, and I would respond with articles from legitimate news organizations or funny YouTube videos catching McCain contradicting himself. But ever since the wheels came off on the ST Express, my friend has been grasping at straws like so many of his friends.

He argues with me that the number of McCain signs are proving his man is making ground, or pointing to the "polls" done by McCain's people that show PA and Iowa tied. But what he was most proud of was the following. And that is what changed me.


"They are going to blitz your state with these ads soon".

He sent me a link. It's McCain's latest ad. It begins with the phrase "The last eight years haven't worked so well have they!?"

(Considering my friend was an ardent Bushie, I was floored that he was so proud of McCain trying to throw W under the bus.)

But as McCain was talking, and rambling on about drill baby drill or whatever, and as I was about to compose a response--I noticed something...

Dear Lord, he looks so old....and so tired.

Please understand that I don't mean this as an insult. It's just that the realization hit me.

I used to respect this man. I thought he had a compelling personal story, was fiercely intelligent, and at one time stood up for his principles. I loved how he went after Bush in 2000. If the primary in Florida hadn't been so late, I would have considered voting for him and even supporting him.

But now, I pity him. I will pray for him. It is going to be so tough for him to lose this election. He has worked so hard, sucked up to Bush so much, and even threw away his reputation.

Just imagine if he had actually stuck to his principles:

1. Deep down, he has always hated Bush. But he felt he needed his base and wanted to win, so he reversed most of his positions and sucked up to him so much he became Bush's lap dog.

Consequence: He got what he wanted. People now associate him with Bush. Now that Bush is going down as the worst prez in history, McCain is NOW vicously attacking him--but its too late.

2. McCain, I truly believe, wanted to run an honorable campaign based on the issues. He himself said that if any of his opponents primarily run negative ads, that would mean they had "no direction" for the country. He also remembered the Bush/Rove smear of his own daughter in SC in 2000. But then McCain started sinking in the polls. He hired a Rove disciple, Steve Schmidt, to take over his campaign--a man whose mentor attacked McCain's own family. Schmidt ran the Rove playbook well--nonstop smear of your opponent and play to the base.

Consequence: McCain went along with every vicious lie--and sold his integrity little by little every time. The playbook of calling into question your opponents patriotism and even outright lying (Protecting kids from sexual predators meant Obama wanted to teach sex ed to kids??) didn't work the way it did in 2004. As a result, the few people supporting McCain can't even tell you what he stands for, and everyone else is turned off by the lies, anger, and hate from his campaign. He not only is losing the election--he lost his honor and reputation in the process.

3. McCain even allowed Schmidt to bully him into picking a yokel he met for less than 15 minutes instead of his first choice, Joe Lieberman.

Consequence: Palin has been an embarrasment and nonstop drag on his ticket.


Just imagine--if McCain had run an HONORABLE campaign based solely on the issues.

Just imagine--if he truly was the maverick he claimed to be and told Schmidt to shove it and picked Lieberman or someone halfway competent that he knew and respected.

Just imagine--if he did what he wanted to do years ago and tell Bush to stuff it (instead of doing it a week before the election).


Although I'd still fight against him because of the issues, the Supreme Court, and the fact that we need a Democrat in the White House to clean up the mess after Bush--I do believe that McCain would be neck and neck in the polls right now.

And even if he lost, he could say that he lost with honor, dignity, and grace. He could hold his head up high after the election, and he would still have the respect of millions like me.

But after the election, he will come to the realization that, in his twilight years, all that honor he had worked so hard to build, the reputation he worked so hard to restore after the Keating scandal, and all the beliefs he had sacrificed: gone.

I don't hate McCain anymore for what he's become. I'm NO LONGER ANGRY.

For the first time, I didn't respond with a lengthy diatribe against McCain. I told my friend that anything is possible and wished him luck. I pray for my friend, who will most likely suffer the pain I felt election night 2004.

I will pray for our great nation, and pray that President Obama will fulfill his promise in bringing all of us together to move past this partisan hatred.

But most of all, I will pray for the man he is working so hard for that I believe will not just experience a profound disappointment on election night, but suffer the rest of his days for what he has become.

Tonight, I pray for John McCain.

My Rant on Babs West in the Orlando Sentinel

Because I've already been published just a little bit ago, and also know its usually bad form for news organizations to criticize each other's reporters--I figured the best way to get my point across on Babs in our local paper was in the 30-word rant section. Today's paper:

WFTV's Barbara West threw softballs to [John] McCain but compared Obama to Karl Marx. Are you applying for Fox News, Ms. West?

See the full story below.

Clinton, Obama in My Hometown for the Closing Arguement!

Although it was late, tens of thousands showed up to listen to Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Bill Clinton, in his best praise of Obama, talked about how, during the financial crisis, Obama talked to economic advisors so that he could understand what was going on and respond appropriately. He contrasted this to the actions of both Bush and McCain: Pulling stunt after stunt or erradically shifting from one idea to the next (McCain) or just sticking the old noggin head in the sand and hoping for the best (Bush).

We need a president who WANTS to understand and CAN understand!!

Priceless.

Palin: Says Alaska collectively "shares the wealth"

Palin gave stupid interviews before she was the GOP nominee:

We’re set up, unlike other states in the union, where it’s collectively Alaskans own the resources. So we share in the wealth when the development of these resources occurs.

And here's a bonus from Ted Rall:



Shout out to Den the Blogger over at boilingmad blog for these good tidbits.

Seminole Democrat Endorses Republican Barry Gainer

I know I said I would make no endorsements for local offices, but I had to make an exception. Seminole County School Board needs the return of the incumbent, Barry Gainer. The main reason is perpetual candidate Sylvia Pond, his opponent, is a right-wing nut who told the Orlando Sentinel that she believes in teaching creationism in science class.

Wonderful, as if it isn't bad enough we are being surpassed by third-world countries in the science field, we have ideologues who want to turn science class into religion class: and Seminole County is just backward enough to support that. We already have radical religious groups like JMJ (Jesus Mary Joseph) Life Center teaching our kids about sex education--where they get great tidbits of information like learning that the pill is an "abortion agent" that causes infertility, cancer, blood clots, stroke, weight gain, and makes women more susceptible to AIDS and other immune-related diseases. (Orange County has rejected them based on "concerns with the validity of their information", but here in Seminole we apparently have no issue with that).

We don't need more right-wing nuts on the board. We need less. I would like to have a moderate Democrat run for School Board here in Seminole for a change, but barring a miracle, we need to back Gainer for School Board.

The Seminole Democrat Endorsements!

President/Vice President: Barack Obama and Joe Biden

Congressional District 7: Faye Armitage
Congressional District 24: Suzanne Kosmas

State Senate District 9: Darius Davis
State Senate District 24: Kendall Moore

State Representative District 33: Robert Acosta

Seminole Soil & Water Board: Steve Barnes

Seminole School Board: Barry Gainer


Amendments:
Vote YES on Amendment 1 and Amendment 6.

Amendment 1 states immigrants can't own land--it was put on the books almost a century ago and is completely ignored anyway, but it can't be removed without another amendment. This would remove pure prejudice in the state constitution. Vote YES on this.

Amendment 6 allows marina owners to have their property assessed based on what they actually are, not at the optimum rate they could be if they were condos. The reason I am for this is that it helps slow development of box condos on our shorelines. The developers love that marinas are being taxed so high because a lot of them are going under--which means the land developers can swoop in and plant yet another unnecessary condo. Just what we need. Vote YES on this.

All the other amendments range from being misguided, not worth the investment, or outright wrong. Vote NO.

I encourage you to do your own research on the amendments. The Sentinel breaks down the pros and cons of each: Click Here

I do not make endorsements for individual cities within Seminole. I STRONGLY urge you to visit the Seminole County Elections Supervisor Site: http://www.semcoelections.org/

This site will tell you who is running, link to their websites, give you a sample ballot, tell you where to vote early, what you need, etc. etc. etc.

Be an informed voter. The local elections have a big impact on your life, but normally people don't even bother to see who's running. Don't make that mistake.

Happy Voting!

WFTV's Barbara West: SCHOOLED-Biden Style!

Hey Barbara--Thanks for making Central Florida and the rest of my state look ignorant. Again.

I couldn't believe my ears... This so-called unbiased reporter from WFTV asked Joe Biden three different times if Obama was a "marxist". I would stake that he would have had more intelligent questions going on O'Reilly.

Joe Biden completely eviscerated her. From the fake ties to ACORN to repeated attempts to link Obama to Sweden/Marx, etc, Biden slams her and looks calm and presidential while doing it. ("Is that a real question?") This is the very reason Obama chose him. Palin he is not.

That's the thing about using phony talking points without doing research. They go unchallenged when featured on the likes of Hannity and Limbaugh; but trying to use them against a well-informed opponent? Well, you get exposed for the ignoramous you are.

The WFTV director, Bob Jordan, responded to the complaints by arguing they were just tough questions.

No, Bob. Tough questions are one thing. Questions based on false and ignorant talking points are, well, ignorant.

McCain/Bush "spread the wealth around" by giving a tremendous tax cut benefitting the super wealthy and the oil companies. That didn't work so well. Obama and Biden are talking about giving a tax cut to those who actually need it: the middle class. And now that's "socialist"??? That's "marxist"?? That's "welfare"??


Enjoy:



Even though she was rude and insulting to Biden, it may have passed muster with people if she were equally rough on McCain when she interviewed him October 14th. Nope--she throws softballs and downright begs him to go after Obama on ACORN. Watch the difference: http://www.wftv.com/video/17712615/index.html

You should never be able to tell a reporter's ideology. I think this makes it clear.



PS--If you are as embarrassed by her antics as I was, drop her a line:

Babs: Barbara.West@wftv.com
General Manager: Bob.Jordan@wftv.com

UPDATE: Turns out that her husband, Wade West, is a political and media consultant for Republican politicians. The GOP talking points Barbara West used in her interview may have come directly from the McCain Palin communications team via her husband Wade.

McCain Bumper Sticker...Notice Anything?

I snapped this picture on a red pickup truck in Sanford, Florida. It was the only sticker on the car.

Notice anything?

Like... No mention of the top of the ticket?


It's nice to be a Democrat for a change. I have Obama stickers all over my car--I couldn't imagine having only one that says Joe Biden for Vice President. But then again, I'm proud of my candidate for president, unlike this guy.

Let's face it. This guy picked this sticker over the more common ones that feature McCain because he must ashamed or disappointed in his candidate for president.


And that's one thing I guess we agree on.

PS--thanks to distraught from DKOS for pointing out this gem on brettmarty.com. This is Sarah Palin signing a sign that says PALIN 2012.

The fact that the supporter used "2012" is the clearest indication that their supporters know the McCain campaign is lost. But you would think she'd play the game until after next week...

Great News and Bad Mistakes

Miami Herald poll shows a six point lead here in battleground Florida: 49% to 42%.

Boosting Obama: independent voters, who back him over McCain by a 57-22 percent margin -- a 38 point shift toward the Democrat since the last poll in September

.

McCain is finally realizing the stupidity of his Pennsylvannia strategy, and is dumping all his money in Virginia and here in Florida. It won't matter.

Salon.com made a list of the 7 worst mistakes of pundits made just this year:

1. Sarah Palin was a brilliant pick as McCain's running mate.
   
2. Choosing Steve Schmidt to run McCain's campaign was a stroke of genius.
   
3. Gas prices on election day will determine who wins.
   
4. Obama should have taken public financing.
   
5. Obama was guilty of hubris for contesting North Carolina and other red states.
   
6. Obama will hurt Democrats downticket.
   
7. The Democratic Hillary supporters will destroy Obama

I'm not guilty on any of those, but you can add the mistake many made, including me, that voters would punish the Democratic candidate for spurning us during primary season. Turns out there were bigger issues--who would have thunk it?

I was correct, however, when I said ALL our delegates would be seated.

I am hoping that soon after the election, the RNC and the DNC can work together for a fair primary season. I am also hoping for world peace and that my 401k will suddenly reverse itself so much that I could afford a Palin shopping spree.

If the World Could Vote

After all, our president is the "Leader of the Free World". And our elections do affect the entire world--it's amazing for me every time I see or hear about people across Eurasia watching as intently as I do on election night. The President of the United States is the closest thing we have to a world leader--so it's nice to at least ask the rest of the world their opinion even though it won't count.

Good news for McCain. He is kicking ass in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia and has made serious inroads in Venezuala. (The map doesn't show it, but it looks like Seminole County might break his way too.)

The rest of the world.... well... http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/results

OMG! ORLANDO SENTINEL endorses Barack!!

I am watching Powell endorse Senator Obama as I write this. What a great way to wake up.

I am looking at the Orlando Sentinel full page endorsement of Barack Obama! IF you don't know the Orlando Sentinel, you have to understand that they love to endorse Republicans. The joke on talk radio is usually "do what the Sentinel tells you and vote Republican".

With ONE exception, John Kerry, they have endorsed Republicans for president for the PAST 40 YEARS!! They also endorsed John McCain, but NOT Obama, (rather Hillary), several months ago in the respective primaries. I really didn't think they would do it.

The Sentinel even admitted that they wer leaning McCain as the primary season began, but changed thier mind over the events of the past several weeks.

While Obama showed "sound judgment" and "grace under pressure", Mr. McCain has reacted "haphazardly" and "abandoned" positions that the Sentinel had supported. Their words: Mr. McCain has demonstrated "shockingly poor judgment".

I encourage you to read the entire endorsement. It is a work of art. They contrast the difference between McCain when he started (when the Sentinel originally endorsed him) and McCain now; and also where Obama was then and where he is now. I won't put the entire endorsement here, but I will provide the portion under the heading "Obama Now":

Under months of unrelenting scrutiny and withering political attacks since then, the Democratic nominee has proved to be an unflappable and thoughtful leader. He has displayed a remarkable command of issues, both domestic and foreign. It's hard to imagine a quicker study.

Mr. Obama has wisely compensated for his relative inexperience by reaching out to experts, from billionaire investor Warren Buffett and former treasury secretaries for advice on economic policy to ex-national security advisers on foreign policy. He chose as his running mate Joe Biden, the veteran U.S. senator from Delaware and Foreign Relations Committee chairman. The contrast with Mr. McCain's choice for vice president could not be more striking.

Mr. Obama gets the nod in this race not just because of his opponent's flaws.

The Illinois senator has a better plan than the Arizona senator for expanding health-care coverage. Mr. Obama would focus on the problem -- uninsured Americans -- while strengthening the current system of employer-based care. Mr. McCain would unravel that system.

Mr. Obama also would be more aggressive in curbing America's dirty and dangerous addiction to petroleum by mounting an ambitious campaign to develop renewable energy. Mr. McCain says he favors alternatives to oil, but his "drill, baby, drill" fixation could prolong the nation's habit.

The Democratic nominee is more inclined to turn the page on the foreign policy of the past eight years that has alienated allies and incited enemies. His willingness to engage when necessary in tough negotiations with enemies is not naive or irresponsible; it's an approach followed before by presidents from both parties.

Since he began his meteoric rise in American politics, Mr. Obama's critics have trivialized his remarkable skills as a speaker. From Abraham Lincoln through Ronald Reagan, history has shown that eloquence is a powerful tool for presidents to rally Americans to get through tough times together and achieve great things.

If you have a moment, please PLEASE send a quite note of support to insight@orlandosentinel.com.This is a conservative area, and they are going to be bomarded with hate mail. When they endorsed John Kerry last time, you would have thought the apocalypse was upon us. Tons of letters came in complaining and hundreds of subscriptions were canceled.

I honestly thought they would cave like the idiotic endorsement of the Tampa Tribune yesterday. But they didn't. And I couldn't be more proud.

What a great morning.

New Poll Showing Feeney Getting Spanked

I have said it before and I'll say it again. If Tom Feeney hadn't been allowed to draw his own district picking his own voters, this race would be a landslide against Feeney. The Orlando Sentinel, which loves to endorse Republicans, endorsed Suzanne Kosmas for FL-24. HOW could they not? There are no accomplishments Feeney can point to, and he has been voted the most corrupt politician in Congress four years in a row by a nonpartisan group. It seems now that gerrymandering alone won't save Mr. Feeney:


Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll:

Kosmas (D) 58
Feeney (R) 35

Suzanne Kosmas loves to point out that for all the disdain of government Mr. Feeney has, he has spent his adult life in public office. Kosmas is a successful self-employed business owner who also had a very successful career in the state legislature. All the negative ads against Kosmas seem to be failing--this Seminole district knows the score.

To help Suzanne send Feeney packing, go to www.KosmasforCongress.com

Oliver Stone's W: Unexpected in More Ways than One

It wasn't at all what I expected:

I went late last night to Oviedo mall, and I figured it would be just me in there. The theater was pretty packed, however.

I also assumed that it would be mostly liberals and the anti-Bush crowd, but it was pretty mixed. I could tell because half the audience would cheer and the other half would jeer at the same parts either showing Bush in a good light or bad.

Finally, the trailors and posters of the film do not do it justice. They feature only the parts where Bush looks silly, so I expected more of a hit job. I'm glad it wasn't, because that would have been boring.

Love or hate him, you have to admit that George W. Bush is a very interesting man. Essentially, you had an unfocused, adolescent drunk through his early 40s, completely written off by his family as hopeless, finding religion and beginning a meteoric rise to become leader of the free world. Gotta admit, there's a story there.

Over the past 8 years, characatures have been drawn about W (really dumb), his wife (stepford), and the Bush family (power-hungry). This film doesn't play into any of those stereotypes. Stone did his research and treated his subjects fairly.

The movie is told in two simultaneous storylines that merge at the end. The movie focuses on what will be the Bush legacy--the run-up and subsequent invasion of Iraq. The movie flashes back during this time to tell the story of W growing up from the late 60s until it catches up to the invasion storyline.

By presenting the movie in this fashion, you get a deeper understanding of why W does the things W does. At a press conference, where Bush can't admit a mistake, you see how the complicated family dynamic, especially with his father and brother Jeb, played into that. You understand how his unsatiable drive to succeed was fueled by his fear and hatred of being perceived as a failure, such as his first run for Congress: "I'll never be out-Texaned or out-Christianed again!" And you understand how his conversion to Christianity, which the movie does not treat lightly, shaped his black and white view of the world as good and evil.

Bottom line: if you were expecting a film trashing Bush about 9/11, My Pet Goat, Katrina, the economy, etc., you will be disappointed. If you are expecting a gushing film showing a brave leader standing with a bullhorn and fighting evil with truth, justice, and the American Way, you will be more disappointed.

But if you expect a film about a complicated man that takes a hard, fair, and surprising look at this interesting story, you will enjoy it. The film certainly has its flaws. The ending I felt was weak. Also, there are many aspects of Bush's life that the film left out for time (it's a little over 2 hours long) which I wish they would have examined--which makes me think this film would have been better as a mini-series. The introduction of Rove is rushed and the story of Bush's first real success, beating a popular governor of Texas, was glossed over--and that is a story that could have been a movie unto itself.

Josh Brolin gave the performance of his career. You can tell he really studied Bush. Not just his mannerisms, but Brolin even studied how Bush walked at different points of his life. That really came across, and you evenutally saw just W. Other impersonations were good, but none were as strong as Brolin's.

In the end, I felt I got my money's worth. Afterall, the movie got out at 1am and I still wanted more.

Should have been YOU Charlie!

McCain expresses regret for picking that idiot Palin over our own guber, Charlie Crist.

St. Pete Times:

"Charlie, because he's so popular, he probably would have made a significant difference,"McCain said in an interview with the St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9.

"I think this would have been a battleground state, except for obviously (with) a popular governor as Charlie Crist is," McCain said.



"Look, this is a tough decision that we made with Sarah Palin."

Wow. McCain actually offers straight talk that maybe Sarah wasn't the best choice. You think?

Charlie, whether he admits it or not, was furious about the Palin pick. Charlie is the one who put McCain over the top with a crucial endorsement before the FL primary, he's been grooming himself for this post for years, and dammit, he even rushed out and got engaged again when his party tried to shoot the veep talk down with that "gay" rumor.

Charlie is probably enjoying this--as evidenced by his refusal to play ball on the phony ACORN fraud charges. I am enjoying this more: I get to see both men stew in discontent over this fiasco.

KO Breaks Debate Secret! (Must-See Video)

True Reason I'm Enjoying Obama's 14-Point Lead

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is entering the third and final presidential debate Wednesday with a wide lead over Republican rival John McCain nationally, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows.

...
Among independents who are likely voters - a group that has swung back and forth between McCain and Obama over the course of the campaign - the Democratic ticket now leads by 18 points. McCain led among independents last week.
...
McCain's campaign strategy may be hurting hurt him: Twenty-one percent of voters say their opinion of the Republican has changed for the worse in the last few weeks. The top two reasons cited for the change of heart are McCain's attacks on Obama and his choice of Sarah Palin as running mate.

Poor John. They told you to pick Sarah Palin over Romney, and she is now dragging your ticket.

They told you to crawl in the mud and go all out negative. And you have now turned off the very independents you were craving.

What is rich about this is that these slimeballs who ran your campaign were the very disciples of Rove/Bush who smeared YOUR OWN daughter 8 years ago. Like a coward, you embraced them and surrendered your campaign so they could do to Obama what they did to you.

But unlike you, he was able to outwit them. Unlike you, h was focused.

Unlike you, he NEVER LOST HIS COOL. And he played all of you.

Pretty soon you will be forgotten and irrelevant. You will sit alone in your mansion(s) in your final years, thinking of the honor and reputation you had worked so hard to restore 20 years after Charles Keating: all thrown out in a matter of weeks!!!

You sold your soul. They promised you if you would just go down in the gutter with them, they could do for you what they did for Bush. But that is what happens when you sell your soul to the devil, you always get screwed.

It wasn't enough that they attacked your family--they now took your precious honor as well. You let them. And I don't feel one ounce of pity for you.

I also am on a real high because for two years, from 2004 to 2006, I had to deal with idiots who loved to tell me that the Democratic party was over and that there would be a permanent GOP majority. I receive all kinds of comments of how the Democrats would never win again....these are the same people who are whipped up in hysterics right now and turning McCain speeches into hate rallies because it is no longer a question of if--but of how much.

I am, in fact, really, really, really enjoying this!

How the Presidential Race Stands Now (with interactive map)

Before I give you the update, this needs to be said. The blogosphere, such as DKos, is screaming right now that the mainstream media is way behind in updating their polls. Either they are very slow, afraid to show bias, or want to keep this a close race. If you look at election projection websites, including far-right leaning sites and polling firms, all show what is now an Obama landslide:

Election Projection: Obama 364-174
Electoral-Vote.com: Obama 349, McCain 174, 15 tied
Fivethirtyeight: Obama 347.6-190.4 McCain
Pollster.com: Obama 320, McCain 158, Toss-up 60
Cold-Hearted Truth (right-wing): Obama 320, McCain 203
Hedghog Report (right-wing): Obama 358, McCain 180
Federal Review (right-wing): Obama 358, McCain 169
Real Clear Politics (GOP Polling firm): Obama 277, McCain 158, Toss-up 103

Now look at the the polls for the mainstream media:

MSNBC: Obama 264-174 McCain
CNN: Obama 264-174 McCain
New York Times: Obama 260--200 McCain
CBSNews: Obama 259-163 McCain

I have borrowed the map used by CBSNews and adjusted it a bit. It's interactive, so feel free to play with it as you wish:




Now for my analysis:




The gray areas are the swing states as of Oct. 12, 2008. Obama will sweep all of the Kerry states. Period. McCain's best shots were PA, NH, and MI. Obama has double-digit leads in all of them now. There are several combinations he can enjoy with one big state, a big and a small, or three small states. RIGHT NOW, Obama has a healthy lead in Iowa and New Mexico: they will certainly flip to Obama.

This means that Obama needs one of the gray states, just one, and he will be the next president.

Indiana is now in play, as polls show a statistical tie. North Carolina show a slight lead for Obama, which means that it is a statistical tie as well. No network is including West Virginia as a battleground or in the Obama column, but the latest poll by ARG shows a big lead for Obama. I would need to see more polls to put this in Obama's column, but at the very least, it should be considered a toss-up.

Obama is currently leading in the other swing states--a congregation of the polls show they range from the margin of error to slightly ahead of the margin of error in each one.

In order for McCain to win, he must run the board on the gray states: He must win EVERY SINGLE ONE.

If Obama wins just one, he wins. (Note: if Obama just wins Nevada, it will be an electoral tie, 269-269, which means Obama will still win because it will get thrown to the House.)

If McCain manages to turn things around, it will be the greatest turnaround in presidential history. I know a lot of his supporters are counting on the Bradley effect, but the last time it played a role was 20 years ago when I was working for the Wilder campaign in VA. Add to the mix the hundreds of thousands of new voters Barack has registered, along with the number of younger cell phone users who aren't polled, and I think it would be balanced out. Regardless, the Bradley effect generously gives 6 points, (generously a generation ago), and Obama has a healthy lead over that in swing states such as Colorado and Virginia.

What Obama should do now is travel to every state that the Senate race is competitive (MN, NC, MS, OR) and try to raise money and support for the senators in close races to get to the magic 60 that Obama needs to fulfill his agenda.

Don't Let Me Down Orlando Sentinel

The Orlando Sentinel loves Republicans. A guy on the radio yesterday joked that he would do what the Sentinel tells him to do and vote Republican. Today, they endorsed Ric Keller--even though they admitted in his endorsement he hasn't done anything, along with John Mica, and the dreadful Ginny Brown-Waite.

Up until the last presidential election, they hand't endorsed a Democratic president in 40 years!! Bush was so bad, they finally did the right thing and endorsed Kerry:

Four years ago, the Orlando Sentinel endorsed Republican George W. Bush for president based on our trust in him to unite America. We expected him to forge bipartisan solutions to problems while keeping this nation secure and fiscally sound.

This president has utterly failed to fulfill our expectations.

The Sentinel endorsed John McCain and Hillary Clinton in their respective primaries. A few months or even weeks ago, I would have expected the Sentinel to endorse McCain. But after these past few weeks, I don't know how the Sentinel can justify it.

Just look at the events of the past few weeks:

He tries to question Obama's judgment, but picked an unvetted right-wing zealot as his running mate who abused her power in office according to a report that was released yesterday by a unanimous vote of the bipartisan Joint Legislative Council in Alaska.

His bizarre plan to fix the housing crisis would destroy the taxpayer, and has been mocked by his own GOP supporters and even economists who formerly endorsed him.

He has allowed his campaign stops to become little more than hate rallies, with people yelling "Kill him" and "terrorist"--while saying nothing. (His nutty veep even eggs them on).

Instead of leading in a crisis, McCain seeks to continue the politics of division and hatred. Ironically, he hired the disciples of Bush/Rove, who propogated the very smears against McCain's own child back in 2000.

After promising not to go negative, decided that 100% of his ads would be smears. Lying about Obama supporting sex ed for kids (it was an anti-stalker law), lying about his "frienship" with Ayers (Obama was on a board with him-along with prominent Republicans such as a Reagan ambassador), and trying to hint that he's somehow unAmerican. Sick, sad, and desperate.

McCain has been proven wrong on just about everything: the Iraq War, health care, the economy, deregulation, etc. Not to mention that this is the LAST chance we have to prevent the Supreme Court from becoming a permanent arm of the GOP.

We deserve better.

The Orlando Sentinel grudgingly did the right thing four years ago (and Florida has suffered greatly for not listening). Here's hoping they do the right thing at this critical time.

McCain Palin Supporters

The ignorance of these rallies is frightening. I wish I could say things are better here in Florida, but the fact is the Palin rally in Clearwater almost turned violent. The crowd started threatening the media and even picked on an African-American working for the crew for one of the networks. Hate speech can incite violence--and its a sad commentary that that is what the McCain-Palin campaign has deteriortated into: hate speech. No wonder people at these rallies shout "Kill Him" and call Obama a terrorist.

So much Mr. "Maverick" for raising the bar:

The Florida Independence Party

Imagine me as governor of Florida, and now imagine that I was running for veep. Imagine that my spouse was a member of a party that wondered why we are still connected to our American oppressors. Imagine the founder of this organization screaming that the swamps of the everglades could not quelch the hatred for the American government--and that he would not be buried under America's "damn" flag, but only under the honorable mouse ears.

And imagine me attending their conventions, and giving videotaped messages of support.

Would that give you pause? Perhaps not. Afterall, Florida gives me valuable foreign policy experience since Castro rears his ugly head and if he attacks, he'll come right up through our air space. I also border Alabama, which is a more foreign nation than Canada.

I would certainly have experience with the housing collapse--I would challenge any governor to say they had a more screwed up mortgage crisis than right here.

The thing of it is, with our hurricanes and election problems that allowed Bush to begin with, would the rest of America care if we split?

Who won the debate?

I know the snap polls are saying Obama, but what do you think? New poll on your right...


PS--I didn't catch a second of it. Busy with work.

Tom Feeney's Race Update

Currently, conservative prognosticator Scott Elliot at electionprojection.com is predicting Seminole's House District 24 to be Tom Feeney over Suzanne Kosmas by a hair: 2 percent. This means the race is essentially tied; and not bad at all considering Tom Feeney drew the damn district--even carved it right around his own house. If this was a fair election, he would be getting clobbered in a landslide right now.

Gerrymandering--gotta love it.

Some creative Floridians had fun with his pathetic "apology" ad:

McCain's Playing Defense in Florida

By the by, Mr. Elliot at electionprojection is projecting an Obama victory now in Florida: 3.2 percent. The polls definetly show favor for Obama:

09/30/08 Suffolk Obama 46% - McCain 42%
09/30/08 CNN Obama 51% - McCain 47%
09/30/08 Insider Advantage Obama 49% - McCain 46%

The Quinnipiac University surveys this weekend showed Obama leading McCain in Florida 51 percent to 43 percent. I like that a lot and Q is one of the better polls, but I'm not that optimistic.

Still, it's nice to see McCain playing defense in a state I thought he'd win easily. Remember when we thought all hope was lost a year ago because of the delegate debacle?

Apparently no one in this state does either.

Hey Sarah, WHO's palling around with terrorists???

Sarah Palin was a strong supporter of the AIP, whose motto is "Alaska First, Alaska Always".

Their leader and founder, Joe Volger, said this in 1991:

The fires of hell are frozen glaciers compared to my hatred for the American government.

Here's more from Talking Points Memo:

Palin has courted the group over the years.

Three years after the controversial interview, in 1994, Palin attended the group's annual convention, according to witnesses who spoke to ABC News' Jake Tapper. The McCain campaign is disputing her presence there, but Tapper found two people to attest to it.


The McCain campaign today produced Palin's voting registration records, and said they proved she was never a member of the party.

But she has repeatedly reached out to the group. The McCain campaign has confirmed she visited the group's 2000 convention, and she addressed its convention this year, as an incumbent governor whose oath of office includes upholding the Constitution of the United States.

Palin's husband, Todd Palin, was a member of the party from 1995-2002 with a brief exception in 2000.

It's worth noting that Vogler isn't just some figure from ancient history. He is still being hailed on AIP's site this year, the same year Palin addressed the group's convention.

SOOOOO, Sarah, who has been "palling around" with terrorists? You wanted to go there, now it's on...

LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE!! Ensure you weren't kicked off voter rolls!

Project Vote Smart has the info.

You should also go to VoteforChange to ensure that you are registered to vote. THOUSANDS of people have been removed from the voter rolls!! Logically, most have been Democrats. This site will tell you if you are good to go--if not, you need to fix it TODAY baby! Notices were supposed to have gone out, but if your name was "accidentally" removed and you don't fix it today, you are screwed.

PS--the site asks for an email--you don't have to give them one. Just look to see if you are registered.

PSS--New Florida ad from Obama campaign. Well done:

McCain Crosses Line with Final Hail Mary Pass

So McCain has decided to try one last hail mary pass: engage in swift-boat attacks in a desperate attempt to duck the issues. McCain claims it's about character and judgment, but what does it say about his character and judgment that McCain hired Rove's team, who dragged his family through the mud in 2000, to now smear Obama.

If McCain can't win on any of the issues, maybe he should rethink his candidacy before losing anymore of his coveted "honor".


DNC response:

Goin' Negative: How Dumb Does McCain Think We Are?

Ms. Deer in the Headlight decided to give a preview of the debate Tuesday night. When you can't win on ANY issue, nor can you articulate ANY reason you want to be president--do what Rovian GOPers do. Resort to fear and smear.

Pathetic Palin decided to attack Obama and say that he "pals" around with terrorists. This type of attack is expected from a right-wing nutball blogger, not someone seeking the second highest office in the land.

For all that W has screwed up, at least he didn't actually join the false attacks the Swift-Boaters were lobbing against John Kerry. Even W understood that engaging in a false smear isn't presidential. You leave that to surrogates. In a twist of irony, the very surrogates that smeared John McCain's family are now in charge of the final desperate and erratic strategy aimed to destroy the character of Barack Obama.

How sad. How pathetic. The man who has spend over 20 years building and restoring his honor after the Keating 5 debacle is willing to throw it out in their final of a series of hail mary passes that has defined his campaign.

Not only is it despicable, it won't work.

It hasn't before, it won't now. Why?

Because the vast majority of Americans are smarter than the small-minded right-wing nutters who think this is brilliant. If they could get past their hate and emotion against Barack Obama, they would see it clearly.

The man has devoted his life to public service. He turned down big paying jobs to fight for the rights of the poor and middle-class. He has amassed a vast record in helping average Americans in a short amount of time over others who have spent decades in politics--like John McCain. And the honorable Senator Obama is now seeking the highest office in the land, at considerable expense (personal and financial), because he wants to bring the change our country desperately needs.

And they honestly think people will believe that a man who has brought so much hope to so many Americans---somehow, actually, really hates America?

Do the GOPers behind this strategy really expect us to believe that once Obama is sworn in as president that he will say "SUCKERS!! I hate America!! I now turn everything over to my pals the terrorists! ALLALALALALALA"

Seriously--what the living hell are they thinking? We have people literally dying because they lost their healthcare, thousands dead in Iraq with no exit strategy in sight, people losing thier homes, their jobs, and under Bush/McCain, their VERY FREEDOMS!! (Talk about hating America.)

Anyone who buys this stupid, rehashed crap was never going to vote Obama regardless. This strategy will only appeal to the nutjobs. But I am angry because I honestly thought that finally, we would get a presidential race that we deserved. A race that focused on the issues and that either man, regardless of the outcome, would be able to finally change the tone of these races and the victor would usher in a new era of bi-partisanship: and the other would at least be able to hold his head up high for running an honorable race.

Apparently, that will now only be possible with one candidate in this race.

Local and State Issues?

The month before a presidential election I like to focus on the national presidential race because there is so much at stake. So much that it affects everything here in Florida and Seminole County.

I will focus more on the local issues after the election, but unless something warrants some real attention, or there are any exciting developments for the Feeney/Kosmas smackdown, this blog will primarily be Obama/McCain until Nov. 4.

OCTOBER 6: LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN FL!

REGISTER TO VOTE MONDAY OR YOU WON'T VOTE FOR CHANGE NOVEMBER 4!!!

PS--Early voting on Oct. 20. Be there!! Governor Crist recently decided to enforce a law called "No Match, No Vote".

Miami Herald:

State elections officials will resume enforcement of a controversial state law that requires Floridians to have their identification match up with a state or federal database in order to register to vote.

Why is he doing this:

The year the law took effect, state election data shows that Florida Democratic Party registration began to swell. Between 2006 and 2008, Democrats increased their ranks with more than 170,000 new voters -- while the Florida Republicans lost 11,594 during the same time. Independents decreased by about 4,000 since 2006.

Dirty Tricks---when fear and smear just isn't enough

What a debate!

PS--From DKos:

Republicans and pundits think this is a Joke. We have well over 4000 US troops dead in a war that was waged on false pretenses...an economy in shambles...people losing their homes...unemployment rates out the roof....people dying because they cannot afford Healthcare...a current administration that has violated the US Constitution, exceeded their powers over and over again...

and Palin giving shout outs to 3rd graders? eye winking? saying she won't answer questions? giggling like a 15 year old? Come ON!

Pathetic!

Top 10 List:

First Person In the History of the World to Dance

Congratulations Obama!

He won the debate.

I am a partisan, and I'm certain there are those on the other side who will say McCain won. And yes, there were no knockout blows, they both deflected the others' criticism, and neither one said a Palin-like gaffe that would have killed the campaign.

Although CNN and CBS had polls afterwards that Obama had performed better, I think most analysts are calling it a tie.

BUT that does not change the fact that Obama won the debate.

WHY?

Because McCain NEEDED TO WIN. He needed to hit this out of the park. He needed a game-changer. There are no more for him. The conventions are over, the veeps selected--the only thing left are the debates.

Palin will not be able to take down Biden. She will be lucky to be left standing. McCain will NOT be able to tangle with Obama on the economy. It's over. There are no more game-changers left.

The only chance McCain had was to knock out Obama on his supposed strong suit--foreign policy.

And he didn't. Most polls are showing Obama won--but in fact, at best, it was a tie. McCain is bleeding in the polls, he didn't need a tie-he needed a win. A big win.

And that is why Obama won.

Painful Palin Interview: Why McCain REALLY wants to stall debates

This really hurts:


Watch CBS Videos Online

Short Transcript:

COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience. What did you mean by that?

PALIN: That Alaska has a very narrow maritime border between a foreign country, Russia, and on our other side, the land-- boundary that we have with-- Canada. It-- it's funny that a comment like that was-- kind of made to-- cari-- I don't know, you know? Reporters--

COURIC: Mock?

PALIN: Yeah, mocked, I guess that's the word, yeah.

COURIC: Explain to me why that enhances your foreign policy credentials.

PALIN: Well, it certainly does because our-- our next door neighbors are foreign countries. They're in the state that I am the executive of. And there in Russia--

COURIC: Have you ever been involved with any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

PALIN: We have trade missions back and forth. We-- we do-- it's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there. They are right next to-- to our state.

NOW I read on CNN that conservative commentators are piling on--George Will, David Brooks, and now even Kathleen Parker! Parker is calling for her to "step down" for the good fo the party. She is dying a slow death--and as Parker says, if she were a man, we would all be laughing at her.

Ed Shultz reported that senior McCain aides are in a panic because she is nowhere near ready for a real debate. The mock debate they had proved that she was clueless, and that is the exact word they used. One aide just said "What are we going to do?"

I'll tell you what you do--YOU GODDAMNED ADMIT YOUR MISTAKE and let this awful person go. But that would be putting Country First. And there will be none of that.

What Obama Should Say to McCain...

I heard the announcement live hear in Florida where Obama is campaigning.

I am irritated that McCain has once again decided to pull a political stunt when the situation least calls for it.

• He did by picking an unvetted radical to be his Vice President.



• He did it by going overboard on rhetoric about the Georgian invasion that even the Georgian president called unhelpful.



• And he does it now. When we need it the least
.

Obama reached out to him this morning to show solidarity with a joint statement on the crisis. McCain decided to react by holding a press conference and saying he will suspend his campaign--taking no questions from reporters. If this was a true gesture, then McCain would have spoken with Obama instead of holding an event and tried to get both of them to suspend their campaigns simultaneously. Make no mistake about this, McCain is trying to use this travesty to get the upper-hand. Cynical. The proof of this can be seen on right-wing blogs such as RS that are gleeful that McCain is trying to use this as a ploy to crawl back up in the polls. Obama can't let him.

Obama should simply say the following:

I am glad that McCain wants to help solve this large financial crisis. But this crisis was created because this administration, with the support of Senator McCain, pushed through deregulation of our banking industry as well as stipped away all meaningful oversight. The legislation that allowed this was crafted by none other than Senator Phil Gramm, his former chief economic advisor until he stated that suffering Americans were "a nation of whiners." This is the direct result of the now obvious misguided belief that investment firms with no regulation and no oversight work best.

This deregulation allowed a culture of greed to overtake our financial markets, and the American taxpayer is now being stuck with the bill. Unlike Mr. Bush and Senator McCain, I do not accept that this multi-billion dollar bailout has to occur within the next two days. Wall Street will not fall apart before Friday. Personally, I would rather get it right than rush through a bad bill; and for once, this president should take time to work through this carefully.

There is no reason why Senator McCain should forgo the debates this Friday. A high-level public servant should be able to multi-task, and the threat of sectarian violence, rogue states, and terrorism are just as relevant and present just as much a threat, if not greater, than investment firm greed.

Senator McCain himself admits that he is not well-versed on the economy, so I cannot understand what is accomplished by McCain forgoing the debate to go to Washington except to have a photo opportunity. The Senate Majority leader is correct when he states that it is wrong to inject presidential politics into this delicate negotiation.

I will be attending the debate on Saturday and hopefully Senator McCain will attend as well. The American people deserve better than political stunts.

Ask a McCain Supporter ONE Thing...

Why do you support John McCain?

I promise you that you will get a litany of Obama smear. You will get a bunch of outright lies or picking apart of any number of plans that he has put forward.

Listen closely to the drivel on talk radio. Listen closely to the answer you get--and you will notice ONE thing.

NOT one McCain supporter will say why he wants to be president. NOT one McCain supporter will tell you what his policies are, or the direction he wants to take the country.

All you will hear is something about Obama.

That is because that is the entire point of the McCain campaign and the GOP apparatus--to stay in power. They can't say they support everything Bush does--tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation and stripping of oversight, staying in Iraq indefinetly...

They are wrong on EVERYTHING. There is no daylight between the positions Bush has and McCain has, so they resort to the only thing they have left. FEAR and SMEAR.

And that is all you undecideds need to know for this election.

Tax Plan Comparison-Email this to EVERYONE

JOHN MCCAIN LIES when he says Barack will raise everyone's taxes. EMAIL this to everyone you know. It's a breakdown of the proposals from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center as reported by the Washington Post and includes the cool graphic below.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/06/09/ST2008060900950.html

Under John McSame, the wealthiest Americans get the largest tax cut. The middle class gets almost nothing.

Under Barack Obama, the people who NEED help, the middle class, get a large tax cut while he restores the tax rate for those making over 2.87 million back to what they were pre-Bush.

John McSame's tax plan is not only UNFAIR, it can't work. We have record defecits, meaning there is no way we can afford another trillion dollar tax cut that mostly helps the wealthy. That is how we got INTO this mess to begin with. Trickle-down economics, giving to the rich and stealing from the poor, caused the recession of 1990 and it caused the mess we are in now.

Barack's plan to help the middle class CAN work because he balances it with the tax revenue from the super-wealthy.

McCain Skit on SNL 9/21

He's already said that Barack will raise everyone's taxes (LIE), his veep never sought earmarks as governor (LIE), and that Barack supported sex education for children (LIE). TYPICALLY candidates take words out of context, but McCain has crossed a line and is now just making things up.

SNL smacked him down last night:

Adult Swim

No politics today. It's starting to drive me mad.

Here--name the adult swim show the theme goes to:

From my youth:


I love YouTube.

Why is this race even close?

Hannity Asks the Tough Questions; Colmes Hits Hard

Of course, this diary title is the same as McCain's desperate advertising campaign. Complete, utter, LIE.

McCain has lied so much he has broken precedent. (You know you are bad when Rove tells you to stop.)

But Hannity wanted to give Sarah Palin a chance to finally address the "lies" against her:

HANNITY: How you dealing with some of the harsh attacks against you? Let me give you a couple of examples.

PALIN: Oh, thanks. Good.

HANNITY: Well, I'm glad to do it.

I know, gag me. Barack Obama went on a tough interview with O'Lielly at Faux News, and there were damn sure no kid gloves with him. But is there SERIOUSLY the GOP talking point left that this sheltered governor of Alaska is more prepared than Obama?!?

Barack went toe to toe and beat Bill. The sheltered governor of Alaska wouldn't take any questions from weak-ass ALAN COLMES.

Alan didn't get to ask ONE question. He was only allowed to introduce the segments!!

COLMES: Coming up Governor Sarah Palin talks about the role faith plays in her life and why Ronald Reagan continues to be her inspiration.
....
We now continue with Sean's exclusive interview with Governor Sarah Palin.

Any respect at all, and it was already near 0, for Colmes was completely erased because of this interview. There is no question why he is there as Fox's token "liberal". What a pathetic existence.

With no balance whatsoever, we got treated to loaded questions like:

Why do we need to win in Iraq? Just get right to the bottom line. Why is losing not an option?

I can play that game too. I would ask, "Is it OK to force our troops to provide security for the corrupt and inept Iraqi government indefinetly while giving them 10 billion a month in taxpayer dollars? Even if they never decide they want to take over? Or, the opposite, even if they say they want us out?"

OR just ask: "When in your mind can they leave?" IF she says something stupid, like "When the job is done", just ask "OK--how do you know the job is done?" But this is the question I've wanted them to ask Bush for five years.

NO. She got questions like this:

Let me ask you this. Senator Obama had talked about people in Pennsylvania, while he was in San Francisco, as being bitter Americans, clinging to guns and clinging to religion.

Do you think that was a putdown of middle class people in the country?

MY God, is this REALLY a news network? REALLY?

But then Hannity got mad. He demanded--OK, I'm doing it again. He asked her to address concerns people had--but pretty much answered them for her:

HANNITY: Never part of an effort to secede — have Alaska secede from the Union?

PALIN: No. False. Always been a Republican, not been a part of a party that has wanted to secede.

NO, but you supported them, attended their conventions, and your psycho HUSBAND was a member.

HANNITY: Did you rigidly support it and did you change your view on it? Because the Democrats are saying, no, no, no, she originally supported it and she said she said she opposed it.

PALIN: Well, I killed the Bridge to Nowhere. And you know, I think I ruffled some feathers there, also, with our congressman who had been requesting that bridge for so many years.

STILL LYING!! Anyone who still believes she killed the bridge to nowhere deserves a McCain Palin administration (or Palin/McCain). Every news organization, even WSJ, even Murdoch's AP has called this a lie. But credibility means nothing when you go to Hannity's Fox.

I could go on, but you get the picture.

Please donate to Obama. I can't take 4 more years.

Why Sarah Palin Drives Me Crazy

If you want to know why Gov. Sarah Palin drives liberal Democrats crazy -- and is helping Sen. Barack Obama raise money at a record pace -- here's an excerpt from an viral email making its way around the country:


If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.


Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

Fellow POW Butler Criticizes McCain

It's fair game since McCain uses his POW experience to not only blunt criticism, but to justify his entire campaign.

What McCain Runs On

From Joe Biden:

Eight years ago, a man ran for President who claimed he was different, not a typical Republican. He called himself a reformer. He admitted that his Party, the Republican Party, had been wrong about things from time to time. He promised to work with Democrats and said he'd been doing that for a long time.

That candidate was George W. Bush.

And we all know how that story ended.

In other news, McCain (dis)graced his presence here in Orlando, where he told us that the fundamentals of the economy are "strong", just as he had previously told us that the state of the economy was "psychological".

It gets better. Phil Gramm was his chief economic advisor until he was asked to leave because he called America a "nation of whiners". I guess people who wear $600 shoes, have more houses than they can count, and wear clothes that cost more than a mini-mansion (Cindy has kept her latest outfits under $300,000 at least in a show of solidarity for the little people) I'm certain would think we are doing pretty well.

Today, the Lehman Brothers sent Wall Street into the biggest devastation since 2001. The collapse of the financial giants can be traced to the huge deregulation and huge stripping of oversight written into law by, WHO?


The man who McCain has based his economic agenda upon--idiot Senator Phil Gramm.

SNL Skit--HRC and Palin

HILLARIOUS! Tina Fey nailed the Sarah Palin Part!

SPHC
by Hishighness

Website Documenting All About Sarah Palin

Shout out to Jlamber, commenter on this site for giving me this:

http://www.vpsarah-palin.com

Donate to OUR own 527s

Click Here

It's a call to action. Obama was being high-minded by saying early on that he would not support 527s. McCain has no trouble using them, and they are gearing up for a gigantic smear.

Here's our own. Let's help out!!

Click Here

Outrageous Lies by McCain Addressed in Viral Video

I love the intro, which hooks you into thinking this is another McCain attack ad. And I love the fact that it addresses the issues. But my complaint is that it could have been shortened. It's still powerful, and frankly, it's better than what I've seen from the Obama camp recently. If you have a blog, post it. Or EMAIL it to 10 people--we have to get the truth out:

Why Weren't Passengers of FLIGHT 93 Given Presidential Medal of Freedom?

Happy Birthday to me. And God Bless all of those who lost their lives 7 years ago.

The memorial for the WTC is moving forward, (although in 7 years you'd think they'd be further along), but the memorial for Flight 93 needs help. Folks, here is a group of people who didn't know each other who came together to fight off and BEAT armed, trained hijackers! They were ordinary citizens who became heroes--and were the first warriors on the war on terror.

Let's honor them appropriately:
http://www.honorflight93.org/

I cannot understand why passengers like Jeremy Glick and Todd Beamer weren't given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. United Flight 93 was the only plane during the September 11th attacks that did not hit the hijackers' intended target (believed to be Congress). The FBI and the FAA agree that this was due to the heroics of several passengers, as well as the flight attendants.

Why has our president given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a civilian, to people like Peter Pace, who left his position in disgrace:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates effectively forced Pace into retirement last year because the administration wanted to avoid “contentious” Senate hearings over the Iraq war. He was the shortest-serving Joint Chiefs chairman since Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor in 1964, who stepped down during the early years of the Vietnam War.

Or George "Slam Dunk" Tenet!! The man who oversaw two of the biggest intelligence failures in our nation's history--9/11 and the weapons of mass destruction claim that led to the Iraq War.

Or the countless celebrities Bush has doled the award out to. By the way, I LOVED Rita Moreno in West Side Story--but I think stopping a terrorist attack would be slightly more worthy.

If anyone has any ideas for making this happen, let me know.

The Comprehensive List of Anti-McCain/Palin Slogans

Feel free to steal any of these either for your blog or make a bumper sticker out of them (makestickers.com). You have permission to sell them at cafepress as well. Don't care what you do--the more of these that are out there, the better.

If you have any ideas, add them to the comments. So much corruption, so little time:



McCain: The Audacity of "Nope"

McCain. 4 More Years

McCain. 100 More Years



McCain. The 100 year Reich.

McCain: I was against MLK before I was for him.

McAncient.




McCain. When War and Poverty aren't enough.

Bush Bushly McBush: Even Bushier than the Original

McCain: MLK wasn't "Meaningful"

John McCain: More Bush, Less Sane

McCain is Bush on Viagra

McCain: Your Taxes for Endless War

McCain, McWar, McWhy?

McCain. Because McAbel is dead.

McCain. Because things still could suck even more.

McCain. Because America is tough enough to withstand him.



McCain. The latest Republican finger in America's eye.

McCain. Proof that "old" and "wise" aren't necessarily synonymous.

McCain. Who wants peace anyway?

McCain. He went through hell, and he'll take you there, too.

McCain. His 15 minutes were up eight years ago.

He'll bomb Iran for Pearl Harbor.

Get Off My Lawn!

McCain. Because everything's perfect just the way it is!!

McCain. Because Cheney was too damn stable.

McCain is a Third Term for Bush

Against Torture Before He Was For It

Riding the DoubleTalk Express

McCain thinks you're a fucking idiot.
That's why he thinks you'll vote for him.

Securing Personal Loans With Taxpayer Dollars

Because 19% of us know this country is on the right track.

Insane McCain

If The Surge Is Working, Why Will We Be In Iraq For 100 Years?

Not A Maverick, Not A Moderate

More War
Less Jobs
Vote McCain


McSame

McBushAgain 08

McCain Loves Lobbyists (literally!)

McCain & Unable

McCain has a Lobby hobby

Never once voted for a green energy bill.

Give MCain Your Vote
and
Your Draft-Age Child

Feel the Pain with John McCain!

NO YOU CAN'T!

McCain. USS Forrestal. Google it!

McCain = Bush/Cheney: The Sequel

"bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb IRAN"

Putting Americans to Work...In Iraq

Vote McCain, sell your other car for food.

McCain cut the cake while NOLA drowned

Other jobs Americans won't do: Vote McCain!

No Country for Old Men

Actually, McCain, I DO care if we are in Iraq 10,000 years

Vote McCain: Stick the final nail in the conseravative's coffin!

If he couldn't protect his own child from Rove, how can he protect our country??

McCain. Because I like my presidents mad and crazy.

McCain: Bush without the hat.

McCain: In Bed With Lobbyists

If you hate America you'll love McCain

McCain: Ready, Willing, Unstable


McCain: Finally a Liberal Republican!


Anti-PALIN or McCain/Palin:




Palin, because we think Hillary supporters are that stupid

Palin: FINALLY, a woman who's not afraid to hate women

Palin: Because after Quayle and Cheney, we just stopped caring.

Polluting, creationist, wingnuts for Palin

McCain's soulmates: 1st wife, 2nd wife, now Sarah Palin. What's with the former beauty queens, creep?!

Palin, like HRC, only right-wing and incompetent

McCain-Palin. What desperation looks like.

A one-year, extremist governor with an ethics investigation—thanks McCain!

Palin, like Cheney, only more extreme and less compassionate

Palin: What a love-child of Cheney and Quayle would look like

Go Palin! You'll secede Alaska yet!



Anti-Choice, Anti-Environment, Anti-Stemcells, Anti-Women: ANTI-PALIN!

GOP: Where screwing up a small village makes you veep material

Palin: She doesn’t want to be a citizen, but she can be veep?

McCain-Palin: Alaska First!

How’d that abstinence-only education working out, Sarah?

SWM, 72, seeks attractive, fertile Alaskan for hunting, fishing, waterboarding. Must be anti-abortion.

McCain /What’s Her Name

McCain/Appalin

Karma: Palin slashed programs for teen mothers



Palin, single-handedly stopping the Soviets from invading!

Palin wants Polar Bears Dead

Self-righteous hypocrites for Palin

McCain/Palin: Bridge to Nowhere

Palin: Risking America’s Safety

Palin: Killed a Bridge that was already Dead

McCain/Palin: Too Old/Too Inexperienced

Drill me here, drill me now!

Palin - Corruption up the Wasilla

McCain/Palin: Mr. Mean and Beauty Queen

McCain/Palin: Just making shit up!

Eskimo village, America, what’s the diff?

Palin: Smearing Alaska's good name, One scandal at a time

Palin: Upholding Republican Family Values

Palin: Vote for Me -- I shoot wolves from a helicopter.

Palin: The Alaska Disasta

McCain/Palin: Unstable/Unable

McFailing

McPain

McCain Failin

McBush/Quaylen

McCain/Palin: Curses, Shot Down Again!

McCain/Palin: Same Old Snow Job

McCain: Would You Trust Him With Air Force One?

McCain/Palin: Dirty old man and dirty young woman

Soulmates without souls

Palin: Bush in a skirt

McCain/Palin: Vote for Pedro!

Vote McCain/Palin: Her kids can't, his won't!

McCain/Palin: A Ticket to Nowhere




McCain/Palin=Partners in Treason

McCain/Palin = Abstinence/Incontinence

Palin Killed Bullwinkle!

McCain/Palin: Same Old, Shame Oiled

Jesus was a community organizer, Pontius Pilate was a governor!

Anti-McCain:

Obama: One house, One spouse

A vote for McCain is a vote for Fear

Crapshoot McCain: Gambling on America's Future

Anti-Sarah Palin Ad

Palin was supposed to be in Florida today. But the McCain camp is terrified that she will "make a mistake" so they are having her stay with him as McSame campaigns through Pennsylvannia and Wisconsin. They also announced that she will not be giving any interviews until the election is over.

That's right. Ms. "I'm ready for day one" can't even be trusted to go off by herself.

As usual, my fellow Dems are taking the spineless approach and refuse to run any ads attacking her. They had two for Romney and Pawlenty, but Ms. China Doll is too delicate and the GOP might call the DNC sexist.

God I wish there was a third party. Same Dem ideals, but held by people with spines.

My idea is based on the following facts:

1. You CAN attack Palin--and you MUST. I know she's #2 but she has breathed new life into the cryptkeeper and the army of soccons that propelled Bush has awakened. You just can't attack her the same way a 527 can. See below.

2. Don't harp on experience--DON'T FALL FOR THIS TRAP! I would let the media harp on that. DNC/Obama attacking experience allows the GOP to respond with false attacks on the top of our ticket that we will have to spend time rebutting, AND it could backfire by some swing voters by building the very sympathy the GOP is looking for by tearing into a qualified small state governor.

3. Leave family alone. No brainer. I love the stickers that mention the hypocricy of abstinence only, but that's where they should stay.
Leave AIP alone--at least from the DNC. An ad showing what the founder said about hating America, and then mentioning the fact that her husband was a member and she certainly was a supporter would be VERY effective--for a 527. (Not to mention pointing out that someone who wants to leave the US had no trouble taking hundreds of millions from taxpayers.)

4. HIT HER ON HER RECORD. This is more than fair game, and there is plenty to hit her on.

5. HIT HER ON HER RIGHT-WING VIEWS. They are beyond scary, and voters have NO idea how bad.

Run this in a swing state (like say, FLORIDA). Something like this:

Who is Sarah Palin?

As mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin took over with a balanced budget, but left it over $22 million in debt, even after she pushed through a massive sales tax which taxed everything, even food.

Dangerous. As mayor, the council had to step in to prevent her from firing people she didn't want. She even tried to fire a librarian for refusing to remove books Palin deemed "offensive".

But it didn't stop there. In her short term as governor, Palin is under investigation by her own Republican state legislature for "abuse of power".

Extreme. Sarah Palin believes that a woman should be forced to bear child even in cases of assault and the mother's health. She opposes stem cell research in all cases, sued to keep endangered species off the list, and even said that the Iraq war was a "task from GOD".

WHY did John McCain pick Sarah Palin, a person he barely knew, especially when there were so many qualified women to choose from? The same reason he votes with Bush 90 percent of the time.

Bad Judgment.

And we can't afford 4 more years.

I was going to suggest the pictures that go with the words, but no doubt several popped in your head as you read it. It's a rough draft, but what I did was hit Sarah HARD on the issues, and with the last few lines tried to drive the point home that it's NOT that she is a woman--she is a dangerous, incompetent, extremist that shows bad judgment by McCain-AGAIN.

Let me know what you think. By the way, if you YouTube hounds have your own ideas, make a video and PUT IT OUT THERE. It looks like that will be the only response we get. If you like my idea, take it. Make whatever adjustments you want. I don't care about credit, I just want to win.

thanks and GB

FUNNY Palin Video

Hypocricy knows no bounds--Rove and O'Reilly JUST said this crap:

Joe Scarborough and Pat Buchanan mock Sarah Palin

This is what they really think of her:



Ouch! She "won't work", her qualifications are a joke, and she is an insult to HRC supporters. Oh, and by the way, Obama "validated himself with 18 million votes." and built an excellent campaign (their words). Not to mention has impressed all of the world leaders he met with his intelligence and policy plans (unlike Dumbass W or his wannabe McCain).

Not 3 hours later, these guys were spinning thier wheels off. Sarah Palin now has all of this imagined "executive experience" as a failed mayor of a hick town, and she suddenly has been granted "foreign-policy experience" because, (get this), her state is "close to Russia" and "borders CANADA!".

Hillarious!! I guess the mayor of my hometown in Winter Springs has foreign policy experience because we are so close to Cuba. For that matter, everyone in public office in any state that borders Canada or Mexico can now consider themselves an expert in foreign affairs. Come to think of it, since I am a manager at a major defense contractor, AND I am a couple hundred miles from Cuba--I CAN RUN FOR PRESIDENT!! I have more experience than ANYONE RUNNING!!

Vote for the Seminole Democrat! I'm qualified because I'm not a Senator!

I approve this message.

PS--Poor, poor Romney. Must feel like Carol McCain. Left by John for a trophy.