GOP: Bankrupt On Trust

Did you ever wonder why, when McSame or Palin get asked a question that they don't like, they simply don't answer it and instead spew the usual talking points that make no sense as any kind of answer to the stipulated question? I was munching on my breakfast and listening to NPR and McSame was interviewed. Pay attention to what he says when asked the hard questions. Be sure to click the listen now button to grab the unadulterated comments.

When asked about Palin's foreign policy experience that makes her qualified, McSame shifts the topic to

energy independence...she has oversighted the oil and natural resources...she's very highly qualified and very knowledgeable..."I've turned to her for advice many times in the past," McCain said. "I can't imagine turning to Sen. [Barack] Obama or [Sen. Joseph] Biden because they've been wrong. They were wrong about Iraq. They were wrong about Russia."

Where's the WMD in Iraq McSame? Well, the days of "trust us" government are over in Washington. Leadership by faith over fact is dead as a policy making methodolgy. Simply because Palin has charisma in spades does not make her qualified to be the Big Veep.

McSame goes so far as to claim that Palin is the "most popular governor in" in the USA, as if that's a qualification to be Veep. Now, I bet those who live in California might say, "my governor can wipe the floor with your governor," but no doubt there are other states who would credibly argue that this is hogwash.

Do you trust McSame? Should we trust McSame? Or, has the GOP leadership proven time and again that leadership by faith over fact gets us in to deep, deep, deep shit?

Three Questions When Considering If Republicans Can Actually Lead This Country

1) Given - McSame suspended his campaign to help get the bail out legislation passed.
2) Given - George Bush wanted this bail out to pass and made a desperate plea to the people by shoveling more fear at us (read: the sky is falling, or the boy who cried wolf - your choice). By default we know that he should have been leading the vote gathering on all sides of the isles.
3) Given - Republicans in charge crafted the plan.
4) Given - There was compromise on the original three page Paulson blank check plan.
5) Given - The plan did not pass.

Question - If the Republican leadership cannot lead their own party members to vote for a plan they think is the only reasonable option, how can they lead the country that has been deeply divided by the W, Rove and Co over the last eight years?

And another thing, this is just some wild thinking on my part: Perhaps this economic situation is what bin Laden was hoping for when they ran the planes into the Trade Center. They knew that GWB would fuck things up so bad fighting the paper tiger in Iraq and that it would lead to further economic calamity.

No one could have guessed that there would be a proposal for a 700 billion dollar blank check to bail out the people who made bad bets in the financial markets. How are we to know that this is the right solution if we cannot define what it will solve. If we buy into the GOP Driven madness, we may be playing directly into bin Laden's hands, much like everything GWB has done.

Who would have thought four airplanes in 2001 would have led to such repercussions. If we make the move to accept a 700 billion dollar bail out, perhaps we will see what bin Laden was hoping for - a complete financial melt down of the American way of life.

Question - Would bailing out Wall Street actually solve the problem or fall right into the trap the terrorists hoped for when they ran their planes into the WTC and the Pentagon and Pennsylvania?

It seems to me that much like Luke Skywalker needs Darth Vadar, George Bush and the Republicans need bin Laden. With out the fear, there is no there there.

Question - Should we follow a party that predicates their every move based on fear?

What Do You Get For Your 700 Billiion Dollar Investment?

This is an interesting perspective:

Letters to the Editor, 29Sep08 Wall Street Journal

For $700 billion, Treasury could buy all the equity in the top 11 banks by market capitalization. Those banks have $7.95 trillion of assets representing 73% of all assets on publicly traded bank balance sheets. Or the Treasury could buy all the publicly traded banks except Bank of America and J.P. Morgan Chase. There is no compelling reason to buy just the bad assets.

James Lang
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Any Clearer Now?

Got this in my inbox this afternoon...Thought you all would enjoy this fair and balanced look at the issue at hand:

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* 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, and you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and be President of the Law Review, and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a community organizer, 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 2 beautiful 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 your husband is nicknamed "First Dude," with at least one DUI 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.

OK, much clearer now.

My Note to My Reps

Here's what I just sent to my congressional reps. Feel free to plagiarize and send to yours.

Dear Senator...,

It occurs to me that if Warren Buffet can invest in seriously discounted firms with the opportunity to earn a triple or more ROI, that we should require the same for any investments made on behalf of the American People. Bailing out Wall Street without getting an equity stake and placing some thorns in the legislation that allows us to extract blood from those who caused this mess is pointless.

Truly, can any one really define the problem definitively that the 700 billion dollars is to solve? If we toss 700 billion dollars onto George Bush's house of cards, it will fold because the house is built on wormwood and no oversight or regulation. What's plan B if the 700 dollars doesn't fix the problems but causes more?

Is this bill a lifesaver for the corporate fat cats or the American People? Fear of fiscal catastrophe is not a reason to vote for a bad solution. My hope is that you and your colleagues are able to find a solution that works for America, not Wall Street.

And finally, we should ensure that those who have made enormous sums of money working for these firms make the sacrifices that reflect their involvement in creating the problem. In other words, if you are the CEO of one of these failed firms and you made over 10 million dollars, you could stand to toss in 8 or so of those millions to rectify the problem no? Sure it's a lot of money, but they made the bad bets. Let's hold them accountable.

Thank you,

Blog on friends, blog on all.

Be A Fly On The Wall: Do You Care Where Your Slice Of The 700 Billion Dollar Bail Out Will Land?

The Debate on the 700 Billion Dollar Bail out for the GOP's rich pals is going on right now. Nancy Pelosi is talking at this moment. Click here to listen in if dare or care.If Warren Buffet can invest in seriously discounted firms and get equity and the chance to earn a serious ROI, why can't we get that for the American People?

Here's a suggested email that you may want to send to your congressional representative that a friend of mine sent to his. You can Form Mail to your representatives at senate.gov or house.gov.

There is NO problem extant that can't be postponed until the next presidency and the next congress. The problem with the economy hasn't been adequately described: a problem the dimensions of which can't be described can't be solved. Where is the spreadsheet model that says that $700b will prevent the dire result that not providing $700b is supposed to prevent? If nobody actually knows the dimensions of the problem, how is $700b the solution? If the government proposes to prop up a house of cards, the house of cards will fall regardless. What is Plan B?

Blog on friends, blog on all.

One House Versus Seven: Who Has Your Best Interests In Mind?

Chris Rock has a valid point. Would you rather have some one dealing with economic issues who has one home or seven? McSame could lose half his homes and still sleep well at night. Is that the man you would like to have protecting your interests in the Whitehhouse?

Can I Get A Translation Here? Any One Know What The Hell Palin Is Saying

If that's not enough to get you worried about the Palin/McSame ticket, how about this?



Can any one tell me why McSame finds this woman qualified for the gig?

Well, if you watched last night's debate, you would have found it basically a draw. Even so, the Republican Governor of Mississippi can't help but apply wide praise for Obama. He even said that both McSame and Obama are well qualified. That should put to rest those nutters who say Obama is not so.

"There's No One As Irish As Barak Obama"

While you are busy waiting for your slice of the 700 Billion Dollar Bail out (don't hold your breath) here's something to lighten your day:



This is the email I got from Shay Black that announces the posting of this tune:

At last, a song that chronicles in verse Barack Obama's historic journey to become the first Black Irish President of the United States.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EADUQWKoVek
Hit the little button that says "Watch in high quality."

Recorded on September 14th, 2008 at the Sunday night Irish music session at the Starry Plough pub in Berkeley, California.
http://www.starryploughpub.com/history/
This is an open music and song session, now running weekly for over thirteen years.

The basics of the song started with the Corrigan Brothers in Ireland. www.HardyDrew.com

Extra verse contributions (in some form) by Shay Black, Celia Ramsey, Chris Caswell, Walter Askew (Salty Walt), Craig Johnson, Tom Clancy, Barry Gleeson, Dave Sahn, Peter Heelan.

Please forward, and if you can't learn all the words, learn and sing the chorus.

Yes, we can.

~ Shay Black

In case you are wondering what the quote says behind the singer, here you go:

No revolutionary movement is
complete with out its poetic
expression. If such a movement
has caught hold of the
imagination of the masses,
they will seek a vent in song
for the aspirations, fears, and
hopes, the loves and hatreds
engendered by the struggle.
Until the movement is marked
by the joyous, defiant singing
of revolutionary songs, it lacks
one of the most distinctive
marks of a popular revolutionary
movement; it is the dogma of the few
and not the faith of the multitude

Palin Speaks - Makes No Cents

Well, if you didn't follow the links to review Palin's answers to four or so questions from the press, here's what you get about the Fiscal Crisis.

JERSEY JOURNAL: What do you think of bailout package before congress?

A: I don't support that until the provisions that Sen. McCain has offered are implemented in Paulson's proposals.

Well, now that McSame has stopped his campaign and stepped into the mix, and Bush has weighed in, we have a solution now right? Nope:

Urgent efforts to lash together a $700 billion rescue plan for the national economy broke apart Thursday night, hours after key lawmakers had declared they had reached a deal.

I see, so if this represents the best efforts of McSame, we can see that they GOP is no good at building bipartisan support for critical situations. Looks like we have a good demonstration of the McSame/Palin leadership capacity right here unfolding before us.

Just A Quick Question

Given that Wall Street is poised for a major bail out - borderline social welfare for wealthy individuals - I just have one small question: Where's the 700 Billion Dollar Bail Out for America's public educational institutions?

It strikes me as odd that Americans would rather have their children in schools that are literally falling apart when they wouldn't ever consider working an 8 hour day in one of them. How about we swap out the financial industry facilities and have them go to work in our nations schools and let our children have the plush office spaces they obviously were not using ethically.

Just A Quick Question

Given that Wall Street is poised for a major bail out - borderline social welfare for wealthy individuals - I just have one small question: Where's the 700 Billion Dollar Bail Out for America's public educational institutions?

It strikes me as odd that Americans would rather have their children in schools that are literally falling apart when the wouldn't ever consider working an 8 hour day in one of them. How about we swap out the financial industry facilities and have them go to work in our nations schools and let our children have the plush office spaces they obviously were not using ethically.

Would You Get Paid Over Ten Million Dollars If You Ran A Failing Business?

The bigger question here about this financial industries mess that the W, Rove and Co. helped germinate, fertilize, and grow is why are not the Millionaires who own and run these companies bailing themselves out? They should have the cash.

There appears to be no upside for the taxpayer, but Wall Street is made whole? It's very clear to me that the GOP is not in it for me or us but for themselves. That's what the "Ownership Society" means. If you are a single parent raising three children working two jobs to make ends meet, but your home is being foreclosed, forget about Chapter 11 (because George Bush made it harder for you to do that), "you're on your own..."

McSame: Cuts And Runs

You may have heard that McSame wants to ditch Friday's debate to focus on his bit with the economic bail out that will cost the American Taxpayers dearly. Perhaps it's because he's protecting his own vital interests? Or, he really doesn't want to be called to the carpet as one of the people that helped get us into this mess.

Obama has a great point

"It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who, in approximately 40 days, will be responsible for dealing with this mess," Obama said at a news conference in Clearwater, Fla. "It's going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once."

Really, if McCain can't run a campaign and deal with his congressional responsibilities, perhaps he should give up on one or the other. One thing is certain, the President will have to be able to juggle multiple weighty issues at the same time, with no time to cut and run on any one of them.

Calamity

Looks like George W. is going to speak to us again to try and scare us into giving him another blank check to rescue his pals in the financial industry. Should we bet that he and his team that brought us Iraq have a good idea about how to fix the economy they broke?

Meanwhile, Bush's chief spokeswoman, Dana Perino, revealed that the president is thinking about a national speech and said the country is at risk of a "calamity" without bold action to calm down the markets and soothe nervous Americans.

Well, they have one thing right, the W, Rove And Co. did bring us a number of calamities that have us in a number of irrevocable situations that if we actually had some smarter leadership they would never had put us in in the first place. The bigger question for me is how do we hold Bush and his pals accountable for the mess they brought us? Don't hold your breath.

Even so, given the past practice of Bush leading us by faith over fact and into a war based on faulty intelligence and sticking with the calamity that is Iraq as he was given a blank check to do whatever he damn well please (not the least of which was to totally disregard the Constitution in the process), should we hand him over another blank check to have him fornicate with our Economy some more?

You remember the old song by the Talking Heads...."Well, how did we get here...."

GOP: The Calamity Rendering Party - Calamity Means Profit For Us But Not For You.

Blog on friends, blog on all...

What Are They Afraid Of?

When some one squashes any questions about themselves by not allowing people in to ask any, it says to me two things: 1) they have something to hide, and 2) they are afraid of what questions will be asked as it may reveal the items in no. 1.

John McCain's presidential campaign has shielded the first-term Alaska governor for weeks from spontaneous questions from voters and reporters, and went to striking lengths Tuesday to maintain that distance as Palin made her diplomatic debut.

The GOP campaign, applying more restrictive rules on access than even President Bush uses in the White House, banned reporters from the start of the meetings, so as not to risk a question being asked of Palin.

Even more restrictive than Bush? Holy crap, that can't be better practice for America, can it?

Slogans The McSame/Palin Campaign Pitched Because They Were Too Close To The Truth

I was out on my run this AM and some one had chalked a slogan across the pathway critical of the GOP - something to the affect: "The Republican Rape Continues."

Then I got to thinking...there must be some really good slogans out there that the McSame/Palin campaign pitched because, while pithy, were too close to the truth to use, and I got on a roll. So, I thought I would toss this out there as...Drum Roll Please....

Windspike's GOP Slogan Challenge

Come up with a pithy one liner that the GOP should be using if they were honest brokers of the truth and open about what they really stood for. Think of it this way: If you were to craft a slogan one-liner that accurately reflects what the GOP has come to mean to you over these last 8 years, what would it be?

I'll start, and you comment away....

1 - Bail Outs For Us, Foreclosures for you.

2 - Your Tax Dollars Put To Work Making The Rich Richer

3 - Social Welfare for Iraq, Screw America

4 - Just Say Yes To No Bid Contracts

5 - Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps, It's Not Our Fault If You Have No Boots

6 - Screw The Economy, Blame The Dems

7 - Sending Your Sons And Daughters To The Slaughter To Feed The Wartime Profiteer Machine

8 - My Judges Are Right, Yours Are Activists

9 - GOP: The Anti-intellect

10 - Your Elitist If I Have To Use A Dictionary To Understand You

11 - Your College Degree Doesn't Mean Your Qualified

12 - I'm Qualified If I Believe I Am

13 - Leadership By Faith, Not Facts

14 - Trust Us, Because I Said So

15 - If You Trust Us With Iraq, You Can Trust Us With 700 Billion

16 - 700 Billion Dollars For Corporate America: Nothing For your Neighborhood Schools.

You get the idea...these things just keep pouring out of my keyboard.

Have fun and have at it...

Blog on Friends, Blog on all...

McCain = Bush: Is That Offensive?

Good question - For those of you that voted for Bush - twice - is it bad that McCain is the same? Why was this 61 year old library ushered off the property?

Cruch All You Want, We'll Make More

Just one question for the President: Where are we going to get 700 Billion Dollars when we are hemoraging cash for the Welfare State we created called Iraq?

The Bush administration this morning formally asked Congress to grant sweeping new powers to the Treasury secretary to buy as much as $700 billion in deeply troubled mortgage-related assets as part of a herculean effort to clean up Wall Street's financial crisis.

Sounds like the Doritos commercial. Crunch all you want, we'll make more. The Fed is good at printing cash, but when it becomes so diluted, it's not worth much. The bigger question will be who wins with this bailout? Do you think the CEOs of the various companies making bad bets on bad mortgages will have to sell a house or two to cover their losses or simply get fired and given multi-million dollar severance packages?

Quote for the Weekend

It has often and confidently been asserted, that man's origin can never be known: Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.

Some times folks much smarter than I nail it right on the head. Had Darwin ever met George W. Bush and his ilk, he would shake his head and shout Q.E.D. for the world to hear.