Category: Political

An enormous, taxpayer-financed program to buy up bad mortgages and other distressed debt is necessary to protect the savings and aspirations of millions of Americans, Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. said on Friday.

“We’re talking hundreds of billions” of dollars, Mr. Paulson said at a briefing in which he underscored the depth of the problem, pledged to work with Congress to address it quickly and voiced optimism that, in the end, the country would emerge from the financial chaos.

New York Times

I am deeply disappointed in the Democrats in Congress, who felt they had to “compromise” in the interests of re-election and pass a bill to allow offshore oil drilling.

I can understand the political maneuvering—about having to give in to the SOB in his SUV, or get voted out of office. I can agree that removing the oil company tax credits is way overdue. But the whole point on this bill is to cater to ignorance; to play the numbers game. We’re compromising now, we’re told, for the greater good later. Compromise so that the Democrats will win, and keep winning, because the alternative is just too horrible to consider.

Not long ago, the sci-fi writer John Scalzi wrote, There’s no actual office for ‘President of the left’, when explaining why Obama has made some of the moves he has. Today, we know there is no Congress for the left, either. However, we seeming few on the left will continue voting Democrat because we’ve been properly terrified of what will happen if we don’t.

Fear. This election is based on fear. The Republicans generate fear of terrorists, and the unknown. The Democrats generate fear of the Republicans. What does this state say about this country?

Tomorrow I’ll put on my happy face and be a good little soldier and tell everyone about change is happening, and a better day is coming. Yeah, a better day is coming. Especially for insurance companies. Can’t let the insurance companies go hungry, no sir.

Tonight, though, I’ll mourn the fact that there is no President for folks such as me. No President, and no Congress, either.

As of September 12:

• New heights of stupidity: Glenn Greenwalk maps out the route a ridiculous accusation takes, from propaganda to major media.
• Election will impact Supreme Court: Buffalo News Op-Ed on choosing the next member of the Supreme Court, and the impact this will have on the land.
• Canadian Elections 101: A nice introduction to the Canadian election system.
• Jon Stewart, funny as always, with his version of “Then and Now”.
• Joe Klein, at Time’s Swampland, has vowed to only cover issues. He begins with a look at McCain’s Health Care Tax Increase, and follows it up with a good look at general tax plans, between both McCain and Obama.
• The McCain interview. Scary.
• Video: Republicans and military men on John McCain. Well done video. Very scary message. “He will make Cheney look like Ghandi.”
• James Fallows on the Palin interview. ‘What Sarah Palin revealed is that she has not been interested enough in world affairs to become minimally conversant with the issues. Many people in our great land might have difficulty defining the “Bush Doctrine” exactly. But not to recognize the name, as obviously was the case for Palin, indicates not a failure of last-minute cramming but a lack of attention to any foreign-policy discussion whatsoever in the last seven years.’

  Actually, no interest in politics, either, because the Bush Doctrine was a point of contention during the Democratic candidate debates, and Obama has referenced it several times when discussing McCain.

  It’s as if Palin has lived in a vacuum for most of her life, where the world consists of Alaska, and “other”.

Senator McCain runs head first into women who aren’t buying his line. Way to go, ladies. However, the event softballed towards the end when Cindy McCain joined the group.

Last update: From last Palin interview: Palin earmarks are “good” earmarks; Obama earmarks are “bad” earmarks. Good, I’m glad that was cleared up for me. I was confused before, and thought earmarks are earmarks.