McCain and Palin get nasty... or Twenty-nine days until E-Day.

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Less than a month until election day. Scary.

Campaign is getting nasty. McCain started it with ad, Obama pushes back.
Somebody remind them both (especially McCain) that we want to hear about the issues not start a blood feud.
Starting to look like the Hatfields vs the McCoys.
Beginning to wonder what the rest of the world thinks of this nonsense our election has turned into.

From the Washington Post talking about Oct. 6 VP Palin Rally:

Palin's routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric's questions for her "less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media." At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, "Sit down, boy."

The reception had been better in Clearwater, where Palin, speaking to a sea of "Palin Power" and "Sarahcuda" T-shirts, tried to link Obama to the 1960s Weather Underground. "One of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," she said. ("Boooo!" said the crowd.) "And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,' " she continued. ("Boooo!" the crowd repeated.)
"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

This is not presidential at all. Whipping up intense anger could become dangerous and they should know better.
Somebody put the pitbull back on her leash, and get her a rabies shot.

I guess despite the crisis the American Middle class is facing we have to polarize the people further and get nastier.

Well, I'll be watching the debate tomorrow with interest.
I don't suppose any questions that we really care about will get answered. I hope so.

I'm seriously concerned with all this animosity intentionally being stirred up.

Going to make hot tea, light a scented candle and finish reading "Genesis of Shannara"

G'night
I'll be back right after the debate.
Rest up everybody!


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Thirty days to E-day... One short month.

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So last night Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin on SNL
(also don't forget Jason Sudeikis and Queen Latifah as Biden and Ifill who were also great)
I enjoyed the chance to laugh at the parody of election politics instead of frowning at the real campaign nonsense.
And I did laugh! "Mavericky" I must find ways to use this word in my day to day life.

And with all the silly old fuss over the election stuff oh you know those guys Obama and McCain for sure.
I somehow missed OJ's trial but even more amazing I missed the fact that Howard Stern re-married on Friday.
Wow now there's news. Seriously I just don't really get it. Is he really such a cultural icon?
No, don't answer me, it's a rhetorical question... Please. To hear it answered affirmatively out loud would be discouraging to me.

McCain says he's going to get tough on Obama. Oh yay more "Swift Boat" campaign tactics.
Fine but could we get the straight talk express back on the tracks and attempt to walk the walk and talk the truth?
I wish instead of attacking Obama's past (John has a few skeleton's in his closet too so it could backfire)
I'd like answers to real questions:
Education. What about the outsourcing our jobs, unemployment, privatizing social security...
How do each of you plan to help create more jobs; deal with Wall Street, deal with the credit crisis on Main Street,
help people survive health care bills... which is another cause of people losing their homes not just bad mortgage loans.
The economy is too important to gloss over.
The wars in Irag and Afganistan and agressive stances on Pakistan, Iran and even Russia, what's up there? Details.
Something I want to know "are we talking a draft in the near future?"
Let's be honest about Roe vs Wade and general interpretation of the constitution. Legality of wiretapping, Torture of prisoners that conflicts with the Geneva Convention, What direction does this country go in to the global future?
Are we the police of the world or not?
Why will deregulation of the health insurance industry help people?
How will this bail out really help Main Street? Give me a few actual ways... Please. And where does this money really come from? And what about our ever growing at an alarming rate most outrageous deficit and our indebtedness to China et al?

I'm so sick of candidates avoiding answering the important questions. Our future depends on it. We approach the tipping point. Will we remain the one people look to in the world, will we even maintain our own standard of living into this uncertain future. Don't just tell us "Americans are a hardy bunch we'll get through anything" Tell us how we might do that!
Stop the Joe six pack shit. Hockey moms are just that, moms. You don't get a gold star for being a mom or dad.
What are you people Dems/Repubs going to do to not let this country tank as a country?

Tomorrow we'll get new information on the election I'm sure, and then there's the debate on Tuesday night.
I for one can't wait and I hope we get some of those answers, not sure at all we will, but I have a dream...

G'night
Get some sleep everybody!

Laura


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Michigan, Palin, OJ Simpson and Iron Man or...Thirty-one days to E-Day.

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Once again I need to take a break from politics.
I do get rather angry sometimes and this bail/buy out plus ear mark/pork barrel additions had me crazed.
Europe is also experiencing a financial crisis too. The world is changing all around us.

It was a semi-quiet day in politics, perhaps they grow weary of themselves too?

To be, or not to be (in Michigan) that is the question!
McCain announces he's pulling out of Michigan, Palin twice says she wants to go and rally in Michigan with her husband,
she doesn't want to desert Michigan. She wants McCain to reconsider.

Is this yet another McCain bait and switch like the "suspension" of his campaign?
or
Is it just Sarah jus' bein her quirky ole off the leash self... and questioning McCain's own campaign judgement?

And dawg gone it why should we care at this point?
We all know we'll find out next week if we tune in to the drama (and we all will won't we?)

But on to the real news: OJ Simpson finally gets a guilty charge in something.
Looks like he's going to jail.
Not great news for OJ.
But I don't imagine he's a sympathetic figure to most folk with all his erratic behavior since he beat the rap in 1995.
I expect a lot of people feel this is the inevitable bad karma only just starting to return back home to him.

Will of course check to see if SNL does a recap of the Biden/Palin debate...
Bet Tina Fey is having a blast playing Palin and at least the beginning of the show now is actually funny.
I stopped watching SNL quite a while ago though sometimes I sampled clips (and the news spot) because I thought they lost their edge and often just didn't make me laugh.

Making myself a nice hot cup of tea and nestling in to watch some tv for a while.
Was going to watch "Iron Man" tonight (bought the dvd on Tuesday) but still haven't gotten to it.
Enjoyed it a lot in the movies, will be fun to watch again.
Now if I would only sit down in one place long enough to watch it.
::sigh:: Yes, I do know I'm impossible (she smiles thinking... but at least I'm consistent!)

G'night

Laura

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Bailout Bill passes... or thirty-two day's to E-day.

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Listened to and read all the commentary I could stand about the debates.
Still don't feel it was a deal breaker or maker for either party.
I'm sure we'll hear more from all of them.

More important in the news is the economic bailout of wall street that was passed in the house today.
President Bush almost immediately signed the bill and there you have it folks. You own the bill, you foot the bill.

I'm so angry about this it isn't funny.
This was crammed down our throats just like other things in the past. Scare tactics.

How these people can with a straight face congratulate themselves for a job well done on either side of the fence is beyond me.
Obama and especially McCain state they are against those nasty old "ear marks" and despicable "pork barrel spending" by government officials.

And yet, the $700 billion package that passed isn't really $700 billion alone like they keep saying.
No, it's got around $110 billion dollars tacked on to it in order to sweeten up the deal for Dems/Repubs to vote for.
This is unadulterated, hypocritical bullshit.

Some good stuff that wasn't getting passed and a bunch of crap too... certainly nothing that should have been there.
These things and you can look them up are ridiculous because they have nothing to do with this crisis.
Both parties took part in this. What a sham, they should be ashamed, not proud.

Fact: none of it SHOULD have been there.
Think about this... We don't have the $700 billion so we add on to that total stuff that isn't related to the bill and still call it a successful passing of a $700 billion dollar bill. I can count and that sounds like a $810+ bill to me.
What do the Dems and Repubs do? Pat themselves on the backs, stroke, stroke, stroke the weasels. Makes me sick.
"Why did they do this?" You might ask yourself as I did.

I've only come up with two reasons so far:

1) Apparently on it's own merit the bailout wasn't worth passing unless it was sweetened up. This reeks of bribery. How really cute and sleezy at the same time. Liked the cow patty with a marshmallow in the middle analogy by Paul Broun (GA.)

2) They all really are self serving, cynical, lying bastards that wouldn't pass this bill alone because they had the advantage in the supposed need for expediency so unless they got to add stuff that shouldn't be there; they wouldn't guarantee it would pass. This smacks more of blackmail or extortion.

Either way (or some of both) endorsements came from both Obama, McCain and of course pressure from Bush himself.

Yes, I'm real proud of how this came about, and I'm totally secure in knowing it will work.
Let's hope I'm just a incurable pessimist/cynic and we'll all live happily ever after.

We don't seem to have leadership anymore or representation either where it matters.
All we get to do is vote in this election for a popularity contest for whichever party we think is less dishonest than the other.
Sometimes I wonder if it matters at all, except when I listen to McCain and find I'm voting yet once again not for the person I'm really enthusiastic about but against someone I really don't like. The last two elections I voted against Bush more than for Gore or Kerry.
It's depressing.
The only thing McCain and Palin will lead us into is more war, conflict, debt and denial. Deregulation indeed.
And while we're at it let's just rethink that constitution thingy why don't we eh?
We're all ready crucifying the poor, we now have the opportunity to eviscerate the middle class just like a dead moose. Can't wait.
Do I think Obama and Biden have great answers? Not exactly but I believe they give us more of a chance for the future.

And by the way if you don't think global warming is caused by man then you very conveniently don't have to clean anything up or pass further regulations (yes REGULATIONS) to try to halt the warming climate.
Never mind the mantra drill, baby, drill. It's more like burn, baby, burn.

Welcome to the twenty-first century and the era of complete distrust-
of the media, congress, government, the presidency and each other.

Sorry I think this bail/buy out stinks, it's a porker. It should have been better.
Oh wait a minute I'm sorry.
It's an investment by the taxpayers in the rescue plan for wall street and main street to avoid the Pearl Harbor of the economy.

One of the pundits called the economic problems "a danger and an opportunity." Oh shut up.

Country first seems so hollow sometimes to me... First in what pray tell, and do you mean our country?

G'night,
Have to get up early tomorrow
and tonight I have a headache.
Big surprise right?

Laura


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Still Thirty-three days till E-day... or the great (?) debate.

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I think Biden did better in the debate in knowledge and presidential qualities.
Palin seemed to wander in her small bursts of words not always directly connected to the question or each other...
but then again that's her "not from Washington/outsider" appeal I guess. She did good.
No big gaffes on either side so it's probably a draw though I'm sure both sides feel their candidate blew the other away.
Seriously though to me it was probably close enough to not really be all that decisive but we'll see how it plays out in the next few days.

The first time Sarah winked at the American public, I thought I must have imagined it and dismissed it as impossible/improbable.
The second time it really annoyed me. Ain't that cute...? Sexism be damned.
Palinisms: Oh man, bless their hearts, darn right, now dawg gone it, you guys, Joe six pack...
Oh puhleeze.

Palin stated on the economy, "It is a crisis. It's a toxic mess, really, on Main Street that's affecting Wall Street. And now we have to be ever vigilant and also making sure that credit markets don't seize up. That's where the Main Streeters like me, that's where we would really feel the effects." I'm pretty sure that's not exactly what she meant to say.
I suppose she meant General McNeill (former) or McKiernan (present) in Afganistan not General McClellan as she stated.
Maybe she was thinking of Attorney General McClelland... (checked my facts this am)
But there's no reason to nit pick. Not a huge win for Biden but not not a huge loss for Palin.
Better than I thought it would go.

One thought in closing on the VP debate since I don't think this is a deal breaker or maker for either campaign.
(though it saved McCain's from totally sinking I expect) I don't want to give it too much value. We'll see tomorrow what folk say. Too tired tonight.

My wisdom: They did a good job obviously in cramming a lot of facts and policy information into Palin. Everyone that has been in high school and any higher education knows that cramming at the last minute might help you pass a test in the next few days but you don't remember much of it all after a week.

Having said that I wonder if they'll now allow her to go out and have press conferences and answers press questions or keep her in seclusion. Interesting.

The next two presidential debates will be important as they should be.
How each man comes across and holds themselves and gives real, honest answers to the questions that will matter.

I guess the people out there inclined to play drinking games (I know at least a couple) during the debate had plenty occasion to have to take a drink.
I'm told one of the trigger words they were using to take a drink was "Maverick."
I wonder how they were doing by the end of the debate. I lost count and I was stone cold sober.
So this goes out to you debate drinkers: good luck getting up for work eh?
Well, you know who you are...

Tomorrow we'll see how the bail out goes in the house.
It's a bit of a porker to me, but hey what the heck do I know anyway?

G'night

Laura


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Thirty-three days to E-day... or when will it be nine o'clock?

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This is what you can do while drinking a cup of hot tea with a little free time to kill in the afternoon and you're bored and thinking about the election. It seemed like a fun idea at the time. Remember when I said we all make gaffes: well, here's the proof!


Three things that strike me:
(1) No matter what hairdo you put on me I still universally hate the way I look.
(2) I forgot to take second photo for glassless ladies... not bored enough to go back & fix it!
(3) These photos might be proof that this election is slowly moving me from the somewhat "different" collumn into the somewhat "crazy" category. In which case I wouldn't know so I guess I'd have to ask my wonderful family if that were indeed the case... on the other hand I'd better not, I know what the answer will be. Ha!


Which one do you like?
If I was to place them in the order that I like the hairdos, I'd pick Hillary, followed by Michelle, Cindy and then last but not least Sarah. Don't like anything that reminds me of the bouffant or beehive hairdos... might be a phobia. Hmm.

Will catch you later after the debates.
If I can type with all the twitching I'll probably be doing.
This of course also assumes that there are no more crazy happenings between now and 9 pm... which at this point, nothing ever seems certain so, who knows?

Later,
I must go be more productive.

Laura

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Thirty-four days to E-Day... or Hail to the Bail?

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So, the Senate passed the bailout, and now it goes back to the House for a revote.
Hopefully Pelosi won't offend the soft hearted, unassuming, humble, modest, thin skinned republicans this time... yeah.
As I've said I'm just not convinced this is a great or even good thing.
There's all kinds of information out there to read including the actual draft.
There are detailed opinions both for and against it by far more intelligent folk than I am.
I still on a gut level don't like it, it stinks. Might be necessary but it's being forced as the only thing to do.
Who the hell knows. Even with the bail out, even if it works and revives Wall Street... I don't think it changes enough.
The greedy bastards are still in place. What's next? Can we bail everyone out?
Neither party is full of angels by a long shot, the finger pointing is so ridiculous.

So tomorrow (actually later today since I was so late getting to this post) is the Vice Presidential debate.

I'll of course be sitting on top of the tv set watching that one closely.
Should be very interesting. I suppose all either of them have to do is break even.
I have very little expectation for Palin given all her previous interviews.
They probably shouldn't cram too much into her head I don't think she can take it.
Biden should be all right but he tends to talk too much (kinda like Bill Clinton).
He's bright and knowledgeable, has a lot of experience but given the climate of this election.
Who knows?
Maybe we've all been fooled and she'll do great and he'll sound unprepared...
I'll haveta watch em and get back to ya on that! (sorry couldn't resist)

There's also the question of Gwen Ifill who will be the moderator in St. Louis.
She's a professional and respected journalist. I'm sure she can moderate and ask fair questions directed to BOTH of them.
But as with every-damn-thing associated with this election there's of course a new brouhaha.
She's got a book titled "Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama" coming out in January 2009.
::sigh:: It doesn't bother me all that much but everyone out there is arguing over that now too.
It's amazing (and tiring) how things change from hour to hour, morning to evening in this presidential race.

I have to confess that I'm watching this whole election with fascination.
Well, that and a touch of complete horror.
This election has become such a contentious mess.
Both sides are responsible no doubt but McCain's behavior is rather peculiar as of late.
I'm trying to maintain a positive attitude throughout as much as I can
but sometimes collapse into pessimism and cynicism far more often than I'd like to admit.

On a different front-
I hear that President Bush has an approval rating of 23% right now. Wow. Even allowing for sloppy statistics and assuming an overly generous margin for error: that’s pretty bad. Ouch. Can't get too much lower can it? Hmm.
Also said at the moment congress job approval rate is around 15%. Double ouch. Bipartisan no doubt.

I studied statistics in college in math, anthropology, psychology, sociology and social work, along with scientific research and methodology. Validity and reliability are variables that have multitudes of problems that effect the accuracy and predictability of anything studied. Statistics can be and are manipulated everyday. Everything matters such as; how you label your graphs, ask the questions, interpret the results, what scale you choose and who or what are you're studying. Also important is who the people are that are footing the bill for the study.

I had an absolutely fantastic statistics professor a long time ago that would illustrate howt he could present the results to any study to imply almost the opposite what the study actually found. That’s what he wanted us to understand by the end of the class that a true statistician should care about honesty and integrity because their work could be used to influence or illustrate why something should or shouldn’t be done in the real world. There are many honest statisticians and others that aren’t terribly conscientious at all.

I never looked at any newspaper or magazine chart the same way again. You could find studies with major problems printed in professional journals. The joke in statistics is that no one really cares or looks that hard at how the study is conducted in the general public because they’re looking at the information and seeing what they are led to see or want to believe.

I'm looking forward to the next presidential debates too.
It's funny, I usually stay on top of these things but I forgot that last presidential debate October 15th is in Hempstead, NY.
I don't know why I forgot this because I've been to Hofstra University many, many times for many different reasons.
I guess I'll have to chalk it up to having so much on my mind lately personally and politically. Yup, I'm sticking to that.

So G'night
Have a pleasant tomorrow
Don't miss the VP debate, tape it if you have to!
See you later,

Laura


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