Found on a Poetry Board - Obama's Everywhere!!

Campbell Brown Gets Bullishly Biased

Today Campbell Brown came out swinging - insisting that Barack Obama broke his promise not to take federal campaign funds.

The fact is, there was no "promise." What existed was a pledge which Obama signed (although no one else, including John McCain ever bothered filling out) and which agreed to pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve the public financing system. Obama contacted McCain way back in the beginning - before funding was decided upon - to invite him to discuss the acceptance of such funds. McCain never returned the call.

Sometimes rudeness really is it's own reward.

I've always liked Ms. Brown but that's two in row for her. Last Monday she was indignantly insisting that "diva" was a sexist remark and that the word itself meant an ambitious or successful woman.

Agreed, "diva" is sexist. However, it does not now, nor did it ever, mean "ambitious" or "successful." A diva may very well be successful and ambitious but it's the way in which she pursues her ambition and enjoys her success which gives meaning to the phrase. A diva is difficult, a diva is rude, a diva cares nothing for those other than herself, a diva is ruthless and cunning and petulant. One can be successful as hell and still not be any of those things. If fact, most people would prefer their ambitiously successful ones not to be any of those things.

The RNC included, apparently.

It is biased and bull to complain about a word being used when one apparently does not understand the meaning of the word they are complaining about.

Makes Me Proud to Be From NW Indiana

Dozens Of Call Center Workers Walk Off Job In Protest Rather Than Read McCain Script Attacking Obama

By Greg Sargent - October 27, 2008, 5:18PM

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it's located in Hobart, IN.

"They walked out," Williams says of her daughter and her co-workers, adding that they weren't fired but willingly sacrificed pay rather than read the lines. "They were told [by supervisors], `If you all leave, you're not gonna get paid for the rest of the day."

The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story to us. "It was like at least 40 people," the daughter said. "People thought the script was nasty and they didn't wanna read it."

A second worker at the call center confirmed the episode, saying that "at least 30" workers had walked out after refusing to read the script.

"We were asked to read something saying [Obama and Democrats] were against protecting children from danger," this worker said. "I wouldn't do it. A lot of people left. They thought it was disgusting."

This worker, too, confirmed sacrificing pay to walk out, saying her supervisor told her: "If you don't wanna phone it you can just go home for the day."

The script coincided with this robo-slime call running in other states, but because robocalling is illegal in Indiana it was being read by call center workers.

Representatives at Americall in Indiana, and at the company's corporate headquarters in Naperville, Illinois, didn't return calls for comment.

The Vet Who Did Not Vet

What's Worse Than a Cat Stuck Up a Tree?

A horse stuck inside one.

Good Grief, Sarah Palin

The other day she didn't know what a vice-president did and now she's unsure what a feminist is - or if she is one.

Now I Understand Why John McCain Wrecked 5 Planes and Lost The Last Presidential Primary - He Just Doesn't Learn

My husband and I are not registered Republicans, neither of us have ever signed up to receive mailings from The Republican Party. As far as I know, neither of us have ever received a mailing from the Republican Party - until today that is.










Nice, huh?

If it didn't work on the campaign trail and it didn't work in the debate and it didn't work on television commercials what on earth makes them think it's going to work in my mailbox?

Actually, on second thought, it DOES work. I'm sending another $25.00 to the Obama campaign - and oh yeah, I'm forwarding this to them, too.

Is There No End To the Badness?

First there was the little matter of $21,000+ worth of airline tickets and hotel rooms for the Palin children being charged to The State of Alaska. (Huh, I wonder when "Kids Fly Free" became a government perk?)

Then there was the "other little matter" of $150,000+ worth of Sarah Palin campaign-clothing (as well as clothing for her spouse and children) being paid for by The Republican Party. (Now isn't that just where all you Hockey Moms and Joe Six-Packs wanted your hard-earned $25.00 campaign contributions to go to?)

Now there's THIS!!! Sarah Palin, looking mighty damned well-dressed, I might add, told Brandon-the-Inquisitive and a group of his fellow 3rd graders that a vice president "is in charge of the United States Senate, so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom. And it's a great job and I look forward to having that job."

I think we were better off last August when Sarah understood how to dress herself and didn't understand what a vice president did.

Oh wait, she still doesn't really understand either of those things, does she?

PoliticalMatch.Com Introduces Joe the Plumber To Lisa the Lemming

According to Ed Rollins, Joe (the plumber)is a real guy living in Toledo, Ohio. He is representative of the millions of hardworking Americans who get up every day and go to work, and raise their kids and contribute to their communities.

I've got news for you, Ed. Joe may be a real guy living in Toledo but he's hardly representative of the millions of Americans in this country. Nor is he anyone whose opinions would count for too much with many of the other "real guys."

For one thing, many of the "guys" are "girls." And not many of them, guys OR girls, complain to a presidential candidate or a camera about the make-believe taxes that it'll cost them when they buy their first make-believe business with a make-believe salary - all the while pretending it's reality. Nor do they lead people on by claiming to be "undecided" when they've already registered as a Republican. FOr that matter, most of them aren't even home in the middle of the day chasing down a candidate who's walking around in their neighborhood - they're at work - and they, unlike Joe, can't afford to take the day off, not even if they're dying.

Not only that, most of them, unlike Joe, are already paying their taxes on their real property and their real income. In other words, they don't avoid their obligations and they don't have liens against their property for overdue and unpaid back taxes.

You do a grave disservice to the majority of working class Americans when you appoint a man like Joe the Plumber their representative. Even more so when you compare his influence upon them to Colin Powell's. Colin Powell has earned respect - he's proven himself time and time again to be a man of principal and honor while Joe the Plumber has, so far, proven himself to be capable of lying through his teeth on national television and of successfully avoiding the tax collector for the past year or so.

Call me crazy but I, personally, find Colin to be just a bit more credible. And his opinion counts for a hell of a lot more than Joe's does when it comes to foreign policies and economic principals.

Hell, now that I think about it, they've got the same plumbing credentials. I might trust him to fix my toilet, too. Might as well since neither of them are licensed to do so.

The difference is, I'd trust Colin to say so - Joe's already proven he won't mention it if you won't. And he'll deny it if you do - and then ask that you quit picking on him and leave him alone because it's the bogus questions that are important, not the character or the honesty of the bogus plumber asking them.

For what it's worth, I completely fail to understand why we must all be Joe Six-Pack or Joe-the-Plumber or Soccer Sarah - just who exactly benefits when we're all so neatly packaged and pidgeon-holed for mass consumption? And why is it decreed that it must be so?

Do we all act that much like lemmings? Does the McCain campaign think that if they can only scare us enough that we'll all congregate on the same cliff and follow them down?

Or do they just wish we would?

Not the "Real Virginia"

A McCain campaign aide, Nancy Pfotenhauer, told MSNBC today that northern Virginia is not part of the "Real Virginia." It was not, as you might think, an attempt to excuse McCain's failure to nominate a real VP.

This follows on the heels of John McCain's brother referring to the region as "Communist country."

The McCain spokesperson went on to discuss the rest of the state in a high-pitched, barely audible frequency: (h/t Jake Tapper)

"I did say outside of north – well, I mean real Virginia, because northern Virginia is where I've always been, but real Virginia I take to be the – this part of the state that is more southern in nature, if you will."

Someone better tell Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

Maybe they oughta let John McCain know, too, since his Washington DC residence is a 3 bedroom condo in Arlington, Va.

For that matter, the 9/11 dudes really screwed up - they thought they were bombing an American Landmark - instead they bombed The Pentagon - located in the heart of "Communist Country."

Not the "Real Virginia"

Green Haiku

April Northern Lights
Small polar cubs on thin ice
Flash of white and gone
___

Six shy primates play
in a disappearing Eden.
Good-bye Gorillas.

____

Thin-skinned Harlequins
shrinking pond - summer sun
Croaking dappled frogs

Princess Maddie and Sir Dom

Oh My God!! No Flag Pin? How Unpatriotic!!

PALIN AS PRESIDENT

Click often, click everywhere. Avoid the red Phone.

Should Jews Vote For Obama?

Palin Guilty of "Abuse Of Power" - Which Just Happens To Be Grounds For Impeachment

How is "abusing your power" not a crime of some sort?

Ah, what the hell - since abuse of power is grounds for impeachement I suppose it's good enough.

Don't Lie, Don't MudSling, Don't Change the Subject and Most of All, Don't Call Me "My Friend"

I admit it - I'm a Beltway-Junkie. And even I'm nauseated just thinking about tonight's debate.

I'm trying to believe that Sarah's not really ok with people yelling "Kill him" as she exhorts her crowds to see Barak Obama as a terrorist - I'm trying to to believe that the Florida sherrif whom announced her didn't deliberately refer to Obama as "Barak Hussian Obama" making it possible for Sarah to segue directly into her terrorist pal accusation.

These people need to get real - and I don't mean "By golly, God Bless Ya', Joe SixPack" kind of "real," either. I mean they need to touch base with honest-to-God reality - OUR reality. The one that sucks right now. The one where people are losing their pensions, their life savings, their homes, their jobs, their dignity - and most of all - their hope.

For many Americans this election is starting to represent not only their last hope but their only hope. They seriously deserve the right to make an honest choice based on truth and logic and common sense - and not be subjected to bogus accusations, irrational fear-mongering and childish name-calling in lieu of the former. They don't need the subject changed when and if it becomes uncomfortable or when the candidate doesn't know the answer, they don't need baldfaced lies, they don't need old rumors rehashed, and they don't need phony and/or pointless promises. They need - and deserve - truthful and thoughtful answers to their questions.

And I don't want to hear anyone - Republican or Democrat - patronizingly referring to the audience as "My Friends."

We don't need friends in Washington, we've got friends right here at home, we don't need drinking buddies or soccer moms or Joe SixPack in Washington, we've got all those things right here in our own neighborhoods, what we want in Washington, what we need in Washington, what we've been so sadly lacking for the past 8 years in Washington is a leader. Preferably one with compassion, integrity and intelligence.

And THAT'S what we'll be looking for tonight - we're smart enough to know we deserve nothing less - nor will we vote for it.

McCain Wants to "Turn The Page" - Shill, Baby, Shill

``We are very well-funded, and we are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days,'' senior McCain adviser Greg Strimple told reporters yesterday. ``We're looking to turning the page on this financial crisis and getting back to discussing Mr. Obama's liberal, aggressively liberal record and how he will be too risky for the Americans.''

ARE THEY NUTS???? "WE ARE LOOKING TO TURN THE PAGE???"

When the stock market is crashing, when their beloved Joe Six-Packers are losing their family homes in numbers never before witnessed and all those revered soccer moms are starting to worry about how to feed their children, never mind how to pay for soccer camp, they suddenly decide they want to "TURN THE PAGE ON THIS FINANCIAL CRISIS"and talk about how some passing acquaintance who never even went to court over his alleged wrong-doings much less get convicted of them might or might not be connected in the slimmest of ways to Barak Obama???

And they call Obama's past behaviour "risky?"

Turning the page, and your back, on a financial crisis which threatens to overtake your own country as well as many of the other countries in the world in order to "discuss" a slim connection between a radical 60's type person and a presidential candidate hardly seems unrisky to me.

It sounds desperate....and the American people are in too desperate an economic situation-not-of-their-own-making to be dissed in such a manner. The last thing they need at this particular point in time is a man with his own desperate need to be king running off at the mouth and trying to turn the page on a very real crisis in a lame attempt to avoid admitting he has no valid solution to this financial crisis he's already had years to head-off/contribute to. It's hardly prime time to hold a conversation about a $200 campaign contribution made in a 2002 election - in fact it's a sub-prime discussion all the way around. You don't turn the page on a current half-trillion dollar-and-rapidly-rising USA deficit to drag up a 6 year old Chicago coffee-clach and a $200 campaign contribution. That's not "change" that's Standard Republican Swift-Boating Politics as usual - and what's more, it's just plain insulting - all more so because it's coming from a man who was investigated and cited for "poor judgement" by the Senate's Ethics Committee for participating in two meetings with banking regulators on behalf of Charles Keating. Keating, a friend, campaign contributor ($112,000 in contributions, to be exact - which is $111,800 more than the damning $200.00 contribution that Sarah is shrilling about) and savings and loan owner who was later convicted of securities fraud.

This is the same John McCain, who just last month when the whole house of cards began tumbling down, assured us that "our economy is fundamentally strong" and who has said repeatedly in the past that "economics are not his strong suit" and is, boy-golly, sure proving it, isn't he? Turning back the page isn't important anymore - We've all got pages people could turn back to - McCain and Palin included. The American people are better than that. We've seen the past, we've lived the past, and, for the most part, we've put the past behind us - we're worried about the future. We'd like a president and vice president who understand that - and ones who at least grant us the courtesy of pretending to share our concern. Too bad for McCain that he hasn't seemed to grasp the fact that he can't suspend the financial crisis to hold a discussion about bullshit as easily as he suspended his campaign to "help" draft and pass an unpopular rescue plan which somehow, somehow ended up chock-full of the very same kind of pork packages he's based his reputation on fighting against.

Someone needs to tell him we're not buying it - we're not buying anything - we can't afford to. And someone needs to tell Sarah Palin that it's just not a good time to "Shill, baby, Shill."

Sarah Palin's $64,000 Question - Complete This Sentence - "People Who Live In Glass Houses _____________________."

Sarah Palin is defending her attack on Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama after accusing him of "palling around with terrorists."

The Republican vice presidential nominee on Sunday said it was legitimate to raise Obama's association with 1960s radical Bill Ayers. Ayers and Obama are acquainted, but the charge that they "pal around" is unsubstantiated.

"The comments are about an association that has been known but hasn't been talked about," she said. "It's important to talk about how Barack Obama kicked off his political career in the guy's living room."

I wonder if it's equally important to "talk about" how John McCain "palled around" with Charles Keating? I do believe that what Obama's "pal" did when Obama was EIGHT YEARS OLD is probably going to appear a little bit less offensive to voters than what McCain's "pal" did - considering that McCain was a responsible adult and a senator who was investigated right along with his "pal."

For that matter - isn't Sarah herself still being investigated for wrong-doing in Alaska? Isn't she still refusing to cooperate with investigators into the allegations filed against her office and her friends and family? Weren't Sarah and Ted Stevens "pals" before they weren't? Didn't he endorse her for governor and didn't she use his endorsement as a commercial to show how close they were?

Maybe they don't have glass houses in Alaska? Maybe they do and the McCain campaign is counting on the Obama campaign to be too upright to resort to the same dirty tactics of half truths and outright lies. Although in the case of Charles Keating and Ted Stevens it wouldn't BE a lie, would it? Just dirty politics - something both Sarah and John seem entirely too comfortable with. I guess I'm counting on that, too, to be honest. Although it would be fun to watch Obama and Biden finish what Palin and McCain have started. After all, as Sarah said, It's important to talk about these things.

Late addition CNN's done a report on Obama's response - and their fact check people have given Sarah's allegation allegation a resounding:

Verdict: False. There is no indication that Ayers and Obama are now "palling around," or that they have had an ongoing relationship in the past three years. Also, there is nothing to suggest that Ayers is now involved in terrorist activity or that other Obama associates are.

McCain Calls NoVa "Communist Country"

Huh- and here I thought I lived right here in Middle America - turns out I was wrong. According to Joe McCain, brother of John McCain, who was speaking at an event in support of his brother, Alexandria and Arlington, two Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia, are "communist country."

"I've lived here for at least 10 years and before that about every third duty I was in either Arlington or Alexandria, up in communist country," Joe McCain, a Navy veteran, said at an event in Loudoun County, Va.

I'm pretty sure his brother, John, has one of his 7 or 8 homes in Arlington. What does that make him?

Oh wait, I know - a maverick. The lone capitalist in the midst of all us commies.

Does Sarah Even Read The New York Times? And If So, What's Her Comprehension Skill?

Well, now we know what Sarah Palin doesn't read:

(CNN) --Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lashed out at Sen. Barack Obama's ties to controversial figure William Ayers.

Palin's attack delivered on the McCain campaign's announcement that it would step up attacks on the Democratic presidential candidate with just a month left before the November general election.

"This is not a man who sees America as you and I do: as the greatest force for good in the world," Palin said at a fundraising event in Colorado, according to a statement released by the McCain-Palin campaign. "This is someone who sees American as imperfect enough to pal around with terrorists who targeted their own country."

She doesn't read New York Times which did a fine job of outlining the virtually non-existant relationship between two men who once served on the same committee and who happen to share a common neighborhood. Having once lived on the South Side of Chicago myself, I can attest to the fact that it's nearly impossible not to run into a neighbor now and then - and it's equally impossible to ignore them if you do. We're a weird bunch in Chicago sometimes, but we're never unfriendly. It'd be like Joe Six-Pack not offering you a beer when it's 95 degrees in the shade and you're dying of thirst.

Oh wait - she cited the article in her speech - even though that article concluded that "the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' "

Apparently she doesn't read the Washington Post, Time magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times or The New Yorker - all of which have also debunked the idea that Obama and Ayers had a close relationship.

I get it now.....it's like she told Katie - she reads everything "they" put in front of her - she just doesn't absorb it, understand it or retain it.

Either that or she spins around in circles and then looks at the pictures. That'd be a very mavericky thing to do.

Anticipated TrooperGate Verdict? The Expectations Are Set Low and the Explanation's Already Offered

If this unconstitutional and unlawful investigation is allowed to continue, is completed, and if the resulting report is released as planned, Plaintiffs and Alaskans in general will suffer irreparable harm," lawyers for the Liberty Legal Foundation told the Alaska Supreme Court.

The Texas-based conservative group is representing Republican legislators who support Palin and are asking the Alaska Supreme Court to shut down the probe, which they call "biased."

Apparently Sarah's people don't have much confidence that she'll be found innocent, do they? Whatever happened to the "we welcome the investigation and we will cooperate fully with officials" initial response of Palin and McCain to the same investigation when it began back in August - even before Sarah was named VP candidate? It's the same people holding the investigation - why the sudden loss of trust and cooperation on the part of McCain, Palin and the rest of her people?

Or is changing your mind and refusing to cooperate with local, state or federal officials just something those gosh-darn Mavericks do?

Yep - That's Livin' On Middle Class Main Street - You Betcha!!

The 2007 income tax return for Sarah and Todd Palin shows that last year the couple had a gross adjusted income of $166,080 and paid $24,738 in taxes — about a 15 percent rate after deductions. In 2006, the records show, the Palins earned $127,869 as adjusted gross income, with taxes paid listed at $11,944 — less than a 10 percent rate.

On federal financial disclosure forms Palin and her husband listed assets worth from $960,000 to $2.3 million. Because the values of assets are reported in broad ranges, it's not possible to calculate an exact value for their holdings.

(Just for comparison)

The median income for a household in Wasilla was $48,226, and the median income for a family was $53,792. Males had a median income of $41,332 versus $29,119 for females. The per capita income for Wasilla was $21,127. About 5.7% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older.

(And one more small comparison)

Like many Americans, their most valuable asset is their home in Wasilla, valued at between $500,000 and $1 million. According to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the land and structure at the Wasilla property is appraised at $552,100.

Estimated median house/condo value in 2006: $172,700.
Wasilla $172,700

In other words, Sarah may live on Main Street but she sure doesn't live like Main Street.

Is It Really "Joe Six-Pack's" Election?

Consider this: There are more women voting than men. The percentage of people who vote rises in direct correlation with the amount of education they have. Less than 50% of people with high school educations vote in elections. More than 80% of people with a bachelor's degree or better vote in elections. Blacks and Hispanics make up a very large block of The U. S. voting population. United States citizens of Asian descent make up 4% of the population - the majority of them vote.

Maybe, if Sarah Palin truly wants to reach the entirety of the "middle class," she should spend a little more time learning that this country is made up of much more than the stereotypical {and faintly insulting) "Joe Six-Pack" who lives in her isolated little neighborhood and eats moose burgers with her and her family. Maybe she would do well to start recognizing that Joe, for all his sudden popularity, is not the only person with a vested interest in this year's presidential election - nor is he necessarily the one she needs to impress.

Chained To A Bed With A Velociraptor

I could survive for 57 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor