Comedy campaigning.
We’ve got our fingers crossed here in the UK
Z
Joeysays
That wink is sexy.
BlueIndependentsays
Yeah, as hard as Obama has gotten, it could still go much further. Nobody is bringing up McCain’s ties to the lobbyists under Saddam Hussein, or is getting after that half million dollars McCain gave to that Palestinian charity the GOP is hitting Obama on.
COME ON Democrats! Get angry AND even.
Alverantsays
Nothing the repubs hate more than being quoted and held to their word. The wink was a bit over the top, but Palin complained about being treated differently because of her gender and then flirts with the camera. So I think her wink is fair game. I’m convinced half of male Palin supports secretly have a crush on her and the other half are religious nut cases who want one of their own in the oval office.
If by sexy you mean condescendingly annoying. Yes, very sexy.
One Eyed Jacksays
But she’s folksy!
Don’t we just need some folksy wisdom to fix an international economic crisis? That isn’t enough? OK, McCain graduated in the bottom 5% of his class. Palin has a degree in journalism. Isn’t that enough?
I’m sorry, but “that dog don’t hunt”.
How’s that for folksy?
Rick Rsays
As a gay man, I’m not seeing Palin as sexy at all. She’s a shark.
(On second thought, no. Sharks are beautiful. She’s more like one of those spider creatures in “The Mist”.)
OT – I just got a “robo call” from some dude named David Bossie who said he is making a film called “Hype – The Obama effect”. I didn’t hjave a pen handy to write down the phone number to call – ugh – to talk with someone who is going to tell me ALL of the things about Obama that the MSM isn’t telling me. So, a favor? Be prepared to write the number down if you see his name pop up on your caller ID?
Better yet – give them a call back and report back??
Thnx.
Stacy
Tualhasays
That…is an exceptionally good ad. And nicely restrained, too. Basically says “c’mon folks, can you really take this candidate seriously?”
As a gay man, I’m not seeing Palin as sexy at all. She’s a shark.
(On second thought, no. Sharks are beautiful. She’s more like one of those spider creatures in “The Mist”.)
As a heterosexual man, I’m seeing Palin as a pink poodle with a foamy mouth and spots of mange and sign around her neck reading “pet me!”
Karensays
I’ll keep a listen out – I’m Florida based as well. The only truly annoying things I have run into are the Obsession DVD and the assorted crap that came from those folks ever since. If I didn’t know they were wasting their money sending it to me, I’d call and get them to stop.
jimsays
This one was good too!
Badjugglersays
Aaarrrgghh! I just want Palin to pronounce the “g” at the end of ONE freaking (freakin’?) word! It drives me nuts like the “nucular” thing…
I don’t understand how a left-wing commie pinko muslim socialist terror loving fake American can get away with smearing and maligning two pro-American patriotic reforming mavericks! It doesn’t make sense. He should be investigated for his blatant anti-Americanism.
It’s from something called “Citizens United Productions” – http://www.citizensunited.org – David N. Bossie is Chairman of the Board and President of Citizens United.
Hah! That’s great. Using his own words against him! I hope I never have to hear Palin again after this election..
Celtic_Evolutionsays
My favorite political moment from last night, was watching Letterman while he interviewed Alec Baldwin. They were talking about how his whackaloon brother Stephen and Sarah Palin were “chattin'”, and how as much as he loves his brother, and they have fun when they go out… they’ll be out at a restaurant and Stephen will look up, look around and say, “you realize most of the people in this room are going to hell”.
THAT just cracked me up… the guy is off his rocker, and this is the kind of person Sarah Palin wants in her circle…
There’s just no question, if she and McRage somehow manage to win this election I’m moving to Oz.
Rick Rsays
Capital Dan @ #13- “As a heterosexual man, I’m seeing Palin as a pink poodle with a foamy mouth and spots of mange and sign around her neck reading “pet me!”
Fascinating. We should get the Kinsey Institute involved.:)
It’s from something called “Citizens United Productions”
Otherwise known as CUP. I understand they have two girls working for them.
Sorry… I just can’t resist sometimes.
qedprosays
everytime she winks she’s saying “i give good blow jobs”
she’s an affront to every woman who actually succeded without lying on her back to do it.
recovering catholicsays
“There’s just no question, if she and McRage somehow manage to win this election I’m moving to Oz.”
Since W was re-elected, I’ve been planning to move to Canada, if they’ll have me…I’ll bet Amazon etc. have seen a run on books on living and working in Canada.
Neil’s Harbour is beautiful.
Levisays
Obama just came out with a new ad this morning that is just *devastating*. I think it might just be the best ad of the political season:
I could just picture Sarah practicing for the speech…
Sarah: “Blah blah blah Joe six pack, yada yada yada yada fruit flies in France, Yaba daba dooo…”
Trainer: “Sarah aren’t you forgeting something?”
Sarah: “Oh crap, cute wink after France.”
Trainer: “And again from the top…”
What a low fruit to pick…
386sxsays
See the thing is… a lot of people actually like that winky Palin moment. Including me! (What can I say.)
I’m not so sure Obama should have put the wink in there in that ad.
Obama doesn’t have to create attack ads. The media and everyone else is doing it for him. Kinda like the mob boss who keeps his hands clean.
“everyone else”
Yep its good to see “everyone else” seeing through McCain / Palin’s bullshit too.
Steverinosays
……….John McCain……….
Hey you kids! Get off my lawn!
………………………….
Joelsays
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Jeffrey Sachs —
JEFFREY SACHS: This is your extra-credit question. Name the most significant thing Barack Obama has done —
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: There you go.
SCARBOROUGH: — on the national stage. Just name one. Big one. Big thing.
SACHS: What he’s done is bring the country together on a new direction.
SCARBOROUGH: No, no, no, no. That’s mish-mash.
SACHS: That’s the most important–that’s not mish-mash. That is not mish-mash.
SCARBOROUGH: Legislatively.
SACHS: The most important thing for a senator who’s been in for a few years is define a direction out of this mess, and that’s what he’s done. that’s why he’s going to win the election.
SCARBOROUGH: Not a specific, I can’t get a specific. I love your hair. I can’t get a specific out of him.
SACHS: The specific is that he’s defined a way to achieve energy and new approaches for this country.
SCARBOROUGH: Where do I find that in the Congressional Record?
Rim shot.
A bit later, Joe traced the way Obama’s career has been all about . . . Obama’s career.
SCARBOROUGH: The thing is, I wonder if between now and election day, people won’t wake up in the middle of the night, as I do occasionally, when I think, oh, Obama might win, it won’t be the end of the world. I wonder if people are going to wake up and say what’s he done other than run for president from the day he graduated from Harvard Law School?
He became a community organizer because he knew that would help him become a state legislator; it would give him street cred in Chicago. The second he became a state legislator everybody said he was ready to run for Congress. When he failed at Congress everybody said–I’m talking about his Democratic allies. What has this guy done other than running for president from the day he left law school?
SACHS: He has defined a way out of this mess.
Nataliesays
Rev, that’s what you get for watching it in the first place.
Rev, that’s what you get for watching it in the first place.
Yeah I went in blindly and left quickly. It’s what nightmares are made of.
Jellosays
A few thoughts on the liberal media bias.
I believe there is a bias in the majority of the media and it is a bias towards a free and independent press, something the current conservative movement has done everything in its power to destroy. The press has an instinctual drive to preserve the freedom under which they operate and it is to this dedication that we can attribute our own liberty. They, as we, have recognized that the current administration and it potential conservative successor represent that an abhoration to this ideal. John McCain will enact under four years of lies and suppression designed to consternate the presses efforts at factual reporting and stupefy the American public with empty nationalist drivel. The press can not help but be biased against a political movement that seeks to turn them into a mindless mouthpiece for the ruling class.
Nataliesays
Joel –
Joe Scarborough? Please…
What has this guy done other than running for president from the day he left law school?
Um, he taught constitutional law for twelve years? He also worked as a lawyer, and wrote two books. Dreams of My Father was published in 1995 – that’s quite a long time to be running for president.
I’m convinced half of male Palin supports secretly have a crush on her and the other half are religious nut cases who want one of their own in the oval office.
The two halves are not mutually exclusive. Pat Buchanan, for one, seems to have a crush on her AND wants to see a fellow conservative Christian in the White House.
H.H.says
Wazzup Guys 2008
CrypticLifesays
As a heterosexual man, I can say SP is more physically attractive than any other vice-presidential candidate I’ve ever seen.
Oh…oh wait. . .
Dan Quayle might have her beat.
Seriously, though, she could be stunningly beautiful and I’d never consider that a reason to vote for her, nor would I be bringing it up even if she were a brilliant leader. If she were brilliant and beautiful, I’d be bringing up her brilliance. If she were brilliant and ugly, I’d be bringing up her brilliance. I really don’t get how her supporters can bring up her physical appearance as though it were a genuine reason to vote for her.
MikeMsays
PZ, are you aware of the smear job going on in Minnesota against Ashwin Madia?
Someone had a different tack on that Jello. Virtually every single news media in the US is owned, now, by a half dozen mega-companies. Thus, they all look out for “themselves”. If its Disney owned, you won’t hear them saying a damn thing that might upset Disney, if they are owned by one of the others, again, you won’t hear a damn peep out of them about anything that involves them. And, you can be damn sure that if it, in any way shape or form, looks like it might hurt their bottom line, or effect all media companies in some way they don’t like, you will either hear only the negatives, or they will clam up so fast that it won’t be reported. Well.. One huge thing that can impact a news company is mentioning that something is going to hell in a hand basket, if it happens to look bad, be embarrassing for, or could somehow contradict the prior position of a mega-corp news owner. So, what you get is pure political infighting, where group X keeps telling the same BS about group Y, even when Y is right, because it would make X look bad, and lose them revenue, if they admitted they got it wrong.
Mixed into that is the general political bias of the owners/boards, which may be liberal or conservative, on **all** subjects that jibe with they way they think the news media, programming and stations they own should run. They draw a line in the sand “only” when either a) the issue is so irrelevant to their own operation that it won’t have an impact one way or the other, or b) where it might have a negative effect on themselves.
Claiming that its about “independent media” is bullshit. You can’t have 6 mega-corps owning 99% of all news outlets and TV production companies and have “independent media”. What you get is people willing to lie to cover their corporate asses, lie to make the other companies look bad, lie to protect themselves from politicians that don’t like what ever take they “do” have on a subject, and lie about everything being “mostly OK, well, except for some trivial mostly meaningless thing we want to distract you with right now, because actually talking about a real issue might get angry viewers, politicians, etc. on our tail.”, even if its neither all “OK”, or the people that they think might sue or legislate them deserve to be exposed.
They are a mindless mouthpiece for their own self interests, and haven’t been trustworthy for years, happily sacrificing their own best people, sometimes, just so they can “protect” their own image, like they did with one of the reporters that was the #1 top news reporter for one of them in Iraq, right up until he came home and tried to report something bad about the company that “owned” that news channel, at which point, his career inexplicably ended. Basically, when their self interest is to latch onto some wack jobs on the right, like say, one that also runs a lot of “religious” programming and “family values” channels, they will kiss the ass of the right. If they are into entertaining the rest of us, they will kiss the ass of the left. But, in reality, you can’t trust either of them to report on themselves, the side they picked to kiss up to, or anything “important”, for more than 5 minutes, without moving on to 15 minutes of trivial crap, designed to distract you from wanting, never mind, getting, any more information about the “important” stuff.
The only “independent” media any more is the internet, which the companies that own the news programs despise for that, and local papers, which are beholden only to themselves, but, unfortunately, now rarer, and usually even more biased to the local view point (or kissing local asses).
I don’t think we can trust any of them any more, and more than a few of the old guard news anchors, who “used to” break real news 20+ years ago, agree.
Scott from Oregonsays
‘”””Um, he taught constitutional law for twelve years? He also worked as a lawyer, and wrote two books. Dreams of My Father was published in 1995 – that’s quite a long time to be running for president.”””
Ummmm, THAT’S IT??????
The problem I have with Obama is not his inexperience. It’s his obvious desire to get in the driver’s seat and use the power accumulated in the office to force Americans to grant more power to the state. He’ll be the president holding the tiller when its bottom falls off, and he’ll try and fix it all by more government, not less. He’ll steal from the poor and middle class by facilitating hyper-inflation and he’ll look good doing it. The middle class will be taxed by this inflation, and the poor will grow poorer…
America as a nation is flat broke. When broke, stop spending. Pay off your damn debts. Be responsible. Who says this? Not Obama. Not McCain. Obama wants to spend on social “equity” AND military adventurism. McCain on military thuggery and who knows- it changes weekly.
“””She said, “If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.” She sat down. The class went wild. “Yes! Yes! We want ice cream.”
She surely would say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn’t sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it? She didn’t know. The class really didn’t care. All they were thinking about was ice cream. Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a land slide…
Every time Barack Obama opens his mouth he offers ice cream, and fifty percent of America reacts like nine year olds. They want ice cream.”””
Weee!
Celtic_Evolutionsays
SfO –
That’s your problem with Obama? That little rant? I think you need to seriously re-think your decision-making process.
Don’t you have some minds to go boggle somewhere else?
Ursula Minorsays
@33 – The music is from a band called The Weepies (as mentioned above), and their 2008 album Hideaway – first track “Can’t go back now”
… kind if ironic actually, especially since I would describe the weepies as kind of folksy- in a good way.
Tiliasays
you`ve probably received the video from this page http://www.moveon.org a thousand times each, but I really like this kind of ads…
Nibiensays
Sometimes I wonder which group consists of bigger idiots, libertarians or creationists. I have to say, given the posts on this blog, it has to be damned close.
Hapsays
Creationists and vocal libertarians seem to have the “resistance to reality” trait in common. I think the creationists have a more advanced and virulent form of hypocrisy and hatred going on, though the similarity between my stereotypres of Marxists and libertarians make me wonder if libertarians are simply better at hiding theirs.
I’m wondering if locking Kenny (or Stan) and SfO up in a room and seeing who gets out alive would be a good idea.
LFPsays
The most astonishing thing about this election is that it’s so close. An unpopular war, massive debt, financial meltdown…. why isn’t this a landslide??
Sure, Obama will probably win, but the fact that it’s so close is still reason to be fearful about the future of the US.
tsgsays
I’m wondering if locking Kenny (or Stan) and SfO up in a room and seeing who gets out alive would be a good idea.
Why let the other one out?
Hapsays
I don’t know – I wanted to give one of them an honest chance?
Maybe we could just trap and release? I’m sure there’s at least two villages somewhere far away.
Newfiesays
The music in the ad reminded me of Stan Rogers’ Witch of the Westmoreland. Performed here by The Makem and Spain Brothers.
If you’ve never heard of Stan Rogers, I highly recommend his music. Possibly Canada’s best song writer. He songs are like mini operas about the daily lives of people, with a Maritime Celtic feel.
Celtic_Evolutionsays
Actually, for me the music made me think of Scott B. Adams.
Brilliant musician / acoustic guitarist. His “Listening to the Adirondacks” is one of my favorite albums, and nothing could be more enjoyable to listen to while sitting by a fire looking out the window on a cold, snowy winter day.
Nataliesays
Ummmm, THAT’S IT??????
No, you fucking moron, that’s not it. The claim was that Obama has spent his entire life since law school running for president. I picked three random things out of thin air that the man did after law school but before the 2004 convention.
If you would like to check his resume, it’s widely available. Online, even.
KillerChihuahuasays
Ursula Minor #50: Thank you!
negentropyeatersays
McCain
– The fundamentals of our economy are strong
– We should be able to deliver bottled hot water to dehydrated babies
Palin
– Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the USA and where does he go ? Alaska !
– the VP is in charge of the US senate, so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of really good policy changes
And a must see video from thejedreport that wraps IMHO the best arguments why even a conservative republican should not vote for McCain :
(a video montage of various clips that uses a meet the press interview with Colin Powell as common thread)
bsksays
Hands down the best political ad I’ve ever seen. Bravo, Obama, bravo.
negentropyeatersays
#54
The most astonishing thing about this election is that it’s so close. An unpopular war, massive debt, financial meltdown…. why isn’t this a landslide??
Well, if all registered voters would actually turnout and vote, I guarantee you that this would be a real landslide, like min. +10 or even +12 % gap between the candidates, as all the “registered voters” polls indicate.
The whole problem in the USA (which is quite unique for a modern developped democracy), is that turnout is so low (between 50 and 60% only). Moreover, that same turnout is strongly correlated with income and educational level, the higher the level, the higher the turnout, which means that dems doing better at lower income levels will be disadvantaged, which automatically reduces the “registered voters” gap.
The big unknown in this election is whether turnout will be simlar to previous elections (so called “traditional likely voters” models for the polls), then the 10 to 12 % gap translates into only a 3 to 4% gap only which means a close election, or whether turnout will be very different, with a stronger youth and minorities vote than in previous elections, favouring Obama, which would translate into a 6 to 8% gap which is not a landslide, but a very comfortable victory.
Of course, bear in mind that these are the results as per today, it could unfortunately even get closer within the next few days…
scott from Oregonsays
“”Creationists and vocal libertarians seem to have the “resistance to reality” trait in common. “”
Ummm, 10.5 TRILLION in debt, the biggest debtor nation in the world, about 90 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities, a Federal Reserve that creates bubbles and then blames some other fellas for the results, a central power structure that has been bombing brown people for fifty years, a CIA that intermingles with other countries politics to keep multi-national corporations safe, a society that no longer produces wealth and is in debt up to their eyeballs…
THAT is the reality. Labeling those who point it out to the sycophants and the ideologues (who need to have enemies to feel good about themselves) “libertarian” doesn’t change the facts one iota.
Obama will win this election, fuck up the monetary system even more, cause lots and lots of inflation which will destroy the middle class he says he wants to save… and the poor who are so “hopeful” will get a dash of the real reality, and they’ll still be poor…
These are painful “facts” that seem unavoidable at this point.
Look for a massive mortgage meltdown (second wave) in March and April of next year, coupled with the biggest credit card default “tsunami” you’ve ever seen…
At least we’ll have a Democrat in office, which is the most important thing…
Weeeeeeee!
David Marjanović, OMsays
The most astonishing thing about this election is that it’s so close. An unpopular war, massive debt, financial meltdown…. why isn’t this a landslide??
Sure, Obama will probably win, but the fact that it’s so close is still reason to be fearful about the future of the US.
Yes. In Montana, North Dakota and Georgia. And maybe Arizona. Add North Carolina if you’re a little pessimistic.
Even taking the possibility of massive fraud in Pennsylvania (touchscreen machines without any paper trail) and several other states into account, I can hardly see how Obama could possibly lose.
Keep in mind that the polls I’ve linked to already take into account that “likely voters” are a subset of “registered voters”. And then keep in mind that many of the “likely voter” models are too strongly oriented on previous elections, which had much lower turnout (several states with early voting have already surpassed their entire turnout of 2004, AFAIK), and that most polls are done by telephone and fail to correct for the fact that many young people — Obama voters, in other words — don’t have landline phones anymore, only cell phones, which almost no pollsters ever call.
David Marjanović, OMsays
Will be interesting to see what the Obamamercial will do to the polls over the next few days.
Obama will win this election, fuck up the monetary system even more, cause lots and lots of inflation which will destroy the middle class he says he wants to save…
Then why didn’t Clinton do that? Or why has it still not happened in Europe, by whose standards Obama is a mainstream conservative?
Reality, Scott. Not a tiny fragment of reality, please. I thought you were the big-picture thinker in the room…? ;-)
Eric Atkinsonsays
“I believe there is a bias in the majority of the media and it is a bias towards a free and independent press”
Man. Talk about having a “resistance to reality” trait”
Every time Obama takes a dump, there will be several of those in the MSN to wipe his ass. One to do the wiping and several others to deny that anyone in the media did the wiping.
Objective my ass.
Lord Zerosays
Seems like some US people like to think than libertarian equals anarquism, and so the same with socialist pro middle class politics what they heard as comunism.
Maybe after Obama this country will come to open their mind a little more. Thats what the rest of the world whishes.
The level of obnoxiousness in these threads is rising steadily, and I’m beginning to feel the urge to purge a few bad apples. This might be a good time for you known cranks to step it down a little, lest my ire be aroused.
Seems like some US people like to think than libertarian equals anarquism
Not me; I went to university, so I equate libertarianism with desperately needing to get laid.
(Ah, cheap shots. It’s like finally getting your fingernail underneath the scab: you know you shouldn’t, but it’s so damn satisfying. . .)
I don’t think it’s “clean” to accuse a former POW of not understanding economics.
I would say I couldn’t tell whether this is a joke or not, but I think we passed that point months ago and are even deeper into national lunacy.
Hapsays
#70: Wow – that is an impressive level of fail. From a “notedscholar” no less.
Is your degree from the “George W. Bush School of Reality and Business Management”, or perhaps the “Kent Hovind Institute of Biological and System Mathematics”?
noncarborundumsays
Even when he’s making an attack ad, Obama keeps it clean.
Well, it’s cleanish. The last quote is out of context, though. It’s from a Republican debate late in 2007, and neither the question nor the answer had anything to do with economic expertise. Here’s the whole thing:
MR. COOPER: Senator McCain, has this president given too much authority to the vice president?
SEN. MCCAIN: Look, I’m going to give you some straight talk. This president came to office in a time of peace, and then we found ourselves in 2001. And he did not have as much national security experience as I do, so he had to rely more on the vice president of the United States and that’s obvious. I wouldn’t have to do that. I might have to rely on a vice president that I select on some other issues. He may have more expertise in telecommunications, on information technology, which is the future of this nation’s economy. He may have more expertise in a lot of areas, but I would rely on a vice president of the United States, but, as Fred said, the primary responsibility is to select one who will immediately take your place if necessary.
For me the money quote in all this is that last clause:
. . . the primary responsibility is to select one who will immediately take your place if necessary.
ravensays
The most astonishing thing about this election is that it’s so close. An unpopular war, massive debt, financial meltdown…. why isn’t this a landslide?? Sure, Obama will probably win, but the fact that it’s so close is still reason to be fearful about the future of the US.
Yes, that is my feeling. The Theothuglicans have wrecked the country. A pointless war with many dead, many more maimed seriously. $10 trillion in citizen wealth from stock markets and housing has gone “poof”. Dead economy, dead dollar, financial crisis.
The GOP candidates are a sick old 72 man and a crazy, vicious, stupid christofascist evil bitch. The pair make Bush the moron look good.
Yet the polls show Obama ahead by 50 to 42, maybe 8 points. After all that we have been through, one would expect a much larger margin. Apparently 42% of the population wants to commit national suicide. Toynbee had it right, 18 of 22 civilizations fell from within. Almost half of the US population wants to make it 19 out of 23.
This is truly astonishing and I don’t have an explanation. Can’t even blame it on fundie Nihilist xians, who only make up 7-20% of the population and whose star is in decided decline.
Ranxeroxsays
Plenty of room up here in the Great White North.
Come one, come…some
Just keep in mind, “When in Rome…!”
We are willing to do some bartering too. One Atheist to replace 2 local Wack-a-loons.
I looked into moving to Canada after W got re-elected and there was a 3 year wait for U.S. citizens to relocate across the border. At that time I figured we’d be having a new election before I got out of the country so I didn’t go through with it. Now I live an hour from the border, if McCain wins…..
Ichthyicsays
@david #65:
Senate Dem 58 GOP 41
*sigh*
I really would like to see the dems get a supermajority, just to see what they would do with it.
*cue idiotic commentary on “socialism” from the ignorant republitards*
Ichthyicsays
@david again, referring to our local log cabin rethuglican, SfO:
I thought you were the big-picture thinker in the room…? ;-)
no, no. you are confusing big-picture with big-top tent.
he is a circus freak, after all.
spgreenlawsays
Lord Zero,
Seems like some US people like to think than libertarian equals anarquism, and so the same with socialist pro middle class politics what they heard as comunism.
As an anarchist, I certainly hope not. The free market faith-heads make me feel dirty.
The world wants to vote too, dammit! Universal suffrage!
Scott from Oregonsays
“”@david again, referring to our local log cabin rethuglican, SfO:
I thought you were the big-picture thinker in the room…? ;-)
no, no. you are confusing big-picture with big-top tent.
he is a circus freak, after all.”””
I’ve never voted for a Republican. Ever. Glad to see such fine and intelligent commentary to round out this rational bunch…
The question I have is this- Will Obama lie when he’s sworn in as President?
This judge says he will and I agree with him.
'Tis Himselfsays
Mike Huben has some excellent comments about libertarianism.
Libertarians are a small group whose beliefs are unknown to and not accepted by the vast majority. They are utopian because there has never yet been a libertarian society (though one or two have come close to some libertarian ideas.) These two facts should not keep us from considering libertarian ideas seriously, however they do caution us about accepting them for practical purposes.
'Tis Himselfsays
This judge says he will and I agree with him.
A neocon Fox News commentator doesn’t like Obama. What other earth-shattering information do you have for us?
Is the US Health care system really in such a parlous state that RAM (Remote Area Medical) has to spend 50% of it’s time on domestic health, rather than the Third World.
which is why you decry “liberals” on a daily basis?
something tells me the only way your statement here would be really honest is if you never have in fact, voted.
which would explain a lot, actually.
The Cheerful Nihilistsays
Are we done here, or what?
(Go ahead and break my nihilistic string if you will, but just remember, nothing really matters.) (Or vise Versailles; yea for the spellchecker. Its adds absurdity to every post.)
Arnosium Upinarumsays
#92: “Its adds absurdity to every post.”
Its does?
TCNsays
Arnosium Upinarum,
Way shore chilly, Evan a count lick you shudder sea trot.
Hanker.
See how absurd it can be?
David Marjanović, OMsays
The question I have is this- Will Obama lie when he’s sworn in as President?
This judge says he will and I agree with him.
Strange how you omit that Napolitano* slams McCain with the exact same verdict for the exact same reason, and then goes on to slam Adams, Lincoln, Wilson and, in spite of being on Faux News, Captain Unelected on the same count. Have you got some kind of obsession that leads to tunnel vision…?
Also, he doesn’t get specific very much at all. He basically just says “that’s unconstitutional” and doesn’t explain why. I note that his understanding of “general welfare” is deeply childish.
* Why does he need to remind us every few minutes that he’s a judge? Is he a professor of constitutional law? That would be relevant…
Brian Mackersays
“Thats what the rest of the world whishes.”
It’s good they can’t vote or Chavez would be running the US into the ground with his socialist policies like he’s doing to Venezuela.
Meanwhile the libertarians don’t look so silly calling the Republicans socialists anymore, do they? Their criticism of Alan Greenspan as a fool don’t look so foolish either. “New Economics”, what a maroon.
This meltdown is a quite predictable outcome of holding interest rates below market. Meanwhile we have Nobel winners like Krugman arguing that the solution is … below market rate interest. Ta da, inflation.
John C. Randolphsays
This meltdown is a quite predictable outcome of holding interest rates below market.
Not just below market levels. They’re below the rate of inflation, which is absolutely insane.
I just have to wonder if it will take a third or fourth great depression before the public figures out that letting anyone have a monopoly on currency, and the power to inflate it at will is not a winning strategy.
-jcr
John C. Randolphsays
Will Obama lie when he’s sworn in as President?
Sure he will. Why would you expect him to be different from any other president since Jefferson?
-jcr
John C. Randolphsays
The whole problem in the USA (which is quite unique for a modern developped democracy), is that turnout is so low (between 50 and 60% only)
There are many reasons why a person may choose not to vote. Perhaps we’d see a bigger turnout if there were some meaningful differences between the candidates offered.
On an issue as big as the $850 Billion handout to corrupt and incompetent bankers, is it too much to ask for a presidential candidate who voted against it? How about a candidate who’s willing to make a clear commitment to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and not start one with Pakistan or Iran?
Hell, how about a candidate who will even commit to prosecuting any government official who commits egregious violations of the law?
-jcr
herysays
The press has an instinctual drive to preserve the freedom under which they operate and it is to this dedication that we can attribute our own liberty
mr-zero says
Comedy campaigning.
We’ve got our fingers crossed here in the UK
Z
Joey says
That wink is sexy.
BlueIndependent says
Yeah, as hard as Obama has gotten, it could still go much further. Nobody is bringing up McCain’s ties to the lobbyists under Saddam Hussein, or is getting after that half million dollars McCain gave to that Palestinian charity the GOP is hitting Obama on.
COME ON Democrats! Get angry AND even.
Alverant says
Nothing the repubs hate more than being quoted and held to their word. The wink was a bit over the top, but Palin complained about being treated differently because of her gender and then flirts with the camera. So I think her wink is fair game. I’m convinced half of male Palin supports secretly have a crush on her and the other half are religious nut cases who want one of their own in the oval office.
Tulse says
Hey, that music is The Weepies! Cool!
Bronze Dog says
Wow. I think we have a new category of ownage.
Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM says
If by sexy you mean condescendingly annoying. Yes, very sexy.
One Eyed Jack says
But she’s folksy!
Don’t we just need some folksy wisdom to fix an international economic crisis? That isn’t enough? OK, McCain graduated in the bottom 5% of his class. Palin has a degree in journalism. Isn’t that enough?
I’m sorry, but “that dog don’t hunt”.
How’s that for folksy?
Rick R says
As a gay man, I’m not seeing Palin as sexy at all. She’s a shark.
(On second thought, no. Sharks are beautiful. She’s more like one of those spider creatures in “The Mist”.)
S.Scott says
OT – I just got a “robo call” from some dude named David Bossie who said he is making a film called “Hype – The Obama effect”. I didn’t hjave a pen handy to write down the phone number to call – ugh – to talk with someone who is going to tell me ALL of the things about Obama that the MSM isn’t telling me. So, a favor? Be prepared to write the number down if you see his name pop up on your caller ID?
Better yet – give them a call back and report back??
Thnx.
Stacy
Tualha says
That…is an exceptionally good ad. And nicely restrained, too. Basically says “c’mon folks, can you really take this candidate seriously?”
Capital Dan says
As a heterosexual man, I’m seeing Palin as a pink poodle with a foamy mouth and spots of mange and sign around her neck reading “pet me!”
Karen says
I’ll keep a listen out – I’m Florida based as well. The only truly annoying things I have run into are the Obsession DVD and the assorted crap that came from those folks ever since. If I didn’t know they were wasting their money sending it to me, I’d call and get them to stop.
jim says
This one was good too!
Badjuggler says
Aaarrrgghh! I just want Palin to pronounce the “g” at the end of ONE freaking (freakin’?) word! It drives me nuts like the “nucular” thing…
Greg says
I don’t understand how a left-wing commie pinko muslim socialist terror loving fake American can get away with smearing and maligning two pro-American patriotic reforming mavericks! It doesn’t make sense. He should be investigated for his blatant anti-Americanism.
Paul Burnett says
“OT – I just got a “robo call” from some dude named David Bossie who said he is making a film called “Hype – The Obama effect” – S. Scott, #10
The “movie” is already out – http://www.hypemovie.com
It’s from something called “Citizens United Productions” – http://www.citizensunited.org – David N. Bossie is Chairman of the Board and President of Citizens United.
Sisyphus Fragment says
Hah! That’s great. Using his own words against him! I hope I never have to hear Palin again after this election..
Celtic_Evolution says
My favorite political moment from last night, was watching Letterman while he interviewed Alec Baldwin. They were talking about how his whackaloon brother Stephen and Sarah Palin were “chattin'”, and how as much as he loves his brother, and they have fun when they go out… they’ll be out at a restaurant and Stephen will look up, look around and say, “you realize most of the people in this room are going to hell”.
THAT just cracked me up… the guy is off his rocker, and this is the kind of person Sarah Palin wants in her circle…
There’s just no question, if she and McRage somehow manage to win this election I’m moving to Oz.
Rick R says
Capital Dan @ #13- “As a heterosexual man, I’m seeing Palin as a pink poodle with a foamy mouth and spots of mange and sign around her neck reading “pet me!”
Fascinating. We should get the Kinsey Institute involved.:)
Capital Dan says
Otherwise known as CUP. I understand they have two girls working for them.
Sorry… I just can’t resist sometimes.
qedpro says
everytime she winks she’s saying “i give good blow jobs”
she’s an affront to every woman who actually succeded without lying on her back to do it.
recovering catholic says
“There’s just no question, if she and McRage somehow manage to win this election I’m moving to Oz.”
Since W was re-elected, I’ve been planning to move to Canada, if they’ll have me…I’ll bet Amazon etc. have seen a run on books on living and working in Canada.
Neil’s Harbour is beautiful.
Levi says
Obama just came out with a new ad this morning that is just *devastating*. I think it might just be the best ad of the political season:
S.Scott says
@Paul B. – Thank you :-)
Matt Heath says
@#16: You misspelled “muslin“, moran!
jimmo says
I thought this one was cool:
http://attackadgenerator.com/a/h
but then again I made it :)
CS says
As a straight woman, I totally agree with you.
llewelly says
Joey, #2:
BlueIndependent, #3:
I’m so excited!!!
Joey Maloney says
Bossie and Citizens United were two of the main wholesalers of Clinton tripe during his presidency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bossie
Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM says
I wish I could email a flaming bag of shit to your doorstep for making me re-see that in my head.
Joel says
Obama doesn’t have to create attack ads. The media and everyone else is doing it for him. Kinda like the mob boss who keeps his hands clean.
KillerChihuahua says
Can any of you good people identify the music in this ad?
ILYa says
I could just picture Sarah practicing for the speech…
Sarah: “Blah blah blah Joe six pack, yada yada yada yada fruit flies in France, Yaba daba dooo…”
Trainer: “Sarah aren’t you forgeting something?”
Sarah: “Oh crap, cute wink after France.”
Trainer: “And again from the top…”
What a low fruit to pick…
386sx says
See the thing is… a lot of people actually like that winky Palin moment. Including me! (What can I say.)
I’m not so sure Obama should have put the wink in there in that ad.
Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM says
“everyone else”
Yep its good to see “everyone else” seeing through McCain / Palin’s bullshit too.
Steverino says
……….John McCain……….
Hey you kids! Get off my lawn!
………………………….
Joel says
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Jeffrey Sachs —
JEFFREY SACHS: This is your extra-credit question. Name the most significant thing Barack Obama has done —
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: There you go.
SCARBOROUGH: — on the national stage. Just name one. Big one. Big thing.
SACHS: What he’s done is bring the country together on a new direction.
SCARBOROUGH: No, no, no, no. That’s mish-mash.
SACHS: That’s the most important–that’s not mish-mash. That is not mish-mash.
SCARBOROUGH: Legislatively.
SACHS: The most important thing for a senator who’s been in for a few years is define a direction out of this mess, and that’s what he’s done. that’s why he’s going to win the election.
SCARBOROUGH: Not a specific, I can’t get a specific. I love your hair. I can’t get a specific out of him.
SACHS: The specific is that he’s defined a way to achieve energy and new approaches for this country.
SCARBOROUGH: Where do I find that in the Congressional Record?
Rim shot.
A bit later, Joe traced the way Obama’s career has been all about . . . Obama’s career.
SCARBOROUGH: The thing is, I wonder if between now and election day, people won’t wake up in the middle of the night, as I do occasionally, when I think, oh, Obama might win, it won’t be the end of the world. I wonder if people are going to wake up and say what’s he done other than run for president from the day he graduated from Harvard Law School?
He became a community organizer because he knew that would help him become a state legislator; it would give him street cred in Chicago. The second he became a state legislator everybody said he was ready to run for Congress. When he failed at Congress everybody said–I’m talking about his Democratic allies. What has this guy done other than running for president from the day he left law school?
SACHS: He has defined a way out of this mess.
Natalie says
Rev, that’s what you get for watching it in the first place.
Rev. BigDumbChimp, KoT, OM says
Yeah I went in blindly and left quickly. It’s what nightmares are made of.
Jello says
A few thoughts on the liberal media bias.
I believe there is a bias in the majority of the media and it is a bias towards a free and independent press, something the current conservative movement has done everything in its power to destroy. The press has an instinctual drive to preserve the freedom under which they operate and it is to this dedication that we can attribute our own liberty. They, as we, have recognized that the current administration and it potential conservative successor represent that an abhoration to this ideal. John McCain will enact under four years of lies and suppression designed to consternate the presses efforts at factual reporting and stupefy the American public with empty nationalist drivel. The press can not help but be biased against a political movement that seeks to turn them into a mindless mouthpiece for the ruling class.
Natalie says
Joel –
Joe Scarborough? Please…
Um, he taught constitutional law for twelve years? He also worked as a lawyer, and wrote two books. Dreams of My Father was published in 1995 – that’s quite a long time to be running for president.
mathyoo says
@#4:
The two halves are not mutually exclusive. Pat Buchanan, for one, seems to have a crush on her AND wants to see a fellow conservative Christian in the White House.
H.H. says
Wazzup Guys 2008
CrypticLife says
As a heterosexual man, I can say SP is more physically attractive than any other vice-presidential candidate I’ve ever seen.
Oh…oh wait. . .
Dan Quayle might have her beat.
Seriously, though, she could be stunningly beautiful and I’d never consider that a reason to vote for her, nor would I be bringing it up even if she were a brilliant leader. If she were brilliant and beautiful, I’d be bringing up her brilliance. If she were brilliant and ugly, I’d be bringing up her brilliance. I really don’t get how her supporters can bring up her physical appearance as though it were a genuine reason to vote for her.
MikeM says
PZ, are you aware of the smear job going on in Minnesota against Ashwin Madia?
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/30/15513/668/315/646507
Absolutely despicable.
In other words, just another day at the RNC.
Kagehi says
Someone had a different tack on that Jello. Virtually every single news media in the US is owned, now, by a half dozen mega-companies. Thus, they all look out for “themselves”. If its Disney owned, you won’t hear them saying a damn thing that might upset Disney, if they are owned by one of the others, again, you won’t hear a damn peep out of them about anything that involves them. And, you can be damn sure that if it, in any way shape or form, looks like it might hurt their bottom line, or effect all media companies in some way they don’t like, you will either hear only the negatives, or they will clam up so fast that it won’t be reported. Well.. One huge thing that can impact a news company is mentioning that something is going to hell in a hand basket, if it happens to look bad, be embarrassing for, or could somehow contradict the prior position of a mega-corp news owner. So, what you get is pure political infighting, where group X keeps telling the same BS about group Y, even when Y is right, because it would make X look bad, and lose them revenue, if they admitted they got it wrong.
Mixed into that is the general political bias of the owners/boards, which may be liberal or conservative, on **all** subjects that jibe with they way they think the news media, programming and stations they own should run. They draw a line in the sand “only” when either a) the issue is so irrelevant to their own operation that it won’t have an impact one way or the other, or b) where it might have a negative effect on themselves.
Claiming that its about “independent media” is bullshit. You can’t have 6 mega-corps owning 99% of all news outlets and TV production companies and have “independent media”. What you get is people willing to lie to cover their corporate asses, lie to make the other companies look bad, lie to protect themselves from politicians that don’t like what ever take they “do” have on a subject, and lie about everything being “mostly OK, well, except for some trivial mostly meaningless thing we want to distract you with right now, because actually talking about a real issue might get angry viewers, politicians, etc. on our tail.”, even if its neither all “OK”, or the people that they think might sue or legislate them deserve to be exposed.
They are a mindless mouthpiece for their own self interests, and haven’t been trustworthy for years, happily sacrificing their own best people, sometimes, just so they can “protect” their own image, like they did with one of the reporters that was the #1 top news reporter for one of them in Iraq, right up until he came home and tried to report something bad about the company that “owned” that news channel, at which point, his career inexplicably ended. Basically, when their self interest is to latch onto some wack jobs on the right, like say, one that also runs a lot of “religious” programming and “family values” channels, they will kiss the ass of the right. If they are into entertaining the rest of us, they will kiss the ass of the left. But, in reality, you can’t trust either of them to report on themselves, the side they picked to kiss up to, or anything “important”, for more than 5 minutes, without moving on to 15 minutes of trivial crap, designed to distract you from wanting, never mind, getting, any more information about the “important” stuff.
The only “independent” media any more is the internet, which the companies that own the news programs despise for that, and local papers, which are beholden only to themselves, but, unfortunately, now rarer, and usually even more biased to the local view point (or kissing local asses).
I don’t think we can trust any of them any more, and more than a few of the old guard news anchors, who “used to” break real news 20+ years ago, agree.
Scott from Oregon says
‘”””Um, he taught constitutional law for twelve years? He also worked as a lawyer, and wrote two books. Dreams of My Father was published in 1995 – that’s quite a long time to be running for president.”””
Ummmm, THAT’S IT??????
The problem I have with Obama is not his inexperience. It’s his obvious desire to get in the driver’s seat and use the power accumulated in the office to force Americans to grant more power to the state. He’ll be the president holding the tiller when its bottom falls off, and he’ll try and fix it all by more government, not less. He’ll steal from the poor and middle class by facilitating hyper-inflation and he’ll look good doing it. The middle class will be taxed by this inflation, and the poor will grow poorer…
America as a nation is flat broke. When broke, stop spending. Pay off your damn debts. Be responsible. Who says this? Not Obama. Not McCain. Obama wants to spend on social “equity” AND military adventurism. McCain on military thuggery and who knows- it changes weekly.
“””She said, “If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream.” She sat down. The class went wild. “Yes! Yes! We want ice cream.”
She surely would say more. She did not have to. A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream? She wasn’t sure. Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it? She didn’t know. The class really didn’t care. All they were thinking about was ice cream. Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a land slide…
Every time Barack Obama opens his mouth he offers ice cream, and fifty percent of America reacts like nine year olds. They want ice cream.”””
Weee!
Celtic_Evolution says
SfO –
That’s your problem with Obama? That little rant? I think you need to seriously re-think your decision-making process.
Don’t you have some minds to go boggle somewhere else?
Ursula Minor says
@33 – The music is from a band called The Weepies (as mentioned above), and their 2008 album Hideaway – first track “Can’t go back now”
… kind if ironic actually, especially since I would describe the weepies as kind of folksy- in a good way.
Tilia says
you`ve probably received the video from this page http://www.moveon.org a thousand times each, but I really like this kind of ads…
Nibien says
Sometimes I wonder which group consists of bigger idiots, libertarians or creationists. I have to say, given the posts on this blog, it has to be damned close.
Hap says
Creationists and vocal libertarians seem to have the “resistance to reality” trait in common. I think the creationists have a more advanced and virulent form of hypocrisy and hatred going on, though the similarity between my stereotypres of Marxists and libertarians make me wonder if libertarians are simply better at hiding theirs.
I’m wondering if locking Kenny (or Stan) and SfO up in a room and seeing who gets out alive would be a good idea.
LFP says
The most astonishing thing about this election is that it’s so close. An unpopular war, massive debt, financial meltdown…. why isn’t this a landslide??
Sure, Obama will probably win, but the fact that it’s so close is still reason to be fearful about the future of the US.
tsg says
Why let the other one out?
Hap says
I don’t know – I wanted to give one of them an honest chance?
Maybe we could just trap and release? I’m sure there’s at least two villages somewhere far away.
Newfie says
The music in the ad reminded me of Stan Rogers’ Witch of the Westmoreland. Performed here by The Makem and Spain Brothers.
If you’ve never heard of Stan Rogers, I highly recommend his music. Possibly Canada’s best song writer. He songs are like mini operas about the daily lives of people, with a Maritime Celtic feel.
Celtic_Evolution says
Actually, for me the music made me think of Scott B. Adams.
Brilliant musician / acoustic guitarist. His “Listening to the Adirondacks” is one of my favorite albums, and nothing could be more enjoyable to listen to while sitting by a fire looking out the window on a cold, snowy winter day.
Natalie says
No, you fucking moron, that’s not it. The claim was that Obama has spent his entire life since law school running for president. I picked three random things out of thin air that the man did after law school but before the 2004 convention.
If you would like to check his resume, it’s widely available. Online, even.
KillerChihuahua says
Ursula Minor #50: Thank you!
negentropyeater says
McCain
– The fundamentals of our economy are strong
– We should be able to deliver bottled hot water to dehydrated babies
Palin
– Putin rears his head and comes into the airspace of the USA and where does he go ? Alaska !
– the VP is in charge of the US senate, so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of really good policy changes
And a must see video from thejedreport that wraps IMHO the best arguments why even a conservative republican should not vote for McCain :
(a video montage of various clips that uses a meet the press interview with Colin Powell as common thread)
bsk says
Hands down the best political ad I’ve ever seen. Bravo, Obama, bravo.
negentropyeater says
#54
Well, if all registered voters would actually turnout and vote, I guarantee you that this would be a real landslide, like min. +10 or even +12 % gap between the candidates, as all the “registered voters” polls indicate.
The whole problem in the USA (which is quite unique for a modern developped democracy), is that turnout is so low (between 50 and 60% only). Moreover, that same turnout is strongly correlated with income and educational level, the higher the level, the higher the turnout, which means that dems doing better at lower income levels will be disadvantaged, which automatically reduces the “registered voters” gap.
The big unknown in this election is whether turnout will be simlar to previous elections (so called “traditional likely voters” models for the polls), then the 10 to 12 % gap translates into only a 3 to 4% gap only which means a close election, or whether turnout will be very different, with a stronger youth and minorities vote than in previous elections, favouring Obama, which would translate into a 6 to 8% gap which is not a landslide, but a very comfortable victory.
Of course, bear in mind that these are the results as per today, it could unfortunately even get closer within the next few days…
scott from Oregon says
“”Creationists and vocal libertarians seem to have the “resistance to reality” trait in common. “”
Ummm, 10.5 TRILLION in debt, the biggest debtor nation in the world, about 90 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities, a Federal Reserve that creates bubbles and then blames some other fellas for the results, a central power structure that has been bombing brown people for fifty years, a CIA that intermingles with other countries politics to keep multi-national corporations safe, a society that no longer produces wealth and is in debt up to their eyeballs…
THAT is the reality. Labeling those who point it out to the sycophants and the ideologues (who need to have enemies to feel good about themselves) “libertarian” doesn’t change the facts one iota.
Obama will win this election, fuck up the monetary system even more, cause lots and lots of inflation which will destroy the middle class he says he wants to save… and the poor who are so “hopeful” will get a dash of the real reality, and they’ll still be poor…
These are painful “facts” that seem unavoidable at this point.
Look for a massive mortgage meltdown (second wave) in March and April of next year, coupled with the biggest credit card default “tsunami” you’ve ever seen…
At least we’ll have a Democrat in office, which is the most important thing…
Weeeeeeee!
David Marjanović, OM says
Close?
Close?!?!?
Yes. In Montana, North Dakota and Georgia. And maybe Arizona. Add North Carolina if you’re a little pessimistic.
Even taking the possibility of massive fraud in Pennsylvania (touchscreen machines without any paper trail) and several other states into account, I can hardly see how Obama could possibly lose.
Keep in mind that the polls I’ve linked to already take into account that “likely voters” are a subset of “registered voters”. And then keep in mind that many of the “likely voter” models are too strongly oriented on previous elections, which had much lower turnout (several states with early voting have already surpassed their entire turnout of 2004, AFAIK), and that most polls are done by telephone and fail to correct for the fact that many young people — Obama voters, in other words — don’t have landline phones anymore, only cell phones, which almost no pollsters ever call.
David Marjanović, OM says
Will be interesting to see what the Obamamercial will do to the polls over the next few days.
Then why didn’t Clinton do that? Or why has it still not happened in Europe, by whose standards Obama is a mainstream conservative?
Reality, Scott. Not a tiny fragment of reality, please. I thought you were the big-picture thinker in the room…? ;-)
Eric Atkinson says
“I believe there is a bias in the majority of the media and it is a bias towards a free and independent press”
Man. Talk about having a “resistance to reality” trait”
Every time Obama takes a dump, there will be several of those in the MSN to wipe his ass. One to do the wiping and several others to deny that anyone in the media did the wiping.
Objective my ass.
Lord Zero says
Seems like some US people like to think than libertarian equals anarquism, and so the same with socialist pro middle class politics what they heard as comunism.
Maybe after Obama this country will come to open their mind a little more. Thats what the rest of the world whishes.
PS: http://www.iftheworldcouldvote.com/results
PZ Myers says
The level of obnoxiousness in these threads is rising steadily, and I’m beginning to feel the urge to purge a few bad apples. This might be a good time for you known cranks to step it down a little, lest my ire be aroused.
notedscholar says
I don’t think it’s “clean” to accuse a former POW of not understanding economics.
Just goes to show – don’t take your politics from a physicist!
Blake Stacey says
Not me; I went to university, so I equate libertarianism with desperately needing to get laid.
(Ah, cheap shots. It’s like finally getting your fingernail underneath the scab: you know you shouldn’t, but it’s so damn satisfying. . .)
I would say I couldn’t tell whether this is a joke or not, but I think we passed that point months ago and are even deeper into national lunacy.
Hap says
#70: Wow – that is an impressive level of fail. From a “notedscholar” no less.
Is your degree from the “George W. Bush School of Reality and Business Management”, or perhaps the “Kent Hovind Institute of Biological and System Mathematics”?
noncarborundum says
Well, it’s cleanish. The last quote is out of context, though. It’s from a Republican debate late in 2007, and neither the question nor the answer had anything to do with economic expertise. Here’s the whole thing:
For me the money quote in all this is that last clause:
raven says
Yes, that is my feeling. The Theothuglicans have wrecked the country. A pointless war with many dead, many more maimed seriously. $10 trillion in citizen wealth from stock markets and housing has gone “poof”. Dead economy, dead dollar, financial crisis.
The GOP candidates are a sick old 72 man and a crazy, vicious, stupid christofascist evil bitch. The pair make Bush the moron look good.
Yet the polls show Obama ahead by 50 to 42, maybe 8 points. After all that we have been through, one would expect a much larger margin. Apparently 42% of the population wants to commit national suicide. Toynbee had it right, 18 of 22 civilizations fell from within. Almost half of the US population wants to make it 19 out of 23.
This is truly astonishing and I don’t have an explanation. Can’t even blame it on fundie Nihilist xians, who only make up 7-20% of the population and whose star is in decided decline.
Ranxerox says
Plenty of room up here in the Great White North.
Come one, come…some
Just keep in mind, “When in Rome…!”
We are willing to do some bartering too. One Atheist to replace 2 local Wack-a-loons.
Dr. P says
I looked into moving to Canada after W got re-elected and there was a 3 year wait for U.S. citizens to relocate across the border. At that time I figured we’d be having a new election before I got out of the country so I didn’t go through with it. Now I live an hour from the border, if McCain wins…..
Ichthyic says
@david #65:
Senate Dem 58 GOP 41
*sigh*
I really would like to see the dems get a supermajority, just to see what they would do with it.
*cue idiotic commentary on “socialism” from the ignorant republitards*
Ichthyic says
@david again, referring to our local log cabin rethuglican, SfO:
I thought you were the big-picture thinker in the room…? ;-)
no, no. you are confusing big-picture with big-top tent.
he is a circus freak, after all.
spgreenlaw says
Lord Zero,
Seems like some US people like to think than libertarian equals anarquism, and so the same with socialist pro middle class politics what they heard as comunism.
As an anarchist, I certainly hope not. The free market faith-heads make me feel dirty.
The Cheerful Nihilist says
Vote McCain. Now!
Dan DeLeon says
I have to admit, I probably would have used the Benny Hill theme for the Palin portion.
The Swiss says
here’s another one:
Global Electoral College
The world wants to vote too, dammit! Universal suffrage!
Scott from Oregon says
“”@david again, referring to our local log cabin rethuglican, SfO:
I thought you were the big-picture thinker in the room…? ;-)
no, no. you are confusing big-picture with big-top tent.
he is a circus freak, after all.”””
I’ve never voted for a Republican. Ever. Glad to see such fine and intelligent commentary to round out this rational bunch…
The question I have is this- Will Obama lie when he’s sworn in as President?
This judge says he will and I agree with him.
'Tis Himself says
Mike Huben has some excellent comments about libertarianism.
'Tis Himself says
A neocon Fox News commentator doesn’t like Obama. What other earth-shattering information do you have for us?
JPS, FCD says
Ranxerox @ &5,
Where in Alaska should I report?
Clemens says
http://barackobamaeatsbabies.com/
Breaking News! OMG!!
Brad D says
News is mostly biased towards selling ad time with sensationalism.
maxamillion says
http://barackobamaeatsbabies.com/
Breaking News! OMG!!
OK I give up, is there a point behind the site.
maxamillion says
OT.
Is the US Health care system really in such a parlous state that RAM (Remote Area Medical) has to spend 50% of it’s time on domestic health, rather than the Third World.
This was aired on the 22/10/2008
Transscript
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2008/s2398606.htm
Video
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200810/r305665_1334767.asx
Ichthyic says
I’ve never voted for a Republican. Ever.
which is why you decry “liberals” on a daily basis?
something tells me the only way your statement here would be really honest is if you never have in fact, voted.
which would explain a lot, actually.
The Cheerful Nihilist says
Are we done here, or what?
(Go ahead and break my nihilistic string if you will, but just remember, nothing really matters.) (Or vise Versailles; yea for the spellchecker. Its adds absurdity to every post.)
Arnosium Upinarum says
#92: “Its adds absurdity to every post.”
Its does?
TCN says
Arnosium Upinarum,
Way shore chilly, Evan a count lick you shudder sea trot.
Hanker.
See how absurd it can be?
David Marjanović, OM says
Strange how you omit that Napolitano* slams McCain with the exact same verdict for the exact same reason, and then goes on to slam Adams, Lincoln, Wilson and, in spite of being on Faux News, Captain Unelected on the same count. Have you got some kind of obsession that leads to tunnel vision…?
Also, he doesn’t get specific very much at all. He basically just says “that’s unconstitutional” and doesn’t explain why. I note that his understanding of “general welfare” is deeply childish.
* Why does he need to remind us every few minutes that he’s a judge? Is he a professor of constitutional law? That would be relevant…
Brian Macker says
“Thats what the rest of the world whishes.”
It’s good they can’t vote or Chavez would be running the US into the ground with his socialist policies like he’s doing to Venezuela.
Meanwhile the libertarians don’t look so silly calling the Republicans socialists anymore, do they? Their criticism of Alan Greenspan as a fool don’t look so foolish either. “New Economics”, what a maroon.
This meltdown is a quite predictable outcome of holding interest rates below market. Meanwhile we have Nobel winners like Krugman arguing that the solution is … below market rate interest. Ta da, inflation.
John C. Randolph says
This meltdown is a quite predictable outcome of holding interest rates below market.
Not just below market levels. They’re below the rate of inflation, which is absolutely insane.
I just have to wonder if it will take a third or fourth great depression before the public figures out that letting anyone have a monopoly on currency, and the power to inflate it at will is not a winning strategy.
-jcr
John C. Randolph says
Will Obama lie when he’s sworn in as President?
Sure he will. Why would you expect him to be different from any other president since Jefferson?
-jcr
John C. Randolph says
The whole problem in the USA (which is quite unique for a modern developped democracy), is that turnout is so low (between 50 and 60% only)
There are many reasons why a person may choose not to vote. Perhaps we’d see a bigger turnout if there were some meaningful differences between the candidates offered.
On an issue as big as the $850 Billion handout to corrupt and incompetent bankers, is it too much to ask for a presidential candidate who voted against it? How about a candidate who’s willing to make a clear commitment to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and not start one with Pakistan or Iran?
Hell, how about a candidate who will even commit to prosecuting any government official who commits egregious violations of the law?
-jcr
hery says
The press has an instinctual drive to preserve the freedom under which they operate and it is to this dedication that we can attribute our own liberty