Egads. Has the nation’s press loss all sense of our profession?
I understand that we are all under a great deal of scrutiny about how we cover election stories fairly and accurately, but if we allow anyone to say anything without any recourse, we do the country and democracy a great disservice.
I’m not talking about the hot and heavy political rhetoric that both Democrats and Republicans spew constantly, saying they’re plans for the future are best, or their opponent’s ideas all suck eggs.
I’m talking about crazy talk that has real consequences here.
First off today is Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens, who was convicted, and I do mean convicted, this week by a jury on seven corruption counts. The veteran GOP senator was already in a tight race for re-election, made more difficult by his conviction, and I do mean conviction.
So during a debate with his opponent yesterday, Stevens reportedly said, repeatedly, that he hadn’t been convicted of anything, that instead, there was simply a pending case against that was all pack of lies.
That is a pack of lies. And for newspapers to allow Stevens to say it, at least without prominently calling him a liar, is just plain crazy.
Likewise, top John McCain campaign officials announced yesterday that McCain had “closed the gap” with Obama in battleground states and they now had a plan to win the White House.
It’s a lie. At best, and this is looking at only the polls that are most favorable to McCain, Obama’s lead in states McCain must win has eased some. But to suggest that McCain can get to 270 electoral votes by reclaiming Indiana and North Carolina is just crazy talk.
By allowing this nonsense to make print, we legitimize it, and we lose even more credibility than do the candidates.
It’s one thing to let McCain crazily call Obama a “socialist” and to repeat Obama’s false remarks about McCain not understanding the economy, but the rest of this stuff is making is all look like Fox News.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
You can just forget Election Day
Pack it up, folks. No need to lose any more sleep over the presidential election, Obama has it in the bag.
No, it’s not the incessant polling and cynical media calling the winning shot here. The Obama declaration comes from a much higher authority: The Weekly Reader. That’s right. America’s classroom news magazine took its quadrennial poll of kids across the country and they picked Obama for prez with a 53 percent to 43 percent vote.
You laugh? The Weekly Reader readers have correctly chosen the winning presidential candidate in 12 of the last 13 elections.
Of course that doesn’t mean America’s kids have always chosen well. They picked Richard Nixon and Dubya along with Kennedy and Carter.
I nearly cried when they dissed Kerry four years ago. This time, I'll just keep holding my breath.
No, it’s not the incessant polling and cynical media calling the winning shot here. The Obama declaration comes from a much higher authority: The Weekly Reader. That’s right. America’s classroom news magazine took its quadrennial poll of kids across the country and they picked Obama for prez with a 53 percent to 43 percent vote.
You laugh? The Weekly Reader readers have correctly chosen the winning presidential candidate in 12 of the last 13 elections.
Of course that doesn’t mean America’s kids have always chosen well. They picked Richard Nixon and Dubya along with Kennedy and Carter.
I nearly cried when they dissed Kerry four years ago. This time, I'll just keep holding my breath.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
McCringe
So it's easy to see the John McCain White House shaping up fast. While Sarah Palin runs the Senate, keeping 60 pesky Democrats in line, Joe the Plumber will be running the world as secretary of state.
Joe, aka Joe Wurzelbacher, formally endorsed McCain yesterday and was later overheard backing other McCain supporters stating that a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the death of Israel. Since it's clear his understanding of foreign affairs is at least on par with that of the next boss of the Senate, it only makes sense.
McCain sure can pick 'em.
It's unclear whether late-night host David Letterman will be appointed communications director.
Joe, aka Joe Wurzelbacher, formally endorsed McCain yesterday and was later overheard backing other McCain supporters stating that a vote for Barack Obama is a vote for the death of Israel. Since it's clear his understanding of foreign affairs is at least on par with that of the next boss of the Senate, it only makes sense.
McCain sure can pick 'em.
It's unclear whether late-night host David Letterman will be appointed communications director.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Saks-pack Sarah
No matter how much politicians try to persuade Americans otherwise, there’s no denying that U.S. politics is all about image.
Americans last week went gaga about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s $150,000 wardrobe dysfunction. The barely-a-story hogged the headlines all week and almost faded into the ocean of other non-stories about the presidential candidates when the candidate herself resurrected the story yesterday at a rally in Florida.
Of course Palin and the McCain camp say it was the media that scared up the story about McCain’s campaign paying 150 extra large to outfit the “frugal” Sarah Palin. That’s a lie. A good part of the money, as in tens of thousands, went to pay a makeup artist to get her on stage every day.
The story grew legs faster than Joe the Plumber could keep the headlines unclogged, not because the media was intent on peddling it, but because Americans craved it.
About the same time, the Associated Press unrolled an extensive investigation detailing how Palin wasted Alaska taxpayer dollars dragging her uninvited children on expensive state trips.
No outrage there from the persnickety public.
Instead, Americans died to hear about the expensive clothing labels the campaign purchased for Palin to promenade in all across the country.
First the campaign, and now Palin, have tried to persuade Americans that Palin’s the victim here. We’re all to believe that a well-meaning wardrobe agent couldn’t find anyplace but Saks open after Palin was surprised onto the political scene in August. What’s shopper to do?
So just when the story was about to die, Palin, appearing in Sunday Florida, breathed life into the wasteful tale again by telling the crowd that the media invented the whole thing, and that the clothes don’t even belong to her. She said she would never buy such things and that half of her fancy new togs are still in the belly of the jet that flies her all over the country to wear those clothes.
It begs the question that if this woman can’t tell the RNC wardrobe department, “no,” lobbyists from the insurance, pharmaceutical and oil industries are going to have a field day with Palin.
It seems that the only difference between this hockey mom and a pit bull is that a pit bull will let go of 150,000-volt live wire after biting into it. Palin wants to hang on.
Americans last week went gaga about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s $150,000 wardrobe dysfunction. The barely-a-story hogged the headlines all week and almost faded into the ocean of other non-stories about the presidential candidates when the candidate herself resurrected the story yesterday at a rally in Florida.
Of course Palin and the McCain camp say it was the media that scared up the story about McCain’s campaign paying 150 extra large to outfit the “frugal” Sarah Palin. That’s a lie. A good part of the money, as in tens of thousands, went to pay a makeup artist to get her on stage every day.
The story grew legs faster than Joe the Plumber could keep the headlines unclogged, not because the media was intent on peddling it, but because Americans craved it.
About the same time, the Associated Press unrolled an extensive investigation detailing how Palin wasted Alaska taxpayer dollars dragging her uninvited children on expensive state trips.
No outrage there from the persnickety public.
Instead, Americans died to hear about the expensive clothing labels the campaign purchased for Palin to promenade in all across the country.
First the campaign, and now Palin, have tried to persuade Americans that Palin’s the victim here. We’re all to believe that a well-meaning wardrobe agent couldn’t find anyplace but Saks open after Palin was surprised onto the political scene in August. What’s shopper to do?
So just when the story was about to die, Palin, appearing in Sunday Florida, breathed life into the wasteful tale again by telling the crowd that the media invented the whole thing, and that the clothes don’t even belong to her. She said she would never buy such things and that half of her fancy new togs are still in the belly of the jet that flies her all over the country to wear those clothes.
It begs the question that if this woman can’t tell the RNC wardrobe department, “no,” lobbyists from the insurance, pharmaceutical and oil industries are going to have a field day with Palin.
It seems that the only difference between this hockey mom and a pit bull is that a pit bull will let go of 150,000-volt live wire after biting into it. Palin wants to hang on.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Stay clear of these folks
Holy cow! A new CNN poll shows that 75 percent of adult Americans think that the country is pretty much in the toilet. The economy, the wars, the healthcare system, the environment. You name it, Americans are convinced that we're in a very bad way.
But not all of them. What shocked me is that a whopping 25 percent of those polled DON'T think the country is going to hell in a hand basket. That means that one out of every four folks you drive next to, sit across from in a restaurant or get your hair cut with thinks that things are really pretty good.
Please, tell me one of those folks isn't my physician or car mechanic or anyone who I depend on to think clearly before fixing my furnace or even frying my chicken. What could possibly be right in a country where we take trillions of taxpayer dollars to give to the rich banks and mortgage companies so they will continue to loan money to other rich people so we can all keep our jobs and our puny IRAs?
What's right in a country where we send hundreds of billions of dollars to fix and build roads in Iraq, while they can't even manage to spend the oil money they're raking in, and we can't afford to fix our own crumbling bridges?
Hopefully, we won't have to wait until 100 percent of adult Americans can see how bad things are before they start to change.
But not all of them. What shocked me is that a whopping 25 percent of those polled DON'T think the country is going to hell in a hand basket. That means that one out of every four folks you drive next to, sit across from in a restaurant or get your hair cut with thinks that things are really pretty good.
Please, tell me one of those folks isn't my physician or car mechanic or anyone who I depend on to think clearly before fixing my furnace or even frying my chicken. What could possibly be right in a country where we take trillions of taxpayer dollars to give to the rich banks and mortgage companies so they will continue to loan money to other rich people so we can all keep our jobs and our puny IRAs?
What's right in a country where we send hundreds of billions of dollars to fix and build roads in Iraq, while they can't even manage to spend the oil money they're raking in, and we can't afford to fix our own crumbling bridges?
Hopefully, we won't have to wait until 100 percent of adult Americans can see how bad things are before they start to change.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hate Talk Express
Oh yeah, Sarah. You go girl.
A new CNN poll hot off the press shows that Sen, Barack Obama has now doubled his lead against Sen. John McCain. One of the reasons why? Six-Pack Sarah.
Seems that I’m not the only one who sees through Gov. Sarah Palin’s own private language as a lame cover-up for not having a clue. Those polled said it is her ineptitude that is helping pushing them into the Obama camp.
Drill, baby, drill.
It can’t hurt that Palin is on the hunt these days, taking thinly veiled racist shots at Obama for having attended a church where that nut-job Rev. Jeremiah Wright blabbed sometimes, and where Obama attended meetings years ago with another nut job, William Ayers. At it's best, it's all about hate, hate, hate.
The shrill, almost seizure-like attacks are beneath even Karl Rove and Co.
That stuff may fly up in Alaska, but Sarah Six Pack doesn’t get it that most of America has moved beyond just tolerating people of color and instead actually accept them and like them. The deeper the hole Palin digs the McCain campaign into, the higher Obama’s lead gets. If she digs much deeper, she might strike some of that oil she and McCain are huntin’ for.
Now we know why the McCain camp kidnapped her for as long as they could. She’s out there today, charging up the base and making the rest of America cringe with her talk of saying that the high heels are going on and the gloves are coming off.
Looks more like that lights are all one, but nobody’s home. Must be an Alaska thing.
A new CNN poll hot off the press shows that Sen, Barack Obama has now doubled his lead against Sen. John McCain. One of the reasons why? Six-Pack Sarah.
Seems that I’m not the only one who sees through Gov. Sarah Palin’s own private language as a lame cover-up for not having a clue. Those polled said it is her ineptitude that is helping pushing them into the Obama camp.
Drill, baby, drill.
It can’t hurt that Palin is on the hunt these days, taking thinly veiled racist shots at Obama for having attended a church where that nut-job Rev. Jeremiah Wright blabbed sometimes, and where Obama attended meetings years ago with another nut job, William Ayers. At it's best, it's all about hate, hate, hate.
The shrill, almost seizure-like attacks are beneath even Karl Rove and Co.
That stuff may fly up in Alaska, but Sarah Six Pack doesn’t get it that most of America has moved beyond just tolerating people of color and instead actually accept them and like them. The deeper the hole Palin digs the McCain campaign into, the higher Obama’s lead gets. If she digs much deeper, she might strike some of that oil she and McCain are huntin’ for.
Now we know why the McCain camp kidnapped her for as long as they could. She’s out there today, charging up the base and making the rest of America cringe with her talk of saying that the high heels are going on and the gloves are coming off.
Looks more like that lights are all one, but nobody’s home. Must be an Alaska thing.
No Keating around this time, folks
Hmmmm. This all sounds so familiar, and not only to me.
Let’s see. High-rolling finance types pour big, big bucks into the campaign coffers of U.S. senators. They fly them on fancy vacations for free to fabulous private island getwaways. Sound familiar?
There’s more.
After softening these senators up with big, fat donations, they then press these senators to lean on the government for deregulation. That way, they can use public investment for shady schemes. If the schemes pay off, the greedy finance types become filthy rich. If things go south, well, the government’s not going to let thousands or even millions of American taxpayers lose everything.
So these senators do as they told. The shady schemes fall apart. The government starts seizing important financial institutions. Thousands lose everything. And the government has to step in with more billions of taxpayer money to fix the problem than anyone dreamed possible.
A paltry few get caught and a few senators get their hands slapped for doing everything but breaking the law to help their once richy-rich friends, who are soon to be prison inmates.
Here we go again.
Finally, I’m not the only one who remembers how this all went down before in the late 1980s when the U.S. Savings and Loan scandal taught Americans an important lesson about the dangers of banking deregulation. It really wasn’t all that long ago that Lincoln Savings and Loan icon Charles Keating became the poster boy for S&L evil and corruption. Keating, whose nefarious schemes and plots cost 20,000 people every dime they had in savings, and forced American taxpayers to pay well over $100 billion to unravel the mess. But Keating didn’t destroy American S&Ls by himself. No, no, no. Over several years, Keating bought himself five important U.S. senators to pass bills he needed and to lean on federal regulators to look the other way when dealing with Lincoln S&L.
Ringing a bell? Yes, those were the infamous Keating Five. Those five powerful senators who had their re-election coffers stuffed full of cash and who took numerous incredible vacations on private jets to super=exclusive Bahama Isaland getaways in exchange for their, errr, “friendship.”
And has American forgotten all too soon which of those Keating Five scoundrels is running for president these days? Oh, yes. It’s John McCain, who nearly lost his senate seat after the scandal when he had to go before a senate panel to determine whether McCain acted criminally in the case. He and four other very powerful, very well connected senators had to undergo Democrat scrutiny and humiliation for their deeds. He joined other Keating favorites, such as John Glenn and Alan Cranston.
I remember the hearings as if they were just weeks ago, not years. Four Democrats and The Maverick squirmed as federal regulators retold how there were pressured into backing off of Keating’s bank. There was no way a Democratic Senate was going to press charges against four of its favorite and most powerful pals, and the Keating Five either sank or swam together. Republicans, all but one, The Maverick, howled because no charges were filed. In typical partisan style, the senate panel publicly scolded the Keating Five for using “poor judgment” in running interference for Keating and working to deregulate an industry that nearly crippled the U.S. economy.
McCain has worked very hard to get Americans to forget about his bad judgment in banking deregulation, and even worse judgment in what was clearly congressional bribery.
Well I was lucky enough to have my savings in an insured account at the time, and I got my money back. But I know some who didn’t, and none of us have never forgotten John McCain and his role in the Keating Five scandal and how those prominent politicians vowed to never let it all happen again.
Well they did. And The Maverick has consistently and regularly pointed out that he’s still the King of Deregulation. And there are plenty of people who want to let this man run a White House administration what will be first in line to try and clean up the banking industry so that this most recent banking debacle doesn’t happen again.
That comes only from the “you gotta be kidding” department.
I’m not alone in making the connection here. A new website, www.keatingeconomics.com, started up today and offers voters a little refresher course on just how much The Maverick had to do with the last U.S. banking disaster, and just how little trust you should have in this man to handle this one.
Let’s see. High-rolling finance types pour big, big bucks into the campaign coffers of U.S. senators. They fly them on fancy vacations for free to fabulous private island getwaways. Sound familiar?
There’s more.
After softening these senators up with big, fat donations, they then press these senators to lean on the government for deregulation. That way, they can use public investment for shady schemes. If the schemes pay off, the greedy finance types become filthy rich. If things go south, well, the government’s not going to let thousands or even millions of American taxpayers lose everything.
So these senators do as they told. The shady schemes fall apart. The government starts seizing important financial institutions. Thousands lose everything. And the government has to step in with more billions of taxpayer money to fix the problem than anyone dreamed possible.
A paltry few get caught and a few senators get their hands slapped for doing everything but breaking the law to help their once richy-rich friends, who are soon to be prison inmates.
Here we go again.
Finally, I’m not the only one who remembers how this all went down before in the late 1980s when the U.S. Savings and Loan scandal taught Americans an important lesson about the dangers of banking deregulation. It really wasn’t all that long ago that Lincoln Savings and Loan icon Charles Keating became the poster boy for S&L evil and corruption. Keating, whose nefarious schemes and plots cost 20,000 people every dime they had in savings, and forced American taxpayers to pay well over $100 billion to unravel the mess. But Keating didn’t destroy American S&Ls by himself. No, no, no. Over several years, Keating bought himself five important U.S. senators to pass bills he needed and to lean on federal regulators to look the other way when dealing with Lincoln S&L.
Ringing a bell? Yes, those were the infamous Keating Five. Those five powerful senators who had their re-election coffers stuffed full of cash and who took numerous incredible vacations on private jets to super=exclusive Bahama Isaland getaways in exchange for their, errr, “friendship.”
And has American forgotten all too soon which of those Keating Five scoundrels is running for president these days? Oh, yes. It’s John McCain, who nearly lost his senate seat after the scandal when he had to go before a senate panel to determine whether McCain acted criminally in the case. He and four other very powerful, very well connected senators had to undergo Democrat scrutiny and humiliation for their deeds. He joined other Keating favorites, such as John Glenn and Alan Cranston.
I remember the hearings as if they were just weeks ago, not years. Four Democrats and The Maverick squirmed as federal regulators retold how there were pressured into backing off of Keating’s bank. There was no way a Democratic Senate was going to press charges against four of its favorite and most powerful pals, and the Keating Five either sank or swam together. Republicans, all but one, The Maverick, howled because no charges were filed. In typical partisan style, the senate panel publicly scolded the Keating Five for using “poor judgment” in running interference for Keating and working to deregulate an industry that nearly crippled the U.S. economy.
McCain has worked very hard to get Americans to forget about his bad judgment in banking deregulation, and even worse judgment in what was clearly congressional bribery.
Well I was lucky enough to have my savings in an insured account at the time, and I got my money back. But I know some who didn’t, and none of us have never forgotten John McCain and his role in the Keating Five scandal and how those prominent politicians vowed to never let it all happen again.
Well they did. And The Maverick has consistently and regularly pointed out that he’s still the King of Deregulation. And there are plenty of people who want to let this man run a White House administration what will be first in line to try and clean up the banking industry so that this most recent banking debacle doesn’t happen again.
That comes only from the “you gotta be kidding” department.
I’m not alone in making the connection here. A new website, www.keatingeconomics.com, started up today and offers voters a little refresher course on just how much The Maverick had to do with the last U.S. banking disaster, and just how little trust you should have in this man to handle this one.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Sarah Palin made me pay
I have only Gov. Sarah Palin to blame for loosening a whopping $10 from my wallet this morning, which I gave to the Obama campaign.
In almost 50 years, I've never done such a thing. Oh sure, I've rooted for my side of the fight, but with so many campaign millions, I never felt tempted to throw my pennies in such an overwhelming pot.
Until last night.
Nothing persuaded me that she and Sen. John McCain would extend the Bush term for another four years like Palin's debate performance last night.
Simply because the bar was set so low by her previous TV experiences, anything other than declaring war against Canada was guaranteed to be a wild success on her part.
I laughed out loud when, during halfway through a debate where neither her opponent nor the moderator had challenged one thing she said or directed one attack at her own bizarre career, she said she liked this kind of TV, where she gets to talk to "the people" without those pesky news folks making her explain herself.
You betchya. That's Sweet Polly Palin's kind of TV, where she can run roughshod over the facts and give it a wink and a smile.
Talk about more of the same. It's the same anti-intellectual smarmyism that George Bush brought to the table eight years ago. That man lowered the intelligence bar for president so low, that now Six-Pack Sarah looks like a vast improvement over the last GOP pick.
In looking at the polling from last night, I'm relieved that an overwhelming number of Americans could see that Sweet Polly Palin is no more ready to take the office of veep than she is to answer questions for real reporters. Still, unbelievably, a whopping one-third of those polled gave her high marks for her looks and personality. Like this is some kind of beauty pageant or TV talent show.
Oy!
Wake up, America. We don't need a bunch of GOP bowling buddies running the country. We don't need another four years of handing over the reins of the country to Big Oil and Big Insurance and Big Brother. We don't need someone who admits that she's only been at this darned ol' vice-presidential thing for five weeks, less time than it takes to make a batch of beer in the closet.
So, please, Sen. Obama, take my ten bucks and re-rerun parts of that debate where she says with a wink that she'd look into that global warming thing and get back to ya. Run the parts in the debate where she says Obama's push for diplomacy is "naive" and "dangerous." Run the parts where Palin winks and says she's gonna work on that rascally McCain and change his mind about drillin' for oil in what she considers to be just another vacant lot in Alaska that the rest of us call the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Notice how that last word is "REFUGE." Run the part of the debate where she doesn't even understand that she did in Alaska what Obama wants to do for all Americans, increase taxes on Big Oil so we can lower taxes for the middle class. Show America over and over, that she doesn't get, that she just doesn't get it — just like Poor George.
And for God's sake, teach Sweet Polly Palin to parrot something new or just give this odd bird a cracker.
In almost 50 years, I've never done such a thing. Oh sure, I've rooted for my side of the fight, but with so many campaign millions, I never felt tempted to throw my pennies in such an overwhelming pot.
Until last night.
Nothing persuaded me that she and Sen. John McCain would extend the Bush term for another four years like Palin's debate performance last night.
Simply because the bar was set so low by her previous TV experiences, anything other than declaring war against Canada was guaranteed to be a wild success on her part.
I laughed out loud when, during halfway through a debate where neither her opponent nor the moderator had challenged one thing she said or directed one attack at her own bizarre career, she said she liked this kind of TV, where she gets to talk to "the people" without those pesky news folks making her explain herself.
You betchya. That's Sweet Polly Palin's kind of TV, where she can run roughshod over the facts and give it a wink and a smile.
Talk about more of the same. It's the same anti-intellectual smarmyism that George Bush brought to the table eight years ago. That man lowered the intelligence bar for president so low, that now Six-Pack Sarah looks like a vast improvement over the last GOP pick.
In looking at the polling from last night, I'm relieved that an overwhelming number of Americans could see that Sweet Polly Palin is no more ready to take the office of veep than she is to answer questions for real reporters. Still, unbelievably, a whopping one-third of those polled gave her high marks for her looks and personality. Like this is some kind of beauty pageant or TV talent show.
Oy!
Wake up, America. We don't need a bunch of GOP bowling buddies running the country. We don't need another four years of handing over the reins of the country to Big Oil and Big Insurance and Big Brother. We don't need someone who admits that she's only been at this darned ol' vice-presidential thing for five weeks, less time than it takes to make a batch of beer in the closet.
So, please, Sen. Obama, take my ten bucks and re-rerun parts of that debate where she says with a wink that she'd look into that global warming thing and get back to ya. Run the parts in the debate where she says Obama's push for diplomacy is "naive" and "dangerous." Run the parts where Palin winks and says she's gonna work on that rascally McCain and change his mind about drillin' for oil in what she considers to be just another vacant lot in Alaska that the rest of us call the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Notice how that last word is "REFUGE." Run the part of the debate where she doesn't even understand that she did in Alaska what Obama wants to do for all Americans, increase taxes on Big Oil so we can lower taxes for the middle class. Show America over and over, that she doesn't get, that she just doesn't get it — just like Poor George.
And for God's sake, teach Sweet Polly Palin to parrot something new or just give this odd bird a cracker.
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