Anchorage Daily News Supports Obama

The largest daily newspaper in Alaska has endorsed Barock Obama for President. The most read newspaper in the most northern state in the U.S. has been very supportive of Gov. Palin, however, in the op-ed, it feels that she is not ready to be the VEEP.

I have always said that it would be interesting if both Arizona and Alaska turned blue this year. After reading this and hearing reports of discontent in both states with their native son and daughter, it just might come true on November 4.

Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.

Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.

Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it. It is easy to look at Sen. Obama and see a return to the smart, bipartisan economic policies of the last Democratic administration in Washington, which left the country with the momentum of growth and a budget surplus that President George Bush has squandered.

On the most important issue of the day, Sen. Obama is a clear choice.

— Read entire Op-Ed in The Anchorage Daily News.

McCain office in Pompano Beach links Obama to dictators

This sign -- which was headlined "Barrack Hussein Obama" and compared the Democratic presidential candidate to Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro -- was hanging in the John McCain campaign office in Pompano Beach on Thursday, October 16.

— Full Sun-Sentinel Story

McCain: bad politics, bad judgement

McCain in 'hatred' war of words

From the BBC International website:

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has become embroiled in a war of words with racial undertones after clashing with a civil rights icon.

John Lewis (pictured at right) accused Mr McCain's campaign of "sowing hatred" against opponent Barack Obama and said he was reminded of 1960s segregationist George Wallace.

Mr McCain, who recently said Mr Lewis was one of his most admired Americans, called the reference "beyond the pale". Mr McCain has also tried to cool his supporters' resentment of Mr Obama.

In Minnesota on Friday, Mr McCain defended Mr Obama after some at the town hall meeting labelled him a "terrorist", "an Arab", a "traitor" and a candidate who inspired fear.

The Republican's campaign has also suffered from a legislative probe in Alaska that found his vice-presidential running mate and state governor, Sarah Palin, had abused her power.

With just over three weeks to go to the election, she has again denied any wrongdoing in the affair.

— Full Story & Video

McCain finally lets it slip ... he is White and racist

First he would even look at Barack the first debate. Now he will not even speak to an African-American who asked the question ... topping it off with referring to Obama as "that one."   I've been just hoping that it would not happen, but being a realist, have really been waiting for the "N" word to raise it's ugly head and it came close tonight. And here I thought it would be Palin who would hammer that Republican Coffin nail in.

From Joan Walsh at Salon.com:

This town hall didn't help John McCain

Barack Obama dominated this debate from the very first question. John McCain fielded directly, when he condescended to the African-American questioner, a young man named Oliver, who asked how the $700 billion rescue plan passed last week would help the average American. McCain first implied that Oliver and other regular voters wouldn't know that much about Fannie Mae and and Freddie Mac, then went into the misleading Fannie/Freddie claims Andrew Leonard broke down here. Then McCain told Oliver that his plans would "help Americans like Allen ... stay in their home." Allen? Allen was the nice older white man who asked the first question. So what about Oliver? Did he not matter? Was McCain confused?

John McCain's gaffe just now wasn't so awful or inhuman, but it was equally tin-eared. He called Obama "that one." Really. Asking if the audience knew who voted for the Bush-Cheney energy bill (an Obama mistake, by the way), he pointed at Obama: "That one."

My first reaction was that it was a little racist – depersonalizing African Americans has a long rhetorical history. But I think it was more like something a cranky babysitter would say, Angry Uncle Joe, or, yes, Mr. Wilson: "You know who broke the coffee table? That one."

Awful. He can't hide his contempt for Obama.

— Full Salon.com Article

Answers to a couple of questions

LIke a good neighbor ...

I was hoping this would be up on the MSNBC site. Good laugh. Like I've said before ... both McSame and Palin scare me to death!

Yes, I do feel this way about Palin!

Obama fights back

This is a short version of an ad due out today at noon.

— www.keatingeconomics.com

The $1.75 House

Sign of the times? This house was sold on eBay for only $1.75. The state of Michigan has fallen on hard times ... and of course, McSame as left to campaign elsewhere. Guess he saw the story and just assumed it was $1.75M. The old coot!

Gloves Coming Off In Campaign

October 5, 2008 · Palin's latest punch accuses Obama of "palling around with terrorists," while a new ad from his campaign calls McCain "erratic in crisis."


Click here for NPR's All Things Concidered audio report.

Post VEEP Debate

What's wrong? Palin got your tongue?

wink wink

Observation

Have you noticed that the most scary people in the world have last names that end with IN?

STALIN
PUTIN
PALIN
McCAIN

Of course, they are all scary for different reasons, but scary just the same.

You were WRONG!

From The Huffington Post

John McCain is running a new campaign ad that actually attacks Barack Obama for agreeing with John McCain. This has to be the first time in history that a candidate ever went negative on his opponent for being too agreeable.

If the ad had a lighthearted, funny tone I think it could work. But instead, it is angry and sneering, just like John McCain.

[video removed so as not to give McSame too much of this blog's space.]

Aside from the tone, the ad's problem is that it reinforces Obama's message that he is willing to work across party lines. Why in the world would a campaign put up an ad that says that the opposing candidate only cares about doing the right thing, not about winning the political battle.

Basically, McCain is accusing Obama of being a decent guy.

Moreover, everybody knows that Barack Obama has serious disagreements with John McCain, starting with Iraq -- where John McCain was unequivocally wrong:

As Putin rears his head ...

Source: Joan Walsh, Salon.com

Talking Heads

I'm sitting here waiting for the 1:00 showing of Bill Maher on HBO. The TV is on MSNBC and I'm just listening to the talking heads.

The debate IMHO was dull and uninspiring. Of course, I know who I'm going to vote for .. with much conviction .. so I truly believe these debates are for those in the USA who have not been keeping watch of the primaries and are now trying to decide for whom they are going to vote.

I did not watch the debates, but I heard every word. I guess I should have watched, as I am told by the "talking heads" that McSame never looked at Obama. Cowards and bullies never do.

I am, however, looking for a good comedy... I think the Biden/Palin debate should be much more intriguing for my time and viewing pleasure.

A really large number?

US Presidential Debates to Air on BBC America

For the first time ever, BBC AMERCA will air all four Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates in their entirety, followed by distinctive and comprehensive analysis of the candidates' performance on the issues. The newscasts will air live from 9/8c to 11/10c on BBC America and BBC World News.

On Friday, September 26th, Washington Correspondent Katty Kay anchors the program live from the first debate between Presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama in Oxford, Mississippi. Matt Frei will anchor the Vice Presidential debate on Thursday, October 2nd, as well as the following two Presidential debates on Tuesday, October 7th, and Wednesday, October 15th.

Executive producer Rome Hartman said: “BBC World News America will take viewers out of the spin room and into the real world. While our competitors spend time listening to campaign surrogates spouting pre-cooked claims of 'victory' for their candidate, we'll travel around the world to get real reaction from real people who've just watched the debate and made judgments for themselves.”

Bailout in chaos, feds seize WaMu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A rescue for the U.S. financial system unraveled on Thursday amid accusations Republican presidential candidate John McCain scuppered the deal, and Washington Mutual was closed by U.S. authorities and its assets sold in America's biggest ever bank failure.

As negotiations over an unprecedented $700 billion bailout to restore credit markets degenerated into chaos, the largest U.S. savings and loan bank was taken over by authorities and its deposits auctioned off. U.S. stock futures fell by more than 1 percent.

The third-largest U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase & Co said it bought the deposits of Washington Mutual Inc, which has seen its stock price virtually wiped out because of massive amounts of bad mortgages. The government said there would be no impact on WaMu's depositors and customers. JPMorgan said it would be business as usual on Friday morning.

Had a bailout deal been reached in Congress, it may have helped the savings and loan, founded in Seattle in 1889. Efforts to find a suitor to buy WaMu faltered in recent days over concerns about whether the government would reach a deal to buy its toxic mortgages.

— Full Story

McCain Asks To Postpone Friday Debate Due To Economic Crisis

NEW YORK — Barack Obama's campaign says he is inclined to go ahead with Friday's presidential debate, even though rival John McCain is calling for a delay. McCain said Wednesday that he wants to stop all campaigning tomorrow and postpone the debate so they can work together on the financial crisis.

But Obama campaign officials say the senator is inclined to move ahead.

McCain said the Bush administration's plan seemed headed for defeat and a bipartisan solution was urgently needed.

What Else Would President McCain Postpone in a Crisis?

So now John McCain wants to suspend his campaign and postpone Friday's debate so he can go to Washington and work on the financial crisis -- as if his vast economic expertise is what's missing in all of this.

After years of being the Senate's champion of deregulation, and an admitted economic lightweight, John McCain suddenly wants to pretend he's our knight in shining armor? But wait -- wasn't it McCain's own party and policies that created this crisis? Wasn't it his own economic advisor, Phil Gramm, who called Americans "whiners" in a "mental recession?" Didn't McCain recently praise the fundamentals of our economy and call himself a "fundamentally a deregulator?"

Come to think of it, the last thing America needs is for John McCain to go back to Washington. Because that's exactly where he and his cronies created this financial mess.

Lincoln ran for office during the Civil War. Reagan ran at the height of the Cold War. Bush ran with two wars raging in Afghanistan and Iraq. But McCain can't run during a crisis on Wall Street?

— News Story
— Full Opinion from quote