Political Rant: McCain is Scaring Many of Us this Halloween

Good Morning Bloggers - I was watching different news channels yesterday and was struck by a McCain rally in Pennsylvania. He was spewing the usual "socialism" crap, but what really got me was how feisty he seemed. He seemed very angry. He reminded me of an spitting pit bull, barking "stand up, stand up, stand up and fight."

You have to give the little creep credit. He doesn't admit when he's down and he fights hard. It would be impressive if it wasn't so scary. I would hate to be locked in an elevator with that man.

I know you Republicans would like to see McCain in the White House, but have you really considered what you might be doing to us all? You might be making another HORRIBLE MISTAKE! The man reminds the rest of us of George Bush, but angrier. Do we really want another president like George Bush, but angrier?

I admit McCain's new oratory is appealing to the crazy Republican base, but it's scaring the rest of us. The man is another "warrior-politician." He sees everything as a battle. There are winners and losers, and the rest doesn't matter. He doesn't respect people. Just look at the way he treats his fellow senators, or the way he treated Obama during the debates. The man is scary!

The obvious problems with his team, his problems with Palin, and all the other red flags point to a man who should NOT BE PRESIDENT. Politico.com yesterday quoted a "senior" McCain adviser calling Palin a "whack job." Do we really want a whack job one melanoma-scare away from the White House? Do we really want "diva" as president?

I don't know about you Republicans, but the rest of us have had enough of the warrior, the extremist, the win-lose type? We want a president who is thoughtful, patient, respectful, strategic, and competent. Amazingly, those are only a few of the many positive character traits of Barack Obama.

McCain has a horrible team, which he manages poorly to say the least. Obama has one of the best teams, which he manages brilliantly. So, let McCain scream at the clouds if he must, but let's not elect him president in six days. One word of caution, I think a McCain mask might be a little too scary this Halloween. I would stick to the blood and guts look.

Wednesday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Political News: Anchorage Daily News and Financial Times Endorse Obama

Good Morning Bloggers - Alaska's largest-circulation paper, the Anchorage Daily News, is endorsing Senator Barack Obama while saying that state governor Palin is "too risky" to be one step away from the presidency. One of my favorite newspapers, The Financial Times, is also endorsing Barack. YES!!!!

The Daily News editorial says her nomination "captivated" Alaskans, but that must not "overwhelm all other judgment."

They called McCain the "wrong choice" and said that Obama has a "cool, steady hand." They added that "[John McCain] embraces the extreme Republican orthodoxy he once resisted and cynically asks Americans to buy for another four years", it says. By contrast, the Daily News suggests, Mr Obama "brings far more promise to the office."

The Financial Times editorial said that Obama "ran his [campaign] superbly; Mr McCain’s has often looked a shambles. After eight years of George W. Bush, the steady competence of the Obama operation commands respect." Despite criticizing my candidate throughout the article, they seemed to think of him as the lesser of two evils. Oh well, I'll still take it.

The overwhelming majority of major newspapers in this country are supporting Barack Obama. I think you Republicans out there should take notice and read a few of the editorials. You never know, you might learn something. I know you don't want to admit it, but you could be wrong blindly supporting your candidate without thinking through all the facts. Perhaps it's time to put logic over loyalty. I'm just saying.

Monday's Political News #1 - Michael

News Special: Confusion Over Torture All Started 41 Years Ago Tomorrow

Hello Saturday Bloggers - I know we're used to being lied to by our politicians, but I think the confusion over John McCain's Vietnam captivity and alleged torture needs to be addressed on the anniversary of his capture just before the election.

The possibility that he lied about being tortured to win votes makes me very uneasy. I compiled the following from a very interesting, but long, article in today's London Times.

I know many of you Republicans are going to accuse me of not trusting an American hero over a Vietnamese jailer, but that's not true. I'm not saying McCain lied. I just think it's important to point out the discrepancies in the stories. Read the article in the Times and make up your own mind. I don't know who is telling the truth.

The Times interviewed his jailer Tran Trong Duyet. They were friends after the war. Duyet claims that McCain received good medical care and was never tortured in any way.

Amazingly, McCain crash-landed forty-one years ago tomorrow. He was supposedly treated for his injuries and spent the next five and a half years as a prisoner. The story accounts differ most when each side describes McCain’s incarceration, first at the prison known as the Hanoi Hilton and later at The Plantation.

Tran Tron Duyet's Version from the London Times
"[Duyet], the former prison director, met McCain a year after he had been shot down. He recalls a defiant rule-breaker, the patriotic son of an admiral and a fervent believer in the war. What he does not recall, however, is a victim of torture or violence."

“I never tortured or mistreated the PoWs and nor did my staff,” says Mr Duyet in contradiction of Mr McCain’s account and those of other prisoners. “The Americans were dropping bombs on military and civilian targets – so it’s not as if they had important information we needed to extract.” Mr Duyet says that he sympathises with Mr McCain and other PoWs for claiming that they were tortured. “It’s up to the Americans to decide whether or not he counts as a hero. He was very brave, very manly, he dared to argue with me and he was very intelligent. But all the talk of being tortured is for the sake of votes.”

McCain's Version from Faith of My Fathers, by John McCain
“I was hauled into an empty room and kept there for four days. At intervals, the guards returned to administer beatings. One held me while the others pounded away. They cracked several of my ribs and broke a couple of teeth. Weakened by beatings and dysentery, with my right leg again almost useless, I found it impossible to stand."

“On the third night I lay in my blood and waste, so tired and hurt that I could not move. Three guards lifted me to my feet and gave me the worst beating yet. They left me on the floor moaning from the pain in my arm. Despairing of any relief from pain and further torture, I tried to take my life.”

I don't know what to think. I guess I should believe McCain since he's a fellow American. It's weird though. What do you guys think? McCain does look permanently injured from possible torture, but supposedly his injuries from the crash were severe too.

You should also be aware of another creepy McCain fact related to Vietnam. Did you know that McCain has been receiving 100% disability payments from the Defense Department since the early seventies, despite his abilities and personal mobility?

Many in the veteran's community still think it's a travesty of justice. That level of disability is usually reserved for highly crippled vets. There are many examples of wheelchair bound soldiers who receive less than 50% disability. The man has too many red flags if you ask me.

I guess I'll just have to believe that John McCain did his best, and whether he was tortured or not, he says he was. I'll just have to give him the benefit of the doubt. That doesn't mean, however, that I am free of doubt. I still don't like the red flags. There are too many mysteries. The man creeps me out.

Saturday's Political News Special #1 - Michael

PS - Bloggers, I'm also a contributor to Papamoka Straight Talk, so visit the blog if you want to read some interesting responses to this posting. Click here.

Editorial Cartoon: UK Guardian

Hello Bloggers - I thought you guys might enjoy this great editorial cartoon that I found on the UK Guardian Newspaper's website. I love the "Clothes Horse Express" on the side of the plane. I certainly hope we can see the back of that woman in twelve days.

Political Rant: Socialism? Really? Wow!

Good Morning Bloggers - Let's see, we've survived practically every label in the book over the past few months, including "terrorist" and "baby killer," but unlike those "socialist" makes me laugh. To me, it just makes them look crazy.

As usual the McCain campaign has stretched its message to the point where even high school drop outs are beginning to question their legitimacy. Last night I enjoyed hearing just such a voter express their confusion, since they pretty much knew the difference between socialism and the American system being described by Obama.

The McCain folks have gone from bizarre to freaky. We've entered a very strange place in politics where desperate people concoct desperate positions, and then have to engage with respectable people, and defend them. It's like watching Bob Costas forced to defend the rules of the World Wrestling Foundation - it might be colorful, but it's crazy.

The really funny, ironic twist in the whole "socialism" argument involves Sarah Palin. She fought to increase her state's Windfall Profit's Tax last year to get an extra $2,400 for every person living in the state of Alaska. If that's not pure socialism, I don't know what is. For heaven's sake, the woman is a socialist based on that record.

The McCain campaign should be ashamed of itself. The Republican Party should be ashamed of itself. Why can't they fight with dignity before their fall, instead of trying to win by lying to the American people. Don't they realize that when people actually figure out that what they're saying is pure crap they might lose respect for the party itself, again. It's hard to imagine, but the the Republican brand might suffer even more after this election.

I challenge ANYBODY reading this blog to defend the McCain campaign's claim that a flexible, progressive tax system, something we've had in America since the early 20th century, represents socialism - or at least not a vague form of socialism we haven't practiced before. I basically challenge you to defend any of the McCain claims regarding socialism. I will respond ASAP.

The race might tighten due to other circumstances, but I think even the high school drop-outs are on to them this time. I'll bet McCain's fun time with the label maker is coming to an end soon. Before long we won't have to blog about any more fake labels thrown against the media wall by McCain's spinning fools. The whole ordeal is getting silly and sad. They are slowing spinning themselves into the crap heap of American political foolishness.

Tuesday's Political Rant #1 - Michael

Political News: McCain Blames ACORN While Funding Political Troublemaker

Hello Bloggers - If you haven't seen it already, you simply must read McCain Employing GOP Operative Accused of Voter Registration Fraud now on the Huffington Post.

Incredibly, McCain's campaign directed $175,000 to the firm of a Republican operative accused of massive voter registration fraud in several states, while at the same time screaming of "fraud" and a "threat to democracy" because of ACORN.

Public documents reveal how a joint committee of the McCain-Palin campaign, the RNC, and the the California Republican Party, made the payment to the group Lincoln Strategy in June for purposes of "registering voters."

Read the whole article here.

The ACORN story was always BS, but the corporate media still covers it. I guess we'll have to see if they cover this one too. I somehow doubt it. McCain has some cahones to go after ACORN while funding a group under investigation in multiple states. I guess it's typical Republican, Rovian hubris. The sad part is they're proud of it. I need a shower.

Monday's Political News #1 - Michael

Political Rant: Republicans Need to Think This Time, Before They Act

Hello Bloggers - I need to ask a simple question of my Republican friends. Don't you need to know more about John McCain's health before you vote for him? His running mate is Sarah - the mystery woman - Palin for God's sake!

The New York Times is reporting, like so many journals and doctors before it, that "serious gaps remain in the public's knowledge about the health of the presidential and vice-presidential nominees." He singles out McCain most of all. You know, the only cancer survivor running for office. Historically, it was common for candidates and their doctors to be very forthcoming, so why aren't you demanding to know more about the health of your 72-year old candidate?

Times Reporter Lawrence Altman, a medical doctor himself, says that not only would McCain be the oldest man sworn in as president, he would be the first cancer survivor to win the office. "The scars on his puffy left cheek are cosmetic reminders of the extensive surgery he underwent in 2000 to remove a malignant melanoma." People like McCain often have recurring episodes. There is every possibility we may wind-up with a President Palin. My God that scares the hell out of me.

Last May, McCain and his doctors allowed a handful of reporters only 3 hours to review nearly 1,200 pages of medical information. The experience left more questions, even confusion, about his cancer. The worst part was how they were disorganized, preventing reporters from learning any conclusions. No offense bloggers, but that is just BS! If you're a responsible voter, than you should be more curious about your candidate's health. He should be disqualified unless you learn more.

Thousands of doctors are doing just that by calling for more complete and accurate information about McCain's cancer, a very severe form of melanoma. Statistically, McCain has an extreme likelihood of death from a recurrence of the cancer. That fact alone should have us all quaking in our boots if you consider a Palin ascendency. The idea scares the hell out of me, and it should for Republicans too.

Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden released recent medical records to the Times showing that they were healthy, though Altman notes that Biden's documents "did not indicate whether he had had a test in recent years to detect any new aneurysm," and Obama's most recent check-up was in January 2007.

"Nothing is known publicly about Ms. Palin's medical history," Altman reports. As usual, the woman is a mystery wrapped in a crap package. The only thing we know about Palin medically is that her water broke while she was at a conference in Dallas and that she flew to Anchorage to give birth. Wow, that's a good reason to be scared right there. The woman is CRAZY!

Personally, I don't trust you Republicans. You voted for George Bush TWICE! You should all be disqualified after that crap fest. Unfortunately, the majority of us who voted for Gore and Kerry lost anyway, because your peeps in power succeeded in stealing both elections. I guess your votes counted more than ours. Even though you should be ashamed and disgraced, the good news is that you now have a chance to make things right. You can vote for Obama this time.

This time you can vote for intelligence over stupidity, brains over brawn, and competence over incompetence. So, stop listening to the the dumb little demon on your shoulder and go and vote for Barack Obama. Don't make another stupid mistake and risk a President Sarah Palin. Please God NO!!!!

We should not all be forced to suffer because you people have a serial-studity problem. Do the right thing. THINK BEFORE YOU ACT THIS TIME!

Monday's Political Rant #2 - Michael

Political Opinion: Elect Obama and Save the Supreme Court

Hello Bloggers - I've given many reasons to vote for Obama, but the most important is probably the Supreme Court. Its future depends upon Obama's victory since so many justices are expected to retire soon.

Bush appointees Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Allito are considered conservative success stories moving the court to the right, though the balance is not lost. Obama could maintain a fair balance between conservatives and progressives. It is a future dependent on who prevails in November.

Obama, supported by a strongly Democratic Senate, could be presented with three openings during his first term: Justices Stevens (88), Ginsburg (75), and Souter (69) will likely retire over the next four years.

The court is roughly balanced on important constitutional issues, with four consistent conservatives, four liberals and Justice Kennedy in the middle - but who leans right on many issues. Replacing liberals Stevens, Ginsburg and Souter with similar-minded justices would infuse the left wing of the court with younger leadership but leave the basic balance intact.

Even if McCain wins - God forbid - it would be impossible for him to get somebody who's extremely conservative confirmed in a Democratic Senate. McCain's best bet would be to appoint someone moderate, however, there is no certainty. Blue Dog Democrats in the Senate could lean too far right for the public good.

No matter what the Supreme Court is another vital concern when voting this November. Our three elder jurists probably won't be able to wait out another four years of Republican rule. Please help yourself - and them - and vote for Obama next month.

Monday's Political Opinion #2 - Michael

Political Rave: McCain Turns 100% Negative Attacking Obama

Good Morning Bloggers - Yes, I have a rave instead of a rant for a change. I thought we should highlight exactly how wonderful and positive the Republicans are in this campaign. Just kidding. I actually want to say how impressed I am by the Obama campaign.

To support my rave, I would like to compare the Obama camp to the nightmare that is the McCain campaign. Many of us probably thought it was impossible for them to go more negative, but they have recently. According to the website Talking Points Memo and the Campaign Media Analysis Group, Mr. "I'm 100% honest McCain" has shifted to an incredible 100% negative campaign attacking Obama. Every ad he is now showing attacks Barack Obama. Incredible!

By contrast, the Obama campaign is devoting less than half of Obama's overall ad spending to ads attacking McCain. More than half of its spending is going to a spot that doesn't once mention his foe.

• Nearly half a million weekly is funding the ad called "Dome," which attacks "Obama and his liberal allies" in Congress for favoring "massive government."


• A shade more than half a million is funding the ad called "Mum," which attacks "Obama and his liberal allies" as "mum on the market crisis."


• Much of the remaining McCain money is funding a spot called "Overseas," which says that "Barack Obama and his liberal allies are to blame" for jobs going overseas.

I must say that I'm not very surprised. FactCheck.org has reported that many of McCain's recent negative ads are the "most deceptive yet in the campaign." McCain and his supporters should be ashamed of the crap they create, but I know that's asking too much from my Republican friends.

So, to my RAVE! I would like to point out how proud I am of the Obama campaign. I've supported them for almost two years now and they've done exactly what they set out to do. They've run an exemplary campaign based on smart strategy, creative tactics, and a very effective grassroots network. They haven't turned overly negative - like McCain, or even Hillary in the primary - and have impressed me throughout. I hope it leads them - and all of us - to victory.

Saturday's Political Rave #1 - Michael

Political Rant: Some of You People Are STUPID!

Good Morning Bloggers - I'm not going to cushion my blows this morning, and just say outright that I beleive anybody who falls for this Rovian bullshit - about how Senator Obama was insulting Palin when he made his remark about how dressing McCain's policies up as "change" is like putting lipstick on a pig - is the proverbial turnip truck moron. Even worse, you probably have trouble spelling, can't tie your shoes in the morning, and are pretty much dumb as dirt. Come on people, this is bullshit. We have so many problems in this country and the world, and we cannot allow the Rovian politics of distraction - being used clumsily by Rove's pathetic Republican proteges - keep us from seeing what needs to be done. The majority of Americans are suffering, and McCain doesn't offer any new ideas - listen up people, he's more of the same.

If McCain and his camp want to keep pointing to Palin, then let's talk about her EXTREME views. There's more and more evidence every day that she is George Bush in a dress. Recently discovered articles from local Alaskan press point out that she doesn't like to get "her hands dirty" with details and likes to govern using "principle" and "big picture" ideas. Do we really need another ill-informed, policy retard in the White House? There's also more evidence that her church - a "splinter" group too extreme for even the Assemblies of God - is one of the most radical born-again sects in the nation. Her views are EXTREME! Feel free to debate me, but I think you're going to have a hard time making a case for installing another radical in the White House after the past seven-plus years.

Wednesday, Rant #1 for today - thanks - Michael

Political Rant: My Anger After the Republican Convention and Possible Voter Stupidity

Hello Bloggers - I created this blog to fight against the cynism of today's American political scene. After watching the Republican National Convention I was struck hard by it. The way the audience laughed with Guiliani [sic] and others as they described Senator Obama's community service made me extremely angry. They laughed at things I've spent my life doing, and service that Senator McCain has encouraged in all Americans. The flip-flops, mixed messages, lies and deceit of the Rove Republicans and the the McCain campaign didn't anger me until recently after he chose Palin and I saw the polls begin to lean in their direction. I'm wondering what's wrong with the American voter. I'm disgusted with it to be honest. McCain's entire campaign prior to Palin was about experience, while criticizing Obama for being a celebrity (ridiculous, but it was their strategy). The media and its pundits even debated the "experience versus celebrity" craziness. Now Palin is the celebrity and McCain's campaign has reversed itself to promote huge crowds and Palin's "personality," and nobody seems to notice the absurdity of the switch. It's like we're all living in an alternate reality. Nobody seems to see the forest through the trees anymore. Sometimes, except for my heroes in media and online (and the quiet supporters out there), I feel like Americans have lost their sense of perspective. Why are they beleiving it, especially the obvious lies and deceit. Do people believe really believe the same old Rovian lies and stage-craft? I see it for what it is: marketing, messaging, and stage-crap. I'm SHOCKED that the voters are telling pollsters that they like McCain and Palin, and how close the race is today. The whole thing is crazy. They should remember the old lies that got us into this mess and know it's all BS! How can this be happening? The numbers should be going in the OTHER DIRECTION! I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone.

Tuesday, Rant #1, Michael Boh