Books for Oprah's Book Club ?

Today was a day for book deals, as news came out that Nate Silver, the baseball Statistician and pollster extraordinaire, has received a deal for two books:

... one about the art of prediction and the other a Freakonomics-style guide to the mechanics of electoral politics. Mr. Silver's agent, Sydelle Kramer of the Susan Rabiner Agency, told publishers she wanted indications of interest by Tuesday, but evidently the indications came faster than expected (so much for the art of prediction) and Ms. Kramer decided to just hold an auction today. According to several sources, that auction has ended, and Penguin Group USA has prevailed. Which of Penguin's imprint will publish Mr. Silver has not yet been determined, however, as there are at least three within the company that are jockeying for the privilege. The pricetag, we hear, is above $600,000 but below $1 million—a healthy sum even though it's paying for two books rather than just one. Update, 5:00 p.m.: New intelligence says Mr. Silver's advance is in the neighborhood of $700,000, give or take a few grand.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Joe The Plumber, who is apparently going to have his own book (co-written by a real writer):

But charity isn't Wurzelbacher's sole goal. Sharing the wealth also means helping himself. To that end, he's working with writer Tom Tabback on a book about American values.

"Everyone came at me to write a book. They had dollar signs in their eyes. '101 Things Joe the Plumber Knows' or some stupid s--- like that. Excuse me, I am sorry," he said. "You know I will get behind something solid, but I won't get behind fluff. I won't cash in, and when people do read the book they will figure out that I didn't cash in. At least I hope they figure that out."

The book, called "Joe the Plumber -- Fighting for the American Dream," is to be released by a group called PearlGate Publishing and other small publishing houses.

"I am not going to a conglomerate that way we actually can get the economy jump started. Like there is five publishing companies in Michigan. There's a couple down in Texas. They are small ones that can handle like 10 or 15,000 copies. I can go to a big one that could handle a million or two. But they don't need the help. They are already rich. So that's spreading the wealth to me," he said.

Having just come from a mini holiday in Las Vegas, I'm wondering what the odds are that Joe the Plumber's book ever actually get's published? I'm also curious what the market is for Joe's pearls of wisdom.

Myself, I am looking forward to reading Nate Silver's books, as his website fivethirtyeight.com gave a very interesting statistical analysis on the probabilities of the election, based on the state polls.

Another book got a lot of buzz today, this one has been out for sometime, and that's Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals". Kearns had written about Lincoln's Cabinet:

Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.

Goodwin described the effectiveness of Lincoln's approach:

Sorely underestimated as both an effective orator and leader, Abraham Lincoln surprised both his colleagues and critics as he rose to political prominence. But what's even more surprising was his ability to surround himself with a coalition of supporters made up almost entirely of men who had been both his political enemies and enemies of each other. Lincoln carefully navigated this "team of rivals" to achieve not only political success, but also victory in the Civil War. Could Obama be taking a page out of Lincoln's playbook??

This all came on the rumors of potential candidates for Secretary of State. Both Governor Bill Richardson and Senator Hillary Clinton have traveled to Chicago to meet with President-Elect Obama, officials on both sides have leaked word that they are strong contenders to be appointed SoS.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President-elect Barack Obama is considering primary election rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Richardson to be his secretary of state, according to Democratic officials who revealed his secret meetings with both as he weighed the decision on folding former foes into his new administration.

News also came out that John McCain is set to meet with President Elect Obama on Monday - oh to be a fly on the wall of that meeting!

McCain: "Please sir - can I have some more?"

This weekend was quite the blow for McCain. First, Colin Powell announces his endorsement for Barack Obama. Then he learns that the Obama Campaign had raised $150 MM in donations. Then we find out that McCain has apparently send a Fundraising Letter to Vitaly Churkin, the Russian UN Ambassador, asking for a contribution to the McCain Victory Fund

This is really quite sad, McCain is reduced to begging campaign funds from the Russians! Naturally, the response back was a big "nyet"!

"Russia officials, the permanent mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations or the Russian government do not finance political activity in foreign countries,'' Russia's mission to the UN said in a statement about the letter, which was addressed to Vitaly Churkin, the Russian ambassador.

So whatever happened to the "We are all Georgians now" ?? Did John McCain throw them under the bus in his quest for the Presidency?

Of course Presidential Campaigns are barred from accepting foreign contributions. If this was a mistake,it's one stupid mistake. How on earth could the Russian Ambassador's address have made it into a contributor database?

Palin Snubbed by the Bush Administration

This was just too funny not to post on.

Given the intense negotiations on the Iraqi agreements that are currently underway, Secretary Gates and Secretary Rice thought it appropriate to update the Presidential Candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, they also informed Joe Biden. Noticeably missing was the other VP candidate - Sarah Palin.

At a press conference at the State Department, Sean McCormack was asked by reporters regarding Palin.

Q: You called Senator Biden, you called McCain. Did you also call Governor Palin?

McCORMACK: No. If you hadn’t noticed, she’s a governor. Not a senator or a congressman.

Q: She’s a vice presidential candidate.

McCORMACK: Right.

Q: She also has extensive foreign affairs experience. (LAUGHTER)

McCORMACK: Right. I explained to you the reasoning behind the phone call.

Q: Maybe if this has to do with Russia, you would have called her.

So let's get this straight, they haven't bothered to update the VP Candidate on the Campaign Strategy about pulling out of Michigan, and they don't bother to bring her up to speed on the Iraqi War Negotiations.

A small part of me feels a little bad for Palin, and how her career is most likely ruined, as she has now been characterized as a cartoonish, pathetic politician - worse than Dan Quayle. McCain brought her up to the big leagues way too soon. But then the feeling goes away pretty quick when she opens her mouth.

Obama Kicking A$$ in St. Louis - Saturday Open Post

Saturday, 2:15 pm

I have to say I am exhausted. I can't wait until the election is OVER and Barack Obama becomes the 44th POTUS. I am swamped at work, and this election news and blogging is not helping me.

Today, Barack Obama is in St. Louis with a crowd of approximately 100,000!!!

Of course McCain's Campaign would just say that this is clear evidence of Obama being in "Anti-American" locations vs "Pro-American" places.

Witness Nancy Pfotenhauer's big mouth (is anyone else creeped out by her constant smiling? I swear she's like one of those Austin Powers "Fembots", all of McCain's female surrogates are like that - they have these creepy smiles) saying how Northern Virginia is not part of "real Virginia".



Right... It's not enough for them to separate America into Red States vs Blue States. No they have to separate even States between Pro-America and Anti-America (or as John McCain's brother puts it Commie Country)

So would this apply to Roanoake and Virginia Beach? Home to major Virginia Military bases that is projected to go for Obama? Are they a bunch of commies too?

Saturday, 3:15 pm

Now I've got to get back to work that I am behind on darn it! I've got to earn my paycheck so I can continue to donate to the DNC.

It is my patriotic mission in life to ensure that these politicians, in particular, never attain office again:

1. Sarah Palin (AK) - For trying to create an American "Taliban" nation
2. Saxby Chambliss (GA) - For beating out disabled Vietnam Veteran Max Cleland, a 3 time amputee through vicious smears.
   
3. Peter Roskham (IL) - For beating out Iraqi Veteran Tammy Duckworth, who is a decorated Officer who lost her limbs in service through vicious smears.
4. Michelle Bachmann (MN) - McCarthyistic skirt wearing politician who wants to turn America into another "Taliban". She's also a Bush 43 stalking fan. Witness her intense desire to kiss him at the SOTU. Literally she wouldn't let go, until she got to kiss him. Creepy!
   
5. Eric Cantor (VA) - For just being an idiot and who risked America sliding into financial meltdown by whining about Nancy Pelosi being mean.
6. Roy Blunt (OH) - Racist Idiot who would suppress votes.
   
7. George Voinovich (OH) - Racist Idiot who would suppress votes. Maybe they should just move to Zimbawe. They do a lot of that kind of thing there I hear.
8. Lynn Westmoreland (GA) - Racist Idiot who doesn't know the 10 Commandments
   

This business with ACORN and the risk to stuffing ballots is PURE BS. Yes there are some minor problems with false voter registration cards being collected, BUT ACORN pulls out those false registration before submitting to the State Elections board. Further more 20 Tony Romos would not be processed because of lack of proper data. Voter caging, voting intimidation, and suppression however is un-democratic, immoral, and illegal. All of these tactics to scare the public about voter fraud is like crying fire in a crowded theater.

The Ohio GOP would have you believe that because some overworked data entry person who accidently mistyped your name as Joe Wurtzelbacher vs Joseph S. Wurtzelbacher, that it should be grounds for removing you as a voter. If you do exact comparison matches Joe vs Joseph is not the same thing.

Every vote should count, regardless of who that vote is for. If John McCain garners the most vote, fair and square, I will accept that. But I would hate to think that the GOP thinks that they can only win by cheating and scaring away voters.

Here's the thing, leaving Iraq doesn't dishonor the men and women who fought to bring democracy to Iraq. Making a mockery of our democratic process dishonors the more than 4,500 troops who have lost their lives.

Rachel Maddow (my favorite lesbian, Rhodes Scholar Political Pundit) quoted:

We need to make sure our democracy stays vibrant, law abiding and respectful. In some respects we are a beacon for the world. As much as the Constitution has done for us, the American democratic example can do for the world.

Focusing on the Middle Class and yes "Joe the Plumber"

I've posted before on the tax policy comparison of John McCain and Barack Obama, but this chart really does provide a stark contrast between the two candidates. This information comes from the Brookings Institute Tax Policy Center:


During the debate on Wednesday, the Joe the Plumber became an overnight sensation. What's ironic is that in all this hoopla about Joe the Plumber, he would actually benefit MORE from Barack Obama than John McCain. This is what I call "cutting off one's nose to spite the face".

Unfortunately, Joe found out the hard way that 15 minutes of fame can come with it's own problems. Initially everyone was tickled by this Joe the Plumber character, until they found out that a) He was not really a licensed Plumber b) He made only $40,000 a year c) He wasn't truly an undecided voter.

The Daily Show as always has a very satiric view of the Media frenzy and the comedy surrounding Joe the Plumber.

Comedic Candidates

At the Alfred E. Smith Dinner, a time honored tradition of 63 years, they had a comedy/charity dinner where both John McCain and Barack Obama attended. They both gave hilarious comedic speeches with self-deprecating humor, not only on themselves, but on each other.

It was really nice to see the John McCain of 2000 again. Towards the end of his speech, he gave a very gracious recognition of Senator Obama's historical candidacy, at the same time wrapping up with humor.

Here are just a few excerpts from John McCain's speech:

I don't want it getting out of this room, but my opponent is an impressive fellow in many ways. Political opponents can have a little trouble seeing the best in each other. But I've had a few glimpses of this man at his best and I admire his great skill, energy and determination. It's not for nothing that he's inspired so many folks in his own party and beyond.

Senator Obama talks about making history. And he's made quite a bit of it already. There was a time when the mere invitation of an African-American citizen to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage and an insult in many quarters. Today, it's a world away from the crude and prideful bigotry of that time. And good riddance. I can't wish my opponent luck, but I do wish him well.

Whatever the outcome next month, Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country and I congratulate him.

Now, a copy of the senator's comedy routine was left on the table this evening. And I have to confess, Your Eminence, I looked at it. Now, of course, it would be unfair -- and even a little unkind -- to put my opponent on the spot before he gets up here or to throw him off his game with unreasonably high expectations. But I do need to warn you, ladies and gentlemen, you all are about to witness the funniest performance in history.

In the 63-year history of this event...let's not add to the mounting pressure he must be feeling. Just prepare yourself for nonstop hilarity...the funniest 15 minutes of your life or any other. I think he knows that anything short of that would mar the evening, insult our hosts...and perhaps even cost him several swing states.

Then it was Barack Obama's turn:

I was thrilled to get this invitation and I feel right at home here because it's often been said that I share the politics of Alfred E. Smith and the ears of Alfred E. Neumann.

But I have to say tonight's venue isn't really what I'm used to. I was originally told we'd be able to move this outdoors to Yankee Stadium, and -- can somebody tell me what happened to the Greek Columns that I requested?

Americans have a big choice to make, and if anybody feels like they don't know me by now, let me try to give you some answers. Who is Barack Obama?

Contrary to the rumors you have heard, I was not born in a manger. I was actually born on Krypton and sent here by my father Jorel to save the Planet Earth. Many of you -- many of you know that I got my name, Barack, from my father. What you may not know is Barack is actually Swahili for "That One."

And I got my middle name from somebody who obviously didn't think I'd ever run for president.... But in the spirit of full disclosure, there are a few October surprises you'll be finding out about in the coming weeks. First of all, my middle name is not what you think. It's actually Steve. That's right. Barack Steve Obama.

Then at one of these campaign rallies, someone in the crowd started yelling, No-Bama, announcing to everyone in the room that I shouldn't be the Democratic nominee because there were far more qualified candidates.

I really wish Joe Biden hadn't done that.

But in all seriousness, I'm so glad that I could make it tonight, and I'm honored to be among such wonderful public servants. I want to especially say a word of thanks to Senator McCain. We are in the midst of a tough battle right now, and American politics at the presidential level is always tough. But I've said before, and I think it bears repeating, that there are very few of us who have served this country with the same dedication and honor and distinction as Senator McCain. And I'm glad to be sharing this space with him tonight, as I am during the course of this nomination.

Obama's Speech:



Obama's Closing remarks:


McCain's Speech:



McCain's closing remarks:

Obama Wins Last Presidential Debate

Well the Insta-polls have come in and again it looks like an overwhelming win for Obama!


Things that the viewers who were watching didn't like - McCain's response on Education, Abortion (McCain lost female voters here), and the constant dragging conversation on Ayers.

Obama gave a very eloquent response on the topic of Abortion. I was really irritated by John McCain's patronizing "finger quotes" around the concern of the mother's health as it relates to late term abortions.

It quite frankly angers me that this hypocritical party that shouts for independence, free rights for guns, and reducing government intrusion would dare tell me what to do with my own body, and make decisions on my health. McCain cavalierly dismisses women's preferences and their health by saying to women "You have no choice, you must have this baby even if your life is in danger".




This is a right already guaranteed by the Constitution, this is NOT something that liberal politicians want to implement. It's already existing!

Viewers definitely preferred Obama's responses regarding Health Care. McCain's "deer-in-headlights" was very amusing when Obama shot back that Joe-the-plumber would pay $0 in fine. McCain was clearly caught off guard.





Biggest problem for McCain is that it is now Oct 15th, and there is less than 20 days until the Election. Early voting has already begun, with Obama picking up a majority of the early votes.


McCain has failed to make the case that Obama is a risky candidate, as he lurched from attacks on Ayer and ACORN to the economy.

McCain was definitely coming off as angry and I was really hoping for that "A Few Good Men" moment - you know what I mean "You can't handle the truth!"

He was definitely in danger of losing it. His constant interrupting and smirks were definitely starting to grate on my nerves. And from the looks of things, it was also grating to those necessary Independent Voters, who McCain just lost!

When did "Arab" become a dirty word?

Recall that recently at a McCain Rally:

Woman at rally: I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab.

Sen. John McCain: No ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That's what this campaign is all about. He's not, thank you.

Campbell Brown cuts through the "bull" on CNN, and she rightly asks the question - "So what if Barack Obama were an Arab?"

So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?

When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?

I feel like I am stating the obvious here, but apparently it needs to be said: There is a difference between radical Muslims who support jihad against America and Muslims who want to practice their religion freely and have normal lives like anyone else. There are more than 1.2 million Arab-Americans and about 7 million Muslim-Americans, former Cabinet secretaries, members of Congress, successful business people, normal average Americans from all walks of life.

McCain's response doesn't do enough to correct the impression that Arab or muslims are decent people. Just because are some muslim terrorists, doesn't mean that ALL MUSLIMS are terrorists. That's like saying that because some white people are racists, then ALL white people are racists.

But in case it's still difficult to understand this concept, John Stewart and Aasif Mandvi helps us to see how ridiculous the "fear" and pride in ignorance that some of the right win McCain Supporters espouse over Obama being a "muslim".



Arab Americans have served our country in many areas. Here are just a few examples of Arab Americans who have served in the Military, Politics, and Journalism

You talk about courage … How about America’s and the world’s first jet ace? He was the Korean War hero, U.S. Air Force Col. James Jabara. In World War II, Army officers like Maj. Gen. Fred Safay fought alongside Gen. Patton, and Brig. Gen. Elias Stevens served on Gen. Eisenhower’s staff.

And in 1944, one of our Navy’s ships, the destroyer escort USS Naifeh, was named in honor of an Arab American hero, Navy Lt. Alfred Naifeh of Oklahoma. Retired Brigadier General James J. David served as Company Commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. More recently, West Point graduate and retired four-star Gen. George Joulwan was the NATO Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, where he commanded both European and U.S. troops. Brig. Gen. William J. Jabour is the Director of the Air Force Program Executive Office for Fighter and Bomber programs in charge of the F-22 System Program Office (SPO). General John Abizaid is head of U.S. Central Command in Iraq.

The first Arab American ever appointed to a Cabinet secretary post was Donna Shalala, the nation’s longest serving Secretary of Health and Human Services, and now president of the University of Miami. Former Governor of New Hampshire John H. Sununu became the White House Chief of Staff under Pres. George Bush, Sr., and later a political commentator on CNN. America’s longest-serving White House Chief of Protocol, serving seven-and-a-half years under President Reagan, was Ambassador Selwa Roosevelt. Thomas Nassif and Edward Gabriel both served as U.S. Ambassador to Morocco. Our Ambassador to Syria was Theodore Kattouf, and Marcelle Wahba was Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. The late ambassador Philip C. Habib served as Special Presidential Envoy to the Middle East and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Feisty Helen Thomas, who served for 57 years as a correspondent for United Press International and was dean of the White House press corps, is a Hearst newspaper syndicated columnist.

http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/23/famous-arab-americans

Winners & Losers

A lot happened on Monday, October 13th. We have a veritable plethora of Winners and Losers!

Winners

1. Paul Krugman
Congratulations to Mr. Krugman for winning the Nobel Prize! He was awarded this prize based on his work in International trade modeling.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/business/economy/14econ.html?scp=4&sq=Krugman&st=cse

2. The American Tax Payer (sort of)
Why? Because instead of the "better than doing nothing" plan of the $700 Billion bailout plan that was originally proposed by Paulson and Bernanke, they finally have seen the light and have proposed a much better plan to inject capital into the banks and allow the Government to gain equity into the banks. To some die-hard Reagan conservatives out there it's almost like Halloween came early - yes we are semi-nationalizing private firms, life as we know it has ended, cats and dogs are marrying, etc.

However, this is along the same lines as what the Swedish Government did when they faced a similar situation. Both Brad Delong and Paul Krugman give their approval!

Krugman:

The United States should have been in a much stronger position. And when Mr. Paulson announced his plan for a huge bailout, there was a temporary surge of optimism. But it soon became clear that the plan suffered from a fatal lack of intellectual clarity. Mr. Paulson proposed buying $700 billion worth of “troubled assets” — toxic mortgage-related securities — from banks, but he was never able to explain why this would resolve the crisis.

What he should have proposed instead, many economists agree, was direct injection of capital into financial firms: The U.S. government would provide financial institutions with the capital they need to do business, thereby halting the downward spiral, in return for partial ownership. When Congress modified the Paulson plan, it introduced provisions that made such a capital injection possible, but not mandatory. And until two days ago, Mr. Paulson remained resolutely opposed to doing the right thing.

Brad Delong was an ardent proponent of this solution since the Lehman Crisis first started this Financial Meltdown.

Now it's time to go back to three principles. There are three options:

• Do nothing.
• Bailout (a la Paulson)
• Nationalization (a la Sweden 1992)

Do nothing was last tried in 1929-1932. The result was called the Great Depression. Let's not do that again. Let's decide between bailout and nationalization.

Nationalization has the best chance of avoiding large losses and possibly even making money for the taxpayer. And it is the best way to deal with the moral hazard problem.

http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2008/09/time-not-for-a.html

However, I was in doubts whether politically this would happen, as I would have thought Republicans would have gone bonkers over this proposal. We saw already what happened when the first vote came up with regards to the bailout. I guess Paulson realized that in a serious situation, ideology needs to go out the window in favor of pragmatism?

Losers

1. William Kristol
This man is the epitome of a bloviator. There are some intellectual conservative columnists that I can respect - like David Brooks. But if there was a Nobel Prize for writing journalistic nonsense, it would be William Kristol.

Regard his latest example, in yesterday's Op-Ed Column, he had this to say:

It’s time for John McCain to fire his campaign. He has nothing to lose. His campaign is totally overmatched by Obama’s. The Obama team is well organized, flush with resources, and the candidate and the campaign are in sync. The McCain campaign, once merely problematic, is now close to being out-and-out dysfunctional. Its combination of strategic incoherence and operational incompetence has become toxic. If the race continues over the next three weeks to be a conventional one, McCain is doomed.

What McCain needs to do is junk the whole thing and start over. Shut down the rapid responses, end the frantic e-mails, bench the spinning surrogates, stop putting up new TV and Internet ads every minute. In fact, pull all the ads — they’re doing no good anyway. Use that money for televised town halls and half-hour addresses in prime time.

With friends like this, McCain & Palin do not need any enemies. I sometimes wonder in just what reality does Kristol live in? Does he not get that if McCain were to fire his campaign staff less than 20 days before an Election, that he would look even MORE erratic? Moreover, he advises them to stop advterising, when he was the one advising them last week to go full on negative with the whole Ayers and Reverand Wright bit.

I will give Kristol his due, McCain's Campaign Managers, who might be successful lobbyists, are certainly terrible as campaign managers. They should be fired, but let's face it, it starts with leadership at the top.

In his first paragraph, Kristol points out exactly why Obama will win this year's election. It is due to the fact that Obama has been able to successfully lead his campaign and provide a clear message with his team, that he was able to win against Hillary Clinton. McCain is in just as much trouble, his campaign has been poorly managed, with no clear cut strategy, and does not have a winning message that has been able to successfully connect with the American Voters.

Hillary couldn't lead her own campaign team, how could we have expected her to lead a country? The same goes for John McCain. He can't even manage his VP Candidate to help as opposed to hurt his ticket.

Normally I don't like to call people names, because it's just not nice. But with Kristol, there is just no other word to describe him, other than "douchebag". I think we can safely say that no one will be hiring Mr. Kristol as a campaign manager any time soon.


2. Sarah Palin

The sheer boldness of Sarah Palin never ceases to amaze me. The report on "Troopergate" came out on Friday, and the Independent Investigator reports:

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 2952.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 2952.110(a) provides

“The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.”

She then has the "chutzpah" to say she has been cleared of any wrong doing!

While Sarah Palin was boarding her campaign bus this morning, a reporter seeking comment on the new Troopergate report shouted out to her, “Governor, did you abuse your power?” She responded:

If you read the report, you’ll see that there’s nothing unlawful or unethical about replacing a cabinet member. You’ve got to read the report, sir.

In what reality is she living in?

3. John McCain

I am starting to feel bad for him. He has incompetent campaign managers, a VP from hell, and a republican base that he actually doesn't like. It's been no secret that he has always been at odds against the Religious Fundamental base such as Dobbs and the American Family Foundation. But because of Palin, that's pretty much all he has been able to excite. His negative attack ads and his selection of Palin, as a completely unqualified VP, has totally turned off Intellectual Republicans and Independents. When you've lost Peggy Noonan, it's not a good sign, if you are a Republican:

"Obama seems older in a way," said the former Ronald Reagan speechwriter. "McCain has seemed herky-jerky. Obama has seemed like the older, steadier fellow since the economic crisis began."

"Her performance from day one mattered. What the American people saw over the period of five or six weeks, it has been very up and down. From an unveiling that gave rise to questions to a very strong convention speech, to interviews that were disastrous, to a debate in which she came back very strong, to now, ten days on the campaign trail, where I think it is fair to say: that didn't work."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/13/noonan-york-toobin-and-ot_n_134263.html

Scientists for Obama

I don't know why, but for some reason McCain and Palin are against science. They seem to delight in not knowing anything or mocking knowledge.

Case in point, in the first Presidential Debate

McCain: Well, the first thing we have to do is get spending under control in Washington. It's completely out of control. It's gone -- we have now presided over the largest increase in the size of government since the Great Society.

You know, we spent $3 million to study the DNA of bears in Montana. I don't know if that was a criminal issue or a paternal issue, but the fact is that it was $3 million of our taxpayers' money. And it has got to be brought under control.

As president of the United States, I want to assure you, I've got a pen. This one's kind of old. I've got a pen, and I'm going to veto every single spending bill that comes across my desk. I will make them famous. You will know their names.

What I find amusing is that, even though he rails against this bill, he ended up voting for it!

Secondly, he is making fun of a funding for a scientific study, that was looking at the potential for grizzly bears to be extinct. I would say that's pretty important study, and not a frivolous expenditure as McCain would like to paint it.

In the second presidential debate, McCain went at it again:

McCain: Do you know that Sen. Obama has voted for -- is proposing $860 billion of new spending now? New spending. Do you know that he voted for every increase in spending that I saw come across the floor of the United States Senate while we were working to eliminate these pork barrel earmarks?

He voted for nearly a billion dollars in pork barrel earmark projects, including, by the way, $3 million for an overhead projector at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend that kind of money?

Again, McCain falsely conveys the idea that Obama voted for an expensive Infocus (TM) Machine or some kind of AV equipment.

McCain's idiotic attack and ignorance was highlighted by Andrey Kravtsov, a professor of Astronomy at the University of Chicago.

The way Sen. McCain has phrased it suggests that Sen. Obama approved spending $3 million on an old-fashioned piece of office equipment (overhead projector).
The 3 million is actually for an upgrade of the SkyTheater - a full dome projection system, which is probably the main attraction of the Adler Planetarium and is quite sophisticated and impressive piece of equipment.

I find it appalling that Sen. McCain would call a science education tool for public (largely children) for a historic planetarium with millions of visitors a year a wasteful earmark. The planetarium's focus, as stated on their website (http://adlerplanetarium.org) is "on inspiring young people, particularly women and minorities, to pursue careers in science." Is an investment in such public facility at the time when US competitiveness in math and sciences is a constant source of alarm a waste?

Is it no wonder that Obama received an endorsement from 61 Nobel Laureates Scientists.

An Open Letter to the American People

This year’s presidential election is among the most significant in our nation’s history. The country urgently needs a visionary leader who can ensure the future of our traditional strengths in science and technology and who can harness those strengths to address many of our greatest problems: energy, disease, climate change, security, and economic competitiveness.

We are convinced that Senator Barack Obama is such a leader, and we urge you to join us in supporting him.

During the administration of George W. Bush, vital parts of our country’s scientific enterprise have been damaged by stagnant or declining federal support. The government’s scientific advisory process has been distorted by political considerations. As a result, our once dominant position in the scientific world has been shaken and our prosperity has been placed at risk. We have lost time critical for the development of new ways to provide energy, treat disease, reverse climate change, strengthen our security, and improve our economy.

We have watched Senator Obama’s approach to these issues with admiration. We especially applaud his emphasis during the campaign on the power of science and technology to enhance our nation’s competitiveness. In particular, we support the measures he plans to take – through new initiatives in education and training, expanded research funding, an unbiased process for obtaining scientific advice, and an appropriate balance of basic and applied research – to meet the nation’s and the world’s most urgent needs.

Senator Obama understands that Presidential leadership and federal investments in science and technology are crucial elements in successful governance of the world’s leading country. We hope you will join us as we work together to ensure his election in November.

Monty Python - Witches

The video of this low information voter who was convinced that Obama was an Arab, and how she was scared of him, reminded me of the scene about witches in the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".




Is it too much to ask that if people want to vote, that they at least be informed voters? Or am I being too elitist again?

Israelis for Obama

McCain and Palin have signaled their intention to go despicably negative. They are playing the "association" game where they try and instill fear in voters. Their latest attack pathetically attempts to link Obama to William Ayers, a mild mannered professor at the University of Chicago.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/us/politics/04ayers.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin

They happened to serve on the same education reform board, but because Ayers once belonged to a radical domestic terrorist group in the 60's, a time when Obama was only 8 years old, they are trying to link Obama to a terrorist. All this, despite the fact that the NY Times has reported on this, and have concluded there is no substance to any real relationship between Obama and Ayers.

They slyly try to emphasize that because Obama's middle name is "Hussein" that he is a terrorist in voter's mind. I would hope that voters are not that stupid, and that they can see through the lies and the dishonorable political gimmick that the McCain Campaign is running.

Of course to counter this negative and sleazy atmosphere coming from the McCain Campaign, I have to refer to this amazing video that again spreads the positive message that Obama's campaign has been able to spread. a message of hope and support from the people of Israel.

I can only hope this video is going viral in Florida!




It's clear that the Israelis see Obama as the best candidate and hope for America and the Middle East Peace Process.

Economists for Obama

America is worried about the ever deepening slide into a recession, and rightly so. So when it comes to the economy, which candidate do the experts feel will be better qualified to handle the crisis?

http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12342127

In "The Economist" magazine mailed 683 economists a questionnaire to get their opinions on the two candidates.

A total of 142 responded, of whom 46% identified themselves as Democrats, 10% as Republicans and 44% as neither. This skewed party breakdown may reflect academia’s Democratic tilt, or possibly Democrats’ greater propensity to respond. Still, even if we exclude respondents with a party identification, Mr Obama retains a strong edge—though the McCain campaign should be buoyed by the fact that 530 economists have signed a statement endorsing his plans.

The results regardless of party affiliation paints a startling picture.

“John McCain has professed disdain for ‘so-called economists’, and for some the feeling has become mutual,” says Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management. “Obama’s team is mainstream and non-ideological but extremely talented.”

What was also an interesting observation was the opinion around George Bush's performance in handling the economy:

Either way, according to the economists, it would be difficult to do much worse than George Bush. The respondents give Mr Bush a dismal average of 1.7 on our five-point scale for his economic management. Eighty-two per cent thought Mr Bush’s record was bad or very bad; only 1% thought it was very good.

The Democrats were overwhelmingly negative, but nearly every respondent viewed Mr Bush’s record unfavourably. Half of Republican respondents thought Mr Bush deserves only a 2. “The minimum rating of one severely overestimates the quality of Bush’s economic policies,” says one non-aligned economist.

Lesson Don't Screw with Letterman

Ever since John McCain canceled his appearance and lied to Letterman about his cancellation, Letterman has been mocking John McCain for 6 nights. My feeling about David Letterman is ambivalent. He seems funny, but I admit sometimes he can go too far with his jokes. I keep thinking of that episode on Seinfeld, where George learns to stop before telling one joke too many, leaving at the top of his game.

Although, honestly, I can't help but be secretly amused how tightly Letterman is putting the screws to McCain.

John McCain probably has learned his lesson that if he is going to cancel on Letterman - be honest!





Letterman's interview with Brian Williams was also very funny.

Brian Williams Part 1:




Brian Williams Part 2:

McCain in Retreat

It looks like McCain has seen the writing on the wall in Michigan, a state heavily dependent on the economy and the health of the Auto Industry.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1008/McCain_pulling_out_of_Michigan.html?showall

John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states, including Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida. Wisconsin went for Kerry in 2004, Ohio and Florida for Bush.

A McCain aide confirmed the move and chalked it up to the state's Democratic tilt and the resources Obama had put in place there.

"It was always a long shot for us to win," said the aide.

McCain will now turn his attention to bolstering his defenses in Ohio and Florida while putting more resources into Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and the second congressional district of Maine, where there is a sole electoral vote available.

The latest polls are causing a MAJOR problem for McCain, and the news is that the Campaign is full freakout mode. What's even more interesting is that McCain is having to defend traditional Red States like Virginia and Missouri! McCain may put more focus on Pennsylvania, however the Democratic registration numbers and Obama's grass roots effort makes that very unlikely. If Obama wins Florida, there is NO way for McCain to win without Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Virginia.

However, given the performance in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Florida, it will be virtually impossible for McCain to win. I think Ohio is still somewhat of a toss-up. It will depend on how "racist" voters are in Ohio.

HOUSE FAILS ECONOMIC RESCUE PLAN

Today in a stunning defeat of HR 3997 - the famous Paulson $700 Billion dollar rescue plan - we saw clear proof of loss of leadership of George Bush and John McCain.

This led to the DOW dropping 777 points !



The final vote came down as follows





The Republicans immediately put out their childish statement by resident idiot Eric Cantor (R) from Virginia:

"Right here is the reason I believe why this vote failed," Cantor said, "and this is Speaker Pelosi's speech that frankly struck the tone of partisanship that frankly was inappropriate in this discussion."

This astounds me as the most ridiculous statement that demonstrates a clear lack of accountability and responsibility!

Barney Frank (D) NY summed it up best:

"Because somebody hurt their feelings, they decided to punish the country."

"Give me those twelve people's names, and I will go talk uncharacteristically nicely to them, and tell them what wonderful people they are, and maybe they'll think about the country."

Let's be honest here, they didn't have the votes because they put their own jobs and political ideology on the line. They are cowards, because they knew that they would be voted out of office if they voted for this measure.

We are already seeing credit impacts with two European Banks failing - Belgium's Fortis and Britains B&B banks have both been nationalized.

Only time will reveal the full impact. My personal opinion is that this was a BIG mistake by the House Republicans.

Biggest Loser is John McCain, given his political gimmick of going to Washington DC last week to "rescue" the bailout plan

From the NY Times:

Senator John McCain had intended to ride back into Washington on Thursday as a leader who had put aside presidential politics to help broker a solution to the financial crisis. Instead he found himself in the midst of a remarkable partisan showdown, lacking a clear public message for how to bring it to an end.
At the bipartisan White House meeting that Mr. McCain had called for a day earlier, he sat silently for more than 40 minutes, more observer than leader, and then offered only a vague sense of where he stood, said people in the meeting.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/26/AR2008092603957_pf.html

From the Washington Post, Jonathan Weisman provides an insiders look into what happened in that meeting:

Pelosi said Obama would speak for the Democrats. Though later he would pepper Paulson with questions, according to a Republican in the room, his initial point was brief: "We've got to get something done."
Bush turned to McCain, who joked, "The longer I am around here, the more I respect seniority." McCain then turned to Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to speak first.

Boehner was blunt. The plan Paulson laid out would not win the support of the vast majority of House Republicans. It had been improved on the edges, with an oversight board and caps on the compensation of participating executives. But it had to be changed at the core. He did not mention the insurance alternative, but Democrats did. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, pressed Boehner hard, asking him if he really intended to scrap the deal and start again.

No, Boehner replied, he just wanted his members to have a voice. Obama then jumped in to turn the question on his rival: "What do you think of the [insurance] plan, John?" he asked repeatedly. McCain did not answer.

One Republican in the room said it was clear that the Democrats came into the meeting with a "game plan" aimed at forcing McCain to choose between the administration and House Republicans. "They had taken McCain's request for a meeting and trumped it," said this source.

Congressional aides from both parties were standing in the lobby of the West Wing, unaware of the discord inside the Cabinet room, when McCain emerged alone, shook the hands of the Marines at the door and left. The aides were baffled. The plan had been for a bipartisan appearance before the media, featuring McCain, Obama and at least a firm statement in favor of intervention. Now, one of the leading men was gone.

This play at leadership by John McCain was clearly not there. McCain will probably lose politically from his gamble, and as we all know, McCain loves to gamble.

Obama Wins 1st Presidential Debate

Last night, 57 million Americans tuned into the debate. One of the biggest questions was whether or not John McCain would actually show up. McCain had created some drama when he "temporarily suspended" his campaign on Wednesday evening, in order to go to Washington to lead the financial crisis resolution concerning the bailout. He had canceled his appearance on David Letterman, which ended up being a huge mistake. Letterman mocked McCain's "urgent" excuse for his cancellation, as McCain ended up not leaving for DC until Thursday afternoon.

Fortunately, McCain did decide to join Barack Obama on stage at "Ole Miss", to debate on what was supposed to cover Foreign Policy. However, given the financial crisis, it was almost certain that Jim Lehrer would ask both candidates regarding their positions on the bailout.

Both candidates got in some shots. McCain was able to force a majority of the economic segment of the debate on earmarks, which quite frankly is not an Economy Policy by any means. Obama was able to demonstrate his judgment and knowledge in Foreign Policy. The winning punch by Obama came on the judgement of the Iraq War.

OBAMA: And so John likes -- John, you like to pretend like the war started in 2007. You talk about the surge. The war started in 2003, and at the time when the war started, you said it was going to be quick and easy. You said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You were wrong.

You said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. You were wrong. You said that there was no history of violence between Shiite and Sunni. And you were wrong. And so my question is...

... of judgment, of whether or not -- of whether or not -- if the question is who is best-equipped as the next president to make good decisions about how we use our military, how we make sure that we are prepared and ready for the next conflict, then I think we can take a look at our judgment.

A majority of political analysts are declaring a tie between the two candidates. But given that Barack Obama is the younger challenger, and supposedly not as experienced on Foreign Policy as John McCain, the win by virtue goes to Obama.

Obama was invoking the spirit of John F. Kennedy Jr., as to the audience of Independents or swing voters, they were reassured on the question of whether or not Obama could be Commander-in-Chief. McCain failed to push his meme that Obama would be a risky choice. and by that failed argument, it's clear that Obama has won the first debate.

In a USA Today/Gallup Poll, the results are also clear that more voters saw Obama as wining the debate, regardless of who they were voting for.


What's more interesting is that more voters had a favorable opinion of Obama's capability as President, than John McCain.

Mavericky McCain

When McCain announced that he would be suspending his Campaign to go back to Washington to lead the Financial Crisis and the vote on the Bailout, it reminded me of this cartoon by Tom Toles of the Washington Post.

McCain thinks he is just being a Maverick, but I don't think he has a clue that he just looks erratic. I think he just doesn't get it, that during a time of crisis, that Americans value stability more than surprises.

Obama had earlier captured a quote from Tom Tole's cartoon where he satirized McCain shouting to the White House:

"Watch out Mr. Bush. With the exception of Economic Policy and Energy Policy and Social Issues and Tax Policy and Foreign Policy and Supreme Court Appointments and Rove Style Politics, we're going to come in there and shake things up".