If You Had Any Doubts the “Attacks” on Palin Were Manufactured Bullshit …
Then observe this chronology.
Early today, John Fund wrote a WSJ op-ed claiming the DNC had "airdropped a mini-army of 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers into Anchorage" to do oppo research. The DNC responded that this was a "flat-out absolute fabrication." Nevertheless, purportedly in response to this secret mini-army of oppo researchers, McCain’s campaign introduced a "Palin truth squad," featuring a mini-army of B-League Republican women to protect their precious Sarah Palin from evil falsehoods.
Problem is, the very first "falsehood" they tried to "rebut" is not, in fact, a falsehood at all.
All: Please join us at 7:00pm ET for a conference call with Gov. Jane Swift, Chair of the Palin Truth Squad, to discuss Barack Obama’s "lipstick on a pig" comments today in Lebanon, VA.
Rather, it is a completely manufactured smear, the McCain campaign claiming that when Barack Obama said of John McCain’s claim to be a maverick that "you can’t put lipstick on a pig:"
Obama poked fun of McCain and Palin’s new "change" mantra.
"You can put lipstick on a pig," he said as the crowd cheered. "It’s still a pig."
"You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It’s still gonna stink."
Of which the McCain campaign’s new "truth squad" claimed Obama was calling Sarah Palin, self-described pitbull in lipstick, a pig.
Christy’s got a run-down of how frequently people like Barack Obama and John McCain use this term–McCain even used it of Hillary Clinton’s health care plan (I understand Hillary’s been known to wear lipstick, too).
And though he propagates the suggestion that listeners might tie Obama’s comment to Palin, Jake Tapper has an otherwise damning descripton of former MA Governor Jane Swift’s pathetic attempt to spin this as an attack on Palin.
And interestingly, the Truth Squad call was full of half-truths and statements that weren’t true at all.
Speaking on behalf of the McCain campaign, former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift tonight flatly stated that Obama had called Palin a pig.
"[T]he formation of the Palin Truth Squad couldn’t have happened too soon, as we saw when Sen. Obama in Lebanon, Va., this evening uttered what I can only deem to be disgraceful comments comparing our vice presidential nominee Gov. Palin to a pig," Swift said.
"Sen. Obama owes Gov. Palin an apology," she said.
Asked why she was so confident Obama was "comparing" Palin to a pig, she said Palin was the only one of the four candidates on both parties’ tickets who wears lipstick.
"She is the only one of the four candidates for president, or the only vice presidential candidate who wears lipstick," Swift said. "I mean, it seemed to me a very gendered comment."
But, Swift added, if "as part of his apology Sen. Obama wants to say, no, he was calling Sen. McCain — who is a true hero in our country — a pig, then I suppose we could wait en masse for an apology to that, as well."
It was pointed out to Swift that, after the line about the pig, Obama had said, "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called ‘change,’ it’s still gonna stink after eight years."
Swift then suggested that Obama was calling McCain a fish.
It continues on, with Jane Swift and her entire menagerie of imagined insults. Really. It’s that stupid.
Nevertheless, McCain’s campaign no doubt believe they can have Jane Swift repeatedly summon her best imitation of outrage and use it to distract reporters from the stories about Governor Palin’s lies.
And they may be right–tune in tomorrow for an inventory of how reporters respond to McCain’s pathetic ploy.
But understand what is going on here. The McCain campaign has staked everything on Sarah Palin and their totally revamped campaign to run as the Maverick reform team. But that’s not going to work if the press continues to call bullshit on her bridge claims–and now her pig claims.
If Sarah Palin is shown to be what she is, a fan of pork and a seemingly gleeful liar, McCain has no campaign left. And that’s why they’ve doubled down on their lies.
Protect the wimmin folk at all costs!
What a paternalistic con job.
Where was Jane NotsoSwift when McCain was offering up his wife to the drunken masses of bikers in Sturgis to be Ms. Buffalo Chip?
Where were these clowns when McCain was introducing a group of highschool students to raunch rapper Daddy Yankee, he of the booty shaking video?
Pathetic.
-G
I can imagine the GOP tactics working on some poor beleaguered White Folks who should know better but don’t. But I find it hard to believe that anyone who is a “minority” or who has any family or friends who are minorities is gonna buy this pandering. Have the polls started to break down the McCain “surge” by race and ethnicity?
Bob in HI
In fairness to Team McCain, it’s very rare for the press to call bullshit on anything, much less for them to repeatedly call bullshit again and again every time the lie is repeated. That’s what really scares me about their current strategy. It’s not so much that they’re just flat-out lying. I’ve come to expect that. It’s not even that they’re flat-out lying when they know that evidence exists that proves that they’re lying, and they know it. What really bothers me is that they’re lying, they KNOW that they’re lying, and they fully expect to get caught lying, and they’re doing it all anyway, for the simple reason that they think that they have a pretty good chance at getting away with it all and winning the election. And they’re probably right. I’d give Obama a 60% chance of winning right now, meaning that I think he’ll probably win it, but it could very easily go the other way. People who lie with impunity and pay no price for it will continue to lie with impunity.
Fully agree.
At lunch, I saw interview with Ohio registered democrats on CNBC. One after another was saying they were Christian, and openly questioning Obama’s muslim allegiance… all memes and whisper campaigns put out like water from a firehose, and sticking.
Just like w/Kerry in ‘04. And Gore in 2k. And it turned out just like you said.
I’ve been canvasing for Tom Udall here, in the process asking about dem allegiances amongst professed Udall supporters. In heart of Udall’s most supportive areas of ABQ, I’m finding a lot of ‘em repeating all these memses… expressing doubt about these whisper campaigns. To put it bluntly, many many dems here take these things seriously.
Frank’s comment looks about right to me: this shit works, and McCain’s fully adopted the script. In McCain “we stand for the right change, they stand for the same old (…)” speach I heard on this same CNBC mid-day wrapup, his entire 5 min. oratory was read from a paper in his hand… hardly looking up. It wasn’t just scrpted, it was a script. And he didn’t take his eyes of it.
I think Obama looks weak with this talk. I think all this Palin stuff has pulled him off message, and I think he’s caught in the spiral… feeding the beast.
I also think he’s made big policy mistakes compounding this. His speach in Israel, his tough talk (same as McCain’s) against Russia, and his support of fed’s F&F takeover… no distinction from McCain whatsoever. And all very much bellweather issues which, I’m sorry to say, he’s wrong on.
And on the right side of each of these is an argument that will resonate. It will resonate because it measures & contrasts everything that constitutes GWB’s 20% approval ratings, and everything in which McCain is waist deep.
This is a loser for Obama, and personally, act III (after 2k/04) of simply reviewing the day’s lies and getting pissed about it is a little too much deja vu for me. As Frank described, the intensity and breadth seems to me to be 1000 points of swiftboating. Like in McCain’s mind the “surge” fixed everything, adopting swiftboating model applied to a carpet-bombing campaign strategy does likewise.
I want to hear Obama declare what he stands for. He really needs to clarify that in my mind, and he needs to do it fast. I’m not so sure he’s up to the task… looking a bit like a flailing, swift-boated Kerry.
I’m close to accepting that, if McCain sells Palin to a White House victory, then US citizenry is not just media bamboozled they are the dumbest “advanced” country on the planet. And they’ll deserve that they get. Fool me once, fool me twice, fool me thrice… it’s becoming a habit.
Intelligent conversation that means something, especially in a time of crisis which US is in economically/socially and every other which way, seems like something the US is not capable of having.
I agree that FrankProbst nailed some key issues, but this:
is a gem.
Remarks like, ‘Obama is a Muslim’ is generally code for, “I’m too embarrassed and ashamed to admit — even to myself — that I don’t want to vote for a black man’. It a form of self-deception.
Palin looks like a ticking time bomb, and the McCain campaign is scared; the Truth Squad phoniness is overkill. They can’t get her off the ticket, so their only hope is to attack anyone who can reveal her as the fraud she almost certainly is.
If only some news outlet would spend some time asking the 5 million Iraqi refugees if the “surge” worked. Or ask the families of the over 1 million Iraqi people who have lost their lives as a direct result of our illegal invasion.
The Bush administrations “surge” was a purge.
the fraud she “almost” certainly is???
you harbor a shred of a doubt??
Does that mean they’ll end up attacking Palin herself after she is interviewed or othewise talks?
The surest way of revealing your stupidity is to open your mouth and talk.
You’ve said it yourself, don’t be fooled again — vote for Obama-Biden!
The repubs have people who can get that crap out there. Sure it’s stupid, but it’s out there, and eventually something will stick. Where in heck is the dem equivalent?
Dems have two things going for them: good looks and humor. Well, at least that’s to get you looking & listening.
Seriously, Dems use the Truth and occasionally break out in wildly silly humor about pigs, lipstick and John McCain.
While the world waits with baited breath to see if we make the right choice and while our candidates let everybody know they know the issues and the seriousness of fixing them quickly the Republicans bring us Maverick McCain P.O.W., Sarah Palin the secessionist barracuda and lipstick pigs.
This ought to be easy enough for the American public to figure out.
It doesn’t matter how many politicians have used the term or how often they’ve used it. That Obama used it within a few days of Palin’s remark about a pit bull in lipstick made the connection click in listeners’ minds, whether he meant that to happen or not. When I read a report that he’d said that (with no context provided by the poster), I immediately thought of the Palin comment and realized Obama had goofed. For those who’ll have a negative reaction to his comment, also not hearing it in context, the damage is done and now the fuss being made about it will simply give this thing a longer shelf life and ensure that more and more people will hear it. To dismiss it as just an old expression, as Obama has done, will not undo the damage. I realize that mine is not a very popular opinion, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Is it safe to call them the idiot brigade?
Isn’t it a cliché in movies to project onto others what was meant for them? For comic effect? It’s definitely a comic moment in this instance.
feh, why wait:
Ben Smith – Not !
Ambinder – False !
Tapper – using McCain’s lipstick remark of HRC against him
Melber – Pig Ploy
MSRNC – “ploy, “weak gambit”
heckuva . . .
Thanks, cbl!
Don’t forget Hannity’s attempt to get Huck to buy his pig lipstick.
Deos the McCain campaign ever speak truthfully (not truthily) about anything?
Let me get this straight. If someone uses a personal attack on Obama as a thinly veiled ploy to exploit fears (as has been done by McShame; e.g. commercial showing young white women fawning over Obama) and Obama calls it a racial slur then Obama is playing the “race” card – with all the outrage that this uppity negro would have the gall to use the race card.
Yet, when someone questions Palin on issues (troopergate, Bridge, per diem, creationism, foreign policy experience, etc. – leaving out pregnancies, motherhood and stuff like that) the Republicans say “sexist” faster than Bush could say “tax cut”. Isn’t some woman going to call this BS on them about playing the sexist card? We need a strong woman to do this. Oprah can’t do it as she’s an Obama partisan. Jane Fonda? (nah, been there and it would revive Hanoi Jane). Ellen Degeneres would be great, but I’m not sure she would do it. Maybe one of the Dem Senators (ones that I think could be effective: Cantwell, McCaskill, Stabenow, Lincoln, and Klobuchar; the other women Dem Senators would probably not be as effective).
Bottom line, a woman has to call this sexist BS what it is and make it clear that this constant crying wolf (in terms of sexism) is actually belittling women and women’s issues.
My vote’s on Cantwell, Klobuchar, or McCaskill. Stabenow’s not the most aggressive speaker (though she’s probably the most motherly Senator). And Lincoln is rather sweet, just like Stabenow.
Klobuchar can be a feisty Ironranger when she wants to. Although she grew up in the TC metro area, her Star-Tribune columnist father made a career of drawing on memories of his formative years on the Range.
Good thought, but as I say above, where the heck are our people? Why don’t our senators and congressfolk get out there and work for our candidate? We get nothing from them, nothing.
I’ve written both of my Senators, Boxer and Feinstein, urging them to use their weighty position and female intuition to speak up on the flotsam this election is devolving into.
Though I’m quite critical of many Feinstein’s positions her voice here would be welcome. Boxer is a hero with most folk I know, let’s hear it from a Left Coaster!
Amy Chozick, WSJ, buys the farm, then tries to backtrack.
I’d like to see the Palin truth squad refute this story. An LA Progessive reporter found a woman who quoted Palin as describing the Dem primary result as “So Sambo beat the bitch!”
I can’t evaluate the quality of the reporting that went into getting that story, though the reporter describes his sourcing. But if the quote is true, it will be part of a pattern and other instances will leak out.
Some of the AK bloggers say it sounds fake. I agree–though they’ve got more concrete reasons than me.
Thanks — I should have looked around more before mentioning this.
Just a thought:
Before there was Palin’s lipstick wearing pitbull, there was the blood red-lipped dog Cujo.
And I believe Palin asked about banning Stephen King’s novel Cujo from Alaska’s libraries. Maybe Palin could clarify her reasoning.
Obama is referring to a common item that even a kindergarter knows: a piggy bank, it holds “change.”
From Jonathan Martin at Politico (sorry I tried inserting link but couldn’t):
It’s about time!
The wingnuts wear Victimhood like some kind of hair shirt that entitles them to Special Privileges. What a crock of sh*t.
Without their Victim Status (”I Survived”) and their grudges, will they survive?
The closer the press gets to telling the truth and calling ‘bullshit’ on their weenie whining, the louder they’ll squawk. And the more they’ll imagine themselves ‘victims of a biased press’, the more shrill they’ll become.
Crybabies.
This is the candidate who introduced herself to the national audience at the RNC as being marginally different from a pit bull in that she wears lipstick and pit bulls don’t.
Then Obama calls their ‘change’ campaign ‘lipstick on in pig’ and they think the press will follow Nedra Pickler’s lead and take it as an attack on Palin? The same Palin who, less than a week ago, called herself no different from an pit bull except for the lipstick.
Was the campaign planning this all along or did some genius recognize the opportunity only in the last few days?
I won’t to apologize to everyone for Jane Swift R-MA. Participating in the mass deception of Republicans and Independents and cross-over voters in such a cynical way disgusts me.
What was Barack saying about a new kind of politics? Yes, please.
“Arbus dos” – pic
“Sambo Beat the Bitch” link
It’s probably better to destroy her credibility on the facts, facts she has asserted, than to make a case that she uses racist language. race war is a non starter. think the factcheck.org folks will look that over?
Obama needs to keep hammering “why don’t the repubicans want to have straight forward political discussion?”
He needs to stay above the fray. “Lipstick on a pig” was a mistake. Not only does it sound a bit trashy (coming from anyone), it put him one step closer to the mudpit they want to play this out in. They can’t win unless they can drag this fine man into the mud. Don’t go there Barrack. Stay on the high road. Stay elloquent. Don’t use coarse colloquiallisms. That just gives the thugs a handhold on you.
It amazes me just how shameless the Republican machine is. But when you know the press loves a soundbite more than they love the truth, you can get by with it.
Barrack must attack as well, but all he needs to do is stick with the facts and issues. If they lie, call it a lie. The press will pick up the soundbite, but the debate will play on the issue, not the intent of the comment.
Barrack doesn’t do folksie any better than Hillary, but he does classy better than anyone. The man needs to stay with his strength. No one bit on the “uppity” attack. People know class, and in the end it will win them over.
Rove’s strategy of “attacking at an opponent’s strengths” is all about gettting that opponent to move away from those strength. Let them attack, and attack and attack – But stay with that strength and the attacks will only call attention to the strength rather than diminish it.
Class beat Hillary, it will beat McCain. Strong direct and clear language. That’s the way for Barrack to attack – no more cute expressions, they’ll twist ‘em every time.
PS – Hillary needs to be out front on attacking Palin. She needs to jump out there and flat call this woman out. Grab the news cycle with it and take Palin to task.
Obama should ignore Palin. He needs to laugh and say, “I thought I was running against John McCain” every time she comes up.
Let’s face it – if the press can’t sell spots on Palin in the race and analysis of how she’s being treated they will turn on her and sell airtime destroying her.
So knowing the press is tabloid oriented, how does the Obama campain stop feeding the tabloid narrative that’s going now, so that the media will have to jump on the real tabloid nature of Palin.
I think the way to do that is through strict disipline and very deliberate language on issues. The tabloid types then look for the next best way to stir the crock pot, and with Palin’s obvious liabilities that’s where they’ll turn.
I’ve been wondering, how is it that ‘everyone’ (including democrats) says Palin gave a ‘good’ speech at the republican convention? What was good about it? Nothing good in the sense of wisdom, or vision for the country, or guiding principles; nothing good in the sense of policy or programs…I just heard a lot of clever insults. Is that what passes as ‘good’ for US?
I call it a well delivered speech that was full of bile, venom and spritual emptiness.
-G
Obama should apologize to the pigs
make palin the nation’s laughingstock
anybody remember when I said the polls were fucked up because the repuglitards were overrepresented ???
Ta Da
I’m fuckin psychic
or psychotic
or somethin …
(wink)
Yeah, well, McCain is a Republican isn’t he; how do we know he doesn’t run around in lipstick? There is kind of a track record of that kind of thing in that group…..
I think the Obama campaign should make a profuse apology to Rudy Giuliani.
Good overview of Palin stories here:
http://www.alternet.org/electi…..s_to_know/
Includes good quote from Jane.
For what it’s worth, cue the McSame/MsBull…winkle campaign strategy direct from the mouth of McSame’s…pig…ahmmm…campaign manager:
This is exactly where the McSame/MsBull…winkle campaign wants to go.
Agreed, it is not where the Obama campaign wants to go…but, the fact that Obama doesn’t want to go there will not stop the McSame/MsBull…winkle campaign from rolling with pleasure in the mud.
We all need to understand this!!!
McSame’s strategy is to do just what his campaign manager Rick Davis said (and I quoted).
They have no other choice because they cannot win on the issues!!! They can not win on the last eight years of Repug rule. They can not win on failed Repug theories of governance, Repugs and the rule of law, Repugs and the economy, Repugs and defending our country, Repugs and any other fookin’ subject you’d care to name.
The only chance the Repugs have is to roll in the mud and hope beyond hope, they can motivate sufficient GOTV with their base of unthinkers to once more squeak into the winner’s circle.
Many have said that it is a mistake for Obama’s campaign to respond and join McSame in the mudslinging.
I hate to tell you folks, but Obama, if he wants to win, has zero, nada, zilch choice in the matter.
I know that many would object, that Obama can stand above the fray and just talk about the “issues”, but I’m afraid that folks are wrong on this point.
Remember the Repug’s 1st Commandment: “Heads we win, tails you lose!”
The Repugs will wallow in the mud regardless of whether Obama stays “clean” by focusing on “issues” or whether Obama joins the Repugs in the mudslinging.
As a simple analogy, look at it this way:
Somebody faces you with a gun and challenges you to a duel.
You think you can choose to accept the gun battle or walk away.
But what if that somebody won’t allow you to walk away?
What if that somebody is insistent on shooting regardless of your choice?
What if that somebody is so adamant in shooting, they will shoot you in the front or in the back as you walk away?
What do you do???
Get shot in the back as you walk away, or reluctantly accept the challenge and face your opponent across the barrel of a gun?
Those are the only choices that Obama faces!!! There are no others.
Don’t fool yourselves in thinking that somehow, someway, Obama can just walk away and discuss the “issues”.
His oppenent is going to shoot! There is no doubt about this. His oppenent is going to shoot!
Either stand and fight, or die. No other choices.
Some people love the mud, some love the slinging, some love the fight.
What’s it about for John McCain? What would he do the day after being elected? NOTHING.
Obama might have some fun with all that, but in the end for Obama it’s about doing great things for America. It’s about the American people!
http://www.nationalenquirer.co…..rity/65407
If in fact the foregoing is true (always worth asking given the Enquirer’s track record), then let’s do the math and examine the behavior of the mother to learn her own tendencies and values. If her daughter was actually banished from her own home and sent to Heather’s to “coverup” the truth, this is indicative of what? Willingness to lie and coverup – in the extreme? How extreme? That is a question the public deserves an answer to. How does that square with this from the New York Times?
the Palins said.
I guess unconditional love includes banishment, lying and covering up the shame. Are you learning anything about Ms. Palin the elder?
Two weeks ago, Bristol was said to have been out of school for five months with mono. On what date did she actually stop going to school? School’s been out for summer for over three months, so nailing down that date is useful. When did she move in with Heather?
We were told a week ago that Bristol is five months pregnant.
On March 5th, 2008, Sarah Palin told her co-workers that she was seven months pregnant. They were said to be shocked, as she showed virtually no signs of being pregnant. Bristol was out of school in the same time frame as Sarah’s third trimester.
Something doesn’t add up here.
We’re asked to believe that Bristol had a case on mono so severe that it caused her to miss five months of school, during which time she had sex and got pregnant. Having had mono, I can tell you that this didn’t happen. You can lie about the mono or you can lie about the pregnancy, but lying about both doesn’t work. Propensity-To-Lie is a valid campaign issue.
So she had a severe case of mono, during which she had sex and was kicked out of the house, moved in with her aunt, pregnant, with mono, as a sign of her parents unconditional love?
Got it, Madam Vice President. Now tell us about Iran’s WMD program again.
Interesting article on Joe Scarborough that has been kept quiet by the MSM!
http://www.truthalliance.net/A…..fault.aspx
Lest, we forget, there would have been no need for a Surge if Bush & Co. had not taken the U.S. into a Phony & Pretend War on Terrorism while the Real War on Terrorism in Afghanistan where Bin Ladin lived, was ignored! And if we do not Wise up this might happen in the future!
http://www.youtube.com/v/PdJUCU1UH2w
In a cleverly pre-emptive strike, McCain is falsely accusing Obama of wanting to teach children sex education because they knew Newsweek will be soon coming out with an article on Sarah Palin! “Judge Warned Palin About Emotional Child Abuse!”
Palin dominating another news cycle.
drshow focused on Palin (again) this morning
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/
10:00Governor Sarah Palin and the Media
Some say Republican Vice Presidential nominee, Governor Sarah Palin, has been subjected to unfair media attention. A look at presidential campaign coverage, allegations of bias, and charges of elitism in the media
Return to sender
http://www.truthout.org/articl…..aging-ohio
Obama should do what McCain did and try to shut down the outrage by calling this flap “playing the gender card”.
Obama’s people should start decrying the new politically correct GOP speech police and their attempts to stifle any discussion by screaming sexism at trivial matters.
-G
jdmckay means “Obama’s speech to AIPAC”. In his trip to Israel he did not give a speech. He gave a press conference and had a very busy day.
The presser looked like a speech to me. And it sounded like the AIPAC speech. You know, AIPAC… the guys who produced the made-for-TV thriller:
No, you better not think about avoiding pandering to these guys, cause… uh, well… uhmmm… uhhh… our friends, right?
…
So this lunch hour, against my better judgement, I checked in w/CNBC again. Seems Sarah wears some japanese glasses costing around $350 and everyone wants a pair!!! Orders for those thing up 4 fold they said. Ha ha ha.
I’m getting an eerie feeling… Palin opens national chain of McMooseBurger “family sitdown” eateries. Yes, the R’s mealticket: McMooseburger w/a side of freedom fries. What’s not to love about that?
Looks to me like if W’ can just keep the economy from going toes up until Nov., these 2 have got a knee-capping chance for (what’s more American than) VICTORY!!!
And when the economy does bust… when the USD is entirely abandoned, properly Mc’splaining that “it was the dem’s fault”… that should do the trick in keeping the franchise in the WH for another 8 yrs. And all us proletariat liberals rightly can crack rocks to pay for our “liberal” squander that got us there.
So what are we talking about? Lipstick and pigs. (bangs forehead on wall).
Karl’s tactics: all controversy, all emotion, plenty of lies, stoke the cultural images, all the time. Obama had better figure our fast how to generate as much energy around the dem approach. The repubs are going to cry foul in any case, and the media will do what they do, so whatever it takes to win is needed.
If Obama cant find a way to be exciting (and his intellectual approach doesn’t translate well on that level), he absolutely needs to find a way to kick it up a notch. Relying solely on the need for change due to underlying fundamentals is just too risky.
Excerpts from the WAPO story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/…..038;s_pos=
“John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said the campaign is entering a stage in which skirmishes over the facts are less important than the dominant themes that are forming voters’ opinions of the candidates.
“We have created a system where there is not a lot of shame in stretching the truth,” said Charlie Cook, editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
There you have it folks. (apologies for double post below)
In the final Israel Factor panel at Haaretz the panelists trusted McCain better on dealing with Iran, but Obama had caught up on the Palestinian issue proper. “Negotiating with Iran, a terrorist state”, as my husband put it, is an issue which the McCain campaign wants to keep prominent. The terrorist state refers to support for Hezbollah, etc.
I think Obama needs to keep focusing on jobs, education, the war in Iraq, a potential attack on Iran. While attacking the lies being repeated by Palin and McCain.
The Palin myths are going to fade away if as Bmaz has pointed out we get back to critical issues and register more voters for Obama.
Given only the NYT description of the F&F scenario, Obama could come out outraged the way that Chris Dodd did and say that he was fooled. But Freddie in particular could not raise any money because the markets expected the government to come in. Once he had voted to give Paulson that power, it is consistent with the Obama which we know to say that markets produced an unintended consequence. Obama also has the ability to adjust the amount of capital available to F&F, and they are likely to have more from an Obama administration than a McCain one because McCain has disliked them for some time.
Both WSJ and CSM come out to say that McCain has definitely said that Fannie and Freddie should be downsized and privatized, and Obama has reserved judgment on that.
And I wish I had written FrankProbst’s post, BTW.
This cannot be good: almost end of the line for Lehman Brothers, stock market gains wiped out
wow.
wow. (that one was backward, as my head just did a linda blair spin.)
i know these people are beyond evil, but now they’re just so blatant about it, it’s utterly frightening.
check this out:
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/P…..02008.html
***
Republican strategist John Feehery acknowledged that facts are far less important than themes when it comes to shaping the opinion of voters in the remaining weeks leading up to the November 4 elections.
“The more The New York Times and The Washington Post go after Sarah Palin, the better off she is, because there’s a bigger truth out there and the bigger truths are she’s new, she’s popular in Alaska and she is an insurgent,” Feehery told The Washington Post.
“As long as those are out there, these little facts don’t really matter.”