Mike's Blog Roundup
By Mike Finnigan Monday Oct 27, 2008 7:00amThe Opinion Mill: Pre-Post-Mortem. Observing the GOP's internecine strife is entertaining, but isn't it indicative of something rotten at the heart of modern conservatism when one of the intelligentsia is suddenly moved to address the acrid musings of Rush Limbaugh?
Editor & Publisher: Updated newspaper endorsements: A landslide for Obama
The Big Picture: 60 Minutes on Derivatives in 1995, and last night
Ken Silverstein: Controversial Russian oligarch funds local think tanks
skippy the bush kangaroo has some environmental news for ya
Truth to Power Media: Savage Lies
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I watch the tally on E&P daily. I was especially inspired to read, yesterday, that the Anchorage Daily News endorsed Obama.
If I were a Simpsons characters, I would say Ha! Ha! to Caribou Barbie, but since I'm not, I'll just say Bye! Bye!
But when Chuck Todd put Obama at 270 electorial points, I had to smile.
The little reference in Opinion Post to "Casablanca" reminded me why it's my favorite movie. Beautifully written, directed and acted by the entire cast, it makes my hair stand on end every time the cafe-goers sing "The Marseillaise," as they resist the darker forces that would overtake France. There are lessons and inspiration there for us all. Go Obama-Biden!
The only poll that matters is the final one.
With regard to the electoral college...the media spends SO much time giving the McCain campaign air time...that it has missed a REAL story.
Obama stated early on in this campaign that he would change the "electoral map", and that the old assumptions about which states were needed to win and were winnable were wrong.
Well, if you watch Chuck Todd's maps, you will see that that is true. It may still be a long shot if you look at it this way...BUT...Obama could lose Ohio and still win this race. In fact, so long as he wins PA, he could lose Ohio AND Florida...as long as he picks up all the swing states, and STILL win this race.
It really is a quite remarkable thing. After this election, what will come out of it is that the GOP Red State monopoly that they've held in the center of this country, will have been splintered.
I suggest that McCain dart her from a helicopter, install some sort of tracking collar.
I read, yesterday, that this election will be career ending for both McCain and Palin, but that SHE won't realize it right away. She can go rogue all she wants.
Surely a match made in Hell.
I noticed her blush seemed a bit shiner today. :)
Must be part of the $150K wardrobe
Until it's a clear win for Obama...
Larry captures all the obsessive craziness that most of us feel.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-david/wai...
Enjoy!
[Excerpt] The one concession I've made to maintain some form of sanity is that I've taken to censoring my news, just like the old Soviet Union. The citizenry (me) only gets to read and listen to what I deem appropriate for its health and well-being. Sure, there are times when the system breaks down. Michele Bachmann got through my radar this week, right before bedtime. That's not supposed to happen. That was a lapse in security, and I've had to make some adjustments. The debates were particularly challenging for me to monitor. First I tried running in and out of the room so I would only hear my guy. This worked until I knocked over a tray of hors d'oeuvres. "Sit down or get out!" my host demanded. "Okay," I said, and took a seat, but I was more fidgety than a ten-year-old at temple. I just couldn't watch without saying anything, and my running commentary, which mostly consisted of "Shut up, you prick!" or "You're a fucking liar!!!" or "Go to hell, you cocksucker!" was way too distracting for the attendees, and finally I was asked to leave.
Palin can go all rogue all she wants.
She got this nomination without working for it. She is a small town hick politician. Wait until she has to run in a REAL national primary, against the heavy hitters in the GOP.
They are going to pull out EVERY SNL Tina Fey skit, $150K wardrobes, secessionism, troopergate...they will slap her around until she's drunk as a moose and send her crying back to Alaska.
There has already been polling. When asked which of these three candidates would you vote for in 2012, Palin came in 3rd out of 3. In otherwords, last. 1st was Romney and second was Huckabee.
into something like old cheese and feet.
Toe cheese.
Of toe cheese...and geriatric flatulence.
http://tpmtv.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/10/tp...
This clip compiles the best of the talking heads expounding on the failure of Palin. Watch how visibly angry McCain is. He tries to control it, but he can't. At the end, "it goes back to the matter of vetting."
Another schaudenfraude moment.
the 60 Minute broadcast last night had a explaination about derivatives. specifically the 'shadow financial
system'. essentially 'side bets' that were illegal until that bill in 2000 that was passed the commodity
futures and modernation act. there was a lot of lobbying pressure to deregulate prior to this bill passing.
of course most of us know phil gramm presented this bill during the 11 hour dec 15. this bill legalized
the mortgage swaps.....distancing the originator of the loan from the ultimate collector.
the real problem as i see it is the credit default swaps=side bets...a bet based on a outcome. in this case investors were betting on the side whether or not there would be default on mortgages. they insured there bets( although they can't call it insurance or it would have to be regulated) with CDO credit default swaps. the banks did NOT have the capital to cover these swaps...that brings us to this point credit crisis.
THE SIDE BETS were the problem. AIG was NOT acting like an insurance company but as a SPECULATIVE
investment bank/hedge FUND. they borrowed money to cover the CDO they provided. they became over LEVERAGED. there are people who made billions during this period because they BET the other
way. this is legal gambling. when you hear people speak about foreclosure as the problem it's MUCH
MORE COMPLICATED than that. i think HEDGEFUNDs,credit default swaps and over leveraged. trying to
blame the home owners to me was a way to soften the blow and allow the 'bailout'.
I just watched that clip and it irritates the hell out of me when the Republicans try to pin all of this on Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac.
Either they are really that stupid or they willfully lie.
I only need one of those two reasons to reject them entirely.
The $55 Trillion in CDS relates to some $1 Trillion in Real Estate.
Since the gamblers did not need to own any part of the underlying asset they just keep piling it up.
$55 Trillion is MORE MONEY THAN THERE IS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!
It exists only as a face value on the contracts. Until, of course, there is a default, then the house of cards comes tumbling down.
As long as property values kept going up it was a ponzi scheme that seemed to work.
There was a good reason this previously was illegal.
It is as if you were making bets with a bookie at pennies on the dollar, with a credit card, you lose, then you pay, except you don't have the money.
The bookie comes and breaks your legs.
The Wall Street Gamblers just go to Uncle Sam.
There were 850,000 mortgage foreclosures in the last year and there could be that many in the next year.
The shit in this pipeline is a long way from clearing out.
We're screwed!
I don't ask for much,I just want to hear brokaw FORCED to say: "NBC has just declared Sen.Obama the winner."
n/t
That's all she is...a rank amateur. There are borough presidents in NYC with more responsibilities than this woman has ever held. They oversee budgets that dwarf most US cities and several states. They oversee real infrastructures...for garbage collection, fire, crime prevention, local bridges, road...with populations bigger than the State of Alaska.
Palin has gotten a free ride, and she is so drunk from the experience...that she actually believes all the crap that the GOP has written about her to sell her to the masses.
Run the country? I wouldn't let this woman run the Brooklyn car pound.
I agree, Palin is completely out of her league. However, she is one of those people that is so ruthless and delusional that not only will she swallow the hype, she will take it a step further. She won't be happy with her 15 minutes. Even if her and McFaust lose the election, we will have the misfortune of seeing her presence in the media. FOX news, CBN, and TBN are salivating for her continuation as the darling of the religious right. She will be the salesperson who pitches an unsettling mixture of Bible-thumping and a weird Stepford wife porn appeal. YIKES!!!
But Sarah Palin appeals to the base. You know, the base that loves it when she blows a homophobic dog-whistle at "Uncle" Barney Frank.
is, if I'm not mistaken, not enough to win the election.
There is no bottom to the pit of slime in which this woman will slither.
I can't imagine McCain really knew just how radically fundamentalist she is. That's why it's a no-brainer to see that "Uncle" means "Dirty Fa****" to her and her rabid fellow end-of-timers. Setting it up with "in my family" makes it very obvious what she was doing.
If she's the future of the Republican Party than they will be going the way of the Whigs.
Be still my heart!
when is the McCain barbecue/Palin Marriage and Moose (or ex son-in-law, if he doesn't say those two words) Shoot supposed to occur?
I thought the expectation was that Bristol would be married before she birthed her illegitimate offspring?
Ohhh...I know...I'm going to be attacked now...for not being "compassionate"...oh freakin' wellllllllll.
Your lack of compassion for reminding me of Palin's children and their silly names is disturbing, but i will forgive you. :)
You can go over to 23/6 and "name the next Palin child". I chose "Abstinence Only", but there are lots of other names to choose from.
I was looking at the pictures of Palin and clan all dressed up for the campaign, via RNC donations, and noticed one with Bristol and Levi, where Bristol was holding Trig (of course).
Levi was kissing Trig. I found it rather strange that Trig would be kissing Sarah's baby. An 18 year old doesn't usually bond with someone else's child. It makes me think, still, that Trig is Bristol's and Levi's.
It is either her brother or her son, and one might well relate in either case, with a heart, that is.
But, do I really care either way?
Barack Obama has opened up an eight-point lead over Republican John McCain in Virginia, and the Democrat is entering the final week of the campaign with several core advantages when it comes to turning out his supporters, according to a new Washington Post poll.
Go to this site for assistance.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/had-...
I wonder what would happen if Palin and Cheney went hunting together?
A two day delay before the press or the police were notified of the result.
I get the feeling that her chidren should have been named.."Oops"..."Outtarhythm"...and "Backseat".
POP...there would have to be negotiations and preconditions to determine who got to fire first and where each one should stand.
An Obama supporter REALLY gets beaten...and it's not on the news at all...
Disgusting.
http://snipurl.com/4oxew
Its the George Allen method of not answering questions, the Repug hit the Democrat camera man with a cane twice, while the other Dem was pinned to a wall by two thugs.
Republican Rep. Frank Wolf smiled and did nothing to stop the assault.
http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diar...
Could use some help countering this bullshit...
"Received from a friend in Texas - should make you think
Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that
read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed. Once in the
restaurant my server had on a "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he
had given away his political preference--just imagine the
coincidence.
When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and
explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of
wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I
was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in
need--the homeless guy outside.
The server angrily stormed from my sight. I went outside, gave the
homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've
decided he could use the money more.
The homeless guy was grateful. At the end of my rather unscientific
redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful
for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I
gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient
needed money more. I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier
thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.
-Now that's funny! - PV"
that a true Neocon Republican pockets the $10 for himself, throws the plate of food on the server, and pisses on the homeless guy outside.
Then he finds the nearest cop and pays him $10 to beat the shit out of the homeless guy and the server, based on "principles".
Don't want to give him any ideas BBH...
I'm lookin for something with teeth and facts, more importantly, to make this individual take a step back.
But I'm scatter-brained this morning...had a very stressful weekend, and just can't focus on anything for long today.
Does anybody know why the Talking Points Memo TV (TPMtv) account on YouTube has been suspended? What caused the suspension? And, are they going to re-materialize under another name?
Maybe youtube doesn't want the truth gettin out.
there is a lot of deception used as a strategy on wall street and capitol hill.
2 million foreclosures did NOT cause this directly. this was cheap risk and too
greedy to care.
And this has been another round of, "Conservatives Eating Their Own!"
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