Year: 2008

McCain Calls Obama “That One!”

Posted on by TL

I’m giving this space to David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s campaign manager:

Barack Obama won a resounding victory in John McCain’s favorite debate format because he made the case for change that will rebuild the middle class. The American people asked tough questions tonight, and only Barack Obama was in touch with their struggles and offered clear and passionate answers about creating jobs, reducing health care costs, cutting taxes for 95% of working families, and responsibly ending the war in Iraq. John McCain was all over the map on the issues, and he is so angry about the state of his campaign that he referred to Barack Obama as “that one” – last time he couldn’t look at Senator Obama, this time he couldn’t say his name. The McCain campaign said, “if we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose.”

“That one?”

That “what”, John?

Was this a racist statement?  Did he mean, “That black guy?”

Maybe not.

I agree with Plouffe.  Barack won this one hands down.

The polls should reflect that over the next week or so.  Barack will gain ground.

McCain Continues to Lie About Obama’s Pakistan Policy

Posted on by TL

Senator McCain has consistently mistated Senator Obama’s policy on Pakistan.  Obama has repeatedly stated that Al Qaida is the target, and if Pakistan can’t or won’t pursue Bin Laden or Al Qaida, then the United States must.

That’s it.

John “Bomb-Bomb-Bomb, Bomb-Bomb-Iran” McCain keeps saying Barack wants to invade Pakistan.

Horribly off base, John.

Barack Obama can see gray.  Barack Obama is demonstrating a clear ability to under the complexity of many issues.  McCain barely comprehends his own sound bites.

Mike Kean, a friend of mine writing from the University of Illinois, pointed this out as well, “Obama simply answered the question about going into Pakistan by saying that if the Pakistani government was incapable of fighting Al Qaeda, he would support sending troops across the border to fight them. Then, McCain spent his entire response going on and on about Teddy Roosevelt saying that he needs to talk softly and carry a big stick and claiming that Obama was saying he would invade Pakistan. That’s not at all what Obama was saying. Then Obama had a rebuttal, repeating what he already said, and McCain came back and said the same thing again, blatantly misrepresenting what Obama. I dont know what’s worse: whether McCain thinks that the American people wouldn’t notice, or that most Americans probably didn’t notice what McCain was doing.

“All around this campaign has been frustrating as hell throughout the whole damn thing.”

Amen.

Debate 2: Tom Brokaw Treats Obama as the Hired Help

Posted on by TL

The second Presidential Debate is still in progress, about 55 minutes in.

Look, we all know Tom Brokaw favors John McCain, but he has repeatedly scolded Senator Obama so far as if he was talking to the hired help.  The most obvious was a few minutes ago when he reminded Barack that there are lights on stage that tell the speakers when to stop.  Barack laughed politely in response.

Senator McCain is talking right now.  I’m looking at a red light.  McCain has talked well past the red light.  McCain stops.  Nothing from Brokaw.  Instead, another softball lob to McCain about health care.

Barack is talking about health care. Brokaw is trying to interrupt him, “Senator, we have to move on now.”

Does Brokaw have a book coming out about McCain?

ADDENDUM: 1 hour 23 minutes in, Brokaw thanks McCain for speaking, invites Obama to respond by saying, “Senator Obama, we’re winding down so we have to keep track of the time.”

Now Senator Obama is concluding his remarks, and Brokaw just cut him off again.  McCain consistently gets a free pass.

Horrible.

Jerry Weller Bails on Bailout

Posted on by TL

Congressman Jerry Weller made a decision last week and bailed on the most critical economic crisis the United States has faces since, perhaps, the Great Depression.

The Illinois Republican Congressman was the only member of the House of Representatives to cast no vote on the $700 billion bailout, according to the Sun-Times.

That’s right, Weller was the only one of 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to miss the vote.

A spokesman cited “a commitment to his family” as the reason for missing the vote.

Come on.

Republicans don’t deserve this seat.

In fact, State Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson might have to warm this seat up herself come November.  It’s gone cold.

Ouch! Dodgers Sweep Cubs Away

Posted on by TL

I respect Cubs fans, but I don’t get them at all.  I’m convinced Wrigley will fall to the ground some day.  The 500 level is a death trap.

Well, we won’t have to worry about baseball at Wrigley for a few more months now.  The Dodgers swept the Cubbies, and that’s all there is to it.

According to the Tribune, the Cubs only led for 2½ innings for the entire series, leading 2-0 in Game 1 from the bottom of the second to the top of the fifth.

That’s more than a complete collapse.

What is it about this team that they can’t muster any energy at all for the playoffs?  Who’s paying them to lose so remarkably?

I’ll put my “It’s Gonna Happen” sign away for another year.

It’s not gonna happen, Cubs fans.

O.J. Simpson Guilty on All 12 Counts

Posted on by TL

O.J. Simpson in courtHe stood stoic and silent as the verdicts were read.

O.J. Simpson was just found guilt on all 12 counts relating to charges of armed robbery and kidnapping.

As I continue to watch MSNBC, O.J. is now being handcuffed and led from the courtroom.

Wow.  That is an incredible sight.  No slow moving chase.  It all ends in a whimper.

From the New York Times:

Mr. Simpson faced 12 charges stemming from a September 2007 confrontation in a casino hotel room in which he and five cohorts departed with hundreds of items of sports memorabilia.

The items were in the possession of two memorabilia dealers, Bruce L. Fromong and Alfred Beardsley, who were led to believe a prospective buyer was coming to browse the goods. Instead, Mr. Simpson and his group burst into the room and, according to several witnesses, at least one gun was brandished.

O.J. won’t be hosting any parties for the jurors on this one.

The judge denied all post-verdict motions by Simpson’s attorney.

O.J. is going away.

Biden and Palin – Good Work, Joe

Posted on by TL

Joe Biden answered questions.  Sarah Palin avoided them.

That about says it all.

Senator Biden was the only one to show a human face, choking up briefly:

“The notion that, somehow, because I’m a man, I don’t know what it’s like to raise two kids alone, I don’t know what it’s like to have a child you’re not sure is going to make it,” Mr. Biden said. “I understand as well as, with all due respect, the governor or anybody else, what it’s like for those people sitting around that kitchen table. And guess what? They’re looking for help.”

Gov. Palin responded by talking policy, ignoring Biden’s remarks.  Instead, she botched names:

Although Ms. Palin name-dropped several times, presumably to show fluency in foreign affairs, she did not always drop the right name. At one point, she referred to the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David D. McKiernan, as “McClellan.”

Biden took some pointed shots at John McCain:

Mr. Biden replied by linking Mr. McCain with Mr. Bush more crisply than he had done previously in the debate.

“The issue is how different is John McCain’s policy going to be than George Bush’s,” Mr. Biden said. “I haven’t heard how his policy is going to be different on Iran than George Bush’s. I haven’t heard how his policy is going to be different with Israel than George Bush’s. I haven’t heard how his policy in Afghanistan is going to be different than George Bush’s. I haven’t heard how his policy in Pakistan is going to be different than George Bush’s.

“It may be, but so far it is the same as George Bush’s,” he said.

Mr. Biden also turned tougher in the final half-hour after Ms. Palin had, several times, referred to Mr. McCain as a “maverick.”

“He’s not been a maverick when it comes to education — he has not supported tax cuts and significant changes for people being able to send their kids to college,” Mr. Biden said. “He’s not been a maverick on the war. He’s not been a maverick on virtually anything that generally affects the things that people really talk about.”

The last lines referenced must have been tough for Biden.  He genuinely respects McCain, but I have no doubt that he believes what he said.  John McCain is no maverick.

Palin also opined that the Constitution of the United States actually gives more power to the vice president.

Barack Obama is the true maverick waiting in the wings.

Now that the sideshow is over, we can return our focus the two central figures in this election: Barack Obama and John McCain.

We still question McCain’s judgment in choosing Palin.  In the event of the “unthinkable,” would she serve us well as Commander-in-Chief?

Not at all — No way, no how, no McCain, no Palin.  Once in office, they would both forget the poor and middle class, seizing more and more power like Mussolini at a garage sale.

I’d rather have Tina Fey in the Oval Office.

Senator Obama, sir, our country awaits your innauguration.

Officer Nathaniel Taylor Jr. Fatally Shot – One Man Charged

Posted on by TL

Officer Nathaniel Taylor Jr. was shot Sunday as officers attempted to execute a search warrant.

Lamar Cooper, 37, was charged this evening with murder.

From the Sun-Times:

Cooper, who was shot by officers, was in “stable” condition at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

Several officers were conducting surveillance and waiting to serve a warrant at Cooper’s home in the 7900 block of South Clyde early Sunday when the suspect pulled up in a car, according to police.

Several sources said the officers announced their office and Cooper opened fire. He had two packets of drugs in his mouth — possibly cocaine — in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence, sources said. The suspect’s handgun was recovered at the scene, police said.

This is incredibly sad.

This is not the time for politics.  This is not the time for ranting.

This is a time for silence – a profound pause – as we let this sink in.  An officer is dead, and his family begins to feel the loss.

And the Chicago Police Department has lost a colleague.  Every cop in the Chicagoland area has lost a brother.

Help International Medical Corps Earn $1.5M

Posted on by TL

Los Angeles–(TURNINGLEFT)– International Medical Corps (IMC) has been matched for the American Express Top 25 Members Project, ‘Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children.’  The project was selected from 1,190 submissions nominated by American Express card members.  As the organization matched to the project, IMC is eligible for a part of $2.5 million in funding.  The project that receives the most votes from cardholders by September 29 receives $1.5 million; second $500,000; third $300,000, and fourth and fifth $100,000.

We need your help between now and September 29th. Voting is easy and doesn’t cost a thing! In just a click, you can save the lives of thousands of malnourished children. Click here to vote:

For severely malnourished children, we offer a step-by-step treatment program that gives them what they need to recover, including nutrient-dense food supplements like the peanut-based product, Plumpy’Nut. Our comprehensive monitoring system saves more than 90 percent of children being treated in our feeding centers. Being one of the Top 5 would mean our nutrition could reach more children around the world who need our help.

“As a mother of children who go to bed with a full stomach every night, it is heartbreaking to consider the millions of kids who do not have the nutrients their little bodies need to survive,” says Paige Strackman, who submitted the idea to American Express.  “I hope this project will bring people to the same conclusion I have – we can solve malnutrition through nutrient-rich, ready-to-eat food.  With enough votes from American Express card members, thousands of children’s lives can be saved.”

Hunger and malnutrition kill more people in the world than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. As food prices rise, this funding is even more critical. More people are being driven deeper into poverty trying to afford basic staples. Many have nothing to eat at all. Your vote makes it possible for fewer young lives to be lost because they do not have enough to eat.

“International Medical Corps is honored to have the opportunity to match Paige’s passion for this cause with our 24 years of experience in helping children in need,” said Rebecca Milner, Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “We are a vital lifeline for hundreds of thousands of children every year, saving more than 90 percent of the children we treat.”

Through nutrition programs that provide relief while creating sustainable solutions, International Medical Corps brings nutrition-rich, ready-to-eat food to some of world’s most food-insecure environments, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, and Sudan.  With a mission that focuses on training, International Medical Corps works to empower individuals and communities, providing education on how to treat malnutrition, identify warnings signs, and intervene before malnutrition worsens. Health care workers and parents are educated on proper diet and hygiene, and communities are equipped to grow their own food and reduce their vulnerability to rising prices.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Getting the word out to your friends and family makes a huge difference! Forward this link to a friend and you bring us that much closer to the $1.5 million to help malnourished children around the world!

International Medical Corps (IMC) is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs.

Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, IMC is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide.

By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, IMC rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

For more information visit our website at www.imcworldwide.org.

Vote “NO” on Palin

Posted on by TL

For what it’s worth, people on the left and right are all in a tizzy about a completely unscientific poll running on the PBS web site.  So, have fun, I’m passing on to you to vote NO to Palin.

Here’s the email:

PBS is polling whether we support Palin and think she’s ready. So far, this PBS poll shows positive support for Palin. Let’s at least set one record straight! It takes @ 2 seconds. The far right has everyone signing on and voting….. we need to counter it. They ask no personal information, just yes, no, maybe.

Here’s the link: http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html

Just click & vote NOW.

Enjoy.