Thanks to Michael Moore for this one.
Category: Republicans
McCain Campaign Advisor Endorses and Votes for Obama
A strange thing happened on the road to the White House last week…
Conservative legal scholar, Reagan Solicitor, prominent Republican and John McCain campaign adviser General Charles Fried, endorsed and voted for Barack Obama.
This week, Fried announced that he has voted for Obama-Biden by absentee ballot. In his letter to Trevor Potter, the General Counsel to the McCain-Palin campaign, he asked that his name be removed from the several campaign-related committees on which he serves. In that letter, he said that chief among the reasons for his decision “is the choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis.”
Fried further clarified his reasons for his move to Obama-Biden:
I admire Senator McCain and was glad to help in his campaign, and to be listed as doing so; but when I concluded that I must vote for Obama for the reason stated in my letter, I felt it wrong to appear to be recommending to others a vote that I was not prepared to cast myself. So it was more of an erasure than a public affirmation–although obviously my vote meant that I thought that Obama was preferable to McCain-Palin. I do not consider abstention a proper option.
Fried is listed in a May 6, 2008 press release on John McCain’s web site as a member of the McCain campaign’s steering committee. As late as September 15, 2008, McCain’s campaign had Fried listed as a member of McCain’s Honest and Open Election Committee.
Thanks to our friends at Drinking Liberally in New Milford for the nod on this one.
In other campaign news, salmon fisherman Seth Kantner apologized on behalf of the people of Alaska for inflicting the diva on the lower 48:
I’m an Alaskan — born in an igloo, enjoy whale muktuk, all that — and in case you aren’t sick of our state by now, I’ll start off with an apology for one of our residents: Sarah Palin.
We Alaskans are not generally so magazine-pretty like her, nor are we so confrontational and vapid. Most of us don’t have those peachy cheeks — we have sunburn, windburn and frostbite. Our fingernails are dirty from actually gutting moose, not yakking about it. Our hands are chapped from picking thousands of salmon out of nets, not holding one up for the camera.
Mr. Kantner brushes off Palin’s claim that being mayor gave her the administrative experience to serve as President of the United States:
Tougher in Alaska? Not necessarily. Here most anyone can be dogcatcher, city planner, governor, with little or no experience. That’s one beauty of our state — although, often the only thing keeping it all working is the lubrication provided by obscene amounts of money.
Sitting on this worn-to-the-hide bearskin chair of mine, scribbling, I pause to glance at a month-old newspaper before I stuff it in the stove. Lo! — there’s yet another photo of Gov. Palin; she’s sitting in a glass office in Anchorage, with a bearskin, too, draped across the back of her expensive couch. Sarah’s wearing heels. The bear’s wearing a fake head with a plastic snarl. In the foreground on a glass table crouches something with pincers — a taxidermied king crab!
I’ll have to show this photo to my Eskimo friends I grew up with. We simply never contemplated such wanton unAlaskanness. Why not eat the damn thing? We ate this bear I’m sitting on, including the paws and jaw and fat — some of which we ate raw; some got rendered for piecrusts.
It’s worth reading the whole piece.
Eight days and counting, er, my friends.
Diva Palin ‘Going Rogue’ as McCain Campaign Collapses
With 10 days until Election Day, long-brewing tensions between GOP vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin and key aides to Sen. John McCain have become so intense, they are spilling out in public, sources say.
Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN that they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin “going rogue.”
A Palin associate, however, said the candidate is simply trying to “bust free” of what she believes was a damaging and mismanaged roll-out.
McCain sources say Palin has gone off-message several times, and they privately wonder whether the incidents were deliberate. They cited an instance in which she labeled robocalls — recorded messages often used to attack a candidate’s opponent — “irritating” even as the campaign defended their use. Also, they pointed to her telling reporters she disagreed with the campaign’s decision to pull out of Michigan.
A second McCain source says she appears to be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign.
“She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone,” said this McCain adviser. “She does not have any relationships of trust with any of us, her family or anyone else.
“Also, she is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Remember: Divas trust only unto themselves, as they see themselves as the beginning and end of all wisdom.”
There was a time when I respected John McCain, but he and Palin have built a campaign on lies. In all honesty, there were many strong choices for the vice presidential ticket on the Republican side — as far as Republicans go.
However, McCain invited the diva to the dance, and it’s prima donna all the way to election day.
Woman Fabricated Story About Political Attack
Want to know how to get John McCain and Sarah Palin on the phone?
On Wednesday, Ashley Todd, a 20-year-old college student of College Station, Texas, said she was using an ATM at in Pittsburgh just before 9 p.m. Wednesday when a man approached her and put a knife to her throat. Todd was in Pittsburgh campaigning for John McCain.
Police spokeswoman Diane Richard said Todd told them the robber took $60, then became angry when he saw a McCain bumper sticker on the victim’s car. The attacker then punched and kicked the victim, before using a dull knife to scratch the letter “B” into her face, Richard said.
“She further stated that the male actor approached her from the back again and hit her in the back of her head with an object, she doesn’t know what the object was, causing her to fall to the ground where he continued to punch her and kick her and threaten to ‘teach her a lesson’ for being a McCain supporter,” Richard said.
The story made the national morning shows Thursday. By midmorning, Pittsburgh Police said they were suspicious, and by Friday mid-afternoon, police said Todd had made the whole thing up.
From KDKA (America’s first radio station) in Pittsburgh:
Police say a campaign volunteer confessed to making up a story that a mugger attacked her and cut the letter B in her face after seeing her McCain bumper sticker.
At a news conference this afternoon, officials said they believe that Ashley Todd’s injuries were self-inflicted.
Todd, 20, of Texas, is now facing charges for filing a false report to police.
Todd initially told police that she was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield and that the suspect became enraged and started beating her after seeing her GOP sticker on her car.
Police investigating the alleged attack, however, began to notice some inconsistencies in her story and administered a polygraph test.
There was more to the story. According to police, Todd also alleged that she was sexually assaulted by this man. While holding her on the ground, he fondled her:
Police spokeswoman, Diane Richard explained,
“She further stated that the male approached her from the back again and hit her in the back of her head with an object, she doesn’t know what the object was, causing her to fall to the ground where he continued to punch her and kick her and threaten to ‘teach her a lesson’ for being a McCain supporter,” Richard said.
“She also indicated she was sexually assaulted as well. She indicated that when he had her on the ground he put his hand up her blouse and started fondling her. But other than that, she says she doesn’t remember anything else. So we’re adding a sexual assault to this as well.”
A Pittsburgh police commander told KDKA Investigator Marty Griffin that Todd confessed to making up the story.
Talk about your blame-it-on-the-black-man 15 minutes of fame.
Here’s what I don’t get. Set aside that we now know that Ms. Todd made the whole thing up, possibly mutilitating herself for effect. Forget for a moment that this is a disturbed young woman who will someday, hopefully, look back on this with rue and wonder, “What the hell was I thinking?”
I simply don’t understand the personal response of two alleged adults from the McCain campaign:
On Thursday, The Obama-Biden campaign released a statement, commenting on the attack. The statement said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman for her to make a speedy recovery, and we hope that the person who perpetrated this crime is swiftly apprehended and brought to justice.”
The McCain-Palin campaign also released a statement saying, “The McCain campaign is aware of the incident involving one of its volunteers. Out of respect, the campaign won’t be commenting. The campaign also confirms that Senator McCain and Governor Palin have both spoken to the woman.”
McCain and Palin both spoke to her? What did they say to Ashley the Liar?
Is that all it takes to get Senator John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin on the phone? Didn’t the candidates think for a minute that this might be a complete fabrication? Did the candidates investigate this situation at all?
They should have called conservative blogger Michelle Malkin first. While I disagree with Malkin’s blanket reprimand to those of us on the left …
And those of you on the left who are now so interested in debunking despicable hate crimes might show a little more skepticism yourselves next time when similar narratives hit the news pages involving politically correct hoaxers who share your politics.
… I agree with her call for a critical eye and restraint when reports like these surface:
Final lesson: Trust your instincts. Use your brains. Stop jumping every time Drudge hypes something in Armageddon-sized font.
Amen to that!
My final thoughts are for Ms. Todd.
Go home to Texas after you’ve answered the charges you now face in Pittsburgh. Get out of the spotlight. Stay away from the media. Get help if you need it. Someday, hopefully, you’ll find that those of us on the left can be pretty forgiving. You’re actually going to need a real job some day soon, and your future employer, who might even be an African American man, will need to look past this.
But, really, what were you thinking?
Que Sarah, Sarah
Will this be the beginning of the end of Sarah Palin’s close-up, or will the voters ignore her ethics violations?
First, it is very difficult to prosecute ethics violations, especially where there was no direct monetary gain procured by the offending party. Voters, on the other hand, should read between the lines. What Gov. Palin did was wrong – ethically, legally, and morally. Whether she ever faces prosecution or censure for her actions is irrelevant. The governor of the state of Alaska used her influence in a radically inappropriate manner to give her former brother-in-law the boot.
That says it all.
Do we want this person within a heartbeat of the presidency? And why do the Republicans want this person within a heartbeat of the presidency? What does this say of the Republican Party?
From the New York Times:
Gov. Sarah Palin abused the powers of her office by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, an investigation by the Alaska Legislature has concluded. The inquiry found, however, that she was within her right to dismiss her public safety commissioner, Walt Monegan, who was the trooper’s boss.
A 263-page report released Friday by lawmakers in Alaska found that Ms. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, had herself exerted pressure to get Trooper Michael Wooten dismissed, as well as allowed her husband and subordinates to press for his firing, largely as a result of his temperament and past disciplinary problems.
“Such impermissible and repeated contacts,” the report states, “create conflicts of interests for subordinate employees who must choose to either please a superior or run the risk of facing that superior’s displeasure and the possible consequences of that displeasure.” The report concludes that the action was a violation of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act.
Look, I’ll not bash Republicans here. “Some of my best friends…,” blah, blah, blah.
But the truth is, Republicans have allowed their party to be raped by the extreme right, and that’s a shame. Was it a shameful lust for power that led the “Party of Lincoln” to slide so wickedly to the right? Was it an utter disregard for consequences that caused them to look the other way while their president took the nation on an insane and reckless spending spree while slashing the country’s income?
What was it that caused Republicans to look the other way? How are their stock portoflios now?
Here’s the thing: Now everyone, whether Republican or Democrat or Independent, is suffering.
Did John McCain really vet Palin?
Read between the lines: It’s gotta be Obama.
Debate 2: Tom Brokaw Treats Obama as the Hired Help
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
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.
Why Obama Must Win
This decision is not worthy of a great power. Whatever skills Palin may turn out to have, however fabulous a person she may turn out to be, even if she becomes the Eva Peron of Christianism, McCain had no idea when he picked her.
He winged this. That’s the critical, unavoidable, devastating point.
John McCain has demonstrated with this insane decision that he is unfit to be president of the United States. This was an act of near-criminal negligence. If he can behave this recklessly and impulsively with this decision, the idea of allowing him to become president of the United States is only a smidgen less terrifying than thinking of Palin in that position.
Whatever few doubts I may once have still had about this election, they are resolved now.
Obama has to win. The alternative is unthinkable.
John McCain is actually suggesting that Palin is qualified to be President of the United States because Alaska is near Russia.
Yes, I called it. But never in a million years did I think the Republicans would try to sell that malarkey. Republicans don’t think too highly of Americans if they think the majority will fall for that noise.
Any way you look at it, it’s gotta be Obama.
Nightmare on McCain Street
John McCain is his own worst enemy.
If the video above doesn’t play, go here. It’s worth watching several times over.
Unemployment Up by 6.1%
This says it all:
Joblessness grew by an additional 84,000 in August 2008, bumping the national unemployment rate up to 6.1 percent. This is the highest level in five years and the eighth straight month of job losses. The economy has lost more than 600,000 over that time period.
Hardest hit were manufacturing jobs and the construction industry, fueled by the housing crisis and more movement of manufacturing jobs out of the country. Economists have tied the movement of jobs offshore to the free trade policies advocated by John McCain and George W. Bush as well as to Republican Party tax policies that encourage the creation of jobs in other countries.
Manufacturing has been hit by job losses for the past 26 straight months, totaling more than three quarters of a million lost.
So why is John McCain running on the policies of George W. Bush?