WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of the way the government regulates the nation's financial services industry from banks and securities firms to mortgage brokers and insurance companies.
The plan would give major new powers to the Federal Reserve, according to a 22-page executive summary obtained by The Associated Press.
The Fed would be given broad authority to oversee financial market stability. That would include new powers to examine the books of any institution deemed to represent a potential threat to the proper functioning of the overall financial system.
The proposal, which will be outlined Monday in a speech by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, is certain to set off heated debates within different sectors of the financial services industry and in Congress, where some Democrats are likely to complain that the proposal does not go far enough to crack down on abuses.
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer - yahoo economic news, Sat March 29
The article above illustrates one more example of how George W Bush, more than any President I can recall, is determined to consolidate as much power as possible at the federal level. This example is crazy because it represents greatly expanding the powers of the Federal Reserve - an unelected, unaudited, secretive group. What's even more crazy is that article is probably right in saying that the Democrats will object that it doesn't go far enough!
So, the contrast grows clearer day by day -- G W Bush and the belt-way people seek to bolster 'the Fed' while Ron Paul campaigned to eliminate it altogether.
Unfortunately, there will be no last laugh on this one - because it's no laughing matter.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
What You Sense
If you are a Hoosier, that unidentified sensation you have today is this: Hillary Clinton is campaigning in Indiana today.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
One Percent Giving
Tax returns released by the Barack Obama presidential campaign show that Obama and his wife Michelle gave less than 1 percent of their total $1.2 million income to charity from 2000 through 2004.
The Obamas reported that they gave $2,350 to charity in 2000 — 1 percent of their $240,505 adjusted gross income — $1,470 (.5 percent) in 2001, $1,050 (.4 percent) in 2002, $3,400 (1.4 percent) in 2003, and $2,500 (1.2 percent) in 2004.
The total for the four years was $10,770, “a lowball figure compared to other politicians,” the New York Post reported in a story headlined “Those Stingy Obamas.”
The Obamas increased their charitable contributions to $77,315 in 2005, when their adjusted gross income was $1.65 million — including $1.2 million from Barack Obama’s book royalties.
And in 2006, the Obamas contributed $60,307 — 6.1 percent of their $983,826 AGI — including $22,500 to controversial pastor Jeremiah Wright’s Trinity United Church of Christ and $13,107 to the Congressional Black Caucus.
from Newsmax.com article
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
A Revelation
Hillary scored with three big statements this week:
1. On the stump in Pennsylvania she said that she is "going the distance" - going to stay in the race through the convention - great news for the media and for Republicans everywhere.
2. “You don’t choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend.” Brilliant.
3. "I misspoke," about being fired at by a sniper in Bosnia. Completely understandable. Being fired at by a sniper is so common that's it's easy to mis-remember it! She went on to say, "I made a mistake and, you know, I had a different memory. And you know, my staff and others have, you know, all kind of come together trying to sort out. So I made a mistake. That happens. It proves I am human, which you know, for some people, is a revelation."
1. On the stump in Pennsylvania she said that she is "going the distance" - going to stay in the race through the convention - great news for the media and for Republicans everywhere.
2. “You don’t choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend.” Brilliant.
3. "I misspoke," about being fired at by a sniper in Bosnia. Completely understandable. Being fired at by a sniper is so common that's it's easy to mis-remember it! She went on to say, "I made a mistake and, you know, I had a different memory. And you know, my staff and others have, you know, all kind of come together trying to sort out. So I made a mistake. That happens. It proves I am human, which you know, for some people, is a revelation."
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Twenty Percent Defection
New polls are suggesting that about twenty percent of Democrat voters will defect to McCain in November. About that many of Hillary's voters said that they would cross over if Hussein Obama got the nod. Similarly, about twenty percent of the B Hussein Obama's voters said that they would vote McCain if Hillary got it. No love lost within the pro-diversity crowd on the left!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Living on Another Planet
Story behind the story: The Clinton myth
By JIM VANDEHEI & MIKE ALLEN
One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning.
Her own campaign acknowledges there is no way that she will finish ahead in pledged delegates. That means the only way she wins is if Democratic superdelegates are ready to risk a backlash of historic proportions from the party’s most reliable constituency.
Unless Clinton is able to at least win the primary popular vote — which also would take nothing less than an electoral miracle — and use that achievement to pressure superdelegates, she has only one scenario for victory. An African-American opponent and his backers would be told that, even though he won the contest with voters, the prize is going to someone else.
People who think that scenario is even remotely likely are living on another planet.
As it happens, many people inside Clinton’s campaign live right here on Earth. One important Clinton adviser estimated to Politico privately that she has no more than a 10 percent chance of winning her race against Barack Obama, an appraisal that was echoed by other operatives.
In other words: The notion of the Democratic contest being a dramatic cliffhanger is a game of make-believe.
By JIM VANDEHEI & MIKE ALLEN
One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning.
Her own campaign acknowledges there is no way that she will finish ahead in pledged delegates. That means the only way she wins is if Democratic superdelegates are ready to risk a backlash of historic proportions from the party’s most reliable constituency.
Unless Clinton is able to at least win the primary popular vote — which also would take nothing less than an electoral miracle — and use that achievement to pressure superdelegates, she has only one scenario for victory. An African-American opponent and his backers would be told that, even though he won the contest with voters, the prize is going to someone else.
People who think that scenario is even remotely likely are living on another planet.
As it happens, many people inside Clinton’s campaign live right here on Earth. One important Clinton adviser estimated to Politico privately that she has no more than a 10 percent chance of winning her race against Barack Obama, an appraisal that was echoed by other operatives.
In other words: The notion of the Democratic contest being a dramatic cliffhanger is a game of make-believe.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Tail Between the Legs Politics
An aide to John McCain was suspended from the campaign today for blasting out an inflammatory video that raises questions about Barack Obama's patriotism.
Soren Dayton, who works in McCain's political department, sent out the YouTube link of "Is Obama Wright?" on twitter at 12:31 today with the tag, "Good video on Obama and Wright." It has since been taken down.
Twitter is an online device that allows users to send out short messages and links en masse through computers or PDAs.
McCain and his campaign have repeatedly said that they would stay away from personal attacks on Obama, but the temptation has increased as Wright's words have dominated the race in recent days.
Informed that Dayton was circulating the video, McCain spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said he had been suspended and "reprimanded by campaign leadership."
"We have been very clear on the type of campaign we intend to run and this staffer acted in violation of our policy," she said. -- from politico.com
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Obama's Speech
Hussein Obama gave a speech today both to address his 'former' pastor's outrageous, racist, hate-speech sermons and to give his own 'state of racism in America' address. I have not heard the entire speech but I have heard all of the hi-lites that all of the media think that I should hear. Based upon what I've heard and the reaction to it - here are my thoughts.
First, there is an obvious double-standard when the same media that drums a guy out of town for 'nappy headed ho' is willing to cover, question, but not DEMAND apologies and restitution from a man who preaches hate and racism, not off-handedly but from a written sermon text, not one morning but Sunday after Sunday. It's amazing to me that the 'former' pastor has not been interviewed, that TV trucks have not stalked his home, that he has not been required to give any much less a daily statement.
What of Obama attending this man's church for twenty years? It would be like John McCain going to a weekly lecture by David Duke. Would one speech absolve him?
As for the speech itself, as usual Obama can deliver a speech. He picked the right audience, the right back-drop, the right tone and pace. He is an orator for sure. I thought that he was pretty straight-forward as well. He has of course a trump card being the son of a black father and a white mother. He played it. A good play given the cards on the table. And as a pastor I had to appreciate that while he strongly disagreed with and distanced himself from some things his pastor has said, he nevertheless did not 'throw his pastor under the bus' to save his own political fortunes. Why, I have folks that I have led to Christ and baptized who have left the church because a new one was built a block closer to their home. Almost certainly McCain voters.
I agree with Bay Buchanan who said that in a political crisis the first order of the day is to be sure that you shore up your own base support: this speech did that. Plus, Obama is getting props from all of the media that matters to him and his possible voters. I think that the 'mainstream media' will begin to back away from challenging him directly on this - unless a lot more comes out. They will cover the story but not continually ask him to comment on it.
Will he continue to get skewered on the internet via youtube and such? Absolutely.
Will the right continue to fire away? Most certainly.
Will McCain take him on? Not a chance! McCain apologized for a guy using Obama's given middle name!
So, unless there are racist statements by Obama himself that are found and aired, I believe that he will come out of this on his feet. The main reason is this: Obama does not come across as racist (and remember that trump card).
First, there is an obvious double-standard when the same media that drums a guy out of town for 'nappy headed ho' is willing to cover, question, but not DEMAND apologies and restitution from a man who preaches hate and racism, not off-handedly but from a written sermon text, not one morning but Sunday after Sunday. It's amazing to me that the 'former' pastor has not been interviewed, that TV trucks have not stalked his home, that he has not been required to give any much less a daily statement.
What of Obama attending this man's church for twenty years? It would be like John McCain going to a weekly lecture by David Duke. Would one speech absolve him?
As for the speech itself, as usual Obama can deliver a speech. He picked the right audience, the right back-drop, the right tone and pace. He is an orator for sure. I thought that he was pretty straight-forward as well. He has of course a trump card being the son of a black father and a white mother. He played it. A good play given the cards on the table. And as a pastor I had to appreciate that while he strongly disagreed with and distanced himself from some things his pastor has said, he nevertheless did not 'throw his pastor under the bus' to save his own political fortunes. Why, I have folks that I have led to Christ and baptized who have left the church because a new one was built a block closer to their home. Almost certainly McCain voters.
I agree with Bay Buchanan who said that in a political crisis the first order of the day is to be sure that you shore up your own base support: this speech did that. Plus, Obama is getting props from all of the media that matters to him and his possible voters. I think that the 'mainstream media' will begin to back away from challenging him directly on this - unless a lot more comes out. They will cover the story but not continually ask him to comment on it.
Will he continue to get skewered on the internet via youtube and such? Absolutely.
Will the right continue to fire away? Most certainly.
Will McCain take him on? Not a chance! McCain apologized for a guy using Obama's given middle name!
So, unless there are racist statements by Obama himself that are found and aired, I believe that he will come out of this on his feet. The main reason is this: Obama does not come across as racist (and remember that trump card).
Can't Stress Enough
Hillary held a press conference yesterday in which she addressed the economy (what's left of it). At the end she stepped away from and then back to the podium. She then said that she, "can't stress enough," the seriousness of the economic crisis that we face. She mentioned, of course, that she has been 'calling for' steps to address this situation for over a year. My question to her is 'if it's all that serious, why hasn't a warning about our impending crisis been a part of your campaign BEFORE the crisis was obvious to everyone?'
Monday, March 17, 2008
Plunge Protection Team
This morning President Bush huddled with his economic advisors at the White House. In a brief live statement, the President said that he was working with "The President's Working Group on Financial Markets" to address the deeply distressed economy.
In a Presidential debate earlier in the year, the GOP candidates were given the chance to ask each other questions. Ron Paul asked John McCain if he would use "The President's Working Group on Financial Markets?" Or would he disband it? Would he make it's meetings more open if he kept it?
Eyes rolled back on the stage - eyelids dropped at home. Who runs for President asking questions like that?!
John McCain had no idea what to say. He stammered and stuttered, obviously not really knowing what the heck "The President's Working Group on Financial Markets" really is. He finally came out with an answer that proved his admitted lack of understanding on economic matters. But nobody cared (and McCain knew it) because who in the world is worried about some obscure committee that nobody has even heard of?
As of this morning, that obscure committee is being called on to save your economy.
In a Presidential debate earlier in the year, the GOP candidates were given the chance to ask each other questions. Ron Paul asked John McCain if he would use "The President's Working Group on Financial Markets?" Or would he disband it? Would he make it's meetings more open if he kept it?
Eyes rolled back on the stage - eyelids dropped at home. Who runs for President asking questions like that?!
John McCain had no idea what to say. He stammered and stuttered, obviously not really knowing what the heck "The President's Working Group on Financial Markets" really is. He finally came out with an answer that proved his admitted lack of understanding on economic matters. But nobody cared (and McCain knew it) because who in the world is worried about some obscure committee that nobody has even heard of?
As of this morning, that obscure committee is being called on to save your economy.
Worst Since 1945
"The current financial crisis in the US is likely to be judged in retrospect as the most wrenching since the end of the Second World War." - Alan Greenspan in a Financial Times commentary today.
Kenneth Rogoff, the former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and now a professor at Harvard University, said the greenback may drop another 12 percent on a trade-weighted basis. ``This recession will be long and deep and when we get out of it, we'll have inflation,'' Rogoff said in an interview. ``Confidence in the dollar is down.'' - bloomberg.com today
Stephen Schork, alluding to expectations that crude prices were ready for a correction. "After all, the U.S. economy is circling the bowl and the fundamentals have to catch up to the market at some point." editor of Schork Report - on Yahoo Finance today
Kenneth Rogoff, the former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund and now a professor at Harvard University, said the greenback may drop another 12 percent on a trade-weighted basis. ``This recession will be long and deep and when we get out of it, we'll have inflation,'' Rogoff said in an interview. ``Confidence in the dollar is down.'' - bloomberg.com today
Stephen Schork, alluding to expectations that crude prices were ready for a correction. "After all, the U.S. economy is circling the bowl and the fundamentals have to catch up to the market at some point." editor of Schork Report - on Yahoo Finance today
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Retreat
(CNN) -- A Chicago minister who delivered a fiery sermon about Sen. Hillary Clinton having an advantage over Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race because she is white is no longer a part of the Obama campaign. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright is no longer serving on the African American Religious Leadership Committee, campaign sources told CNN. In another sermon, Wright had said America had brought the September 11 attacks upon itself. Obama denounced some of Wright's sermons on Friday, telling CNN's Anderson Cooper: "These are a series of incendiary statements that I can't object to strongly enough." Earlier Friday, before the announcement of Wright's departure from the Obama camp, the Illinois senator denounced some of the ministers's sermons, calling them "inflammatory and appalling."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/14/obama.minister/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/03/14/obama.minister/index.html
Friday, March 14, 2008
Your New America
"The District of Columbia police department is preparing to launch a massive new home-by-home search program to confiscate and destroy handguns, despite arguments pending before the U.S. Supreme Court that challenges the constitutionality of its ban on residents having such weapons."
see the story here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58825
Depression-era
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Reserve invoked a rarely used Depression-era procedure Friday to bolster troubled Bear Stearns Cos. and said it will provide even more help to combat a serious credit crisis.
The action won praise from the administration, with President Bush saying that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was "doing a good job under tough circumstances."
The Fed announcement came in a brief two-sentence statement that was issued as stocks were plunging on Wall Street over worries that a plan to ease a liquidity crisis at Bear Stearns Cos. might not work.
BERLIN (AP) -- Another stunner from Wall Street on Friday sent the dollar to a record low as a major U.S. banker, Bear Stearns Cos., acknowledged it was in dire financial straits.
The euro traded for an all-time high $1.5657 surpassing a previous peak of $1.5625 that it hit on Wednesday.
Bear Stearns lost half of its value within 30 minutes of the market open.
This week the dollar has repeatedly hit record lows against the euro, dropped below 100 yen for the first time in 12 years, and on Friday, the dollar fell below the Swiss franc for the first time ever.
The action won praise from the administration, with President Bush saying that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was "doing a good job under tough circumstances."
The Fed announcement came in a brief two-sentence statement that was issued as stocks were plunging on Wall Street over worries that a plan to ease a liquidity crisis at Bear Stearns Cos. might not work.
BERLIN (AP) -- Another stunner from Wall Street on Friday sent the dollar to a record low as a major U.S. banker, Bear Stearns Cos., acknowledged it was in dire financial straits.
The euro traded for an all-time high $1.5657 surpassing a previous peak of $1.5625 that it hit on Wednesday.
Bear Stearns lost half of its value within 30 minutes of the market open.
This week the dollar has repeatedly hit record lows against the euro, dropped below 100 yen for the first time in 12 years, and on Friday, the dollar fell below the Swiss franc for the first time ever.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
House of Cards
The big terrible news today is that the DOW soared 417 points, its biggest single day gain in years. Lord knows my retirement account could use a historic rise. But it may be terrible news. Here's why. As is well reported, the spike came as a result of the Fed, in cooperation with central banks around the world, making 200 billion dollars available to banks which are suffering. This is bad news for at least three reasons.
1. It delays the inevitable and makes the inevitable even more inevitable (did I mention that Donald Rumsfeld is now helping me with my phraseology?)
2. A gesture of such magnitude and scope suggests that the Fed sees the banking system as beyond needing a prop up, rather it needs emergency life support measures enacted.
3. For the first time in history, the Fed is allowing the banks to use mortgages as collateral. This is what makes today truly terrible. The banks are in trouble precisely because of the mortgage mess. Now, the backstop to the system, the Fed, is getting itself tied to mortgages!
Enjoy your earnings today. But, whatever you do, don't put that money in the bank!
(BTW, are Hillary, Hussein or McCain addressing this stuff in any substantive way?)
1. It delays the inevitable and makes the inevitable even more inevitable (did I mention that Donald Rumsfeld is now helping me with my phraseology?)
2. A gesture of such magnitude and scope suggests that the Fed sees the banking system as beyond needing a prop up, rather it needs emergency life support measures enacted.
3. For the first time in history, the Fed is allowing the banks to use mortgages as collateral. This is what makes today truly terrible. The banks are in trouble precisely because of the mortgage mess. Now, the backstop to the system, the Fed, is getting itself tied to mortgages!
Enjoy your earnings today. But, whatever you do, don't put that money in the bank!
(BTW, are Hillary, Hussein or McCain addressing this stuff in any substantive way?)
Don't Believe It
Most Americans Do Not Read Political Blogs
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A majority of Americans do not read political blogs, the online commentaries that have proliferated in the race for the U.S. presidency, according to a poll released on Monday.
Only 22 percent of people responding to the poll said they read blogs regularly, meaning several times a month or more, according to the survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Difference an L can Make
I saw this ringtones ad and got to thinking. Now, that's a Hilary I could vote for!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Copy Cat
(CNN) – In a letter to supporters Friday, Mike Huckabee said that despite no longer being in the race, he doesn’t plan on forfeiting his role in political dialogue.
“You have worked too hard and made too many sacrifices for us to just "quit." That's not an option for any of us,” the letter reads. “The reason we all worked so hard is to make a better future for coming generations–as I often said, this isn't about just the next election, but the next generation. That battle is far from over.”
Yep, ol' Huck continues to echo Ron Paul right on out the exit. His echoes have been noted by the main stream media throughout the campaign. This is the latest edition. It's like he reads the Ron Paul press release, runs into his staff and says, "hey, this Paul guy has a pretty good idea here." I can hear him going on to say, "nobody is covering Ron, they'll never know that he said this first."
Wonder if Huck preached his own sermons?
Friday, March 7, 2008
Hillary and the Holy Spirit
Hillary Rodham Clinton (we can mention Rodham, I suppose) says that she has felt the presence of the Holy Spirit many times, often prays and has been sustained in crisis by a ladies prayer circle, believes that the Bible is 'real,' as a child was at church when the doors were open, but isn't quite ready to say that Jesus is the only way to heaven.
Read all about it here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58202
Read all about it here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=58202
Darn Good Imitation
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Employers made their deepest cut in staffing in almost five years in February, the Labor Department reported Friday.
There was a net loss of 63,000 jobs, which is the biggest decline since March 2003 and weaker than the revised 22,000 jobs lost in January. Economists had forecast a gain of 25,000 jobs.
The weak report fueled already mounting recession fears and is likely to keep the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates further when it meets later this month.
"Based on today's Employment Report, if we are not in a recession, it is a darned good imitation of one," said Kevin Giddis, managing director of fixed income at Morgan Keegan. "We are in an unprecedented real estate and credit crisis that is whipping its way through the U.S. economy like a Midwestern tornado."
Meanwhile, John McCain is our nominee - the man who told the Boston Globe that economics is something that he needs to learn more about. "I have Greenspan's book," he said.
There was a net loss of 63,000 jobs, which is the biggest decline since March 2003 and weaker than the revised 22,000 jobs lost in January. Economists had forecast a gain of 25,000 jobs.
The weak report fueled already mounting recession fears and is likely to keep the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates further when it meets later this month.
"Based on today's Employment Report, if we are not in a recession, it is a darned good imitation of one," said Kevin Giddis, managing director of fixed income at Morgan Keegan. "We are in an unprecedented real estate and credit crisis that is whipping its way through the U.S. economy like a Midwestern tornado."
Meanwhile, John McCain is our nominee - the man who told the Boston Globe that economics is something that he needs to learn more about. "I have Greenspan's book," he said.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Revolution Ramps Up
Dr. Ron Paul released a 'youtube' video today. (By the way, the Ron Paul campaign won a 'golden dot' award for it's incredible use of the internet, specifically in raising more money online than any other presidential campaign.) Today, Dr. Paul announced that his presidential campaign is coming to an end but that "The Revolution" is ramping up. For the details on how the revolution will continue and expand in influence, watch the seven and a half minute video below. Notice carefully the words of this long standing member of the congressional Financial Services Committee (eg, looks at the economy) at the 6:20 mark of the video. Long live the revolution!
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Sniff Test
Yesterday in the 14th Congressional District of Texas, Ron Paul received over 32,000 votes, almost 70% of the vote, to retain his congressional seat for an eleventh term. But we are told that those same voters only gave him 9,900 votes for president.
Hmmmm.
Let's see, now in Chicago, I believe Mr. Obama did quite well in his home district.
I believe Mr. Huckabee did quite well in his home state of Arkansas.
Mr. Romney swept Utah.
Mrs. Clinton won New York.
But we are to believe that Congressman Paul only got 23% of the vote in his home district?
Hmmmm.
Let's see, now in Chicago, I believe Mr. Obama did quite well in his home district.
I believe Mr. Huckabee did quite well in his home state of Arkansas.
Mr. Romney swept Utah.
Mrs. Clinton won New York.
But we are to believe that Congressman Paul only got 23% of the vote in his home district?
Oh Yuck, Huck
Friar Huck is done. I was surprised that he did not do better in Southern Baptist dominated Texas. He had won in SBC territory before. It's a good thing for GOP hopes in the fall that he did not give McCain a black eye in a state as critical as Texas, which he could have done by even running close. Wonder why he did not do better? Was it because mainline Republicans thought it was time to close ranks and get behind the apparent nominee? Was it because Texas isn't all that conservative after all, what with the steady migration of outsiders from the U S ("yankees" mainly) and from Mexico? Did his votes crossover to vote for Hillary? Texas is also a state where the SBC splintered into three denominations virtually, a conservative group, a liberal group and the regular SBC folks -- was Huckabee seen as belonging more to one of those groups and unable to bridge to the others? Did his campaign run out of money? Or did folks just finally see through the rhetoric and figure him out for the big government, higher taxes, pro-war politician that he really is?
Ron Paul Wins Big
Ron Paul fought off the challenge of a well-funded, GOP backed challenger in his own congressional district in Texas. The ten-term congressman drew 70% of the vote in his re-election bid. The champion of The Constitution and Ben Bernake's biggest headache returns to Washington! Sadly, Ron Paul is almost the only congressman who fights for the value of your dollar and for your liberties at every opportunity. Paul now turns his focus back to "The Revolution" and the national campaign trail.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Obscure Passage
B. Hussein Obama on Sunday had this to say about gay marriage:
"I will tell you that I don't believe in gay marriage, but I do think that people who are gay and lesbian should be treated with dignity and respect and that the state should not discriminate against them. So, I believe in civil unions that allow a same-sex couple to visit each other in a hospital or transfer property to each other. I don't think it should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state. If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans. That's my view. But we can have a respectful disagreement on that."
"I will tell you that I don't believe in gay marriage, but I do think that people who are gay and lesbian should be treated with dignity and respect and that the state should not discriminate against them. So, I believe in civil unions that allow a same-sex couple to visit each other in a hospital or transfer property to each other. I don't think it should be called marriage, but I think that it is a legal right that they should have that is recognized by the state. If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans. That's my view. But we can have a respectful disagreement on that."
The Long Bomb
On the day that Brett Favre announced his retirement, Hillary Rodham Clinton is hoping for a long bomb - a Hail Mary - that will keep her from retiring from the 2008 race for the Democrat nomination.
Only minutes from now the results will begin streaming in from Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island. Some weeks ago, HRT claimed that she must and would win both Ohio and Texas. Lately, her campaign has said that she will significantly erode Obama's momentum with the results of Texas and Ohio. (By the way, this is a more sane moment of the campaign overall because unlike earlier when there was the completely exaggerated focus on New Hampshire, today Rhode Island will be completely irrelevant.) If polls can be trusted, she looks to be in good shape in Ohio and in a real battle in Texas. If early exit polling is to be trusted the huge turnout of Hispanics in Texas has got to bode well for her there. Still, some argue that even wins in both states will not be enough to overtake BO's lead or to stop his march to the nomination. Perhaps not. I join Rush Limbaugh in hoping for a huge Hillary comeback that keeps the Dems spending money and fighting among themselves all the way to the convention - then at the convention over the Wisconsin and Florida delegates.
Hoping for the long bomb to connect tonight.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Coming Soon
We are already getting some previews of what's coming in the fall campaign between (presumably) John McCain and B. Hussein Obama. John McCain said on a stump speech that he had "news" for B. Hussein Obama that "al qaida IS in Iraq." This in response to a moment in the most recent Dem Debate when B. Hussein Obama said that he would reserve the right to bomb sites in Iraq, "IF al qaida was in Iraq." So, in B. Hussein Obama's speech tonight, he fired back by saying that he had "news" for Mr. McCain. He said that he knows that al qaida is in Iraq and that he also knows that they were not in Iraq until McCain and Bush invaded Iraq instead of fight them in Afghanistan. "McCain said he would follow Bin Ladin to the gates of hell but so far McCain has only followed Bush into Iraq."
My sense is that (1) McCain will be the rhetorical underdog by a long shot and that (2) 'the war,' which has carried him among Republicans, won't be a winning topic for him against Obama. He will have to move the topic to a weakness for Obama.
My sense is that (1) McCain will be the rhetorical underdog by a long shot and that (2) 'the war,' which has carried him among Republicans, won't be a winning topic for him against Obama. He will have to move the topic to a weakness for Obama.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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