A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
GDP report to show shrinking economy - WASHINGTON (AP) – A day after the Federal Reserve slashed a key interest rate to a level seen only once before in the last half-century, the government is releasing its first look at how much the economy shrank in the July-September quarter. The report is expected to show that the country's gross domestic product declined by 0.5 percent. (READ MORE)
Republican rips Bush for caving on principles - A Republican House leader said Wednesday that President Bush and his party's congressional leadership caved on principles to help the top of their presidential ticket during the Wall Street bailout and that there could be a leadership purge if enough Republican lawmakers lose their seats next month. (READ MORE)
House leader calls Democrats pacifists, hawkish Jews - Rep. Thaddeus G. McCotter, Michigan Republican, has no problem dividing the world into twos: globalist and traditionalist Republicans, optimists and Irish Catholics. And when it comes to Democrats, pacifists and hawkish Jews. (READ MORE)
Election stirs yearnings, warnings in China - BEIJING The history-making U.S. presidential campaign is sparking an unusual debate in China about the relative merits of democracy versus one-party rule. According to a recent survey, more than a third of Chinese are paying close attention to the contest. (READ MORE)
Fed tries to rescue automakers - The Federal Reserve on Wednesday agreed to extend short-term loans to the finance arms of Detroit's Big Three automakers while it slashed interest rates by another half percentage point to try to prop up the rapidly sinking economy. (READ MORE)
Palin comment sparks 2012 talks - Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Wednesday said her current time in the national spotlight is "not for naught," in what some took to be an admission of aspirations for a future White House run of her own, but which the McCain campaign said was nothing of the sort. (READ MORE)
Lieberman may still hold key to chamber - Through a quirk in the rules, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman may once again emerge as the Senate Democrats' indispensable man, despite his support of the Iraq war, his full-throated endorsement of Republican Sen. John McCain for president and his prime-time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in September. (READ MORE)
Gun owners fret Obama White House - The nation's gun owners have the presidential election in their sights. Some are up at arms about the prospect of future gun legislation should Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama win the White House. Others are beefing up their personal arsenals, skittish that firearms could become scarce or too expensive in the near future. (READ MORE)
Obama upbeat in ad, McCain attacks - TAMPA, Fla. Sen. John McCain fiercely cast Sen. Barack Obama as unfit to be commander in chief and take on the "grave threats" that await the next president, hours before his Democratic rival addressed tens of millions nationwide in a 30-minute, prime-time infomercial. (READ MORE)
Can One Party Rule? - For true partisans of either stripe, there's no quandary here. Most true-blue Democrats would be delighted to see their party in charge of both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, though some worry that subsequent overreaching might harm the party in the long run. Most true-red Republicans have mirror-image feelings. (READ MORE)
Back in Business - Remember the International Monetary Fund? Not so many months ago, it was an institution in search of a mission. Once the global lender of last resort, the IMF had less than $15 billion in credit outstanding at the end of 2007. (READ MORE)
Banks to Continue Paying Dividends - U.S. banks getting more than $163 billion from the Treasury Department for new lending are on pace to pay more than half of that sum to their shareholders, with government permission, over the next three years. (READ MORE)
Treasury, FDIC Near Deal on Mortgage Aid - Negotiators for the Treasury and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. are nearing agreement on a plan to have the government guarantee the mortgages of millions of distressed homeowners in what would be a significant departure for the federal rescue program, which has so far directed relief exclusively... (READ MORE)
U.S. Takes Battle Against Iraq Violence to Border - ZURBATIYAH, Iraq -- For thousands of Iranians, traveling to Iraq through this bustling, dusty gateway now requires stopping at small white trailers where U.S. officials take their photos and record scans of their irises and fingerprints. (READ MORE)
McCain Links Economy, Security - Sen. John McCain yesterday sharpened his critique of Sen. Barack Obama's ability to serve as commander in chief, arguing that the Democratic nominee's economic policies would "undermine our national security." (READ MORE)
Colombia Fires 27 From Army Over Killings - The Colombian government on Wednesday fired 27 army officers and soldiers, including three generals, amid allegations that poor young men had been lured to the country's turbulent outback from slums in the capital and killed there by troops. (READ MORE)
Money for (Almost) Nothing Article - Though it often doesn't seem like it, the world is making progress against financial panic. Capital -- public and private -- is now flowing into the banking system, reducing the risk of runs or a crash. Though we're heading into a recession, how deep the downturn becomes will depend on the policy choices our leaders make. (READ MORE)
State Courts in the Balance - The November 4 ballot will feature an unusually high number of judicial races that could tip the balance of several state supreme courts. The trial bar senses an opening in what may be a Democratic year and is pouring cash into the races to reverse what has been a nationwide legal reform tide. (READ MORE)
Taxing the Dolphins - Don't think tax rates matter to business decisions? Ask H. Wayne Huizenga, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, who declared earlier this week that he intends to sell up to half his ownership in the NFL franchise before next year. Why? Because as he told a Florida newspaper, Barack Obama "wants to double the capital gains tax, or almost double it. I'd rather give it to charity than to him." (READ MORE)
The Election Choice: Education - Though education has not figured prominently in the campaign, John McCain and Barack Obama have their proposals. Each falls squarely within their respective party's established political framework: Boiled down, Mr. Obama believes that schools require more resources and federal support, while Mr. McCain wants to introduce to the education system more choice and accountability. (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Wesley Pruden: A game-changer by Obama - If your toilet is stopped up by something really big and smells really bad, you'll probably need a plumber. Joe the Plumber, as it turns out, diagnosed the trouble, and yesterday we learned what it was. It smells really bad. The tape recording of an interview that Barack Obama gave to Radio Station WBEZ in Chicago in 2001 surfaced, and in that interview Mr. Obama, then a law professor and a state senator, lays out how he would redistribute the wealth. He sounds like a man with a plan. The interview explains a lot, beginning with the attempt, abetted by a mainstream media that no longer tries to hide its slavish obeisance to the Democratic campaign, to destroy Joe the Plumber and shut down discussion of the implications of what the candidate said. (READ MORE)
Robert Kagan: Still No. 1 - Is Barack Obama the candidate of American decline? To hear some of his supporters among the foreign policy punditry, you'd think he was. Francis Fukuyama says he supports Obama because he believes Obama would be better at "managing" American decline than John McCain. Fareed Zakaria writes weekly encomiums to Obama's "realism," by which he means Obama's acquiescence to the "post-American world." Obama, it should be said, has done little to deserve the praise of these declinists. His view of America's future, at least as expressed in this campaign, has been appropriately optimistic, which is why he is doing well in the polls. If he sounded anything like Zakaria and Fukuyama say he does, he'd be out of business by now. One hopes that whoever wins next week will quickly dismiss all this faddish declinism. (READ MORE)
Martin Feldstein: The Stimulus Plan We Need Now - Further legislation to deal with the economic crisis should not wait until the new president takes office. Fortunately, the president-elect will be a senator and can propose legislation without waiting to be sworn in as president. Immediately after Nov. 4, the winner could, and should, take the lead in the legislative process. The economy faces two separate problems: the downward spiral of home prices, which hangs over the financial markets, and the decline in aggregate spending, which could cause a deep and prolonged recession. Home prices have already fallen about 25 percent from their peak in 2006, and experts say they must fall an additional 10 to 15 percent to get back to pre-bubble levels. But they could fall much further than that as a result of mortgage defaults and foreclosures. Further declines from the current level would increase the number of homeowners whose mortgages exceed the value of their homes: (READ MORE)
David Ignatius: Alphas in Their Bunkers - The hedge fund industry coined a term several years ago for the idea that special people (i.e., hedge fund managers) could achieve above-average returns without taking commensurate risk. They called this investment nirvana "alpha," to distinguish it from the "beta" of average market returns available to ordinary investors who tracked, say, the S&P 500. It was the ultimate elitist investment philosophy. The premise was that alpha managers were more clever than other people and could therefore outperform the market. They could do the things that normal investors were cautioned against -- time the markets' ups and downs, engage in speculative short selling, borrow heavily to increase their returns. These smarter-than-average managers offered their services to richer-than-average investors who could afford the hedge funds' hefty fees. This idea of special investment opportunities for the very rich created a kind of cult. (READ MORE)
Karl Rove: Don't Let the Polls Affect Your Vote - There has been an explosion of polls this presidential election. Through yesterday, there have been 728 national polls with head-to-head matchups of the candidates, 215 in October alone. In 2004, there were just 239 matchup polls, with 67 of those in October. At this rate, there may be almost as many national polls in October of 2008 as there were during the entire year in 2004. Some polls are sponsored by reputable news organizations, others by publicity-eager universities or polling firms on the make. None have the scientific precision we imagine. For example, academics gathered by the American Political Science Association at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington on Aug. 31, 2000, to make forecasts declared that Al Gore would be the winner. Their models told them so. Mr. Gore would receive between 53% and 60% of the two-party vote; Gov. George W. Bush would get between just 40% and 47%. Impersonal demographic and economic forces had settled the contest, they said. They were wrong. (READ MORE)
Fouad Ajami: Obama and the Politics of Crowds - There is something odd -- and dare I say novel -- in American politics about the crowds that have been greeting Barack Obama on his campaign trail. Hitherto, crowds have not been a prominent feature of American politics. We associate them with the temper of Third World societies. We think of places like Argentina and Egypt and Iran, of multitudes brought together by their zeal for a Peron or a Nasser or a Khomeini. In these kinds of societies, the crowd comes forth to affirm its faith in a redeemer: a man who would set the world right. As the late Nobel laureate Elias Canetti observes in his great book, "Crowds and Power" (first published in 1960), the crowd is based on an illusion of equality: Its quest is for that moment when "distinctions are thrown off and all become equal. It is for the sake of this blessed moment, when no one is greater or better than another, that people become a crowd." (READ MORE)
Daniel Henninger: The True Meaning of 'Historic Vote' - The most basic explanation for why Barack Obama may win next Tuesday is that voters want economic deliverance. The standard fix for this in politics everywhere is to crowbar the old party out and patch in the other one. It is true as well that the historic nature of the nation's first African-American candidacy would play a big role. Push past the historic candidacy, however, and one sees something even larger at stake in this vote. One sees what Joe (The Plumber) Wurzelbacher saw. The real "change" being put to a vote for the American people in 2008 is not simply a break from the economic policies of "the past eight years" but with the American economic philosophy of the past 200 years. This election is about a long-term change in America's idea of itself. I don't agree with the argument that an Obama-Pelosi-Reid government is a one-off, that good old nonideological American pragmatism will temper their ambitions. Not true. (READ MORE)
John Fund: An Acorn Whistleblower Testifies in Court - Acorn, the liberal "community organizing" group that claims it will deploy 15,000 get-out-the-vote workers on Election Day, can't stay out of the news. The FBI is investigating its voter registration efforts in several states, amid allegations that almost a third of the 1.3 million cards it turned in are invalid. And yesterday, a former employee of Acorn testified in a Pennsylvania state court that the group's quality-control efforts were "minimal or nonexistent" and largely window dressing. Anita MonCrief also says that Acorn was given lists of potential donors by several Democratic presidential campaigns, including that of Barack Obama, to troll for contributions. The Obama campaign denies it "has any ties" to Acorn, but Mr. Obama's ties are extensive. In 1992 he headed a registration effort for Project Vote, an Acorn partner at the time. He did so well that he was made a top trainer for Acorn's Chicago conferences. (READ MORE)
Nona Zagat & Tim Zagat: People Still Have to Eat - In the last few weeks, a lot of people have asked us how the current economic meltdown will affect America's restaurants. The short-term answer is that the crisis is already having an impact. We've recently surveyed 45,000 restaurant-goers nationwide. One-third told us that they're eating out less, 28% say they're visiting less expensive places, and roughly 20% are cutting back on alcohol, appetizers and dessert. Also, the number of restaurant openings has slowed. This year in New York City, there were 119 openings versus 163 last year. Another grim sign: Companies are limiting entertaining at restaurants. One thing's for sure -- Bear Stearns and Lehman aren't giving any holiday parties. Despite all this, we predict that the long-term future of the industry will not be bleak -- just different. When Zagat Survey began 30 years ago, the country was in its first "energy crisis," with interest rates scraping 20%. (READ MORE)
Larry Elder: Senator Government - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wants you -- to redistribute your wealth. In Obamas highly publicized encounter with Joseph Wurzelbacher -- aka Joe the Plumber -- the candidate said he wanted to use taxpayers money to spread the wealth. A gutsy local Orlando television anchor interviewed Democratic vice presidential contender Joe Biden: Anchor: You may recognize this famous quote: From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. Thats from Karl Marx. How is Senator Obama not being a Marxist if he intends to spread the wealth around? Biden: Are you joking? Is this a joke? Anchor: No. Biden: Or is that a real question? Anchor: Thats a question. The none-too-happy Biden denied that Obama wants to spread the wealth -- even though Obama used that exact term. When later given a chance on Good Morning America to retract, refute or moderate the statement he made to Joe the Plumber, Obama stood his ground. (READ MORE)
George Will: The Downfall of Faux Conservatism - WASHINGTON -- From the invasion of Iraq to the selection of Sarah Palin, carelessness has characterized recent episodes of faux conservatism. Tuesday's probable repudiation of the Republican Party will punish characteristics displayed in the campaign's closing days. Some polls show that Palin has become an even heavier weight in John McCain's saddle than is his association with George W. Bush. Did McCain, who seems to think that Palin's never having attended a "Georgetown cocktail party" is sufficient qualification for the vice presidency, lift an eyebrow when she said that vice presidents "are in charge of the United States Senate"? She may have been tailoring her narrative to her audience of third-graders, who do not know that vice presidents have no constitutional function in the Senate other than to cast tie-breaking votes. (READ MORE)
Thomas Sowell: A Perfect Storm - Some elections are routine, some are important and some are historic. If Senator John McCain wins this election, it will probably go down in history as routine. But if Senator Barack Obama wins, it is more likely to be historic-- and catastrophic. Once the election is over, the glittering generalities of rhetoric and style will mean nothing. Everything will depend on performance in facing huge challenges, domestic and foreign. Performance is where Barack Obama has nothing to show for his political career, either in Illinois or in Washington. Policies that he proposes under the banner of "change" are almost all policies that have been tried repeatedly in other countries-- and failed repeatedly in other countries. Politicians telling businesses how to operate? That's been tried in countries around the world, especially during the second half of the 20th century. (READ MORE)
Ross Mackenzie: Straight Talk: McCain, Obama, and the "Change We Need" - John McCain will get my vote -- no question. He easily surpasses Barack Obama in wisdom, values, character, experience, judgment, truth-telling, and his positions on most of the issues. The decision is not even close. The case for McCain is matched by the case against Obama. Go ahead and pull the lever for Obama if you want a president -- let's see . . . -- Who has kept the company of radicals and the corrupt, is a product of the ruthless Chicago political machine, and in the mid-1990s was a member of the New Party -- an offshoot of the quasi-Communist Democratic Socialists of America. -- Who regarding many of those early associations, and on most issues, is insistently vague, sketchy, and opaque. (For instance, as a regularly attending parishioner over 20 years, could he truly not have heard -- or sensed -- the unconscionable extremism of the spiritual adviser who married him and baptized his daughters?) (READ MORE)
Ken Blackwell: Obama's Dangerous Alignments - Last week an enemy of the United States spoke out and endorsed an American presidential candidate – Senator Barack Obama. Taken with other recent developments, voters should be deeply disturbed with this embrace of Mr. Obama’s campaign to become the U.S. commander- in-chief. Ali Larijani is the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, and was Iran’s representative to the United Nations who kept that international body from taking action regarding Iran’s program to expand its nuclear capabilities. On October 22, Speaker Larijani said that the regime in Iran would like to see Mr. Obama elected president. Mr. Larijani is not the first hostile foreign leader to endorse or be aligned with Mr. Obama. In April, top Hamas advisor Ahmed Yousef also endorsed Mr. Obama. Mr. Obama’s long-time associate and self-described Marxist, Bill Ayers, actively backs him. (READ MORE)
Cal Thomas: Smoking Audio - The October surprise may turn out to be a 7-year-old interview with Barack Obama in which he strongly suggests that the U.S. Constitution is an impediment to his desire to redistribute the nation's wealth. How does Obama credibly take the oath of office to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" when he thinks it impedes his socialist agenda? Is socialism too strong a word? Consider one of its definitions from dictionary.com and tell me it is something other than Obama's economic philosophy: "A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor." A complete restructuring of society is what Obama advocated in a 2001 interview on a Chicago public radio station. According to Politico.com, in that interview, Obama, "reflecting on the Warren Court's successes and failures in helping to usher-in civil rights: (READ MORE)
Michael Reagan: You Can't Be Half-Socialist - The other day I went to a Hollywood luncheon crammed with producers, directors, writers and other film industry notables. One of them, Larry Gelbart of "MASH" fame, spoke telling the group that since capitalism has failed, why don't we try socialism? Try socialism? Take a sip of it and see how it tastes? It doesn't work that way. There's an old saying that you can't be half-socialist any more than you can be half-pregnant; get knocked up with a socialist fetus and you'll have to deliver a full-born Marxist. There's nothing inbetween. Try it, you'll like it, and if you don't, as the lads in the Gestapo used to tell people, they had ways to make them like it. Larry Gelbart gorged himself at the capitalist table and came away with untold millions, now safely banked, and continues to collect even more millions from never-ending reruns of the "MASH" sitcom. (READ MORE)
Terry Paulson: Halloween Fright Night: Obama's Words Should Scare Americans of All Ages! - Barack Obama doesn't need a costume to scare me! No matter how he tries to disguise his positions as a moderate, these quotes are enough to raise the hair on the back of any American’s neck. "If you’re going to be in the way of change, get out of the way – we’re pushing you aside. Very politely of course. That’s how we win elections." This candid and stunning revelation of Obama’s aggressive game plan was reported by Jonathan Last in The Weekly Standard. Dr. Edward Tryon, a CUNY Emeritus Professor, commented on Obama’s plan: "Obama’s self-portrayal as a unifier, ready to 'reach across the aisle' and heal the 'divisive bitterness' of our 'one United States of America' is a ploy." Obama’s view of uniting Americans is to "push" all Americans to agree with his liberal agenda. He intends to push aside anyone perceived as "in the way of change." (READ MORE)
Just the Library Keeper: Tuesday, not only the garbage is going out... - Discussions about the election in the library, the WHITE vote, and what my opinion is about them. My conclusion was that Obama could be voted in as President even if the die-hard White Supremacists vote otherwise (just not as many totally stupid people as the government thinks there are - never have been). Then I offered my opinion that Obama looked much better as a candidate over McCain until he picked Biden (same ol' Democrat politician that thinks so little of me and the rest of the common folk). And I wasn't leaning to McCain until he picked Governor Palin for his VP, which meant CHANGE and some kind of contact with the common folk. Not that I like his interview explaining that Sarah Palin needed a wardrobe because she and her husband weren't rich - the way it came out sounded like a slur and I don't think he meant it that way - Count them, folks, most of America isn't rich we like it that way: (READ MORE)
Jammie Wearing Fool: Obama Dis-Informercial: The Truth Gets Chopped, Cut, Sliced and Diced - Funny how Obama's dis-infomercial last night didn't mention his poverty-stricken relatives. “The spot skipped lightly over Obama's family history, including his Kansas mom and Kenyan dad. Instead, stirring, somber music underscored the gravity of the situations faced by four struggling families in the crippled economy. Three live in swing states - Ohio, Missouri and New Mexico - and the other in Kentucky. Toward the end, Obama said, ‘I will not be a perfect president. But I can promise you this: I will always tell you what I think and where I stand.’” Really? OK, where do you stand on your campaign's credit-card fraud? How about ACORN's illegal activities? How about you pal Bill Ayers? Rashid Khalidi? How about having a press conference and answering some questions? Can someone also explain to me why these liberals can never find anything good about America? For a guy who claims to be all about hope, he comes off awfully pessimistic. (READ MORE)
SmoothStone: Associated Press analyzes Obama’s 30 minute ad - Obama was not only less than upfront, he was deceptive. By Greta Van Susteren: “Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was less than upfront in his half-hour commercial Wednesday night about the costs of his programs and the crushing budget pressures he would face in office. Obama’s assertion that ‘I’ve offered spending cuts above and beyond’ the expense of his promises is accepted only by his partisans. His vow to save money by ‘eliminating programs that don’t work’ masks his failure throughout the campaign to specify what those programs are — beyond the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. A sampling of what voters heard in the ad, and what he didn’t tell them: THE SPIN: “That’s why my health care plan includes improving information technology, requires coverage for preventive care and pre-existing conditions and lowers health care costs for the typical family by $2,500 a year.” THE FACTS: His plan does not lower premiums by $2,500, or any set amount. (READ MORE)
The Belmont Club: They stand there like a stone - A copy of Geert Wilders speech, given at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City, on September 25, 2008 was sent to me by a reader. Here’s a link online. It’s titled “America as the Last Man Standing”. In it Wilders suggests that Europe has significantly changed, and will continue to change beyond recognition, due to the demographic changes. “I come to America with a mission. All is not well in the old world. There is a tremendous danger looming, and it is very difficult to be optimistic. We might be in the final stages of the Islamization of Europe. This not only is a clear and present danger to the future of Europe itself, it is a threat to America and the sheer survival of the West. The danger I see looming is the scenario of America as the last man standing. The United States as the last bastion of Western civilization, facing an Islamic Europe. In a generation or two, the US will ask itself: who lost Europe?” There is already a certain quaintness to the Wilders’ speech, as if it were given in a place far, far away in a time long, long ago. (READ MORE)
The Tygrrrr Express: Larry King, John McCain, Rasheed Khalidi, and the Barack Obama Shamwow Infomercial - Somebody told me that a baseball game was played last night. I don’t care. Baseball is boring. That concludes the sports report. Now on to politics. Barack Obama ran a 30 minute infomercial last night. I would sooner watch a “Sham wow” commercial than one more clip of this nonsense. This is not about conservatism vs liberalism. It is about substance vs style. I was expecting the equivalent of a fireside chat. Instead, it truly was just an elongated campaign commercial that was ultra light on specifics and ultra heavy on Obama’s love for himself. Our souls are broken, to quote his wife Michelle, and only he can fix them. Obama can get away with this because he is rolling in money. I want to make it clear that I have no objection to Obama raising tons of money. I think all politicians should have the opportunity to raise this money. (READ MORE)
John Hawkins: Have Libertarians Been Driven Out Of The GOP By McCain's Raging Christianity? - Over at Reason, Ryan Sager has a half-baked election analysis that I thought was worth addressing: “The real McCain, whoever that is or was, may still believe that major swathes of the Religious Right represent ‘agents of intolerance’ in our politics. But he has decided to stake both his election and the Republican Party's future upon them--from the barely coded racial refrain of ‘Who is Barack Obama?,’ to the rallies with shouts of ‘terrorist’ and ‘kill him,’ to the corrosive choice of pipeline-prayer Sarah Palin as his running mate and heir apparent.” Let's set aside the fact that Sager isn't even well informed enough to know that no one shouted "kill him" at a McCain rally, that the term "terrorist" gets tossed around by people at rallies on both sides, that calling "who is Barack Obama" a "racial refrain" is perfectly ridiculous, and that a lot of demographic groups have had their level of support for the Republican Party drop between 2000 and today, and get to the main point I want to address. Sager has been beating this drum about Christians being the big problem with the Republican Party for years, at every opportunity, and his argument makes less sense than ever today. (READ MORE)
Daniel's Big Trip: The "GIMME! Generation" - So to begin, to those who are worried I’ve decided to turn my blog into a political platform, no worries! I am however a fan of using it to air my thoughts on things and stimulate discussion. Hopefully whether you agree with me or not, you’ll at least take the time to think about whatever it is I’m rambling about. Judging by some of the e-mails I received, some of ya agree, some disagree. Some make good points for their respective candidates, and one or two were out in space somewhere. No worries… I’m there a lot, too. I’ll be sure to wave if our orbits get close enough! Anyhow, on to today’s rambling… I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about WHY so much of Obama’s support comes from the “under 25 crowd” and I’ve come up with a reason! Fasten your seatbelts and follow along closely, because the hammer is about to come down dead center on this nail… To start, here’s the one sentence answer; Young adults view Obama as a parent. It's that simple... (READ MORE)
Nibras Kazimi: Obama’s Overkill and the ‘F**K You’ Vote - Can I see a show of hands, please: Who among you doesn’t get riled up when a telemarketer calls? Who among you likes spam e-mails? Have any of you fantasized about calling telemarketers back at this homes numbers, or of scamming Nigerian scams? Will Obama’s infomercial tonight and the media’s incessant and shameless push to sell him to the public throughout this campaign, get the anti-telemarketer treatment from the American voter? Towards the end of my psychobabble rant on this election, I had this to say: I wish that there are enough non-party voters out there who haven’t bought into the hype. I really do pray for something that I’m calling the “Fuck You” vote that the polls may not be picking up on. It would be a vote that rejects Obama not because of race, but because he’s not entitled to winning the race due to his race. It would be a vote that rejects the media’s unfair treatment of the underdog; a reaction against the over-the-top Obama dosage being administered. (READ MORE)
Information Dissemination: The Bias, Balance, and Independence of Journalism - While some are focused on the bias in media regarding the political campaign, Bing West opens a can of whoop-ass on Nir Rosen and the Rolling Stones. “Rosen described how he and two Taliban fighters deceived the guards at a government checkpoint. Suppose during World War II an American reporter had sneaked through the lines with two German officers wearing civilian clothes. ‘When we caught enemy combatants out of uniform in the 1940s,’ a veteran wrote in The American Heritage, ‘we sometimes simply executed them.’ The Greatest Generation had a direct way of dealing with moral ambiguity. ‘I am a guest of the Taliban.’ Rosen wrote. Supposing in 1944 he had written, ‘I am a guest of the Waffen SS.’ It is doubtful if Rolling Stone would have published Rosen’s article during World War II. The norms and values of American society have changed enormously in the past half-century. Yet had Rosen been captured by Afghan soldiers, it is likely Rolling Stone magazine would have asked the US military to intercede for his release. (READ MORE)
Harmless Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: Scared Yet? - Peter Ferrara, writing on The American Spectator website, has a very interesting look at a possible Obama presidency. His Special Report is titled “The Hugo Chavez Democrats.” I’ll hit the high points, but it’s a good read and I recommend following the link and seeing what Mr. Ferrara has to say. According to Mr. Ferrara, an Obama presidency would bring the end of prosperity, a decline in our ability to defend the Nation, forced unionism, restraints on free speech, “Brown Shirt” thugs threatening anyone who doesn’t agree with the administration, and a massive swing to radical socialism. Perhaps Mr. Ferrara is a bit of a pessimist, but then again, perhaps he isn’t. Mr. Ferrara thinks that during an Obama presidency, one supported by a highly-liberal Democrat Congress, there would be a rise in every major Federal tax, which would increase government spending and regulatory costs in order to pay for social programs. Mr. Ferrara points out: (READ MORE)
Abu Muqawama: If only we could all be as tough and patriotic as Bing West - The other day, I was in Al-Jazeera's Beirut offices getting ready to comment on camera on the cross-border raid into Syria, when Bing West came up on the screen. "This guy is really smart," I said to the Iraqi journalist sitting next to me. Apparently West had agreed to sit down for a long interview with Al-Jazeera International to talk about the effects of the Surge. I listen to what West says and read what he writes because I value his opinion and the career he has had in both government and in the civilian analytical community. But the past two things I have read written by West have struck me as absurd and beneath the man. First he went after Bill Murphy's book in Forbes, sniping -- among other things -- that the contemporary American officer corps had not sacrificed on a level equivalent to those who fought in World War II and Vietnam -- wars "more intense" than the ones currently being fought. That's not true at all. (READ MORE)
R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr.: Who Will Protect America? - WASHINGTON -- Last week the dean of conservative columnists, Charles Krauthammer, took a swat at "the wet-fingered conservatives leaping to Barack Obama before they're left out in the cold without a single state dinner for the next four years." He fell on the "neoconservative" Ken Adelman, the "moderate" Colin Powell, the "genetic/ironic" Christopher Buckley, and the "socialist/atheist" Christopher Hitchens. Insouciant to the charms of Obama, the excellent Krauthammer endorsed Senator John McCain. I can understand Krauthammer's reasoning, but then I have almost never disagreed with him on any important issue. Our country is at war with terrorists. It faces a grave financial crisis. On both issues McCain is infinitely more experienced than his opponent, Senator Barack Obama. Perhaps it is because McCain is a retired naval officer and a gentleman, but he remains disappointingly reticent about his personal achievements. (READ MORE)
This A'int Hell: Who is up for another phony Veterans Group endorsement of Obama? - Another day, another ridiculous endorsement from a Veterans Group. Today’s nonpartisan veterans endorsement comes from Veterans and Military Families for Progress. “WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — By vote of the Board of Directors, Veterans and Military Families for Progress (www.vmfp.org) proudly endorses Senator Barack Obama in the upcoming United States presidential election. Founded in 2005, VMFP is dedicated to ensuring that the rights and needs of veterans, those currently serving (including national guard and reservists), and their families are understood by the American public, endorsed by our elected officials, and protected by legislation, regulation, and public policy initiatives.” Well gee TSO, what’s wrong with that? Nothing, except that the Executive Vice President of this group is a guy named Bill Dooling. And who is that? My friend google tells me that: “First Lt. Bill Dooling, Sen. Barack Obama’s veteran affairs adviser, will lead discussions Tuesday in Indianapolis, Anderson and Fort Wayne on the Democratic presidential nominee’s plan to build a 21st-century VA which including fully funding for VA medical facilities, expanding the number of veterans centers, and ensuring veterans have opportunities following their service.” (READ MORE)
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred: Of Heroes And Heroes - What is a hero? Who qualifies as a hero? In some cultures, hero worship centers around sports cultures or entertainment figures, precisely because they make no moral statement whatsoever. We are inspired by acts of physical prowess or by the role played by someone pretending to take a moral stand. In other cultures, heroes are derived only from the ranks of those who take a moral stand. Some cultures see Mother Teresa and others who expend similar efforts as heroes. Other cultures see those who would kill Mother Teresa and others engaged in the same kind of work as heroes. Of course, we have in each us the secret desire to be a hero. We only need to define that desire. Do we want to be great conquerors or artists, or do we want to be great leaders or teachers? The answer depends on who we are and how we understand our relationships with others. (READ MORE)
DJ Drummond: Thoughts About the Early Voting - There was a time when we would count down to election day. In fact, a lot of media is doing just that. But this year, by the start of 'election day', perhaps more than thirty percent of the voters will have already voted. Recent changes in absentee and early voting laws have created an opportunity for voters to have a much more convenient chance to vote. As a matter of fact, I voted over a week ago myself, because Texas opened early voting back on October 20th. A lot of pundits and media have been talking about early voting, which makes sense, but there has also been a lot of opinion tossed about which turns out not to have firm foundation under it. For example, I have read and heard about a supposed historical tendency for republicans to have an advantage over democrats in early voting. That's true to a degree, because historically more seniors vote early and they have tended to be republicans. (READ MORE)
Jay Tea: Things That Just Don't Seem To Matter - I have often expressed my disdain for polls. It's nothing against that field (of which my colleague DJ is a hell of an expert), but part of my personality: I simply don't like "fitting in." When I hear someone argue a position based on popular opinion, surveys, polls, or the like, I instinctively dig in even further. I choose to decide for myself what I think is important, to trust my own judgment on what is right and wrong. The classic "Bloom County" bit of wisdom regarding the penguins watching the jet seemed to sum up my beliefs quite well: "If 10,000 people all do a silly thing, it is still a silly thing." With that in mind, I find myself looking at all the revelations regarding ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now!), and wondering not why I think it's important, but why more people don't. (READ MORE)
Cassandra: Obama to Revive FDR's 2nd Bill of Rights - Sacre bleu, mes amis! Seldom since the halcyon days when the Editorial Staff revealed Clarence Thomas' role as dread Lord of the Constitution-in-Exile Conspiracy have we been so entertained! For those new to VC and our thankfully obliterated law archives, a trip in the Wayback Machine - back to 2005 - may be in order: The Editorial Staff found the epic struggle between the Constitution-in-Exile and Constitution in 2020 folks to be extremely diverting. Not that the CIE folks were ever aware they were engaged in a grudge match for the soul of the nation, mind you. Rethugs can be so absent-minded. But they make such good boogeymen. The cause of all this progressive angst was a long-forgotten FDR speech in which he outlined a truly sweeping set of revisions to American law: a second bill of rights meant to bring about "economic justice" for all. (READ MORE)
UrbanGrounds: A (Former) Democrat Speech Writer Receives A Wake Up Call! - SO LONG, DEMOCRATS! Don’t expect the Lame Stream Media to report this story. Had Wendy Button been a speech writer for Sen. McCain, and then stated she would be voting for Sen. Obama, the sold out media would have been falling over each other, to report the story. This, however, is the reverse. An Obama speech writer now supports Sen. McCain. In her words: “Since I started writing speeches more than ten years ago, I have always believed in the Democratic Party. Not anymore. Not after the election of 2008. This transformation has been swift and complete and since I’m a woman writing in the election of 2008, ‘very emotional.’ The final straw came the other week when Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (a.k.a Joe the Plumber) asked a question about higher taxes for small businesses. Instead of celebrating his aspirations, they were mocked. He wasn’t ‘a real plumber,’ and ‘They’re fighting for Joe the Hedge-Fund manager,’ and the patronizing, ‘I’ve got nothing but love for Joe the Plumber.’” (READ MORE)
TigerHawk: Family last: The British press finds Barack Obama's aunt and uncle - It took the respectable British press to do what the entire American media -- even the evil Fox News -- could not do. The Times of London has actually located Barack Obama's Kenyan-American aunt and uncle. In Boston. Massachusetts. The story reflects so poorly on Barack Obama that if you saw it on a no-name righty blog you would write it off as libel: “Barack Obama has lived one version of the American Dream that has taken him to the steps of the White House. But a few miles from where the Democratic presidential candidate studied at Harvard, his Kenyan aunt and uncle, immigrants living in modest circumstances in Boston, have a contrasting American story. Zeituni Onyango, the aunt so affectionately described in Mr Obama’s best-selling memoir Dreams from My Father, lives in a disabled-access flat on a rundown public housing estate in South Boston. A second relative believed to be the long-lost ‘Uncle Omar’ described in the book was beaten by armed robbers with a ‘sawed-off rifle’ while working in a corner shop in the Dorchester area of the city. He was later evicted from his one-bedroom flat for failing to pay $2,324.20 (£1,488) arrears, according to the Boston Housing Court. (READ MORE)
Tel-Chai Nation: Hamas fires more mortars at Sderot - A serious case has come up that should serve as a leading issue in the next election: “Palestinian terrorists on Thursday morning violated the fragile truce with Israel once more, firing a Kassam rocket from the Gaza Strip at the western Negev town of Sderot. Following the attack, Defense Minister Ehud Barak ordered the closure of crossings for the transferal of goods between Israel and Gaza. Kerem Shalom crossing, the Nahal Oz fuel terminal and the Karni goods crossing will be temporarily shut down. Police were yet to locate the rocket's exact point of impact north of Sderot. Last week, Palestinians fired a Kassam that landed outside Kibbutz Gvaram. Israel closed border crossings to Gaza in response to the attack.” (READ MORE)
Susan Katz Keating: Formerly Embedded British Journalist Reacts to Meo: "I Was Appalled" - A seasoned British war correspondent who has been embedded with American combat troops is aghast at the conduct of Daily Telegraphreporter Nick Meo. As reported here and elsewhere, Meo recently accompanied our troops on a mission in Afghanistan. When the mission turned deadly, the uninjured Meo wangled an escape on board a Medevac chopper, and later filed an error-filled report that took pot-shots at the very troops who saved his life. Until now, public outcry against Meo has been limited to the American milblogging community (whom I have dubbed The Pitchfork Brigade). Yesterday, however, I learned that certain members of the British media are rummaging through their own garden sheds in search of some multi-tined, manure-shifting implements to use upon Meo. The most outspoken is a highly respected journalist who accompanied U.S. troops into combat in Iraq. (READ MORE)
Sweetness & Light: Joe The Plumber Checks More Extensive - Checks on ‘Joe’ more extensive than first acknowledged - Tax, welfare info also sought on McCain ally: “A state agency has revealed that its checks of computer systems for potential information on ‘Joe the Plumber’ were more extensive than it first acknowledged. Helen Jones-Kelley, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, disclosed today that computer inquiries on Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher were not restricted to a child-support system. The agency also checked Wurzelbacher in its computer systems to determine whether he was receiving welfare assistance or owed unemployment compensation taxes, she wrote. Jones-Kelley made the revelations in a letter to Ohio Senate President Bill M. Harris, R-Ashland, who demanded answers on why state officials checked out Wurzelbacher. Harris called the multiple records checks ‘questionable’ and said he awaits more answers. ‘It’s kind of like Big Brother is looking in your pocket,’ he said. (READ MORE)
Socrates' Academy: Ross Douthat Starting to Clue In - Douthat finally notices that no matter what the McCain campaign (or anyone else who doesn't support Barack Obama) says or does this election cycle, he or she will be called a racist. That's because liberals think of liberalism as the definition of goodness. Since they know conservatives don't espouse liberalism, they think conservatives must be somehow corrupted by some other external force that keeps the conservative from expressing his inner liberal. That is partly why sex scandals among Republicans (not all of whom are actually conservative) get so much attention: it reinforces to liberals that Republicans (and by extension, conservatives) are all, or substantially, deviants suffering from repression of sexual gratification. Oddly, liberals typically don't see anything wrong with the behavior itself, as long as one shouts it from the rooftops. Similarly, liberals see Republican financial corruption as greed luring what would otherwise be a fine and good person away from liberalism, corrupted by evil corporate interests. (READ MORE)
The Shield of Achilles: Media bias is the most rampant it's ever been - Right now McCain is trailing Obama in the polls by a small margin, and that is actually quite remarkable, considering the fact that Obama is outspending McCain on advertisements by 3 to 1, and that Newspapers, News outlets, and the entertainment are heavily biased towards Obama. In short, McCain is fighting a huge uphill battle against the mass media. Considering his age, and what he's up against, he's actually making quite a heroic effort. What's amazing to me, is how many people think the American media are objective here. Some of them actually claim that they are biased toward McCain! If you didn't already notice the obvious, there are now a couple of serious studies that back me up. First the "news" media, according to the Pew Research Center, a non-partisan organization: “The good news for John McCain? He's now receiving as much attention from the national media as his Democratic rival. The bad news? It’s overwhelmingly negative.” (READ MORE)
ROFASix: The test we need to save America - The OpEd, "Most Presidents Ignore the Constitution" points out that the US Constitution grants Congress 17 specific (or "delegated") powers. It also commands in the Ninth and 10th Amendments that the powers not articulated and thus not delegated by the Constitution to Congress be reserved to the states and the people. Seems pretty straight forward doesn't it? Then why does government continue to grow and assume responsibilities that are clearly outside the limits of our founding document? How does government continue to justify spending tax dollars and regulating things so obviously outside the limits of our founding document? Why do we let it happen over and over? I think the answer is ignorance. Too many politicians, after raising their hands and swearing an oath to support and defend the US Constitution, end up liars. They didn't mean it or rationalized that the "greater good/need" forced them to ignore that oath and the Constitution. (READ MORE)
Neptunus Lex: Getting Sarah Palin - An occasional reader sent me a private note last week that I’ve been meaning to get around to, but haven’t quite found the time: “Why the love for Sarah Palin? I mean, I get the whole librarian MILF thing, but you’re a smart guy. Come on, would you really want her to be running the country if Mr. McCain doesn’t make it through his term?” Not every prominent feminist looks like a lemon-biting sack of potatoes, maybe not even most of them. Certainly not Camille Paglia, the feminist intellectual (no, that’s not an oxymoron) who positively gushes over the Alaska governor (while remaining committed to voting for Obama). And I’ve had the pleasure over the course of my life to know and work with many powerful and beautiful women who have most decidedly not “gone to the bench” and relied upon the kindnesses of strangers. But even if stereotypes are demeaning when applied to an individual, there’s a reason why stereotypes exist: There’s at least a grain of truth in there, or else no one would get the point. (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden: Why I’m Voting For Obama - You know, all those sober-minded Beltway Obamacons have me thinking. So far it’s all been good race-baiting, lefty-smearing fun, but we’ve come to the point in the campaign where it is time to mull things over and make a serious decision. As Bill might put it, go ahead, fall in lust for Moose-huntin’ Mama’s hot red suit and boots, but … We’re at the point where each of us needs to look around and say, hey, what’s everyone else doing? Should I think about doing it, too, so people don’t laugh at me or snicker behind my back and say stuff? It isn’t just about superficial high school things like that. There are some very serious considerations. Do we really want a trip-wire vet and a gap-toothed hick in the White House? Can America, no, can the world survive four more years of Bushitler Anschluss? (READ MORE)
Ed Morrissey: Iran threatens suicide attacks against the US - Iran stepped up its rhetoric against the US today by threatening to use suicide-bomber attacks against America. Ari Larijani, the former nuclear negotiator, referred to the 13-year-old boy sent by the mullahs to disable an Iraqi tank in the 1980s as a model for the fight against the Americans. Larijani promised an “unexpected response”: “Referring to the US army’s attacks in Pakistan and Syria, Larijani said they would not be answered with diplomatic protests. ‘The US method and conduct, expressed by this aggression, will only be stopped by a clear-cut and unexpected response, whose grounds were set by the martyr Hussein Fahmida,’ Larijani said during a parliamentary session on Wednesday. Fahmida was 13 when he detonated an explosive device he carried on him, destroying an Iraqi tank during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. ‘America should be aware not to put its huge body on top of the suicide bombers’ explosive devices,’ Larijani said.” (READ MORE)
Don Surber: FactCheck is wrong - It says Obama opposes licenses for illegals, but Obama said: “When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety.” I have long been wary of FactCheck.org and this may seem petty, but I am getting tired of the way it covers for Democrat Barack Obama. Here is what Obama said in a debate on Nov. 15, 2007: “‘When I was a state senator in Illinois, I voted to require that illegal aliens get trained, get a license, get insurance to protect public safety. That was my intention. And — but I have to make sure that people understand. The problem we have here is not driver’s licenses. Undocumented workers do not come here to drive. They don’t go — they’re not coming here to go to the In-N-Out Burger. That’s not the reason they’re here. They’re here to work. And so instead of being distracting by what has now become a wedge issue, let’s focus on actually solving the problem that this administration, the Bush administration, had done nothing about it.’” (READ MORE)
In From the Cold: Obama's Ploy - Barack Obama wants every military vote to count.According to Air Force Times, the general counsel of the Obama for America organization, Robert Brunner, sent a letter earlier this week to the top election officials in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In his letter, Mr. Brunner asks the states (and the federal district) to make an extra effort to count absentee ballots by military voters.We're now waiting for Chris Matthews, Keith Olberman, the Politico editorial team (and the rest of the Obama-crazed media) to hail the Democratic nominee's "bi-partisan gesture." After all, most of those military absentee ballots will go to John McCain, perhaps by a 3-1 margin. With his letter, Mr. Obama seems to break with his own party, which has tried to suppress military votes in the past. (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
No comments:
Post a Comment