John McCain

For me this is simple. We have a giant problem in this country. It's the elephant in the room! We're a Democracy on the edge. We're in great danger of transitioning to a plutocracy: a society, economy and polity controlled by the rich. Read below the fold...

So, correct me if I’m wrong, but has’t it been the Right that’s bitched about Obama and the Dems turning this country into the next Nazi Germany????

But if you ask the the Arizona Senatorial candidates, apparently it’s a great thing that a new regulation virtually enacts World War II era Germany rules into Arizona state laws. Read below the fold...

Earlier this month, an RNC marketing document was discovered. In this appalling Power Point presentation, voters were divided into categories depending on the amount of money The Party expected to be able to suck out of them.

Perhaps in an attempt to recreate the flood of cash Obama received from small donors, the marketing presentation out lined the motivations of these “visceral” donors as “fear”, “reactionary”, and “extreme negative feelings towards existing Administration.”. In what I believe to be a classic case of not being able to see the forest ‘spite the trees, it just may be that the RNC bit off a bit more than they could chew. Read below the fold...

This stimulus act isn’t all it should be, maybe five-eighths of a loaf, but it is better on close examination than first appearance and media reports had suggested. Read below the fold...

The King is Dead! Long live the King! Read below the fold...

Phil?
Yes John.
We're not going to Oxford tomorrow are we?
No we're not John.
Even if the deal is done?
Nope.
Good, I never could spell Mississippi.
It isn't a spelling bee, John, it's a debate.
Oh, so why did we cancel Phil?
So you could look presidential John.
Good, I like it when I look presidential. How we gonna do that Phil?
You're going to Washington. You'll see the President, you'll take some meetings and you'll make statements showing your leadership and strength.
Read below the fold...

Ladies and Gentleman, please give a warm welcome to Read below the fold...

[Do read the comments. --lambert] Read below the fold...

Given that this is Scientific American, I expect this is a reasonably neutral summary of the two candidate's positions -- and the questions both need to be asked: Read below the fold...

John Sidney McCain.

One of the more frustrating things for me in this primary is the way that years of oppo that we've salted away on Republican sexual deviance and Republican torture and killing of animals has gone unused; and both issues speak directly to Republican abuses of power with easy-to-understand stories that cry out for accountability. Read below the fold...

Some of you know that I am an, er, critic of Israel, but I am a big fan of parts of its English media, especially the newspaper Ha'aretz, and not just on its Mideast coverage. Here's an intriguing column by Bradley Burston on the US election. He's basically written Obama off.

Take a long walk in this land of dreams and all you'll see is Obama. Obama lawn signs, Obama bumper stickers, window placards, lapel buttons, anklets. In souvenir stores, Obama t-shirts compete successfully with longtime best-sellers touting Bourbon Street and carousing alligators.

Read below the fold...

Observations on Obama and McCain at Rick Warren's anti-establishment-clause summit...

Obama

Led off by citing Matthew about "the least of us." If you're going to play the religion card, this is the better sort of framing. Slippery slope, though, ain't it?

Says Bill Clinton was right about workfare. Over the course of the hour, Obama lists several things that Bill did right, such as Bosnia. Funny, when his wife was still in the race, you'd never hear that the Clinton era was so good! Also, he pops in "sexism" now and again as an issue. Just in time to repudiate all that misogynistic press against Hillary, right? Read below the fold...

Tomorrow (Saturday) from 8:00-10:00PM EDT online, and on Fox News and CNN.

Just from the anticipation, my bucket runneth over. Read below the fold...

The RNC has announced a $10 Million cash shortfall in funding for it's upcoming national convention. To help close the gap the Telecommunicating Association Companies of the United States (TACUS) has announced an effort to assist. "For the last 10 days of August we'll be donating a portion of our profits to help with RNC's expenses," said TACUS spokeswoman Fisah Wyretapper. "To show how grateful we are the republicans came to our rescue we're coming to theirs." Asked if TACUS would also be assisting the Democrats Wyretapper said, "No, but we'll be buying box lunches for some blue dogs." Read below the fold...

Despite voting against raises in the minimum wage and years of denying worker's rights to organize John McCain struck a chord with some employees of an Ohio company recently. Following Obama's suggestion that Americans could improve their gas mileage by having accurate tire pressure McCain decided tire gauges would be a great way to mock him as part of the “it’s the Democrats fault gas prices are high” campaign. Read below the fold...