Tag: Political Trickery

“Gotcha Politics”

Have you people enjoyed the last couple of weeks of political theater?  Or what I call “gotcha politics”.

You know what I am talking about…..all the posturing in the debate over the Obama Stimulus plan.  Theater?  Yes indeedy…political theater at its best (or worst, depending on your point of view).  All that he said they said was nothing more than a positioning of a party looking to 2010.

I have to hand it to the Repubs, they did a fine job of taking the message away from the President.  Now they will continue and pray that the stimulus plan is a failure or at least does not do as much as is expected.  Then the stage will be set for their return to power in 2010 mid term elections.

After all that was what this whole debate was about……the power thing!

No Bailout From The House

In a symbolic vote, the House of Representatives voted Thursday against releasing the second half of the financial rescue money Congress allocated last fall.

The Senate already approved the release of the $350 billion before President Obama was sworn into office, making a House vote unnecessary.

But the House voted 270-to-155 to withhold the funding.

Many lawmakers had raised objections to freeing the second half of the $700 billion fund because the Treasury Department was unable to explain how it decided to use the first half or document how it was spent.

Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., offered a “motion of disapproval” to prevent the government from spending the money. Members had to vote in favor of Foxx’s motion in order to oppose putting the funds in the pipeline.

Though the House had no power to withhold the money following the Senate vote, holding the debate gave skeptical lawmakers an opportunity to register their votes against an unpopular program.

Those who voted for withholding the money Thursday can use their vote as political cover to show they opposed spending an additional $350 billion.

Political theater is always good for the news media and it is always good for the resume.  Does nothing for the bailout but they can strut around and say that they voted against the bailout, just thast their vote was worthless and meant NOTHING.

Drama At The CIA

President-elect Barack Obama phoned key lawmakers to defend the selection of Leon Panetta to head the Central Intelligence Agency and quell concerns over Mr. Panetta’s lack of first-hand intelligence experience.

In his first public comments on intelligence matters since the election, Mr. Obama also promised that his intelligence team would break from Bush administration practices that he said had “tarnished” the government’s image.

A formal announcement of Mr. Panetta’s nomination is expected later this week.

The two senators, the top Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee, chastised Mr. Obama on Monday for not choosing an intelligence professional for the job and not telling them of his plans to nominate Mr. Panetta. The intelligence committee will hold confirmation hearings for Mr. Panetta and the expected nominee for director of national

Only two CIA directors in the past three decades — Robert Gates in the administration of George H.W. Bush and current CIA Director Michael Hayden — have held senior intelligence posts prior to appointment. Outsiders are frequently selected to be CIA director, with mixed results.

The senators that are the most vocal in opposition were Bush collaborators.  They white washed the intelligence to allow the invasion of Iraq.  Their lax oversight has given the country more grief than they have given good news.  Especially Feinstein who championed such stuff as the Iraq War, FISA and the Patriot Act.

The truth is that their feelings were hurt because they were not consulted in the pick.  But why would Obama , who wants change, seek counsel from the very people that are the problem in the intel community?

Was There More Palin Trickery?

As reported by the AP:

An investigator and the Alaska State Troopers’ union say political interference delayed the drug arrest of the mother of the boyfriend of Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol.

The woman, Sherry Johnston, is the mother of Levi Johnston, who is the father of Bristol Palin’s newborn son, Tripp.

The investigator, Kyle Young, sent an e-mail message to the union, the Public Safety Employees Association, writing that the warrant for Ms. Johnston had been delayed because of the November general election. Ms. Johnston was arrested Dec. 18 on charges of selling the prescription painkiller OxyContin.

But Alaska’s public safety commissioner, Joseph A. Masters, and the troopers’ director, Col. Audie Holloway, said the case had been handled fairly.

Mr. Masters said neither Ms. Palin nor anyone else in the governor’s office knew the troopers were investigating Ms. Johnston until the warrant was served.

Mr. Masters said he then called Ms. Palin’s chief of staff, Mike Nizich, to alert him of a potential frenzy in the news media.

More Firsts For Washington

You now know that the first African-American has been elected president of the United States and that the Repubs ran a woman for the first time and the oldest guy could have been elected, but there is more firsts.

A little more than a week after being found guilty on seven federal felony charges, Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens (R) was clinging to a slim lead today over Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich (D) with thousands of votes yet to be counted from Tuesday’s election.

If his lead holds up, Stevens would be the first convicted felon to win election to the Senate. Four other senators convicted of felonies resigned or left office at the end of their terms, according to the Senate historian’s office.

Here is another thought.  If Stevens is forced out of the Senate, would Palin resign and have the LT. Governor appoint her to finish his term?  It would get her a lot closer to the action if she wants to remain a driving force in the GOP.

Obama’s Free Ride–Revisited

For weeks now, if not months, I have heard this pundit or that pundit talk about the free ride that Obama’s campaign has gotten in the media.  Some blame the “Northeast elites”.  Most of the ones accussing the media of the free ride have been int broadcast media.  The whole time I never saw it that way, they continually beat up Obama on associations, etc they gave Repub surrogates all the time they needed to push the McCain saga and seldom asked important questions, just the ones the the McCain people wanted to answer.

I continually asked where was the free ride.  Never got a good answer to the question.  Last night on Countdown With Keith Olbermann, he mentioned something that may have answered my question.  He said in his campaign commentary and I quoite,

“And what would be happening tonight in the minds of tens of millions of voters if it had been Sen. Obama who had his people negotiate, behind the scenes and off the record, to force favorable coverage of his campaign at three television networks?”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27522443/

Now if that is true, which I am beginning to think it is, that could explain the disconnect with me.  I even would go so far as to guess that NBC was one of those that cut the deal with the McCain people, why else was this not reported before the night before the election?

And you think that the media is fair and balanced, that it is not controlled by corporations…..sorry you are delusional.

Several Points To Consider

A vote for McCain, acoording to McCain, would be a “vote to create wealth not redistribue it.”

Way cool only I have a slight problem with that.  I ask how many working class people moved into the catagory of wealthy in the past several years?  How many people were removed from poverty?  Who creates the wealth during a Repub admin?

I believe the answer to those questions are.  1–less than 1% became wealthy, 2–about 7% more people entered into poverty and 3–the wealthy created more wealth for themselves.  So where would a vote for McCain help everyone create wealth?  He is correct that wealth will be created, but only by the wealthy for the wealthy.

Another point–With Obama’s health care proposal one would have to wait in long lines to get, say, a heart transplant.  Sorry, to tell you thgis, but there is already a line for the transplant, any transplant.  Sad part is now, if you cannot come up with the cash, you are skipped in favor of someone with the cash.  It is BS.  If you step in crap, call it by its name–CRAP!

McCain’s plans sound like a dream come true–but not once has he told me how he will provide all this success if he is elected.

A Socialist Behind Every Door

Look!

It’s a bird!

It’s a plane!

No, it is a socialist!

She will not just shut the hell up!……Look! A bunny!

Obama wants to “spread the wealth around” is one of the latest criticisms.  He is a socialist, anti-American, Communists and an unreal American are other accusations thrown at Obama by the GOP smear machine.  Let’s talk about the socialist thing for a moment.

I would like to help Palin out just a bit, there are enough people wanting to destroy her.  In the past she has made some dumbass statements, either hers or scrpited, but it made her look like a mindless fool.  Maybe they should let her read a bit and stop her from trying to be this folksy little “hockey mom”.  Reading is essential!

Let me help out.  I offer a very simplistic definition of socialism.  It is a theory that states, basically, that the wealth of a state is held collectively by the people.  I know…I know…very simplistic, but bear with me.  Now think about Alaska, the natural wealth of the state–OIL.  AS it is today the people get a check from the state for their part of the oil and gas thing.  That means that the people of the state hold the wealth collectively.  The state acts as the go between –take from big oil companies and redistribute it to the people of the state.  Sarah…Sarah….I believe that is “spreading the wealth” and BTW…I hate to be the bearer of bad news but…..it is called SOCIALISM.  I am sure that there are those who can possibly spin this into something other than socialism…..but sorry…it would be lying.  You are doing what you condemn Obama for saying he would do.

Sorry about that,  Sarah…but it had to be said……stop using that analogy!  For it to work…you have to be squeeky clean…you are not…so please STOP!

The Boner Is At It Again

Oh sorry, that is Boehner.

House Republican leader John Boehner on Wednesday urged President Bush to block all federal funds to a grass-roots community group that has been accused of voter registration fraud.

“It is evident that ACORN is incapable of using federal funds in a manner that is consistent with the law,” Boehner, R-Ohio, wrote Bush, saying that funds should be blocked until all federal investigations into the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now are completed.

ACORN, a group that has led liberal causes since it was formed in 1970, this year hired more than 13,000 part-time workers to sign up voters in minority and poor neighborhoods in 21 states. Some of the 1.3 million registration cards submitted to local election officials, using the names of cartoon characters or pro football players, were obviously phony, spurring GOP charges of widespread misconduct.

ACORN has said it was its own quality-control workers who first noticed problem registration cards, flagged them and submitted them to local election officials in every state that is now investigating them.

A typical political tactic kinda like the hors for voting in South Florida.  Anything to block working people from voting or even registering.  Why?  Most of them register and vote Democratic.  Go figure.

“Joe Da Pluma” Gets Cheesed

On FOX News Joe the plumber vented his frustration at the media for turning his life into an hourly news bite.  He hates that the media and its endless investigations of him and his life.  I can understand the frustration, but would it not be better to vent at the person who introduced him to the media?  That would John McCain.  McCain’s continuous invocation of Joe’s name has made him an irresistable target for the media.  So I ask why not place the blame where the blame belongs–in the lap of McCain.

The problem I have with Joe is that he is spouting the McCain line of socialism and crap, which leads me to believe that he is on the payroll of the McCain campaign.  As long as McCain keeps his name on his lips and Joe keeps going on FOX News and bitching about the media, the more irresistible he is to be scrutinized.  But that may be the plan, to make him look like he is being persecuted, the poor pitiful common man being slapped around by the mean liberal media.  It gives McCain more air time and Joe gets his bills paid, not a bad gig if you can get it.