Musings of a Liberal Texan

This will be short.... I want to know about AIP and Palin's involvement. This is the party that preaches secession from the USA. Granted, it was the first dude that was a member. But Palin spoke at a convention and at a meeting as recently as May of this year. I want to know about this PR firm that was hired using tax payer dollars in order to promote Palin in the national arena. Isn't that at least unethical and at most illegal? I want an explanation as to how this would not be considered unethical - the contractor that built the Wasilla Hockey Stadium for 20 million also built her lake house. I want to know why Palin felt it necessary to contact Monegan ( Troopergate ) 36 times and then claim to not have pressured or been involved. I want to know why Palin used personal email accounts to conduct state business and is now charging exorbitant amounts of money for copies of emails. I want to know why Palin cc:d the first dude on hundreds of state business related emai...

So...when did you stop beating your kids? What is inherently impossible about this whole Ayers non-issue is the proof. How does one prove a non-relationship? How does one prove something that doesn't exist. All this rattling about a 60's domestic terrorist when Obama was 8, turned college professor with a specializing interest in local schools, can go nowhere. Obama has been vetted for 20 months. If there was a smoking gun - perhaps grainy video of them sitting somewhere tete-a-tete, in deep conversation, or correspondence or something that would give this issue legs, then the media, always looking for a scandal or way to knock someone off the pedestal, would have run with it. They have not. How do I prove that my neighbor, who welcomed me into the neighborhood by having a block party, who happens to be member of the Black Panther Party and also sat on the PTA with me as well as participated in several school programs and organizations, is not a close personal friend? How do I ...

Takes a Brit!!! http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2008/oct/03/sarah.palin.debate.feminism/print

Palin et al can screech sexism all they want, but until they have to deal with crap like this, they really have nothing to say. http://washingtonindependent.com/10456/hate-mail-in-communist-county

Palin - drone So, if you watched the VP debates, you probably noticed that whenever Biden brought up Bush and active policies of the administration, Palin would make an effort to minimize the devastating truths of those statements by saying that Biden was dredging up the past and golly, for a campaign of "change", they sure seemed mired in the past... dontyaknow . And so over the weekend...48 hours later... Palin brings up Ayers. The guy that lives down the street that worked on several school programs with Obama and hosted one of his first "meet and greets". Ayers IN THE 60's was part of a domestic "terrorist" group that had specific targets within the country. Today Ayers is a professor of education and a Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois. He has also authored a series of books about parenting and educating children, including: A Kind and Just Parent; To Become a Teacher; City Kids; City Teachers; To Teach; The Good Presc...

A direct quote from the woman that wishes to be the next Vice President of the United States...... "Well, our founding fathers were very wise there in allowing through the Constitution much flexibility there in the office of the vice president. And we will do what is best for the American people in tapping into that position and ushering in an agenda that is supportive and cooperative with the president's agenda in that position. Yeah, so I do agree with him that we have a lot of flexibility in there, and we'll do what we have to do to administer very appropriately the plans that are needed for this nation. And it is my executive experience that is partly to be attributed to my pick as V.P. with McCain, not only as a governor, but earlier on as a mayor, as an oil and gas regulator, as a business owner. It is those years of experience on an executive level that will be put to good use in the White House also." If someone could please offer a translation....I would appr...

One more thing... I can't believe I left this out. And I wonder if anyone else caught it.. At one point, Ifill asked if, because of the financial crisis, would either campaigns have to pull back on any promises they had made on the trail. Palin did that monumentally annoying fake question thing (like with the Russians...where...where..I SAY...where do they go (head tilt, eye squint in mock questioning)? Alaska! It's right there!!!!). She said "how long have I been at this (head tilt, eye squint) like 5 weeks??" (Not just a little bit telling.) But then she turns around and starts talking about expanding the power of the VP. W....o.....w. 5 weeks ago, she didn't even know what the VP did. Now, even though she acknowledged several times that she is inexperienced, she wants to expand the VP power and control.

Phew! I have to say, I was nervous before the debate. I had images of Palin coming out and decimating Biden with facts and knowledge and sticking it to the people that have been laughing at her for the past couple of weeks. I half expected Biden to slip and say honey or something equally as dooming. But what a relief! Palin came out with her fixin ', her hunkerin ', her smarmy, snarky tone repeating the same tired litany of bullet points that the McCain campaign reiterates at every campaign stop. I think this is easy for her. She doesn't have to answer specific questions, she can actually just say what she wants to say without really answering any questions at all. She tried to do that joe six pack folksy crap, which I just find to be false since her continuous references to being just like us fall not just a bit flat now that I know she is worth 12 million dollars. But there was one point in the debate where I felt she displayed the real Palin . Biden got emotional...

One of the Huge Problems with the McCain Campaign "McCain Campaign" is really quite lyrical. Just noticed that. Anyway. I saw John on an interview where he was saying that he didn't see the results the interviewer was talking about - not in the polls, not in the throngs of people that are coming to their events, no, he was thrilled that Palin is wildly popular. That's the problem with not being involved with technology. Not even the latest. Just technology. I read a plethora of papers everyday...all of which I can name. They are predominantly liberal leaning but in my feeble attempt to remain aware of all that is around me, I read conservative papers as well. And I check polls and latest information on blogs. John appears to not be checking. If he did he would see that over 50% of people polled believe that Palin is unqualified. They also believe that she will hurt the party. I want to say that he is "old school". But that's not the case. My beloved m...

And another thing :) We all saw the bulge in the jacket of bush during the debate fueling the fire that he was getting assistance from others. I am fully expecting Palin to have similar help. And I think that she will be able to do so without anyone knowing. The number one telltale sign that someone is being prompted is the pregnant pause between the question and the answer. Palin , with her journalism degree and work on television, has had experience dealing with someone yakking in her ear while she presents information. I would think that the one surefire way of detecting whether aid is being offered is her answers. We have all been subjected to the shakin ', fixin ' type language she uses. If someone is feeding her, she will not have time to shift their language into her own. If she says fixing...she's getting help. Also, she has shown everyone that even with a sit down, softball throwing anchor, she talks in circles, repeats campaign points and has a decidedly moose i...

The way I see it.......... Out amongst the voters, Palin is asked, by a voter not a journalist , a question about Pakistan to which she implies that she would invade Pakistan if that's where the terrorists are. McCain and Palin turn up later with Couric and say that it's typical gotcha journalism. ? ?? I can't even get my head around this one. I'm done with this. I am so annoyed, so ridiculously pissed off by this whole thing, I don't even know where to start. Granted, Palin was the best conceivable pick for Democrats. If McCain had chosen anyone else, including another woman - a qualified woman like Snowe , Hutchinson, Rice (shudder) - democrats would be struggling right now. I believe that. But instead, we get this wave of sympathy for this woman who is clearly out of her league. It makes me think of a high school basketball player that is a really good HIGH SCHOOL player that someone says hey! Head up to the NBA...no training, no steps, just jump on in...in ...

Post Debate Observations You know, the content was to be expected, and it really held no surprises, I presume, for anyone. What did stand out in an interrogation lamp sort of way for me was a) how presidential Obama comes across and b) how snarky McCain appeared. There's buzz that McCain said horseshit twice while Obama was talking about Spain. Whether he did or not really isn't the point. The fact that it is feasible is the point. I watched it a couple of times on youtube and frankly, I have no idea. But he could have said. Which goes to this whole snarky thing. As an elder, I would think your best bet is to come across as wise, knowledgeable, empathetic to the newbie but ready to redirect at a moment's notice. McCain came across not as said "maverick" but as a prone to outburst in temper, huffing puffing teenage boy. Believe me. I know. He would not make eye contact with Obama . Perhaps he felt it wasn't necessary, I felt he missed a great opportunity t...

Have you seen the interviews? Gut-wrenching. I actually looked over at my husband, who had recorded it for me and had already seen it, who was nodding knowingly and saying "it gets worse." Couric was firm but not badgering. It was painful. Anyway! This from a very conservative woman. Now we can see if anyone actually WILL put country first. Palin Problem She’s out of her league. By Kathleen Parker If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream — away from Sarah Palin.To express reservations about her qualifications to be vice president — and possibly president — is to risk being labeled anti-woman.Or, as I am guilty of charging her early critics, supporting only a certain kind of woman. Some of the passionately feminist critics of Palin who attacked her personally deserved some of the backlash they received. But circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a h...

So what was the prediction? That McCain, by "suspending" his campaign and returning to Washington to bring about a resolution to the economic crisis (an area that he has stated he hasn't a full understanding), the negotiations would be "politicized" and deteriorate into bi-partisan bickering. And, by golly, what happened? The republicans got us into this mess and now they suddenly are refusing to help solve it. Personally, I don't want the bailout. But at the same time, this isn't only about saying no to the bigwigs that the republicans helped to create, it is about our economy and doing nothing isn't an option. Legislation had been amended to include an oversight committee that would monitor the distribution of funds, a slow release of funds, the removal of the wording in section 8 as well as other provisions. To be honest, I think this is the republican attempt at an October surprise...at the end of September. By making the democrats clean up the m...

Timing is Everything So, from what I gather, the timeline for the Great Suspension went something like this. 9/23 Obama's staff brings to his attention that McCain has very similar ideas in regards to the bailout and the decision is made to give the guy a ring to see about making a joint announcement in regards to their stance on the resolution of this crisis. 9/24 8:30 am Obama makes a call and leaves a message re:joint announcement regarding Wall Street Bailout issue. 2:30 pm McCain calls back and says, hey, yeah, let's make an announcement about our very similar stances and to show bipartisanship, lack o'politicizing on such an important issue. And hey! What do you think about postponing the debate? Obama , hmmmm , well, let's just make the announcement, show that we are united, make ourselves available and go from there. McCain - cool. Obama - cool, see ya. 3:30 pm McCain makes an announcement to the press that he has refused to talk to all week that he is suspe...

This is long but it is spectacularly telling about the S&L crisis and the current crisis..... McCain – Crisis Enabler From The Nation By Mark Sumner September 21, 2008 James Bond's wealthy nemesis may have had an obsession with gold, but he judged, quite correctly, that if people keep putting your plans awry, that was likely their intent. In 1982, the same year John McCain entered the Senate, a bill was put forward that would substantially deregulate the savings and loan industry. The Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act was an initiative of the Reagan administration, and was largely authored by lobbyists for the S&L industry--including John McCain's warm-up speaker at the Republican National Convention, Fred Thompson. The official description of the bill was "An act to revitalize the housing industry by strengthening the financial stability of home mortgage lending institutions and ensuring the availability of home mortgage loans." Considering where ...

Sidewalk Shell Game….Hits the Big Time Goldman to Raise Capital, With $5 Billion From Buffett The billionaire Warren E. Buffett will invest $5 billion in the investment bank Goldman Sachs, as part of the bank's efforts to raise $7.5 billion in fresh capital, a Goldman spokesman, Lucas Van Praag, said Tuesday. In return, Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by Mr. Buffett, will receive perpetual preferred shares in Goldman, Mr. Praag said. The preferred stock will pay a 10 percent dividend. So here's how a real bailout works: Goldman Sachs needs money, Warren Buffet gives them money. In return, Warren Buffet gets stock that pays a ten percent dividend. Now, for comparison, here's the shell game version. Keep your eye on the pea. (1) Goldman Sachs gives Hank Paulson seven hundred million dollars (that's seven zero zero comma zero zero zero comma zero zero zero) in salary and bonuses. (2) Goldman Sachs lends Hank Paulson to the Treasury (now that he can afford to be a ...

Freddie Mac Paid McCain Campaign Manager's Firm Through last Month Nicholas Graham September 23, 2008 Two reports, one from the New York Times, and the other from Newsweek, contradict John McCain's statement this week that his campaign manager Rick Davis had no involvement with mortgage giant Freddie Mac for the last several years. The Times reports: One of the giant mortgage companies at the heart of the credit crisis paid $15,000 a month to a firm owned by Senator John McCain's campaign manager from the end of 2005 through last month, according to two people with direct knowledge of the arrangement. The disclosure contradicts a statement Sunday night by Mr. McCain that the campaign manager, Rick Davis, had no involvement with the company for the last several years. Mr. Davis's firm received the payments from the company, Freddie Mac, until it was taken over by the government this month along with Fannie Mae, the other big mortgage lender whose deteriorating finances h...

God, I hate to say! I really do. But it is so evident, so stark, that pretending it isn't there is foolish and not just a little silly. Race is a huge issue in this election. Phew! Firmly off my chest now. I know for a fact that there are people out there that listened to Obama and McCain, that watched the conventions, that are deeply political, that understand both platforms who will not vote for McCain because they realize that as one of the architects of the current financial crisis, John McCain is not only too old to be president but his running mate is far too inexperienced to be so close to the presidency. (Let's be honest for two seconds. Palin is being protected from the mean ole media and has given ONE non-partisan interview in the THREE WEEKS since she was chosen as VP. She will not take questions from anyone. Can you fathom this happening with Biden . All jokes aside? Let's say that Obama brought out some woman that no one knew, she spoke at the convention, t...

Economy Why Congress Objects To The Bailout Plan by Maria Godoy NPR.org , September 23, 2008 · The outrage was palpable Tuesday as the Senate Banking Committee grilled Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke on the details of their $700 billion plan to bail out Wall Street with taxpayer funds. But lawmakers are hardly the only ones questioning whether the plan will work. Here, a look at some of the objections being raised on and off Capitol Hill. It's A Huge Amount of Power to Invest In The Treasury: The Bush administration's plan would grant the Treasury secretary nearly absolute control of the $700 billion authorized by the bailout measure. The language in the measure sent to Congress would make the Treasury secretary's decisions "non-reviewable" – including by "any court of law or any administrative agency." Jon Macey, a professor and deputy dean of Yale Law School, says the bill contains the largest transfer of power from Cong...