Don’t Worry About Being Unable to Swim
“The fall will probably kill you.” The immortal words of Butch Cassidy (one of the great performances of Paul Newman, who died yesterday).
“I’ll put it simple: if you’re going hard enough left, you’ll find yourself turning right.” Doc Hudson (Newman’s voice in “Cars”).
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Thanks to my buddy Jim for this link to Scot McKnight’s article in CT, “The Ironic Faith of Emergents.” (Some of you will get to hear McKnight in a few days at the Zoe Conference.) His eight catalysts are illuminating.
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When Senator McCain selected Sarah Palin as his running mate, I linked to two columns from Washington Post editorial writers to give two views. I didn’t know much about her and was trying to keep an open mind and hear two sides. The positive view was by conservative columnist Kathleen Parker.
Now, I could just have linked to Kathleen Parker: pro (9/5/08) and con (9/26/08).
In her newest column, Parker asks Palin to step out of the race for the good of the country: If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself. . . . Only Palin can save McCain, her party and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first. Do it for your country.
Maybe Sally Quinn (the “con” in my original two articles) will now come out in support of Governor Palin.
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I watched the first debate with a roomful of friends. I think the general consensus was that it was a draw.
Nice story to show he is against fraud. Who isn’t! That article could be written about almost anyone. Now, the sub-prime atricle–that is another story. I like what he is saying. Too bad we don’t live in London or we might have read it. Wonder why no US media outlet picked it up. Probably because he was starting to sound a lot like McCain has been sounding for years.
I don’t know, brother, Obama is starting to scare me. When you get past his smooth rhetoric, I keep hearing about funding this and that, starting federal programs for this and that…. Yet, once you get by the McCain = Bush perception and start really listening, McCain truly seems to about honest reform in the true interst of the people.
C, show me McCain articulating anything like what Obama has said about the subprime — a speech, a bill, an article, anything. And show me McCain articulating it first so Obama can “sound a lot like” him. McCain did write an article recently, but unfortunately, it was in favor of the repeal of regulation (deregulation caused the problem in the first place) and defending the benefits of subsidizing the government by investing in the markets (see him on doing this with healthcare at http://www.contingencies.org/septoct08/mccain.pdf What would have happened if healthcare, social security, and other government initiatives were invested in the markets right now? Whose interests is McCain protecting?). And show me any actual reason since 2002 not to equate Bush with McCain — again, some place where McCain has really stood up to the president. Torture? Well, sorta. McCain tried to get Bush to stop, but he didn’t fight the signing statement Bush issued to keep doing it.
All one gets from McCain is truthiness. All one gets from Palin is hollow platitudes, the junk food of politics. And all one gets from you are unsupported “Obama’s scary” and “McCain’s the answer” nonsense. You can think what you like, but until you can actually support it with facts, let’s not pretend that it’s real or reasoned, okay?
By the way, you know how Obama funds this an that? By eliminating eliminating loopholes so corporations can avoid paying taxes, by ending the failed and pointless war in Iraq ($10 billion a month), and by eliminating redundancy.
So it’s clear that you have no idea what Obama actually believes or has proposed as policy. The article is clearly news to you. Yet for some reason, you’ve chosen McCain and despise Obama (even when you agree with him, you apparently have to find a reason for him to “scare” you). On what information did you make your decision?
Okay, sure. Try http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=306632135350949. (McCain’s support of Bush proposals in 2003 and excerpts of his own warnings in 2005.)
“Obama’s bill would increase funding for federal law enforcement programs,…” I’ll just take this example from the post you had today. This is only a small example; however, I’m also hearing reports that Obama happens to have the most liberal voting record in Congress.
So, there are some facts. I guess I do have some idea, but in the end I suppose it still boils down to me thinking what I like —- and what I like is someone I really feel I can trust. McCain has clearly been winning my trust lately.
Finally, I would imagine I’m like most in the desire to see stabilization in the democracy in Iraq, and see our troops come home. But, I in no way see the war in Iraq as failed and pointless as you claim Obama does.
77 & Bill:
Without a doubt, your well intentioned support for Barak Obama does not seem to recall some of the key members of the Obama campaign and their role in the demise of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Let’s see if you have heard of any of these people
Franklin Raines – Left his role as President and CEO of Freddie Mac when he admitted to accounting “irregularities” Although he resigned suddenly, son’t worry. he was well taken care of. He had a parachute worth $240 Million to help him land. The court made him return $50 Million so he only netted $190 Million. What does he do now? Franklin Raines serves as the Chief Economic Adviser for the Obama campaign.
Tim Howard – He is the former CFO of Fannie Mae. He got caught cooking the books to make certain that Fannie Mae always showed positive earnings. According to the OIG, he failed to provide oversight. I am worried about Mr. Howard. He only received $20 million to land on his feet. He is filling his time today serving the Barak Obama campaign as an economic adviser.
Jim Johnson was another Fannie Mae Executive and Lehman Brothers principal. He got caught too!He was faulted with mismanagement and failure to provide proper oversight of Fannie Mae. He also lied about compensation the year he received $20 million in salary. Don’t worry about Jimmy. He had $28 million to help him land on his feet. His schedule has slowed down lately. He chaired the Barak Obama Vice-President Search Committee.
Obama will have good experience with the mess on Wall Street. He hired three of the main reasons for it.
ACORN Welcomes Palin’s Endorsement of Biden’s Call for Bankruptcy Protections
October 02, 2008
Statement from ACORN President Maude Hurd on Sarah Palin’s embrace of bankruptcy protections to prevent foreclosures:
“About 20 minutes into tonight’s debate, Governor Sarah Palin demonstrated bipartisan appeal in endorsing Senator Biden’s call for bankruptcy protections for primary residences. When Senator Biden called for bankruptcy shelter and suggested that Governor Palin likely opposed those protections, Gwen Ifill asked, “Governor Palin, is that so?” The Governor responded, “That is not so.”
Both Senators Biden and Obama have supported the “Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act”, which would close the loophole in current federal bankruptcy law that prevents primary residences from have their mortgages restructured by federal bankruptcy judges. Currently, second homes, seventh homes, and yachts are eligible for such restructuring, but not primary residences that are being lost at a record pace in the current foreclosure crisis.
ACORN welcomes Governor Palin’s endorsement of this important provision, and hopes that this high-profile endorsement will encourage Senator McCain to change his mind and support this necessary change to assist America’s struggling homeowners.
This set up the real punchline in this story, which perfectly encapsulates not only how ignorant, but how tightly controlled by McCain operatives Palin is and will be as Vice President:
“Sarah was just being Sarah,” ACORN’s Charles Jackson told ABC News. “It’s clear from the transcript that she supported the provision that Senator Biden brought up. We’ll see if McCain’s handlers will allow her to continue to hold that position tomorrow.”
I’m with C and MK: John McCain’s a fellow we can believe in. You want facts and details 77? Check it out: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain/page/1
Hi Rufus. Thanks for agreeing, but I think you inadvertently posted the wrong column. Instead of a column on McCain written by an extremely far-left liberal like Dickinson, I bet you meant this article on Obama by a fellow democrat –http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/01/24/worrying_about_obama/
C, how embarrassing. But I totally agree with everything you’ve written. Here’s another article that shows why it’s McCain for me all the way. The country needs a man like him, and this really shows why: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/10/13/081013taco_talk_editors
Here’s another article that’s really good at showing McCain’s integrity. You can’t have someone who’s going to waiver. Like Palin said, you can’t blink. http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/10/john_mccain_a_tale_of_the_tape.html