The Daily Weasel

The Younger Powell Still Has His Tongue firmly inside McCain's ass.

There's someone else who might have been hurt by uber-Republican Colin Powell's promise to vote for Barack Obama in two weeks.

Apparently, according to The Hill, Powell's son, the most god-awful FCC chairman in that body's history, Michael Powell, is a huge McCain fan;

(Michael Powell) endorsed McCain early in the Republican primary in January, and said the Arizona senator was the best candidate to “calm the turbulent economic waters and to steer the new economy in a direction that will bring growth, opportunity and prosperity to all Americans.”

Powell contributed $1,000 to McCain the day of the Iowa caucuses and another $1,000 before the Florida primary. In August, he defended McCain, who had said he rarely uses the Internet, as someone who “understands technology very well” from his time as chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology.

Now, you would think Michael Powell might want to follow in his father's footsteps, which are mostly honorable, save that awful performance at the UN a few years back, in which he held up a vial of Tide and told everyone it was anthrax. But you would be wrong. Colin Powell's spawn has shown himself to be a right wing tool of the highest order. Not only has he previously worked as a policy adviser for Darth Cheney, and supported the Bushies on damn near everything, as FCC Chairman, he looked the other way as media companies consolidated and ruined media, and as Fox News lied about being a news organization, at the same time he declared Janet Jackson's right tit to be "public enemy number one" and increased fines for "obscenity" (is a woman's breast really "obscene?"), just so he could hit Viacom as hard as possible for it.

And if you think I'm just being partisan, consider this passage from the same article:

The younger Powell, however, who still has much of his career in front of him, has lined up solidly behind McCain. If McCain becomes president he could appoint Powell to several administration positions.

Typical Republican. Screw the country, as long as he can keep his mouth on the public teat.

I thought these people were against welfare...

John McCain: Man of the Persons

Kee-rist! Is this getting sickening, or what?

John McCain, who has no idea how many houses he owns; who owns a shitload of cars; who has failed to even mention the middle class on the stump or in countless debates over the last year and a half; and who has all sorts of plans to give the filthy rich (himself) even more tax cuts if he gets elected, while saddling the middle class with more taxes on their health care benefit, thus rendering such health care benefit prohibitively expensive for many in the middle class and small businesses; has suddenly decided he's a "man of the people."

First, it was Joe the Plumber, whose name apparently isn't necessarily "Joe," and who can't actually legally call himself a plumber, at least when he's looking for work as a plumber, who wanted to buy a really nice business, but was afraid Obama might raise his taxes by as much as $900 per year on a dream net profit of $280,000. The fact that he claimed to be "undecided" and an "independent," even though he turns out to have been a Republican plant, didn't do much for his credibility with most people, either. 

Apparently, Joe wasn't fraudulent enough of an image for Sen. McCain, because now he's using "Joe" (Sam) as an indication of his status as a guardian of the middle class. Of course, he can't do that without lying:

"If I'm elected president, I won't raise taxes on small businesses, as Sen. (Barack) Obama proposes, and force them to cut jobs," McCain said of his Democratic opponent during a rally at the convention center. "I will keep small business taxes where they are, help them keep their costs low and let them spend their earnings to create more jobs, not send to Washington."

Okay, in the three debates between these two, how many times did he try this lie, only to be slapped down by Obama? Obama's plan does not raise taxes on any small business, unless you call a "small business" one in which a sole proprietor clears well over $250,000 per year. And even then, the tax rate will go from the current 36% to 39%, only on the amount OVER $250,000. That means, if he makes half a million, his total tax increase will be a whopping $7500. Not exactly a debilitating increase. 

Of course, later the same day, he took a slightly different tack:

"Sen. Obama is more interested in controlling who gets your piece of the pie than he is growing the pie," McCain told a crowd of several thousand.

This from a guy who represents a political party that has spent the last thirty years demonizing the poor, and handing the rich shitloads of tax breaks, while forcing the poor to pay a greater percentage of their income in taxes? Essentially, the poor and working classes are paying more of their money into a tax system that benefits the wealthy overwhelmingly. Talk about your reverse Robin Hood situations...

What is McCain Hiding Regarding His Health?

A new article in The New York Times makes one wonder about the release of medical information on all four major candidates for president. Barack Obama at first released a one-page statement from his doctor, and later released the results of some tests that said he was "normal," whatever the hell that means. Likewise, there are several holes in the records regarding Joe Biden's medical health, especially since he received emergency surgery for an aneurysm 20 years ago. This is a little troubling, although in neither case has either Obama or Biden had any sort of medical scare recently, and Obama seems to be a very healthy, very energetic 47 year old, who "relaxes" by playing basketball, and looking much younger than his chronological age.

But check out the Republican side of the equation, and you have to be truly afraid.

If McCain were to win, he would be the oldest man to ever be inaugurated for a first term, and the only one ever inaugurated while older was Ronald Reagan in 1985, and there is more than a little evidence that Reagan's health was a major problem in his second term. McCain also has the scars of a bout with melanoma. He released 1200 pages of medical records earlier this year, but they were heavily redacted, and his subsequent disclosures haven't disclosed much.

Read the entire article, and then think about this; if something happens to Obama, Biden takes over. if something happens to Biden, Obama can replace him with someone even better. If something happens to McCain, Caribou Barbie takes over, and it's not likely anything will happen to her, although we don't know for sure, since she hasn't released any medical records.

Powell Says Howdy to Obama

One of the most powerful endorsements in Barack Obama's favor happened today, when none other than Colin Powell, the Bushies' former Secretary of State, basically said "enough" and gave his nod to Obama, over Powell's good friend, John McCain, on the most popular talking head show in the world, "Meet the Press."

"It isn't easy for me to disappoint Sen. McCain in the way that I have this morning, and I regret that... [But] I think we need a transformational figure. I think we need a president who is a generational change and that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama, not out of any lack of respect or admiration for Sen. John McCain."

Yeah; how can anyone possibly lack respect for McCain after a campaign in which he pretty much abandoned every principle he ever had, just to win election to the office of president, which he only seems to want out of a sense of entitlement?

Olbermann Explains Hillary's Primary Goalpost Movement

This is hilarious!!

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First DNC Ad Against McCain

This is an excellent start, and might just make people think...

Seriously... THIS is the best the GOP could come up with? Who REALLY thinks that either Obama or Clinton will lose to THIS?

Miss South Carolina to Stump for Gramps McCain!

Link: Ashley Zais, Miss South Carolina, Hired By The McCain Campaign - Politics on The Huffington Post.

Jonathan Martin over at Politico says he's gotten word from a "colleague" that McCain has hired beauty queen Ashley Zais, to be in charge of his interns. Martin wants everyone to make sure that Ashley Zais should not be confused with Miss Teen South Carolina, who is now a YouTube star for completely messing up an answer during the Miss Teen USA contest last August. Click here to see more photos of Ashley Zais.

More about Ashley Zais from Politico:

Ashley Zais, a recent Wofford grad, will serve as McCain's intern coordinator at the campaign's headquarters.

    She met McCain last year when the senator gave a speech at South Carolina's Newberry College, where her father is president. Mitchell Zais, a retired Army general, and McCain became friendly after Zais published a piece in 2006 critical of how Rumsfeld's Pentagon had handled the war.

Remember, it's NOT this girl!

But wouldn't it be more fun if it was?

For Those Who Think This is Still a Race...

From an AP Analysis of the delegate math:

Overall, Obama's delegate lead is 1,645-1,507. That masks an even larger advantage among those won in primaries and caucuses. There, his advantage is 1,414-1,250.

An additional 566 are at stake in the remaining contests in eight states, Guam and Puerto Rico before the primary season ends on June 3.

If Obama captures 53 percent of them, which is the share he has gained in contests to date, he would close out the primary season with at least 1,945 delegates, only 80 less than the total needed to clinch the nomination. If he and Clinton split the 566 evenly, he would still be within 100 of the number needed.

Clinton needs to win a forbidding 65 percent of the delegates in the remaining primaries to draw even with Obama in pledged delegates. It's a share she has achieved only once so far, in Arkansas, where her husband was governor for more than a decade.

Given the unyielding delegate math, Clinton has relied for weeks on forbearance from party leaders to sustain her challenge. And they are growing restless, eager for the epic nomination battle to end so Democrats can unify for the fall campaign against John McCain and the Republicans.

In short, the nomination is, effectively, over. She won't receive anything close to 65% of the votes in remaining primaries. In fact, she won't even win most of them. Pennsylvania will be tighter than people think, less than 6 points. Plus, the way the delegate math works in PA, it's possible for him to lose by 2-3 points and still end up with a few more delegates. The most she can hope for, honestly, is a net gain of about 8-10 delegates. Then, it's off to Indiana and North Carolina. Indiana is close, but she's running out of money, so he could win that one. He will win North Carolina, and could conceivably take it by more than 10 points, and erase any gains she makes in PA. She could win West Virginia, but the margin will be less than 10 points, and more likely 5- points. She could win Kentucky, but probably won't win Oregon. He will probably win Montana, and will likely win South Dakota.

In other words, the best way to get a woman in the White House in the near future would be to impeach Bush and Cheney; whattaya say?

 

This is Why the Media is Worthless

First, we're treated to one of the worst debates in US history. Now, we're being lectured to by one of the worst journalists in US media history to "stop whining" because the alleged "journalists" running the debate last night asked inane questions that had no point.

I will give David Brooks credit for one thing, though; at least he's honest enough to admit he's a shit journalist. Check out this gem from this morning's New York Times blog

From: No Whining About the Media - Campaign Stops - 2008 Elections - Opinion - New York Times Blog.

No Whining About the Media

By David Brooks

Three quick points on the Democratic debate tonight:

First, Democrats, and especially Obama supporters, are going to jump all over ABC for the choice of topics: too many gaffe questions, not enough policy questions.

I understand the complaints, but I thought the questions were excellent. The journalist’s job is to make politicians uncomfortable, to explore evasions, contradictions and vulnerabilities. Almost every question tonight did that. The candidates each looked foolish at times, but that’s their own fault.

Okay, let's stop there.

That is NOT a journalists JOB!

I'm picking on Brooks, but a whole lot of so-called journalists think this way, and it's why the news media has become largely pointless.

A journalist's job is to ask questions to get at the TRUTH! They're not to "explore" in public, on a national stage. Every question asked last night had already been asked and answered, and reflected the bias of the questioner, and NOT a need to know by the public.

Now, let's go to the part that certifies just how morally -- and worse, journalistically -- bankrupt the press has become...

We may not like it, but issues like Jeremiah Wright, flag lapels and the Tuzla airport will be important in the fall. Remember how George H.W. Bush toured flag factories to expose Michael Dukakis. It’s legitimate to see how the candidates will respond to these sorts of symbolic issues.

Does anyone else see the moral and ethical bankruptcy in the above?

First of all, we don't know what will be important in the fall. And as a journalist, your job is to deal in facts. And the statement above reveals a huge bias that has infiltrated the entire journalism industry. Brooks THINKS that all of the above will be huge issues, because he WANTS them to be big issues. Therefore, his  writing will always reflect that belief.

Journalism is supposed to be about taking what is a blank slate and filing in the space with facts. Whether or not people think lapel pins are important has nothing to do with fact. Whether or not Jeremiah Wright said something pissy at some point  depends on your point of view, which means it's not fact.  While it is a fact that Obama had some recent dealings with a former member of the Weather Underground, which disbanded 40 years ago, the only relevant facts would revolve around exactly what those dealings were. Insinuation is not fact.

You know, I know Brooks is writing an opinion piece, but the entire news industry has become so murky, there seems to no longer be a line between news and opinion. What he's writing in his piece is opinion. What Stephanopoulos and Gibson were doing last night was supposed to be journalism. Instead, it came off as an episode of Hannity and Colmes, and they should both be ashamed. (By the way, why was a former Clinton Administration official allowed to "moderate," anyway?)

I thought both Clinton and Obama came out of that so-called 'debate' looking very good; not because of their stands on the issues, but due to the poor performance of the "journalists" running the show.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

There they go again

Once again, the usual suspects (Clinton, GOP and their media surrogates) are manufacturing controversy over an alleged Obama flaw -- this time, a supposed gaffe by Obama at a fundraiser in San Fransisco.

Though Obama has apologized to anyone who was offended by his remarks, the truth is most clearly were not, and media outlets (including Fox News) who have actually asked people on the street have found broad agreement with Obama.

I understand the opportunistic piling on done by the GOP and Clinton -- they really have nothing else to go on.  But I guess it never occurred to them that one of the reasons Obama's campaign themes of "hope" and "change" have resonated so successfully might just be that many people really are bitter and longing for real change.

But then, the fact that Clinton, McCain and others just don't get what matters to most voters is plainly evident by their political fortunes.