ReayToRumnle

Sarah Palin blamed by the US Secret Service over death threats against Barack Obama Sarah Palin's attacks on Barack Obama's patriotism provoked a spike in death threats against the future president, Secret Service agents revealed during the final weeks of the campaign. She called him a terrorist and unamerican. By Tim Shipman in Washington
Palin's tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists Photo: Reuters

The Republican vice presidential candidate attracted criticism for accusing Mr Obama of "palling around with terrorists", citing his association with the sixties radical William Ayers.

The attacks provoked a near lynch mob atmosphere at her rallies, with supporters yelling "terrorist" and "kill him" until the McCain campaign ordered her to tone down the rhetoric.

But it has now emerged that her demagogic tone may have unintentionally encouraged white supremacists to go even further.

The Secret Service warned the Obama family in mid October that they had seen a dramatic increase in the number of threats against the Democratic candidate, coinciding with Mrs Palin's attacks.

Michelle Obama, the future First Lady, was so upset that she turned to her friend and campaign adviser Valerie Jarrett and said: "Why would they try to make people hate us?"

The revelations, contained in a Newsweek history of the campaign, are likely to further damage Mrs Palin's credentials as a future presidential candidate. She is already a frontrunner, with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, to take on Mr Obama in four years time.

Details of the spike in threats to Mr Obama come as a report last week by security and intelligence analysts Stratfor, warned that he is a high risk target for racist gunmen. It concluded: "Two plots to assassinate Obama were broken up during the campaign season, and several more remain under investigation. We would expect federal authorities to uncover many more plots to attack the president that have been hatched by white supremacist ideologues."

Irate John McCain aides, who blame Mrs Palin for losing the election, claim Mrs Palin took it upon herself to question Mr Obama's patriotism, before the line of attack had been cleared by Mr McCain.

That claim is part of a campaign of targeted leaks designed to torpedo her ambitions, with claims that she did not know that Africawas a continent rather than a country.

The advisers have branded her a "diva" and a "whack job" and claimed that she did not know which other countries are in the North American Free Trade Area, (Canada and Mexico). They say she spent more than $150,000 on designer clothes, including $40,000 on her husband Todd and that she refused to prepare for the disastrous series of interviews with CBS's Katie Couric.

In a bid to salvage her reputation Mrs Palin came out firing in an interview with CNN, dismissing the anonymous leakers in unpresidential language as "jerks" who had taken "questions or comments I made in debate prep out of context."

She said: "I consider it cowardly. It's not true. That's cruel, it's mean-spirited, it's immature, it's unprofessional and those guys are jerks if they came away taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news that's not fair and not right."

She was not asked about her incendiary rhetoric against Mr Obama. But she did deny the spending spree claims, saying the clothes in question had been returned to the Republican National Committee. "Those are the RNC's clothes, they're not my clothes. I asked for anything more than maybe a diet Dr Pepper once in a while. These are false allegations."

Speaking as she returned to her native Alaska, Mrs Palin claimed to be baffled by what she claims was sexism on the national stage. "Here in Alaska that double standard isn't applied because these guys know that Alaskan women are pretty tough, on a par with the men in terms of being outdoors, working hard," she said.

"They're commercial fishermen, they're pilots, they're working up on the North slopein the oil fields. You see equality in Alaska. I think that was a bit of as surprise on the national level."

 WHAT DO YOU THINK IS IT HER FAULT?

 

Got this in my email

Read This He Wants To Lower Taxes For The Rich And Tax All The Hard Working People More..

Taxes: Pro-Growth and Competitive Pro-Growth Tax Policy
Cut The Corporate Tax Rate From 35 To 25 Percent: A lower corporate tax rate is essential to keeping good jobs in the United States. America was once a low-tax business environment, but as our trade partners lowered their rates, America failed to keep pace. We now have the second highest corporate tax rate in the world, making America a less attractive place for companies to do business. American workers deserve the chance to make fine products here and sell them around the globe. He is talking about CEO'S and Big companys like Wal-Mart and Huffy Bikes Allow First-Year Deduction, Or "Expensing", Of Equipment And Technology Investments: American workers need the finest technologies to compete. Expensing of equipment and technology will provide an immediate boost to capital expenditures and reward investments in cutting-edge technologies.

Establish Permanent Tax Credit Equal To 10 Percent Of Wages Spent On R&D: This reform will simplify the tax code, reward activity in the United States, and make us more competitive with other countries. A permanent credit will provide an incentive to innovate and remove uncertainty. At a time when our companies need to be more competitive, we need to provide a permanent incentive to innovate, and remove the uncertainty now hanging over businesses as they make R&D investment decisions. HE IS TALKING ABOUT THE BIG COMPANYS AGIN YOU MIDDLE CLASS PEOPLE WILL GET YOUR TAXES HIGHER Innovation Tax Policy Ban Internet Taxes: John McCain believes we must make a farsighted, robust, and fervent commitment to innovation and new technologies to sustain our global competitiveness, meet our national security challenges, achieve less costly and more effective health care, reduce dangerous dependence on foreign sources of oil, and raise the quality of education in the United States.  As President, he will seek a permanent ban on taxes that threaten this engine of economic growth and prosperity. What he is saying is one day the big companys would not have to pay taxes

Lower Barriers to Trade John McCain believes that globalization is an opportunity for American workers today and in the future. Ninety-five percent of the world's customers lie outside our borders, and we need to be at the table when the rules for access to those markets are written. To do so, the U.S. should engage in multilateral, regional and bilateral efforts to reduce barriers to trade, level the global playing field and build effective enforcement of global trading rules. WHAT HE IS SAYING LET BIG COMPANYS GO OVER SEAS AND PUT AMERICANS OUT OF WORK  YOU CAN LOOK THIS UP ON MCCAINS WEB SITE HE CARES NOTHING ABOUT YOU UNLESS YOU ARE RICH!

Barack Obama’s tax plan delivers broad-based tax relief to middle class families and cuts taxes for small businesses and companies that create jobs in America, while restoring fairness to our tax code and returning to fiscal responsibility. Coupled with Obama’s commitment to invest in key areas like health, clean energy, innovation and education, his tax plan will help restore bottom-up economic growth that helps create good jobs in America and empowers all families achieve the American dream.
Obama’s Comprehensive Tax Policy Plan for America will:

• Cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and their families with a tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couples.
• Provide generous tax cuts for low- and middle-income seniors, homeowners, the uninsured, and families sending a child to college or looking to save and accumulate wealth.
• Eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses, cut corporate taxes for firms that invest and create jobs in the United States, and provide tax credits to reduce the cost of healthcare and to reward investments in innovation.
• Dramatically simplify taxes by consolidating existing tax credits, eliminating the need for millions of senior citizens to file tax forms, and enabling as many as 40 million middle-class Americans to do their own taxes in less than five minutes without an accountant.

Under the Obama Plan:

• Middle class families will see their taxes cut – and no family making less than $250,000 will see their taxes increase. The typical middle class family will receive well over $1,000 in tax relief under the Obama plan, and will pay tax rates that are 20% lower than they faced under President Reagan. According to the Tax Policy Center, the Obama plan provides three times as much tax relief for middle class families as the McCain plan.
• Families making more than $250,000 will pay either the same or lower tax rates than they paid in the 1990s. Obama will ask the wealthiest 2% of families to give back a portion of the tax cuts they have received over the past eight years to ensure we are restoring fairness and returning to fiscal responsibility. But no family will pay higher tax rates than they would have paid in the 1990s. In fact, dividend rates would be 39 percent lower than what President Bush proposed in his 2001 tax cut.
• Obama’s plan will cut taxes overall, reducing revenues to below the levels that prevailed under Ronald Reagan (less than 18.2 percent of GDP). The Obama tax plan is a net tax cut – his tax relief for middle class families is larger than the revenue raised by his tax changes for families over $250,000. Coupled with his commitment to cut unnecessary spending, Obama will pay for this tax relief while bringing down the budget deficit.

Impact of the Obama Tax Plan WHO   TAX CUT  Married Couple Making $75,000 with two children, one of whom is in college  $3,700
 [includes $1,000 Making Work Pay; $500 universal mortgage credit; and $4,000 college credit net of current college credits]   Married Couple making $90,000 $1,000  Single Parent making $40,000 with two young children and childcare expenses. $2,100
[includes $500 making work pay; $500 universal mortgage credit, and $1,100 from Obama expansion of the child care tax credit]  70-Year Old Widow Making $35,000 $1,900  Source: Calculations based on IRS Statistics of Income. Tax savings is conservative; does not account for up to $500 in savings from expanded Savers Credit and the $2,500 in savings per family from the Obama healthcare plan


GET THE DETAILS:

Full Obama Tax Plan
Comparison of the Obama and McCain Tax Plans
Key Facts About Obama and Taxes

I noticed that McCain has been saying when I am voted president,when  am president,after I am president like he knows he will be president. Is he going to cheat his way in? he suer makes it sound that way. It will be easy to tell and this may cause a big old stink with the American people.

THIS IS WHY MCCAIN IS SO FAR BEHINE IN THE POLLS HE ATTCKS OBAMA AND SHOWS ANGER ALL THE TIME...

McCain fails, Obama is not rattled

Roger SimonWed Oct 15, 11:34 PM ET

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Debates should not be confused with trips to Lourdes: Few miracles are dispensed.

John McCain needed a miracle in his final debate with Barack Obama on Wednesday night, a miracle that would wipe away McCain’s deficit in the polls and re-energize his flagging campaign.

He did not get one. The clouds did not part. Heavenly choirs were not heard. Instead, the American public heard angry attacks from McCain.

Sometimes McCain attacked directly, and sometimes he attacked sarcastically, but he never stopped attacking. And he never rattled Obama. Obama answered every attack and kept his cool.

How cool? Obama was so cool that after 90 minutes under blazing TV lights, an ice cube wouldn’t have melted on his forehead.

McCain attacked him on everything from wanting to raise the taxes of Joe the Plumber - - now the most famous plumber in America and at serious risk of becoming so wealthy his taxes will go up no matter who wins - - to not traveling enough.

“I admire so much Sen. Obama’s eloquence,” McCain sneered. “Sen. Obama, who has never traveled south of our border.” (This from a man whose running mate got her first passport last year.)

But McCain didn’t just attack, he also defended, including defending those people who attend his rallies and the rallies of Sarah Palin who have shouted nasty and threatening things when Obama’s name is mentioned.

“Let me say categorically that I am proud of the people who come to my rallies,” McCain said. “I am not going to stand for anybody saying that the people who come to our rallies are anything other than patriotic citizens.”

Obama responded to all this — what else? — coolly.

“I don’t mind being attacked for the next three weeks,” Obama said. “What the American people can’t afford is four more years of failed economic policies.”

He never got off his game plan. He never got shook up.

The biggest impact of the three presidential debates for Obama was not anything said or not said. It was impressionistic: Obama simply did not appear to be the scary “other” that McCain needs him to be. “When people suggest that I pal around with terrorists, then we are not talking about issues,” Obama said smoothly.

For McCain, the biggest impact of the debates was visual: In the first debate he refused to look at Obama, in the second debate McCain appeared to careen around the stage and in this last debate McCain would scribble furiously with his Sharpie as Obama was talking or else smirk in response to what Obama was saying.

Moderator Bob Schieffer of CBS often asked provocative questions that sometimes did not get provocative responses. When Schieffer asked each man why the country would be better off if his running mate became president rather than the other guy’s running mate, Obama said Joe Biden “shares my core values.” John McCain said Sarah Palin is a “reformer” and “she has united our party.”

And McCain’s desire to keep his party united behind him — because who else is? — was very much on his mind, dipping deep into conservative Republican talking points. McCain repeatedly accused Obama of “wanting to spread the wealth” around, which doesn’t seem like all that bad an idea to people who aren’t wealthy.

But there was one place McCain would not go: He did not bring up the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It is a line McCain seems determined not to cross, even though some in his party are urging him to do so.

What McCain really needed is what he still needs: for Obama to make some huge gaffe, something that makes Obama look like the riskier choice between the two.

But Obama made no such gaffes Wednesday night.

“The biggest risk we could take right now is to adopt the same failed policies and same failed politics that we’ve seen for the last eight years,” Obama said.

The race is not over. It would be wrong to write McCain off. After all, there is still almost three weeks to go. And in politics, anything can happen.

It usually doesn’t, however.

Palin defiant after probe jolts McCain campaign

by Myriam Chaplain-Riou1 hour, 51 minutes ago

Vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin denied wrongdoing Saturday after a probe found she had abused voters' trust as Alaska governor, in a new blow to John McCain's trailing White House campaign.

Republican McCain was embroiled in turmoil of his own meanwhile, after he was booed late Friday by supporters and appeared to undercut his own campaign strategy by calling time on personal attacks on Barack Obama.

Alaska Governor Palin rejected the findings of a bipartisan legislative probe which found she violated ethics rules by letting husband Todd pressure top officials for the firing of her ex-brother-in-law, a state trooper.

Asked by a reporter in Pennsylvania if the charges were true, Palin replied: "No, and if you read the report you will see that there was nothing unlawful or unethical about it. You have to read the report."

The report said that Palin had "the authority and power to require Mr Palin to cease contacting subordinates, but she failed to act."

But in a phrase seized upon by the McCain camp, the report also said she acted within her "constitutional and statutory authority" in the case.

The probe was the latest blow to Palin, who electrified the Republican Party when she was first picked, but has seen her impact, especially among undecided voters and women diminish amid questions about her qualifications.

The damaging report could make it tougher for the McCain camp to portray Palin as a crusading reformer set to flush out corruption in Washington.

McCain meanwhile took to the campaign trail in Iowa, for the first time after he had to step in at a town hall meeting in Minnesota Friday, when one woman said Obama was an "Arab" and a man said he was "scared" of the Democrat.

Critics say the seething anger seen at McCain rallies, with shouts of "treason" and "kill him" heard from some crowds, has been whipped up by campaign ads which have accused the Democrat of associating with terrorists.

"He's a decent family man (and) citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign's all about," McCain said at the town-hall meeting in Lakeville, Minnesota.

McCain told the man who said he was "scared" to bring his new baby into an America ruled by Obama that the Democrat was a "decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

McCain's comments drew boos from some of his supporters and appeared to directly undercut the thrust of his aggressive negative ad campaign which has question whether Obama has a character befitting a president.

The campaign has accused Obama of not telling the truth about what he insists is a passing acquaintance with William Ayers, a 1960s radical who is now a college professor.

Palin, who has been cast in the role of attack dog by the campaign, did not repeat her criticisms of Obama over Ayers during an appearance in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Obama meanwhile acknowledged McCain's attempt to cool things down, but charged his rival with running a negative campaign to try to distract voters from the number one issue -- the tumbling US economy.

"Now, I want to acknowledge that Senator McCain tried to tone down the rhetoric yesterday in his town hall meeting and I appreciate his reminder that we can disagree while still being respectful of each other," Obama said.

"I have said it before and I'll say it again -- Senator McCain has served this country with honor and he deserves our thanks for that," Obama said, as McCain's name was greeted with boos at Obama's rallies in Philadelphia.

But McCain's spokesman Tucker Bounds immediately responded: "The tone of this election is not fueling voter outrage, it's that Americans are frustrated" at Obama's "plans to raise taxes during a down economy." OBAMA SAID HE WILL ONLY RAISE TAXES FOR THE RICH

Just 24 days before the election, time appeared to be fast running out for McCain to change the trajectory of a campaign which has seemed to be slipping away ever since the onset of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s.

Obama led McCain 52 percent to 41 percent among registered voters nationwide, according to a new Newsweek survey, which a month ago had the race locked at 46 percent.

As many as 86 percent of voters said they were dissatisfied with the way things were going in the United States, and only 10 percent said they were satisfied -- a grim omen for Republicans.

WELL LOOKS LIKE MCCAIN LIES AND PALINS LIES HAVE FINALY DESTROYED THEM LOOKS LIKE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NOW HAVE SEEN THE TRUTH.THE ONLY ONES SUPPORTING THEM NOW ARE IGNORANT OR BRAINWASHED.

McCain pledges balanced budget, criticizes Obama

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press WriterWed Oct 8, 6:59 PM ET

Republican presidential candidate John McCain promised Wednesday to balance the federal budget despite the nation's deepening economic distress.

McCain said he would "confront" the massive federal debt and would balance the annual federal budget by the end of his term in office, without specifying whether he meant in four years or perhaps eight years should he be elected twice.

McCain has long promised to balance the budget but this was the first time he renewed the pledge since the enactment of a $700 billion bailout this month of troubled financial institutions which could complicate such an effort. Many presidential candidates have promised to balance the budget but the last to do so was Democrat Bill Clinton, who had four budget surpluses beginning in 1998. That was the first surplus since 1969 and the first string of surpluses since one that ended in 1930.

In delivering this pledge, McCain committed a verbal bobble, which quickly made its way onto YouTube.

"Across this country, this is the agenda I have set before my fellow prisoners and the same standards of clarity and candor must now be applied to my opponent," said McCain, who often speaks about his time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. His prepared remarks said "fellow citizens," not "fellow prisoners."

Speaking to a rowdy crowd of supporters in this eastern Pennsylvania town, McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, both challenged Democrat Barack Obama's campaign claims. Dismissing Obama as just "a guy who's just tried to talk his way into the White House," vice presidential candidate Palin said the Democrats' ideas are stale and dangerous.But going to war with Iran and staying in Iraq is safe?

"He's not willing to drill for energy, but he's sure willing to drill for votes," Palin said, eliciting cheers of "Drill, baby, drill" from the crowd, which often interrupted the candidates during their joint appearance.OBAMA HAS SAID WE SHOULD DRILL BUT ON LAND WERE IT BE SAFER AND CHEEPER.

McCain's remarks about Obama were interrupted with shouts of "socialist," "terrorist" and "liar." At another time, a man in the bleaches shouted "We've all heard what he's said. But it's less clear what he's done, or what he will do," McCain said.

The crowd replied with chants, "Nobama."

Similarly, Palin said there were too many questions about Obama's past: "John McCain didn't just come out of nowhere. The American people know John McCain."WE SUER DO WE KNOW HE VOTES AGINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WE KNOW HE VOTES FOR THE RICH AND WE KNOW HE LIES ALL THE TIME AND THAT HE IS JUST ANOTHER BUSH.

Advisers say the Republican ticket will continue this forceful tone as the campaign enters its final months. Obama leads in national and state polls; McCain is looking for a way to change that. YES BY LIYING AND MAKING UP STORYS IT THE ONLY WAY HE CAN BEAT OBAMA.

McCain is trying to move Pennsylvania and its 21 electoral votes out of the Democratic column; President Bush lost the state to Democrats in 2000 and 2004. Obama has one extra advantage this year: Democratic voter registration surged by 13 percent while Republican ranks shrunk by 1 percent as a record 8.6 million Pennsylvanians registered to vote in this presidential election.

Statewide, Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 1,170,000 voters, almost twice the edge they had a year ago.

"Which candidate's experience, in government and in life, makes him a more reliable leader for our country and commander in chief for our troops?" McCain said. "In short, who is ready to lead?"

McCain's speech centered on policies that would help the working-class voters in this region where the race is close. Obama lost Pennsylvania's Democratic primary to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and has struggled to connect with the white, working-class voters he once said cling to guns and religion in times of economic uncertainty.

"What Sen. Obama says today and what he has done in the past are often two different things," McCain said.

Citing taxes, health care and energy, McCain appealed to voters' pocketbooks and lingering doubts about Obama.

"Who is the real Sen. Obama?" McCain said, repeating a line he debuted on Monday in New Mexico, another state he needs to win White House. "Is he the candidate who promises to cut middle-class taxes, or the politician who voted to raise middle-class taxes?"

Later, at a campaign stop in neighboring Ohio, Palin noted that only one presidential candidate had been a member of the U.S. military. But the people are not buying what McCain and Palin are saying.

Candidates' arguments are familiar _ and so are mistakes

By David Goldstein, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — In their second debate, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain settled for familiar arguments and made some familiar mistakes and exaggerations.

On the economic crisis, McCain said that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were among "the real catalysts, really the match that lit this fire." Both are government-sponsored companies that together back about half of the $12 trillion mortgage market.

Data from the Federal Reserve, however, show that the majority of the subprime loans that triggered the crisis weren't issued by Fannie and Freddie, but by private lending institutions.

McCain said Obama and "his cronies and his friends in Washington that went out and made all these risky loans."

He was referring to two former heads of Fannie Mae : Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson . The McCain campaign has referred to Raines as an Obama adviser. Raines has denied it, saying the extent of his involvement was a few telephone calls. This has already been proved that Obama only talked to the man a few times and he briefly helped Obama, so why is McCain liying?because he is what he is a crooked Republican.

Johnson briefly headed Obama's vice-presidential vetting team before resigning when some loans he obtained became controversial.

McCain, moreover, has his own ties to the mortgage industry. His campaign manager, Rick Davis , is a co-owner of a lobbying firm that was on a $15,000 -a-month retainer from Freddie Mac from 2005 through August. And we al know this is true been told how many times on tv news?

McCain repeated a claim that Obama's tax plan would raise taxes on small businesses. Analyzing a television ad that made the same claim, the organization Factcheck.org, a nonpartisan project at the University of Pennsylvania , concluded that the "statement is simply not true."

Obama, meanwhile, said that only upper-income earners would pay more under his plan, while 95 percent of taxpayers would see no increase.Obama has said this back when Hillary and him was still battling it out.

The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center said the 95 percent refers to working families. If all tax filers are included, the percentage is 81.

On Iraq , McCain repeated his assertion that last year's surge of 30,000 additional U.S. troops has been a success. But that goes well beyond what U.S. officials are saying. A nearly completed top-level intelligence report warns that ethnic and sectarian tensions remain unresolved and could explode in renewed bloodletting.McCain is nothing but a war mongol who just wants to have power in all just another Bush but a tiny bit smarter.

McCain also said he wouldn't withdraw U.S. forces until they achieved victory in Iraq . Army Gen. David Petraeus has said that he doesn't believe that the war is one in which victory can be declared.

McCain said that U.S. troops had to be withdrawn in humiliation from Somalia in 1993 after a peacekeeping operation to deliver humanitarian aid turned into a peacemaking operation.

He failed to mention, however, that he sponsored a Senate resolution demanding an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Somalia after 29 U.S. troops were killed and 170 wounded in the battle that gave rise to the book and movie Blackhawk Down . The resolution failed.

Obama said that killing Osama bin Laden would be his biggest national-security priority, but experts inside and outside the U.S. government say that while bin Laden's death would deal a major blow to al Qaida , it would do little to diminish the terrorist threat, which has expanded to include numerous extremist groups inspired by bin Laden.

Obama criticized McCain for wanting to continue spending $10 billion a month in Iraq and suggested the money could be spent better at home. But the war is being financed by debt, so using the Iraq war spending for domestic uses would still leave the country's finances in the hole. THANKS BUSH FOR HURTING US MORE IN THE POCKETS

On energy, McCain said drilling offshore for oil was necessary. Experts have said it will take a decade before oil could be pumped out, but some economic benefits, such as new jobs, would be immediate.

I agree with Obama who said drilling on usa soil would be faster and safer for us..

( Kevin G. Hall , William Douglas and Jonathan S. Landay contributed to this article.)

MORE FROM MCCLATCHY

McCain and Obama debate taxes and financial crisis

Obama's lead widens to 7 in latest Ipsos / McClatchy poll

Palin goes on the attack in North Carolina

Palin's Florida mission: Keep the base enthusiastic, engaged

Check out McClatchy's expanded politics coverage

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McCain loses by not winning debate

Roger Simon Wed Oct 8,

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Watching John McCain and Barack Obama at their second presidential debate was like watching two fighters circling each other, throwing a jab here, landing a blow there, but neither one ever delivering a knockout punch.

The trouble for John McCain, however, is that he needed one.

So if you had to say somebody lost Tuesday night, it was McCain. Because he had to win and he did not. He is the one who has to change the current trajectory of the campaign, and he did not do that.

McCain is behind in the national polls and way behind in the Electoral College vote projections. His party is lagging in voter registration in key state after key state, and in voter enthusiasm in general.

This is not entirely McCain’s fault. For years, Republicans have made the argument that they are better stewards of the economy than the Democrats are. Now, with the economy in something near free fall, that is a tough argument to make.

Every time the Dow plunges, John McCain’s political fortunes plunge with it.

McCain used what he had. “Nailing down Sen. Obama’s tax proposals is like nailing Jell-O to a wall,” he said. “He wants to raise taxes. My friends, the last president to raise taxes during tough economic times was Herbert Hoover.” OH SO BUSH RAISING TAXES DON'T COUNT?

“Sen. McCain, the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one,” Obama responded and said of McCain: “He wants to give the average Fortune 500 CEO a $700,000 tax cut.”

The format of the debate was a town hall meeting, but it hardly mattered. Questions were asked but often not answered, and it didn’t matter that the questioner was an average citizen rather than a professional moderator.

“How can we trust either of you with our money when both parties got us into this global economic crisis?” a woman sitting on one of the risers on stage asked.

“Well, look, I understand your frustration and your cynicism,” Obama replied.

“I can see why you feel that cynicism and mistrust,” McCain replied.

Neither explained why he felt the question showed cynicism rather than realism.

Both had an overall strategy, and both summed up their strategies nicely.

“When times are tough, you need a steady hand at the tiller,” McCain said. McCain is joking right? because he suer is not steady or tuff,he has a bad temper and is shaky at best.

“We are going to have to have the courage, sacrifice and nerve to move in a new direction,” Obama said. Now this sounds more like a strong man talking and smarter also.

McCain unveiled, without any details, a new plan for the government to buy up mortgages that people can no longer afford to pay. But mostly they went over old ground, dragging each other up and down the canvas, like two pugilists who knew each other’s fighting style. No heads snapped back, however, no eyes puffed up, and no mouths got all that bloodied.

“We rushed into Iraq,” Obama said. “Sen. McCain and President Bush suggested it wasn’t that important to catch [Osama] bin Laden right now, and we could muddle through.”

“Sen. Obama would have brought our troops home in defeat,” McCain said. “I will bring them home with victory and honor.” And with how many more soldiers in body bags and how much deeper will America be? And what will we have to show for it? NOTHING

At one point, McCain said: “By the way, my friends, I know you grow a little weary of this back-and-forth.”

Yep.

Biden calls McCain a sidekick, not a maverick

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press

Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden says Republican John McCain isn't a maverick, but President Bush's sidekick.

Barack Obama's running mate ridiculed McCain during an appearance at the University of South Florida on Wednesday.

He said McCain is "an angry man, lurching from one position to another" and making ugly attacks against Obama instead of offering solutions to a troubled country.

The Delaware senator said McCain is trying to distract voters from his support for President Bush's policies. He repeated Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey's line, "You can't call yourself a maverick when all you've ever been is a sidekick."

FINALY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE SEEING THE TRUTH!

Painting the Electoral College map blue

Tue Oct 7, 4:10 PM ET

Twenty-eight days to go and the most recent polls show Sen. Barack Obama continues to widen his lead against Sen. John McCain.

The Electoral College map that used to be a wash of red (with a few exceptions like the West Coast and the Northeast) is starting to look like the Smurfs are progressively marching across the country. (In other words, the map is turning a Democratic blue.)

The latest NBC/WSJ poll has Obama up six points with registered voters, 49%-43%. Just two weeks ago, that lead was within the margin of error at 2 points.

A CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll has Obama even higher, with an 8-point lead (53%-45%). That's double the 4-point lead Obama held in their poll taken last month.

And, in today's Gallup Daily Tracking poll, registered voters prefer Obama 51% to McCain's 42%. Gallup points out the importance of this:

 

The nine-percentage point lead in Oct. 4-6 tracking matches Obama's highest to date for the campaign, and the highest for either candidate.

Our own Yahoo! News Political Dashboard highlights the difference -- what used to be GOP safe havens, like Florida and North Carolina, are now trending toward Obama territory.

How does a map that looked so red in November 2004 look so blue October 2008?

The electoral college map based on current polling (above).

 

One, er, two words: the economy.

Consider a Washington Post-ABC News poll of likely Ohio voters. Obama leads McCain 51% to 45%. For those who say the economy is the biggest issue, Obama wins 61%-34%.

All of this paints a do-or-die backdrop for Sen. McCain in tonight's second presidential debate.

 

YOU STILL WANT REPUBLICANS IN THE WHITE HOUSE THEN YOUR CRAZY!

Retirement accounts have lost $2 trillion

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS, Associated Press Writer

Americans' retirement plans have lost as much as $2 trillion in the past 15 months, Congress' top budget analyst estimated Tuesday. The upheaval that has engulfed the financial industry and sent the stock market plummeting is devastating workers' savings, forcing people to hold off on major purchases and consider delaying their retirement, said Peter Orszag, the head of the Congressional Budget Office.

As Congress investigates the causes and effects of the financial meltdown, the House Education and Labor Committee was hearing from retirement savings and budget analysts on how the housing, credit and other financial troubles have battered pensions and other retirement funds, which are among the most common forms of savings in the United States.

"Unlike Wall Street executives, America's families don't have a golden parachute to fall back on," said Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., the panel chairman. "It's clear that their retirement security may be one of the greatest casualties of this financial crisis."

More than half the people surveyed in an Associated Press-GfK poll taken Sept. 27-30 said they worry they will have to work longer because the value of their retirement savings has declined.

Orszag indicated the fear is well-founded. Public and private pension funds and employees' private retirement savings accounts — like 401(k)'s — have lost some 20 percent overall since mid-2007, he estimated. Private retirement plans may have suffered slightly more because those holdings are more heavily skewed toward stocks, Orszag added.

"Some people will delay their retirement. In particular, those on the verge of retirement may decide they can no longer afford to retire and will continue working," Orszag said.

A new AARP study found that because of the economic downturn, one in five workers 45 and older has stopped putting money into a 401(k), IRA or other retirement savings account during the past year, and nearly one in four has increased the number of hours he works.

CONSERVATIVE VIEW Oct 06, 2008 | 10:47 PM PST
Category: Political Report This Post

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

To the death you LIBERAL DEMOCRATS

WE STILL HAVE DAYS TO GO AND REMEMBER

THAT LIBERAL FATLADY STARTED SINGING TO EARLY LAST TIME AND

GUESS WHAT?

 WHY ARE YOU SCARED TO LET PEOPLE POST ON YOUR BLOGS?

IS IT BECAUSE YOU KNOW YOUR BLOGS ARE LIES?

JUST LIKE A REPUBLICAN ALL MOUTH AND NO GUTS

 

 

from bubba-right-wing's Blog

McCain's role in Keating Five banking scandal re-examined in heat of presidential campaign

By LARRY MARGASAK | Associated Press | 1 hour, 10 minutes ago in Politics

Nearly two decades later, John McCain is still haunted by his role in the Keating Five scandal.

His role in the 1980s banking scandal is featured in a new Barack Obama attack video. McCain's presidential campaign quickly moved to limit any damage.

The Republican senator's lawyer in the case, John Dowd, told reporters in a conference call Monday that McCain had been the victim of "a political smear job" by Senate Democrats.

When a reporter noted that McCain himself has spoken contritely about his role, Dowd responded, "I'm his lawyer and I have a different view of it."

McCain said his reputation was so tarnished by the Keating case that he compared his ordeal _ in some ways _ to the torture he suffered as a prisoner of war.

"I faced in Vietnam, at times, very real threats to life and limb," McCain told The Associated Press in a written statement last March. "But while my sense of honor was tested in prison, it was not questioned. During the Keating inquiry, it was, and I regretted that very much."

The Obama video was released after Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate, criticized Obama's association with Bill Ayers, a founder of the Vietnam-era radical group the Weather Underground.

The Keating Five were four Democratic senators, and Republican McCain, who accepted contributions from Charles Keating Jr., a real estate speculator and savings and loan owner. His institution failed and cost many investors in uninsured financial products their life savings.

Once close to Keating, McCain received $112,000 from him, his family and associates. The senator and his family also flew in Keating's plane to the Bahamas and _ in the events that triggered the Senate investigation _ took up his cause with financial regulators as they were investigating the businessman. Keating eventually went to prison. McCain eventually repaid $112,000 to the U.S. Treasury and reimbursed Keating for the trips.

The irony of the Keating case is that McCain received the mildest ethics committee rebuke of the five senators in 1991, and was kept as a defendant because he was the only Republican. The special counsel in the case had recommended that McCain and one of the Democrats be dropped as defendants. But Democrats, who controlled the Senate, refused to take all the heat for the scandal and all five remained in the case to the end.

McCain, in his book "Worth the Fighting For," lamented that the senators "were now a two-word shorthand for the entire savings and loan debacle and the rotten way American political campaigns are financed."

He also wrote: "My popularity in Arizona was in free fall. ... I expected a rough, and quite possibly unsuccessful re-election campaign in 1992. To the extent I was known nationally anymore, it was as one of the crooked senators who had bankrupted the thrift industry."

Dowd, in his conference call, wouldn't tolerate a hint of an apology for McCain's actions.

"John was the only senator who threw Charlie Keating out of his office," he said, reminding reporters of a well-publicized confrontation. Keating had called McCain a wimp for failing to do more to influence financial regulators on his behalf.

McCain is the only Keating Five defendant still in the Senate. The senators were accused of trying to intimidate regulators on behalf of Keating, who along with his associates, raised $1.3 million combined for the campaigns and political causes of the five.

The investigation ended in early 1991 with a rebuke that McCain "exercised poor judgment in intervening with the regulators." But the ethics committee also determined McCain's actions "were not improper nor attended with gross negligence."

The committee said more than one year had passed _ a "decent interval" _ between the last contributions Keating raised for McCain and the two 1987 meetings he attended with banking regulators.

None of the five senators was punished by the Senate.

"The appearance of wrongdoing, fair or unfair, can be potentially as injurious as actual wrongdoing," McCain told the AP in March, reflecting on what he said were his lessons from the scandal. "Also, when questions are raised about your integrity or for that matter anything involving your public career, even, for example, a controversial position on the issues, it is best not to hide from the media or public."

Keating went to prison for more than four years after a federal fraud conviction. The conviction was reversed on appeal after he argued that jurors improperly had knowledge of a prior state conviction on related charges. He was to be retried in federal court but instead pleaded guilty to four federal fraud counts. Keating admitted he siphoned nearly $1 million from his S&L's insolvent parent company. He was sentenced to time he already had served.

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