mjh's blog

This Week’s WTF!? and Sour Grapes from Sore Losers (Yawn)

Dumbed-Down System Wins
THE DEMOCRATIC leadership and their Kool-Aid drinking followers have finally done it! They have been trying for years to “dumb down” the electorate and get so many people thinking that they are entitled to government handouts so the Dems can get a dictatorial socialistic government.
       The election shows how naive and uneducated 52 percent of the electorate are and even more in New Mexico. …
       We’ll probably see the next four years be as bad as when Jimmy Carter was in office and, hopefully, a new Ronald Reagan will come along to get us back on track.
CURTIS S. SMITH Corrales

Time Will Prove Poor Choice
OH, FOOLISH American voters! Who has bewitched you? Time will tell what an incredibly bad choice Barack Obama was for the American presidency.
       Civil rights will supersede national security. The soft-on-crime Democrats will let known terrorists out of jail. Our border will not be secured. We will be wide open for attack. And we are told to “be patient” with the president-elect while he does on-the-job-training for a job he is not qualified for. That spells trouble, my fellow Americans!
STELLA DILLENBECK Alamogordo

Get Ready for Higher Taxes
I WANT TO thank all of you who voted for Barack Obama for raising my federal income taxes.
       Let me explain. When Obama lets the “Bush tax cuts” lapse, he will be restoring the tax rates of 2000. Taxes will return to a higher level, and my family will pay more. My wife and I file jointly and earn around $90,000 a year. That means we will pay approximately $4,167 more a year in federal income tax.
       Check this for yourself. Go to http://www.irs.gov/formspubs/ and pull up the 1040 instructions for 2000 and 2007 and go to the tax tables. Based on your 2007 income, check your taxes rates for 2000 and 2007, and apply them to your taxable income for 2007.
       Obama has said he will allow the “Bush tax cuts” to lapse. While he does not call this a “tax increase,” my taxes will increase significantly. So, once again, thank you. My middle class family did not have enough of a burden with child care expenses and a mortgage. Remember, you reap what you sow.
RYAN KETTLER Albuquerque

ABQJOURNAL OPINION/LETTERS: Heavy Lifting

Change Comes from Within

The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

The 44th President

TIME First glimpse at this week’s TIME cover, hitting newsstands Friday.

The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

Obama said,

“Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.  Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.  As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.”

The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

Obama’s awesome speech Nov 4th

McCain’s gracious concession speech. (His supporters booed Obama’s name, while Obama’s supporters cheered McCain’s.)

PS: Say Good Night, Grover

NRA Votes for Fear — as usual

This is the bag the Albuquerque Journal was wrapped in this morning. One last ‘fuck you’ from our friends at the Journal and the sensible folks at the NRA. I’d vote in a minute to take every gun away from everyone, including the cops and military. But, don’t be such chicken-shits, NRA: Your guns are safe. And so is your right to absurd fear-mongering. Let’s be clear: The NRA is all about fear. Which is why the NRA is merely a tool of the fearful conservatives. peace, mjh

Republican Class of 2004

In case you thought things were uglier, or less classy, this year than in 2004, remember this:

peace,
mjh

Worst of times, by Garrison Keillor — chicagotribune.com

It was dishonest, cynical men who put forward a clueless young woman for national office, hoping to juice up the ticket, hoping she could skate through two months of chaperoned campaigning, but the truth emerges: The lady is talking freely about matters she has never thought about. When she said, “One thing that Americans do at this time, also, though, is let’s commit ourselves just every day, American people, Joe Six-Pack, hockey moms across the nation, I think we need to band together and say never again. Never will we be exploited and taken advantage of again by those who are managing our money and loaning us these dollars,” people smelled gas.

Some Republicans adore her because they are pranksters at heart and love the consternation of grown-ups. The ne’er-do-well son of the old Republican family as president, the idea that you increase government revenue by cutting taxes, the idea that you cut social services and thereby drive the needy into the middle class, the idea that you overthrow a dictator with a show of force and achieve democracy at no cost to yourself—one stink bomb after another, and now Gov. Sarah Palin.

She is a chatty sportscaster who lacks the guile to conceal her vacuity, and she was Sen. John McCain’s first major decision as the Republican nominee for president. This troubles independent voters, and now she is a major drag on his candidacy.

Worst of times — chicagotribune.com

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Here’s an excerpt from a vile letter from the fanatical Randall Terry:

[I]f you are one of those Christians – Evangelical, Protestant, or Catholic, who thinks it would be fine if Obama becomes President, you might as well go away now. Your mind is so muddled, your ethics and priorities are so warped, that there is probably no reaching you. God forgive your insanity and treachery.

Way to reach out, dude. Enjoy your obscurity. peace, mjh

The Party ofFear

 FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right: McCain Miami Rally, Getting Ugly Down Here

After the rally, we witnessed a near-street riot involving the exiting McCain crowd and two Cuban-American Obama supporters. Tony Garcia, 63, and Raul Sorando, 31, were suddenly surrounded by an angry mob. There is a moment in a crowd when something goes from mere yelling to a feeling of danger, and that’s what we witnessed. As photographers and police raced to the scene, the crowd elevated from stable to fast-moving scrum, and the two men were surrounded on all sides as we raced to the circle.

The event maybe lasted a minute, two at the most, before police competently managed to hustle the two away from the scene and out of the danger zone. Only FiveThirtyEight tracked the two men down for comment, a quarter mile down the street.
“People were screaming ‘Terrorist!’ ‘Communist!’ ‘Socialist!’” Sorando said when we caught up with him. “I had a guy tell me he was gonna kill me.”
Asked what had precipitated the event, “We were just chanting ‘Obama!’ and holding our signs. That was it. And the crowd suddenly got crazy.”

FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right: McCain Miami Rally, Getting Ugly Down Here

- – - – -

On Saturday, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) gave little-noticed remarks at Sioux City’s West High School during an appearance by Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK). King went beyond the traditional right-wing talking points — which brand Obama a “Marxist” who adheres to “socialism” — and said that he would turn the United States into a “totalitarian dictatorship.” From a report by the Iowa Independent:

King, known for provocative, partisan remarks, suggested Obama actually could be classified as even more extreme than a socialist. King also said his party is the only one with a legitimate claim on representing freedom as Americans know it.

“When you take a lurch to the left you end up in a totalitarian dictatorship,” King said. “There is no freedom to the left. It’s always to our side of the aisle.” …

Speaking in Exira, IA on Aug. 21, King claimed that Obama was anti-American and raised by polygamists and “left wing hard core atheists”:

“Obama was not raised with an intentional attitude toward Americanism. … The way to look at the reasons Obama doesn’t place his hand over his heart when the National Anthem is playing, or wear an American flag pin is primarily because he is not willful or spiteful, but because it just doesn’t occur to him because it’s not the way he’s been raised. American patriotism is not imprinted on his mind or in his heart, because he wasn’t raised as an American.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/10/28/king-obama-dictator/

McCain appeals to Westerners at Albuquerque rally

Appeals may be ironic. peace, mjh

Associated Press – October 25, 2008 2:05 PM ET

ALBUQUERQUE (AP) – Republican presidential candidate John McCain has held the first of 2 visits to New Mexico communities today with a rally at the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque.

McCain appeared with his wife, Cindy, before a crowd of about 1,500 that waved blue McCain-Palin signs and chanted, “USA, USA!”

McCain told the crowd he has a fight ahead of him before Election Day.

El Paso/Las Cruces News, Weather, Sports and Entertainment – KDBC 4 – We are CBS! | McCain appeals to Westerners at Albuquerque rally

This in from FBIHOP via newmexiken.

New Mexico Politics: New Mexico FBIHOP:: Less Than a Thousand at McCain Rally; Campaign Lies About Crowd Size (updated)

Who Is an Elitist? McCain and Palin Explain | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

Palin derides ‘elites,’ but then says she rejects labels.»

During an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams which aired tonight, Gov. Sarah Palin offered two contradictory statements in the span of just a few minutes. When asked who is “an elite,” Palin answered: “Oh, I guess just people who think they’re better than anyone else.” Moments later, here’s how Palin responded when asked if she’s a “feminist”:

I’m not gonna label myself. And I think that’s what annoys a lot of Americans – especially in a political campaign – is to start trying to label different parts of America, different backgrounds.

Who Is an Elitist? McCain and Palin Explain | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

By Juliet Eilperin
For anyone wondering exactly what constitutes an “elitist” in the eyes of GOP presidential nominee John McCain and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has discovered the answer.

In an interview that will air tonight on the Nightly News, McCain and Palin give slightly different takes on the subject. Palin’s view? Anyone who’s snotty. McCain’s? Anyone who lives in New York or Washington, the town where he’s spent much of his time for the past quarter-century.

Here are their answers, in their own words:

WILLIAMS: Who is a member of the elite?

PALIN: Oh, I guess just people who think that they’re better than anyone else. And — John McCain and I are so committed to serving every American. Hardworking, middle-class Americans who are so desiring of this economy getting put back on the right track. And winning these wars. And America’s starting to reach her potential. And that is opportunity and hope provided everyone equally. So anyone who thinks that they are — I guess — better than anyone else, that’s — that’s my definition of elitism.

WILLIAMS: So it’s not education? It’s not income-based? It’s —

PALIN: Anyone who thinks that they’re better than someone else.

WILLIAMS: — a state of mind? It’s not geography?

PALIN: ‘Course not.

WILLIAMS: Senator?

MCCAIN: I — I know where a lot of ‘em live. (LAUGH)

WILLIAMS: Where’s that?

MCCAIN: Well, in our nation’s capital and New York City. I’ve seen it. I’ve lived there. I know the town. I know — I know what a lot of these elitists are. The ones that she never went to a cocktail party with in Georgetown. I’ll be very frank with you. Who think that they can dictate what they believe to America rather than let Americans decide for themselves.

Who Is an Elitist? McCain and Palin Explain | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

Polls

 The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

October Set of Big Ten Battleground Polls

Numbers from second set of polls from the Big Ten conference states:

Illinois: Obama 61, McCain 32
Indiana: Obama 51, McCain 41
Iowa: Obama 52, McCain 39
Ohio: Obama 53, McCain 41
Michigan: Obama 58, McCain 36
Minnesota: Obama 57, McCain 38
Pennsylvania: Obama 52, McCain 41
Wisconsin: Obama 53, McCain 40

National number: Obama 52, McCain 42. Error margin 3.1 points.

Dates conducted: Oct. 19-22. Error margin: 4.2 points.

Organized by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Page – by Mark Halperin – TIME

Tax the Rich

Report: McCain’s tax plan would have saved the McCains $730,000.»

Earlier this year, the Center for American Progress Action Fund calculated that Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) tax plan would have saved his wife Cindy and himself $373,429, based on their 2006 tax returns. Since then, McCain has proposed additional tax cuts and Cindy has released another year of tax returns, so CAPAF re-calculated the McCains’ savings. Now, if McCain’s tax proposals were enacted, he and his wife would have saved $730,000 over 2006 and 2007.

Read the full analysis here.

McCain the Socialist!

At an October 2000 town hall on MSNBC’s Hardball, an audience member asked Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) about why the rich pay higher taxes than the middle class. McCain defended progressive taxation, stating, “I think it’s to some degree because we feel, obviously, that wealthy people can afford more”:

[T]he very wealthy, because they can afford tax lawyers and all kinds of loopholes, really don’t pay nearly as much as you think they do when you just look at the percentages. […]

So, look, here’s what I really believe, that when you are — reach a certain level of comfort, there’s nothing wrong with paying somewhat more.

McSame Smirk

My thanks to Democracy for New Mexico: Prez Debate: “That One” Won for noting the following from the second debate.

Bomb, Bomb, Bomb
One of my favorite exchanges, as reported by the AP:

…Obama seemed to get the better of him in a discussion of whether the United States should violate Pakistan’s sovereignty if that’s what it takes to kill al-Qaida terrorists such as Osama bin Laden. McCain quoted Theodore Roosevelt, who said, “Talk softly, but carry a big stick.”

But Obama “likes to talk loudly,” McCain said. “In fact, he said he wants to announce that he’s going to attack Pakistan. Remarkable.”

Obama shot back: “Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. … If Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should.”

He continued: “Now, Sen. McCain suggests that somehow, you know, I’m green behind the ears and, you know, I’m just spouting off, and he’s somber and responsible.”

McCain smiled and said, “Thank you very much.” But the smile faded when Obama said: “This is the guy who sang, ‘Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran,’ who called for the annihilation of North Korea,” Obama said. “That I don’t think is an example of ‘speaking softly.’ This is the person who, after we had — we hadn’t even finished Afghanistan, where he said, ‘Next up, Baghdad.’

Democracy for New Mexico: Prez Debate: “That One” Won

McCain actually interrupted Obama with his smirking ‘thank you.’ It was a moment of Duhbya-like pettiness. peace, mjh

Rolling Stone on Maverick McCain

McCain Camp Ignores Questions About Candidate’s Military Record

By Jeff Stein, CQ Staff

Evidently taking a page from John Kerry ’s quest for the presidency in 2004, John McCain ’s campaign has decided — for now, anyway — not to respond to provocative attacks aimed squarely at his strong point: his reputation as a military hero.

The much talked about main broadside came in the form of a 12,000-word attack in Rolling Stone (“Make Believe Maverick,” by Tim Dickinson), which portrayed the hard-partying young McCain as a reckless pilot who totaled three jets, and whose career as a pilot was saved only by the pull of his father, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet during the Vietnam War.

The piece, which Rolling Stone says has garnered 2.5 million hits on the magazine’s Web site since Oct. 6, has been the talk of the liberal blogosphere, but gotten zero attention from the mainstream media. …

The Rolling Stone piece … calls into question McCain’s military legend. …

“I doubt it will have much of an impact.,” says New York Times media columnist David Carr.

“There is a vertical axis of information in conservative circles that the swift boat moved on that is not replicated by liberals,” Carr said “The conservative talk radio shows have an ability to metastasize and amplify negative stories, and they won’t be punching in on this one.”

Washington Post blogger Dan Froomkin, a frequent Bush critic, agreed.

“One enormous difference compared to Kerry, in my mind, is that the [mainstream media], with the exception of the LA Times, has refused to pick up any elements of this story, whereas it served (wittingly and unwittingly) as a massive echo chamber for the Swift boating,” according to Froomkin.