Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I am not a Republican, and I am not a racist.  I will be voting for Cynthia McKinney for president.  So don’t threaten me with your post-partisan, post-racial, manipulative, coercive hate mail.

Conflict Of Interest? Report Says Goldman Sachs ‘Among Biggest Beneficiaries’ Of Paulson’s Bailout (Think Progress)

In making his push to administer the largest federal bailout of Wall Street in history, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is seeking unfettered authority. McClatchy poses the question today, “can you trust a Wall Street veteran with a Wall Street bailout?,” referring to Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs: “But the conflicts are also visible. Paulson has surrounded himself with former Goldman executives as he tries to navigate the domino-like collapse of several parts of the global financial market. And others have gone off to lead companies that could be among those that receive a bailout.”

Daddy doesn’t know best (by Paul Krugman)
I’ve had more time to read the Dodd proposal — and it is a big improvement over the Paulson plan. The key feature, I believe, is the equity participation: if Treasury buys assets, it gets warrants that can be converted into equity if the price of the purchased assets falls. This both guarantees against a pure bailout of the financial firms, and opens the door to a real infusion of capital, if that becomes necessary — and I think it will. Can this be done? Can the Paulson juggernaut be stopped? I’m starting to think yes. Paulson displayed a lot of arrogance here — he basically marched in and said Daddy knows best, don’t worry your pretty little heads about the details. He offered no, zero, zilch explanation of how the plan was supposed to work — just “it’s a crisis and we need to act now.” And he overreached, especially with that demand for immunity from any review.

Now we’ve had a lot of pushback from economists and financial analysts, and the realization has sunk in that this particular daddy has shown very little sign of knowing best. So there’s a real chance to do something quite different.

The Way Forward (by Stirling Newberry, writing at Daily Kos)
The correct response is to expand the FDIC, begin taking over institutions as a whole, providing immediate debt relief through an HOLC, and declare a national emergency to enforce austerity and prevent any short term attempts to profit from the financial chaos. A windfall profits tax on oil companies isn’t a bad idea either, since it would bring in tens of billions of dollars right when they are needed the most. This solution, or some version of it, is in line with proposals from economists and political figures such as Robert Reich, Paul Davidson, Nouriel Roubini and others. It also leads to the correct solution to the larger fiscal crisis, which is removing the oil bottleneck to the growth of wealth, and therefore the growth of wages to pay financial instruments, and the cramming down of instruments which claimed the profits of a new economy, while at the same time tried to prevent it.

In that future come a great drive to reduce consumption, increase savings, increase exports, globalize opportunity for all and not just for some, and create a very different system of work. But that is another day. Today’s purpose is to say no to dictatorship, and to craft a counter which is yes to insurance and accountability.
Click through to read the whole post.  It’s very informative, and not so wonky that a person like me, who hated studying economics, can’t get the gist of it.

Dems want $50 billion stimulus on top of $700 billion bailout (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are pushing for a new $50 billion economic-stimulus plan as a way not only to jolt the economy but also to help themselves politically in November’s elections.

McCain, More Critical of Bailout Plan, Faults Oversight (New York Times)
SCRANTON, Pa. — Senator John McCain struck a sharply more critical tone about the proposed federal bailout of the financial sector on Monday, calling for greater oversight of how the Treasury secretary administers the program because “when we’re talking about a trillion dollars of taxpayer money, ‘trust me’ just isn’t good enough.”… Mr. McCain repeated his calls to add several provisions that the administration has opposed, including a guarantee that taxpayer money would not be used to enrich the executives of failing companies.

Congress, Bush team agree on some bailout terms (AP)
Scrambling for a quick accord on the $700 billion bailout, the Bush administration and leading lawmakers have agreed to include mortgage aid and strong congressional oversight along with unprecedented help for failing financial institutions, a key lawmaker said Monday. 

This is it (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
Wall Street has reverted to panic mode. Here’s the most troubling part of the story: “… Lacking specifics, many investors — especially foreigners — sold U.S. dollars on worries that paying for the plan would increase the federal deficit and exacerbate inflation.” Foreign investors buying Treasury bills is how the administration plans to pay for the bailout. If the world loses faith in the American government’s ability to keep its head above water – then what?

And speaking of foreigners,
Europe rejects US-style toxic asset bail-outUlrich Wilhelm, spokesman for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, said there was no need for “a measure along the lines of what has been decided in the US”. Peer Steinbrück, the German finance minister, also made clear after a telephone conference with his contemporaries in the G7 group of leading nations that Berlin did not need to set up a rescue package…The French government also said it did not plan to set up a toxic asset fund or contribute to the US scheme. British officials said they had already instigated a special liquidity scheme, but like France and Germany they did not intend to pursue a toxic asset fund. (Financial Times)

The GOP’s Bottomless Crack Pipe (by Ed Kilgore at the Democratic Strategist)
Patrick Ruffini … at NextRight…: “Republican incumbents in close races have the easiest vote of their lives coming up this week: No on the Bush-Pelosi Wall Street bailout… Let this be the political establishment (Bush Republicans in the White House + Democrats in Congress) saddling the taxpayers with hundreds of billions in debt (more than the Iraq War, conjured up in a single weekend, and enabled by Pelosi, btw), while principled Republicans say ‘No’ and go to the country with a stinging indictment of the majority in Congress….”

Ruffini is exactly right about the politics of this issue, especially for Republicans… You simply can’t imagine a better way for McCain to decisively reinforce his simultaneous efforts to pander to the “base” while posing as a “maverick.” Democrats are right to demand significant substantive concessions before offering their support for the Paulson Plan. But just as importantly, they need to demand Republican votes in Congress, including the vote of John McCain.

Partisans and Pigs (by Anglachel)
Dodd’s effort to beat back the demons of stupidity is still failing to redefine the issue on the Democrats’ terms. They are not moving boldly, as Hillary has advocated, to redefine the power relationships of the priviliged few to the government and to the rest of us. The Democrats are getting suckered, once again, by the earnest entreaties of the High Borderists to be “bipartisan” and to “set aside politics” to address the crisis as quickly as possible… The Democratic leadership is afraid to challenge Bush and the Republicans directly this close to the election, allowing their consent to be bought through “concessions” on a plan that was moronic on the face of it.

The Dems are, as usual, trying to mitigate the shit sandwich presented by the Republicans instead of whipping up a tasty pastrami on rye with a side of jicama slaw in opposition. All they can do is drag the proposal slightly less to the right and get their hands covered in the effleunt oozing from the sandwich. And they are screwed. If they have nothing significantly different of their own to offer (and Dodd’s proposal is pedestrian, good mostly in comparison to Paulson’s deposit on the great shitpile), then they have tied themselves to Bush’s toxic administration in yet another way.

This is a world historic moment. It is an opportunity for Democrats to get their mojo back and draw a bright clear line in the sand between restructuring for a more egalitarian and sustainable economy and limping along trying not to fall into the trough where the pigs are gobbling down the swill.

Mission accomplished! (by lambert at Corrente )
Shock Doctrine with a smile: “Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he probably would have to delay the spending programs he has called for during his campaign in light of the massive government bailout being proposed for the nation’s financial industry… ‘I think we’re going to have to phase it in.’” So, the $700 billion is a done deal, and America can get in line after the bankers and the Wall Street geniuses who sliced and diced their way into this mess…

“Change”? Yes, indeedy. Just not the kind we were sold on. “Yes, we can”? Yes, indeedy. But, as always, the question has been “Yes w can do what?” and that question has been answered with a resounding “Hand over your money!” Well done, all.

Balance sheet baloney (by Paul Krugman)
[A]ny bank that wants to remove toxic assets from its balance sheet can do it at a stroke — just declare them worthless, and poof! they’re gone. But of course, that would reduce confidence and capital, not increase it — and that’s not what Hank and Ben are talking about. They’re talking about turning the assets over to Uncle Sam, and getting cold hard cash in return. And then the question is how much cash they get in return. It’s all about the price.

Now, if the price Treasury pays is very low — anything comparable to what financial institutions are able to sell the stuff for now — it’s going to do nothing for confidence and capital. If the price is high, confidence and capital will improve — but taxpayers may well take a big loss… [H]ow can we help the financial situation without making that bet? By taking an equity stake… There is no, repeat no justification for refusing to grant equity warrants that provide some taxpayer protection. This is, for me, an absolute deal or no-deal point.

Extending the Bailout: It’s Simple, Sell Us the Company and You’re In (by Dean Baker)
The WSJ discusses the puzzling issue of how far the bailout should go. Should it cover auto loan debt, student loan debt, construction loans? If the bailout were structured correctly, this wouldn’t be a problem. The bailout has to be painful, it is not supposed to be a reward for ridiculously overpaid executives who pushed their companies to the edge of bankruptcy. If the government’s purchases of bad debt were tied to serious restrictions on executive compensation and the forced sale of equity to the government, then only banks that really needed the money would line up for the bailout. Under these terms, we could include whatever assets the Wall Street boys and girls want to sell.

Stocks Fall Because Congress May Not Give Banks Windfall (by Dean Baker)
The NYT implied that the drop in stock prices was a vote of no confidence in Congress’ efforts to pass a bailout. Actually, the decline (which was largest in financial stocks) can be an indication that Congress is likely to pass a bill, with serious restrictions on the benefits for the banking industry. If stocks rose at the end of last week on the expectation that the Bush administration would give the financial industry a big windfall, it would be expected that stocks would decline if most investors now believe that Congress will impose stringent conditions on the bailout. In other words, the decline in stock prices could be an indication that investors actually expect a bailout bill to pass Congress.

“Ownership Society” Leaves Taxpayers Holding the Bag (by Marie Cocco)
[A]fter more than three decades of being told we can’t afford to keep a modest safety net beneath the people on Main Street, we have thrown the mother of all lifelines to Wall Street. This is the conservative dogma that has constrained our politics for a generation. We’ve been lectured incessantly about costly “entitlements” such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that are supposedly wrecking the federal balance sheet and endangering our collective financial future. How many times have you heard that these programs are “unsustainable” and represent fiscal “time bombs”? I stopped counting about 15 years ago.

Among the other things we’ve been told that there is no money for are repairs of decrepit roads and bridges, a boost in mass transit funding to replace at least some of our oil-gulping, automobile-dominated transportation system, increased college aid, more federal money to try to equalize our unequal public education system and expanded health insurance so that more poor kids can see a doctor… If we can socialize the banking industry, why can’t we socialize the health insurance industry?

Wall Street Did What Came Naturally (by Froma Harrop)
[V]oters of America [, you] did not demand the proper monitoring of the markets and the plunder that inevitably followed… [T]o those of us who still believe in Darwinian science, the [denizens of Wall Street] were just doing what came naturally… Dick Fuld, the former chief executive of Lehman Brothers, did not personally make $490 million dollars by carefully investing his stockholders’ money. He made it by having Lehman borrow 35 times its capital, an extraordinary amount of leverage that Washington evidently considered none of its business… Lehman investors are now carcasses drying out on the Serengeti Plain of finance. But Fuld is doing OK. He had long ago pocketed his half billion by cashing in the stock options and stock he received as Lehman CEO, according to Time magazine.

That’s the way it’s done. You get your money upfront, then pass the risks on to others. The chump of last resort is apparently the American taxpayer.

Bail-out is just more trickle up economics (by Joe Bageant at Deer Hunting with Jesus, thanks to Suburban Guerilla)
I have yet to meet anyone who really grasps the full implications of the bail-out. I’ve talked about it to several regular working folks in Virginia, and all of them seem to feel it does not reach into their individual worlds. If they are not in foreclosure, then it’s not real to them, and bedamned any kind of sympathy for those who are in foreclosure.,Most people here tend to believe it is mainly Mexicans, white trash, and other what they feel to be weaker, lesser specimens of Americans being foreclosed upon. After outlining the whole swindle to one fellow, he said: “Joe, why do you hate America so much?” I’m not kidding…

That people can watch such a disaster happen before their very eyes and somehow not relate it to their own lives as Americans boggles the imagination. It goes beyond apathy and into the realm of learned helplessness. Complete helplessness in the face of the corporate state. Complete reliance upon unseen “people in high places” who somehow know what is best for the rest of us, and belief these people will act first in our interests instead of their own. I fear for this country’s fate. I really do.

Millions spend half of income on housing (AP)
MIAMI – Al Ray is so strapped for cash, the only time he eats out is on Wednesday or Sunday, when the local McDonald’s sells hamburgers for 49 cents. Ray lost his engineering job last November, and has been working as high school tutor, scratching out about $1,000 a month — if he’s lucky. He struggled to make his $1,400 monthly mortgage payment and $330 monthly homeowners’ association fee until May, when he stopped paying. Ray, 44, is looking for work and renting out a room in his two-bedroom condo in Davie, Fla., for $500, but his monthly income doesn’t match his expenses and he’s facing foreclosure.
But, but, I thought it was only shiftless poor people who caused this financial meltdown.  I know, because Fox News told me so.

More homeowners reach tipping point on housing costs, study shows (Chicago Tribune)
When Claudia Woods-Branch refinanced the mortgage on her Roseland home about five years ago, she worked as a corporate operations manager and could easily afford her $800-a-month payments. A sudden illness, however, left her disabled and unable to work. In the past year, the payments on her adjustable-rate mortgage shot up to more than $1,300 a month. “I only get a little bit more than that per month on disability,” said Woods-Branch, 55. “There’s nothing else you can do but pay the mortgage. There is no money left for anything else.” Soaring numbers of Chicago-area homeowners are stretched to the limit to pay their mortgages and other housing costs, newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau show.

Compensation sought for tomato growers devastated by salmonella scare (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — In 25 years of growing tomatoes, Greg Murray’s Bainbridge farm weathered floods, hailstorms, freezes, droughts, poor yields, poor markets, diseases and insect infestations.
Oh, hell, do we have to bail THEM out, too??!!  Maybe we need to start counting the industries we DON’T have to bail out.  Are there any?  Anybody?

Salon

Bill Clinton Revisits His Economic Legacy (by Dana Goldstein at Tapped, The American Prospect)
At a meeting with progressive bloggers and journalists … Monday night, Bill Clinton … spoke freely about the financial crisis, and reexamined his own administration’s economic legacy in light of the meltdown… Clinton said he has two regrets: First, not pursuing more aggressively an aborted attempt to provide stricter oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to Clinton, the move was stymied by Democratic and Republican members of Congress and by mayors, who saw the lending giants as “the New Jerusalem” and “pure” because of their role in increasing home-ownership to historic levels. But “it just didn’t feel good,” Clinton said of Fannie and Freddie’s outsized political influence.

Clinton also said he should have subjected derivative trading to more public oversight. “We would have failed, but at least we could’ve sounded the alarm.” One policy Clinton said he doesn’t regret is his repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999, which, for the first time since the Depression, allowed commercial banks to engage in investment banking activities. Clinton said the commercial banks were an important moderating force on the risk-taking of the big investment firms that collapsed this week. “In the case of the current crisis, I believe the bill I signed allowed Bank of America to take over Merrill Lynch,” he said.

Also during the interview, Clinton urged Congressional Democrats to work quickly to pass a bailout package for Wall Street, but said Democrats must lobby in the current weeks to pass a comprehensive package of “Main Street” economic measures.

McCain Campaign Has Strong Ties To Corporate Lobbyists At Center Of Bailout (Think Progress)
The Wall Street Journal reports that lobbyists for Wall Street firms have dispensed with traditionally subtle lobbying tactics and launched an aggressive campaign to ensure that the terms of the Treasury’s proposed bailout are as favorable to the finance industry as possible. A major player in this effort is the Financial Services Roundtable, a “lobbying group representing the nation’s banks” with significant ties to Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) presidential campaign.
Every time you mention McCain’s ties to the meltdown, you remind us of Obama’s ties to the meltdown, Think Progress.

When it Comes to the Wall Street Collapse, McCain’s Hands are Clean (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
There is no doubt that the Republican Party shares a significant portion of the blame for the debacle unfolding in the financial markets. But the hands of many Democrats are stained as well… The one politician who can hold his head high and say, “I told you so” is John McCain. This is not a partisan talking point. It is an incontrovertible fact. And if you want to compare the inaction of Barack Obama in 2006 with the prescience of John McCain, go ahead. Make my day.

Sometimes the best bailout is no bailout (by lambert at Corrente)
Online WSJ: “‘I think it’s awful,’ said Allen Meltzer, a former Reagan economic adviser now teaching at Carnegie Mellon University. ‘It puts private interests ahead of the public interest.’ Mr. Meltzer pointed to past occasions when, he said, doomsayers warned of financial panic, the government resisted the urge to bail out the markets, and nothing terrible ensued. Among those he cited was President Richard Nixon’s decision not to rescue the commercial-paper market in the aftermath of the collapse of the Penn Central railroad.” Just saying. Wiser heads than mine can explain why the situations are not the same, but the timing of this one really makes me wonder….

Bailout Satire (by Christopher Hayes at Capitolism, The Nation)

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

As if we don’t have ENOUGH bad news:
Record one-day jump in oil prices. (Think Progress)
The price of oil jumped more than $16 to $120.92 a barrel today, the “biggest daily gain in dollar terms since 1984 — when crude began trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.”

New poll: Zero percent of Americans think national economy is improving. (Think Progress)
A new American Research Group poll shows that “[n]o Americans say that the national economy is getting better,” while 82 percent say it is getting much worse. Only 17 percent approve of President Bush’s handling of the economy, with 78 percent disapproving. Even among Republicans, more disapprove of his economic performance than approve:

Bush Approval Falls to 19% (Political Wire)
A new American Research Group poll found that just 19% of Americans approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president and 76% disapprove. When it comes to Bush’s handling of the economy, 17% approve and 78% disapprove. Bush’s overall approval rating of 19% is tied for Bush’s lowest in ARG monthly polling since Bush took office.

Poll: Most Americans think U.S. is losing war on terrorism (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — A majority of Americans think the United States isn’t winning the war on terrorism, a perception that could undermine a key Republican strength just as John McCain and Barack Obama head into their first debate Friday night, a clash over foreign policy and national security. A new Ipsos/McClatchy online poll finds a solid majority of 57 percent thinking that the country can win the war on terrorism but a similar majority of 54 percent saying that the country is NOT winning it.

Poll: Obama, McCain supporters largely agree on alternative energy (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Most of John McCain’s and Barack Obama’s supporters are in favor of government backing for alternative energy such as wind and solar power, according to a national poll released Tuesday.Among those polled, support was weaker for the traditional sources of electrical power: coal and oil. The poll found that 75 percent of Obama’s supporters and 60 percent of McCain’s said that the government should require utilities to use more alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power even if it increases costs in the short run. Among undecided voters, 59 percent agreed.

T. Boone Pickens: I’m Having More Problems Working With Drill-Only Republicans Than Democrats (Think Progress)
Today, Texas oil-tycoon-cum-alternative-energy-spokesman T. Boone Pickens spoke to the National Press Club about his “Pickens Plan” to ramp up production of wind power and the use of natural gas. Given his notorious past opposing progressives, the Press Club’s moderator asked him if he’s been having trouble working with Democrats to promote his plan. Pickens replied that he’s been having more trouble working with conservatives:

Newsweek: America is a center-right country (County Fair, Media Matters for America)
And that for “40 years, Democrats have been mostly out of stop with the nation.”… So for all those years in the last four decades when Democrats controlled Congress (and often the White House) they were out of step with the country? And when Democrats threw out the Republican majority in recent years, they were out of step? 

Also note that Newsweek’s Jonathan Darman, in making his case, does not point to a single poll or survey result to back up his claim that America is a center-right claim. We’re not surprised. Because as a Media Matters study indicated, the relevant polling data suggests just the opposite; that across the board Americans side with a Democratic, or liberal agenda, in terms of big government, gun control laws, gay rights, abortion rights, tax cuts and foreign policy.
I’m going to pound this and pound this and pound this until somebody finds me dead with my head on my keyboard or until somebody listens.

DEMOCRATS DON’T BUILD THEIR BRAND OVER THE LONG TERM.

Not only that, even many in the Democratic leadership seem to have fallen for much of the right-wing propaganda that right wingers HAVE been propagating over the last 40 plus years.  America is a center-left country, but the left isn’t informing Americans that’s what it is, so in the absence of a contrary message, many folks, highly paid Newsweek commentators included, just accept what they DO hear—from the right.

It’s why Democrats aren’t walking away with this election, as they should be.

Fox News Poll: Battlegrounds Remain Close (Political Wire)
A set of new Fox News/Rasmussen polls show four of the five battleground states are similar to the presidential election four years ago. Virginia, however, is more competitive than it was in 2004.
Florida: McCain 51%, Obama 46%
Michigan: Obama 51%, McCain 44%
Ohio: McCain 50%, Obama 46%
Pennsylvania: Obama 48%, McCain 45%
Virginia: McCain 50%, Obama 48%

Quinnipiac: Obama Ahead in Key Battlegrounds (Political Wire)
By very large margins, voters in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin say Sen. Barack Obama, not Sen. John McCain, is the candidate of change, helping lift Obama into the lead in these battleground states, according to four simultaneous Quinnipiac polls of likely voters.
Colorado: Obama 49%, McCain 45%
Michigan: Obama 48%, McCain 44%
Minnesota: Obama 47%, McCain 45%
Wisconsin: Obama 49%, McCain 42%

If BHO was running unopposed and all we had to do was vote Yes or No on him – could any Pod make a fact based case for him? (by J –SOM at Liberal Rapture)

I got an email recently questioning this site for not supporting BHO. Taking Cannonfire’s lead, I asked the reader to name 3 major issues BHO had championed sans flip flops. I got back an attack on McCain and Palin sans facts or back up… If BHO was running unopposed and all we had to do was vote Yes or No on him – could any Pod make a fact based case for him? I sincerely doubt it. He does not hold up to scrutiny.

Depressed as this whole year has made me – I am still holding out for an October surprise. But not holding my breath. Bill C keeps saying nice things about McCain/Palin – most recently on The View. Bill is a calculating guy. He most certainly knows an Obama win would all but destroy the Democrats by 2010. Is he signaling us Clinton supporters? Or is does he know some damning info on BHO and knows it’s coming?

Oh, That Joe! (No. 16 in a Series) – Obama Pitches Woo (by Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe at Political Punch, ABC News)
At a Washington, DC, fundraiser Monday night, Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., compared American voters skeptical of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to jilted lovers reluctant to risk getting hurt again. But Biden guaranteed they would find a way to “love” Obama enough to elect him president come November… “Everybody loves this guy,” Biden said of Obama. “They just don’t want to be – they don’t want to be fooled. They want to know more.”
Not “everybody” loves him, Joe, and many of us know way too much about him already.

Poll: Obama struggling to win over Clinton voters (AP)
Barack Obama’s support from backers of Hillary Rodham Clinton is stuck smack where it was in June, a poll showed Tuesday, a stunning lack of progress that is weakening him with members of the Democratic Party in the close presidential race. An Associated Press-Yahoo! News poll shows that among adults who backed his rival during their bitter primary campaign, 58 percent now support Obama. That is the same percentage who said so in June, when Clinton ended her bid and urged her backers to line up behind the Democratic senator from Illinois.
The headline is completely inaccurate.  Obama isn’t struggling to win us over.  He isn’t trying at all.  He’s gotten Hillary to campaign for him more and to get a group of her supporters trying to drum up interest, but we’re just not buying.  HE HAS TO ASK FOR OUR SUPPORT ALL BY HIMSELF.  AND HE HAS TO APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY FOR HIS WRETCHED TREATMENT OF HILLARY AND OF US DURING THE PRIMARY.  Otherwise, we’re not listening.

RezkoTrialWatch: Rezko due back in court today to face mortgage fraud charges (The Real Barack Obama)
In a brief item, ABC News 7 Chicago reports that convicted political fixer, Antoin “Tony” Rezko (see below) is due back in court today, September 23, 2008, “to face charges of mortgage fraud.” Rezko, along with two other men, are accused of rigging the price of pizza franchises to fraudulently obtain more than $10 million in loans. The indictment for this case “alleges that Rezko fraudulently obtained more than $10 million in loans for a pizza restaurant business from General Electric Capital Corp. (GECC) and also defrauded investors in that business.”… Rezko was convicted in April 2008, on 16 charges of “fraud, bribery and money laundering in a political corruption case. His sentencing for that conviction is scheduled for next month,” ABC News reported.

What Ben Smith Forgot to Ask About Obama’s Ties to Ayers (by Larry Johnson at No Quarter)
Ben Smith is a dishonest, sloppy excuse for a journalist. He accuses the McCain campaign in his posting at Politico of misrepresenting the case against Bill Ayers and is too damn lazy to do rudimentary research… According to Smith: “[Obama advisor] Schmidt attacked Obama for his ties to William Ayers… Obama did hold a 1995 campaign event at Ayers’ house. It was not, however, a fundraiser, and Ayers did not contribute money to Obama’s first campaign, according to Illinois records.”

Let’s ignore for the moment trying to define what is and is not a “fundraiser.” The more important point is what kind of relationship existed between Obama and Ayers. Obama is on the record claiming Ayers is just some guy from the neighborhood. That is a lie. Smith conveniently ignores the fact that 1995 also was the year that Bill Ayers gave Barack Obama his first big job… William Ayers work[ed] his heart out to get [the money for the Chicago Annenberg Challenge], Barack Obama is named President/Chairman of the Board, and the two barely know each other? Horseshit!… This is not guilt by association. This is guilt by a long term working relationship. What is he hiding?

And, of course, the REALLY important information must get out:
Obama Hammers McCain on Foreign Cars (Political Wire)
As Sen. John McCain heads to Michigan today, the Obama campaign tries to highlight recent news that McCain owns three foreign cars — a Lexus, Volkswagen and Honda — despite statements that he’s always bought American cars. To drive the point home: A new ad hits the airwaves in Michigan.

McCain’s Florida fundraising in August was double Obama’s (McClatchy)
Republican John McCain raised twice as much money as Democrat Barack Obama in Florida last month, buoyed by a $619,000 spike over two days following the introduction of his surprise pick for vice president.

Even With Costly Wall Street Bailout, McCain Still Claims He Will Balance The Budget By 2013 (Think Progress)
[Sunday] night during an interview with John Harwood on CNBC, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) pledged to stick to his massive tax cuts plan and vow to balance the budget despite the proposed $700 billion federal government bailout of the nation’s largest financial institutions.
Click through to watch the video.

Battle Between McCain Team and ‘NYT’ and Politico Rages (Editor & Publisher)
The Times exposed McCain campaign chief’s lobbying efforts. McCain’s chief strategist hit back at the Times. The Times’ executive editor responded. Meanwhile, Politico.com got into the act–and also got attacked by a McCain aide. And it was only 3 p.m

Palin will reportedly assist the ‘Troopergate’ probe she requested. (Think Progress)
On Sept. 2, just after she was chosen as John McCain’s running mate, Sarah Palin filed an ethics complaint against herself with the state’s Personnel Board in an effort to squelch the state legislature’s investigation into her firing of the state Public Safety Commissioner… But according to ABC News, Palin may now cooperate with her own inquiry: “Attorneys for Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin met with a special investigator for the Alaska Personnel Board earlier today to broker her cooperation with the panel’s own probe of the scandal now known as ‘Troopergate,’ according to sources close to the matter.”

FBI searches apartment of alleged Palin hacker (CNET News)
Federal authorities are ramping up an investigation of a 20-year-old college student for allegedly hacking into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s e-mail account.The FBI searched the apartment of alleged hacker David Kernell on Sunday morning, and three of Kernell’s roommates could testify this week about the case before a grand jury in Chattanooga, according to local news reports. After it was discovered that the Republican vice presidential candidate’s personal Yahoo e-mail account was hacked into, reports began circulating that the hack could be traced back to Kernell, a University of Tennessee student and son of Democratic Tennessee state representative Mike Kernell.

The anatomy of a left wing smear campaign (by gqmartinez at Corrente)
If there is one thing I learned this election cycle, its that the right doesn’t have a monopoly and lies and smear tactics. How does the left do it? Well, they take a person (preferably a female politician) and connect them to some religious fundamentalists or people who have ties to religious fundamentalists. Its especially nice if they are scary religious fundamentalists, “dominionists” even. Next, write pages and pages of about how scary “dominionists” are. Its an extra bonus if you can find quotes by these scary “dominionists” that have them praising said female politician. These people can have two, three or four degrees of separation from the female politician, it doesn’t matter. Extra special bonus if you can use scary terms like “cell”. If you think I’m talking about Sarah Palin, you’re wrong. I’m talking about Hillary Clinton.

The strategy is clear. Heck, you can even make up stuff about the legislative positions, as some have about Hillary… I bring this up because I had a conversation with friends this week about Palin and many of the easily debunked lies about her. They asked why I was defending her. Its not defending her that I’m interested in, its the BS that needs to stop. BS is BS, even in the service of “good”. And if everyone is throwing BS around, the only information we have available is BS and we all lose. Its the same principle as why I don’t think the Dems accepting a stolen Obama election is good. Once we allow fundamentally corrupt processes to become party invariant, we are all going to suffer in the long term, probably more so than having to deal with four years of McCain.

85 days: Palin’s executive experience in the state capital. (Think Progress)
Writing on the Politico, Center for American Progress Action Fund Senior Fellow Scott Lilly notes that “there has been little analysis of the simplest measure of performance,” attendance, with regards to Gov. Sarah Palin. Lilly notes that she has an abysmal attendance record in Alaska’s state capital.
And how many days of executive experience does either Barack Obama or Joe Biden have?  ZERO!

Mean girl (by David Talbot, Salon)
Sarah Palin has a habit of betraying former patrons, especially when they get in trouble — but only once they’re no longer useful.
Well, David, how about Barack Obama’s history of throwing former supporters under the bus?  Rev. Wright springs readily to mind, but there are lots and lots of others.  The wheels of that bus can’t even touch the ground any more.  These kinds of criticisms of Palin only remind us of The Anointed One’s failings.  Is that what you’re aiming for?

Media Truth Squads And The ‘08 Campaign: Any Impact?
Reporters aim to check facts behind candidates’ claims, but effect on voters is unclear.

The View Has Its Eye on Politics This Year (New York Times)
The John McCain interview was part of a conscious effort by Barbara Walters and her producers to insert their daytime talk show forcefully into the nation’s political conversation this fall. That effort is already bearing fruit, not only with the many replays that clips of the McCain appearance received, but also in a second scoop to which it directly led: the appearance on Monday by former President Bill Clinton.

Michael Moore’s Slacker Uprising Now Available (by Stan Schroeder at Mashable)
As promised a couple of weeks back, Michael Moore’s new documentary, “Slacker Uprising,” is available for viewing (and download) for free as of today at slackeruprising.com. Touted by Moore as a “gift to his fans” and distributed online by blip.tv, the movie documents Moore’s tour through 62 US cities in swing states during the 2004 U.S. presidential election, in which he rallied youngsters to vote (read: he rooted for the side that didn’t win). Perhaps he’ll have better luck this time.

Bloviation Factored Into Bill O’Reilly’s Youth (USAT)
After four best sellers, Bill O’Reilly asks: “So what is there left to say? I mean, come on, everybody knows O’Reilly is a champion bloviator, but is another book really necessary?” Yes, he writes in A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. “I’ve never really explained how I got to be that showy bloviator.” The title comes from a nun’s description of O’Reilly as a brash, restless third-grader.

Rather Can Sue CBS Over Firing (Bloomberg)
Former CBS anchorman Dan Rather can proceed with a $70 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against his former employer for firing him. A New York judge ruled Monday that Rather can sue over claims the network damaged his reputation when it fired him as managing editor of theCBS Evening News. Gammerman ruled that Rather can’t sue CBS Corp. for fraud.

Southern Baptists bar magazine over female pastors story (McClatchy)
By Yonat Shimron, Staff Writer Comment on this story What was supposed to be an honor — a cover story about a group of successful women pastors — has instead turned into a scandal for a Durham non-denominational church leader.

Abstinence-only sex ed hasn’t stopped Texas teen pregnancies (McClatchy)
Don’t look for Texas to change its abstinence-only focus on sex education in public schools despite the renewed national debate fueled by the pregnancy of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s teen daughter.

Article Says Abstinence-only Programs Advance Gender Stereotypes (American Constitution Society)
Abstinence-only sex education programs are not only ineffective, but also advance harmful gender stereotypes, say Bonnie Scott Jones and Michelle Movahed, in a recent Issue Brief released by the American Constitution Society. The authors … assert that some of the abstinence-only programs … contain the “deeply harmful flaw” of promoting gender stereotypes. Some of the programs “teach boys and girls their abilities, natures, capacities, and potential are defined and limited by gender,” states the article.

Stereotype Preservation Dept: Study: Traditional Men Earn Most (Washington Post)
Men who endorse distinct societal roles for women and men earn more than other groups, study says.

US generals planning for resource wars (Irish Times)
Under the auspices of the US department of defence and department of the army, the US military have just published a document entitled 2008 Army Modernization Strategy which makes for interesting reading against the current backdrop of deteriorating international fiscal, environmental, energy resource and security crises.
I believe it’s the job of our generals to plan for every possible contingency they can think of.  They’ve been planning for global warming scenarios while the rest of the administration has denied there might even be a problem.

Court orders Bush administration to release torture photos. (Think Progress)
An appeals court [on Monday] ruled that the Bush administration “must release 20 photographs of U.S. soldiers and detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan” that were demanded by the ACLU, which is seeking information on prisoner abuse. The court “rejected the government’s claim that releasing the photos would endanger the lives or physical safety of U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. A lower court judge had already ordered that identifying facial features be removed from the pictures before they are released.”

Media Matters for America headlines

• Contrary to RNC official, Politico’s Javers said of debate: “McCain really benefits from low expectations”

• 60 Minutes called Obama’s — but not McCain’s — economic agenda “expensive,” even though McCain’s is reportedly more so

• Kilmeade reported SNL’s Lorne Michaels has “maxed out on” contributions to Obama, but not Michaels’ history of contributions to McCain

• Monica Crowley falsely claimed that “unemployment … remains at historical lows”

• O’Reilly falsely claimed that Rep. Frank “sat by” while “Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae made bad loans”

• CBS’ Reid aired McCain attacking Obama for purportedly being in the “Washington culture of lobbying” without noting McCain’s own lobbying ties

• AP’s Johnson reported McCain claim that private accounts will improve Social Security solvency, without noting that it’s false

• Cavuto suggests Congress should have warned that “[l]oaning to minorities and risky folks is a disaster”

• U.S. News’ Pethokoukis falsely claimed McCain is not calling for carve-out Social Security accounts

• LA Times reported that McCain “backed” AIG bailout, but not that McCain said he opposed it one day earlier

• Print media reported McCain attacks on Obama for purported ties to Freddie and Fannie, but not McCain aides’ lobbying on their behalf

• Despite attacks on media by McCain campaign, case studies show disparate coverage in McCain’s favor

• In criticizing liberals for purported sexism, conservative media figures have engaged in their own

Post-Dispatch Refuses to Distribute DVD Offensive to American Muslims
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch has refused to distribute the DVD of a film that has troubled American Muslims. The film, called Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West, was distributed to an estimated 28 million people via 70 American newspapers. The only other newspaper reported to have refused the DVD was the News & Record in Greensboro, NC.

“Scotsman sacks columnist for blog comment”
The Scotsman has fired a columnist following a post he made on an independently owned blog… In the blogpost [Nick Clayton, who wrote a weekly gadget column for the Scotsman's Saturday supplement] mentioned that he had returned to Edinburgh from his home in Ibiza to sell his flat. He wrote that all but one of the estate agents he was dealing with told him not to bother paying for advertising in the Scotsman and instead advertise online.

Battle Over Stolen Goods Sold Online Goes to Washington
Three bills being considered by a House subcommittee would require Internet companies like eBay to promptly investigate and respond to claims that goods for sale on their sites are stolen.

‘Pure greed’ led spammer to bombard inboxes
As he prepares to report to prison to serve a four-year term, convicted e-mail spammer Robert Soloway tells NBC News that “pure greed” drove him to become the “King of Spam.”

Owning The News
Philip Balboni thinks he can build the next great global news organization with the help of an unlikely ally: Capitalism. The chief of Global News Enterprises, Balboni is preparing to launch a test version of his international news site later this fall, with a full-scale debut in January. He’s signed roughly 40 correspondents and five regional editors with pedigrees ranging from Timemagazine to the Associated Press.

Meet Your 2008 MacArthur Genius Award Fellows
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the twenty-five 2008 McArthur Genius Fellows, who will each be given $500,000 over the next five years with no string attached. Alex Ross, The New Yorker’s classical music critic, was the only magazine writer honored, but Chimamanda Adichie, a fiction writer living in Columbia, Maryland, was also selected.

Exclusive: Top 30 Sites in ‘Time Spent’ for August 
The Houston Chronicle, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, and the San Francisco Chronicle were in the top five newspaper Web sites ranked by time spent in August. The NYTimes.com was No.1 and USAToday.com was No. 5. Only half of the sites in the Top 30 increased their timing numbers.

CBS Moves Further Into Citizen Journalism with “EyeMobile” for iPhone (Mashable)
Continuing the trend of mainstream media integrating user-generated content into its programming, CBS has launched EyeMobile for iPhone, allowing its users to submit photos and videos to the company’s citizen journalism site: CBSEyeMobile.com… In addition to being able to upload content to EyeMobile, the app includes options for viewing content uploaded by others and leaving comments. As for the EyeMobile website, it is very YouTube-esque, allowing you to browse photos and videos by most recent, most viewed, and most commented. The site also allows you to copy and paste code to embed photos and videos elsewhere.

The Demise of the Washington News Bureau (by John McQuaid, The American Prospect)
The end of the Washington-based Newhouse News Service shows how the depth and breadth of Washington coverage is shrinking as newspapers focus dwindling resources on local news. Hardly a week goes by without some regional newspaper announcing the layoff or recall of its Washington correspondent, and those covering national beats are similarly endangered. 

Four Questions for Politico’s Jim VandeHei
Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei talks about how in this age of print journalism demise his paper is thriving; whether he thinks other newspapers could use Politico as a model in terms of how to make a profit; and whether Politico hopes to become a sort of collective Washington bureau for newspapers nation-wide.

“‘Wash Post’ Launching New Political Site — With Links to Rivals “
WASHINGTON The Washington Post is launching a new Web section linking readers to the best of political coverage– even scoops by rival newspapers. The idea behind the Political Browser … is to brief political junkies on the top “must reads” of the day, from an article on a scandal to a humorous video making the rounds on Google Inc.’s YouTube… The shift is partly a response to the growing influence of bloggers, who link to items they find interesting regardless of the source.

AP Moves Online Video Network From Microsoft To thePlatform (Paid Content)
Looking to revamp its Online Video Network, the Associated Press is handing over the running of its video player and uploading service from Microsoft to thePlatform, the Comcast-owned broadband and mobile video services provider… The two-year-old OVN service sends news video to—and from—AP’s global affiliates. The move also comes as the AP finds itself battling back a rebellion from its members of its fee structure and more competition from online sites like Politico.com, which has struck deals with local newspapers to share its coverage of Washington DC as part of its new ad network.

High Season for the National Enquirer
The Enquirer competes with celebrity magazines like People, Us Weekly, and OK!. It uses methods scorned by the mainstream media — rifling through trash cans, stalking subjects and, most of all, paying for information. And it pursues the sorts of seamy stories from which most newspapers and magazines tend to recoil. Yet the Enquirer lands too many big scoops for the mainstream media to ignore.

New York Sun editor: “I haven’t raised all that I need, but I’ve raised a lot”
“I’m making the rounds,” says Sun founder and editor Seth Lipsky. “We’re in a tight spot. The New York Post went down to the last hour before Rupert Murdoch swept in’ and took control in 1993. “He’s not going to sweep in on this one.”

Pruitt: “Too early to tell” if McClatchy made the right move in buying KR
Gary Pruitt believes the Knight Ridder acquisition will eventually work out, but McClatchy’s chief exec concedes the debt load — now $2.1 billion — has put the chain in an uncomfortable spot. “It’s hard to claim it’s a good deal when you see the stock performance.” He says McClatchy is facing “the biggest challenge in the company’s modern history,” even though it’s “strongly profitable.”

Report: Just 45 News Magazines Remain
Regional magazines outnumber any other category of magazines with more than 1,120 titles in 2008, according to the National Directory of Magazines — which catalogs more than 20,500 U.S. and Canadian magazines, tabloids and major journals. Over the five year period from 2003 to 2008, the number of news magazines saw the greatest decline, dropping 39 percent from 75 to 45 publications.

Time Focuses New Life on Its Venerable Title
The Life name is getting a new lease on life. After having shut down three times as a magazine, the Life title is being resurrected as part of a joint venture between Time Inc. and Getty Images that will launch a Web site offering free, downloadable photos from world-renowned photographers.

Why Aren’t More People Buzzing About Harper’s? (by Jon Friedman at Marketwatch)
One of the mysteries of the U.S. publishing scene is why there isn’t a bigger buzz surrounding Harper’s magazine these days. The thought-provoking monthly is on par with the New Yorker and the Atlantic, as well as Esquire, Vanity Fair, and GQ. During an era when the 5,000- and 10,000-word stories are being squeezed out of magazines because of advertising pressures, Harper’s remains focused on quality long-form journalism. So, what’s the problem?

Reliance Injects $1.2 Billion Into New Hollywood Film Powerhouse, Ending Paramount-Dreamworks Clash (Paid Content)
The heads at DreamWorks SKG have firmed up a $1.2 billion deal to leave Viacom’s Paramount Pictures and form a new venture funded by Indian telecom and media conglomerate Reliance ADA Group, WSJ reports. The Mumbai-based company will inject $500 million and $700 million in debt through J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to produce about six films a year. The deal creates a new powerhouse in Hollywood backed by Steven Spielberg, one of the entertainment industry’s most successful and biggest names, and marks Reliance’s most ambitious push into the United States thus far.

Netflix Signs Deals With CBS and Disney
Netflix Inc. has cut deals with CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co. that will give a boost to the library of television shows available to Netflix subscribers for viewing over the Internet. The agreements, covering television shows ranging from the crime series CSI to Hannah Montana, will let Netflix subscribers watch the shows over the Internet a day after their original air dates on television.

Reality TV School Getting Reality TV Deal. Meta!
Robert Galinsky founded the New York Reality TV School to help wannabe stars get onto their favorite shows. He may be his own best student. Galinsky is in advanced talks with Roy Bank at Merv Griffin Entertainment to develop a reality show centered on his three-month-old academy.

Entertainment Studios Launching Six HD Channels On FiOSEntertainment Studios is launching six high-definition channels on Verizon FiOS TV under a multi-year deal that will program content related to cars, pets, comedy, travel, food and entertainment. The new HD networks—Cars.tv, Pets.tv, Comedy.tv, MyDestination.tv, Es.tv and Recipe.tv – are getting their first run on FiOS in 1080i HD format, but plans call for online and mobile soon as well as expansion to other countries. The Los Angeles-based independent production and distribution company, founded by talk show host Byron Allenm, also sells advertising for 15 TV programs syndicated on broadcast TV stations, broadband and mobile phones.  (Paid Content)

Number of Blogs and Blog Visitors in Technorati Report Released…
NEW YORK Technorati — which tracks blogs, including newspaper ones — today released the first part of its annual report on the “State of the Blogosphere.” Among the figures cited: blogs have 77.7 million unique visitors in the U.S., 346 million people worldwide read blogs (that’s 77% of “active Internet users”), and 184 million people worldwide have started a blog. In the U.S., 57% of bloggers are male, 42% of bloggers are 18-34 years old, 26% are single, 56% are employed full time, and 74% are college graduates… More numbers and information from the first-day report (titled “Who Are the Bloggers?”) can be seen here.

Media Bloggers Association Creates Blogger Insurance
MBA has launched a scheme to give bloggers the same access to legal support as traditional media organisations.

Google Book Search Lets You Embed a Library Into Your Blog (Mashable)
Google Book Search, the popular and somewhat controversial service which has archived millions of books into digital format, has added a new set of tools and partnerships, none bigger than the ability to embed a preview of The Da Vinci Code or the entire encyclopedia on Diabetes onto external websites. You will get the same content that you are allowed on Google Book Search, whether that is a limited preview or the entire text… Publishers and retailers can now create easy-to-navigate previews of their content which can lead to users purchasing the books. And Google has partnered with several online book retailers to allow Google book search previews of books they sell.

A New Kind of Venture Capitalist Makes Small Bets on Young Firms
Union Square Ventures focuses on services that use the Web to change a market rather than simply make it more efficient.

In Scary Times, Advertising Firms Offer Messages of Strength
While several financial advertisers are seeking to take advantage of the economic turmoil, ad executives worry that no amount of advertising may reassure the public.

Online Ad Slowdown Looms
Companies dependent on Internet-based advertising are bracing for a slowdown as financial-service companies cut ad budgets. When budgets are tight, advertisers tend to look for proven methods, such as ads placed alongside a Google or Yahoo search, and place less empasis on experimental venues, such as social networks, experts say. 

Finance crisis has yet to hit radio ads.
The Wall Street shake-up means radio could soon face significant changes in the financial services category. The good news is that Lehman and Merrill Lynch, the two brands that are likely to vanish, have spent little in radio. Among the rest, an ABC Radio rep says “We have not yet seen a wave of cancelled flights.

CNN’s Live Webcasts During Commercial Breaks: Undermining Own Advertisers? (by Rafat Ali at Paid Content)
An interesting take on webcasts between commercials, something CNN has been doing recently during Anderson Cooper’s AC360 daily news program on the news channel. CNN’s Erica Hill has been webcasting takes in between the show segments, and Cooper has been encouraging viewers to go to the website during commercial breaks to watch and interact with them…which, Will Richmond points out, “is diverting attention from its own on-air advertisers. That undermines CNN’s all-important advertiser value proposition. That of course begs the question: is CNN’s ad sales team on board with these webcasts? And if so, what are they thinking??”

Scholastic Cuts ‘Bratz’ Products for Book Clubs and Fairs
Criticized for Bratz dolls’ overly sexualized image, the children’s publisher will no longer include Bratz doll picture books in any of its school book clubs or fairs this year.

Red Roof Inns Teams Up With Country Music Artists
The budget lodging chain seeks to capitalize on the popularity of country music among its customers.

Companies joining to push music on memory cards 
NEW YORK (AP) – Just as vinyl once gave way to compact discs as the main physical medium for music, could CDs be replaced now by a fingernail-sized memory card? Perhaps not entirely, but SanDisk Corp., four major record labels and retailers Best Buy Co. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are hoping that albums sold on microSD memory cards will at least provide an additional stream of sales.

Comcast Buries Broadband Policy News in Friday Evening Wasteland; Users Instead of Apps (Paid Content)
Comcast has announced its new policy on broadband access management, something it was required to do by FCC within 30 days of August 20. The formal plan details how it plans to manage its broadband network, and rather than targeting applications like P2P, it will slow down traffic for heaviest users instead at peak times. This will be done by creating a second stream of traffic for recent heavy users that will have a lower priority when compared to its other customers, reports WSJ. In this way, Comcast gets around some net neutrality provisions in that it doesn’t discriminate against content or apps from specific companies. This comes after Comcast also introduced its monthly usage cap of 250GB per users…this cap will go into effect starting October 1.

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I am not a Republican, and I am not a racist.  I will be voting for Cynthia McKinney for president.  So don’t threaten me with your post-partisan, post-racial, manipulative, coercive hate mail.

Wrapped in the Flag

Paulson Bailout Plan a Historic Swindle (by William Greider, The Nation)
Financial-market wise guys, who had been seized with fear, are suddenly drunk with hope. They are rallying explosively because they think they have successfully stampeded Washington into accepting theWall Street Journal solution to the crisis: dump it all on the taxpayers. That is the meaning of the massive bailout Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has shopped around Congress. It would relieve the major banks and investment firms of their mountainous rotten assets and make the public swallow their losses–many hundreds of billions, maybe much more. What’s not to like if you are a financial titan threatened with extinction?

If Wall Street gets away with this, it will represent an historic swindle of the American public–all sugar for the villains, lasting pain and damage for the victims. My advice to Washington politicians: Stop, take a deep breath and examine what you are being told to do by so-called “responsible opinion.” If this deal succeeds, I predict it will become a transforming event in American politics–exposing the deep deformities in our democracy and launching a tidal wave of righteous anger and popular rebellion. As I have been saying for several months, this crisis has the potential to bring down one or both political parties, take your choice.
Well, Bill, sadly for us liberals, in the Democratic primary your magazine backed Barack Obama, who is the most accommodationist of Democrats.  What will the Democrats do in this crisis?  Practically nothing, and claim it’s a great success.  One of the most supposedly liberal publications in the country will have helped it to happen.  And if you’re looking to Main Street for that “tidal wave of righteous anger”, don’t expect it to be leveled at the people who deserve the anger.  See below.

Almost 50 years of right-wing propaganda has been an enormous success:
A Sense of Resentment on Main Street (Washington Post)
The bailout doesn’t smell right to the people of Manassas Park, where the foreclosure signs are as common as azaleas. They know all about bad debt here. This is a terrain of oversize dreams, misjudgment, financial calamity — and empty houses. “Foreclosure. Foreclosure. Foreclosure,” said Ed Merkle, 58, as he pointed to the “for sale” signs lining his street… “I’ve been financially responsible with my own money. Why should I now be responsible for the fact that you were not?” he said.

This may be a Main Street bailout backlash in the making. The details of the financial crisis are still hard for most people to follow — what with talk of exotic “derivatives” known as “credit-default swaps” and so on — but the central fact of the matter hasn’t been lost on anyone in this Northern Virginia community: The taxpayers are on the hook for the bad judgment of others.
Whose bad judgment are we really dealing with?  Those who made tons of money by lending to people who are bad credit risks, that’s who, and those who aided and abetted them by creating and selling the aforementioned “exotic derivatives”.  But who gets blamed?  Not the Masters of the Universe who created the mess, oh no!  IT’S POOR PEOPLE’S FAULT!  So sayeth the Washington Post.

Do you understand the significance of that misdirection?  It means we may never reach a critical mass of people so fed up with the so-called leaders who got us into this that we FIRE their asses.

McCain calls for limit on pay to CEOs of failed Wall St. firms; Obama lays out six reform principles (On Politics, USA Today)
The major presidential contenders continue to talk about the nation’s financial crisis and the rescue plan being put together in Washington:

• Republican nominee John McCain just told a crowd in Scranton, Pa., that he is “greatly concerned that the plan gives a single individual (the Treasury secretary) the unprecedented power to spend $1 trillion without any meaningful accountability…” McCain also said called for “a high level oversight board to impose accountability and establish concrete criteria for who gets help and who does not.” And, he said “the firms we help need accountability too.  We cannot have taxpayers footing the bill for bloated golden parachutes like we see in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, where the top executives are asking for $2.5 billion in bonuses after they ran the company into the ground.  The senior executives of any firm that is bailed out by treasury should not be making more than the highest paid government official.”

• Democratic nominee Barack Obama, his campaign says in a statement sent to reporters, will today “deliver a major policy address to lay out his plan to reform the greed and excesses of Washington so that we never face an economic crisis like this again.” He’s due to deliver the speech in Green Bay, Wis., around mid-day. Update at 12:50 p.m. ET. In his speech, Obama outlines six principles for reform.
Click through to read the six principles.  Here we are once again, with McCain sounding action oriented and Obama sounding process oriented.

Last Year’s Big Five Wall Street Bonuses (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
As the Bush Administration asks for close to a trillion dollars to prevent a worldwide financial cataclysm, here are some numbers you might find interesting — courtesy of the ABC News Research Center and ABC News’ Barbara Paulson. In 2007, Wall Street’s five biggest firms– Bear Stearns, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley -   paid a record $39 billion in bonuses to themselves. That’s $10 billion more than the $29 billion loan taxpayers are making to J.P. Morgan to save Bear Stearns. Those 2007 bonuses were paid even though the shareholders in those firms last year collectively lost about $74 billion in stock declines –their worst year since 2002.

Paulson plan: Retroactive immunity for Wall Street (by lambert at Corrente)
Thank The God(ess)(e)(s) Of Your Choice for McClatchy: “The administration’s draft law also would preclude court review of steps Paulson might take [clause 9], something Joshua Rosner, managing director of economic researcher Graham Fisher & Co. in New York, said could be used to mask previous illegal activity. ‘The Treasury’s ability to, without oversight, determine (that) a financial institution (is) an agent of the government seems like it could be used to serve several purposes, including limiting the potential liabilities of an institution or its executives,’ he wrote in a note to investors late Sunday.”… So, what that means is that even the foolish “executive compensation” talking point is a mask over the ulcer: The real issue is executive jail time.

Only One Winner, and Only One Loser (by Arthur Silber at the Power of Narrative)
The ruling class is the only winner in this crisis, and you, the “ordinary” American without wealth, power or influence, are the big loser. You are in the process of receiving the biggest screwing of your life… I remind you of what I wrote at the beginning of this week… “…All of the solons who led us into this abyss of mounting debt, worthless securities, failing financial institutions, economic contraction and collapse … and all the rest, will now instruct us as to how we should ‘solve’ the crisis that they have created… [W]hatever ‘solutions’ are implemented, whatever reorganization and reregulation is imposed, it will all be done in accordance with the ruling class’s desires and goals. It will all be to protect their own wealth and power to whatever extent is possible, and to expand their wealth and power still more.”

The complete (though ever-changing) elite consensus over the financial collapse (by Glenn Greenwald at Unclaimed Territory, Salon)
I don’t pretend to know anywhere near enough — in terms of either raw information or expertise — in order to opine on the necessity or lack thereof of The Latest Plan in terms of whether the alternatives are worse. But what I do know is that an injustice so grave and extreme that it defies words is taking place; that the greatest beneficiaries are those who are most culpable; and that the same hopelessly broken and deeply rotted institutions and elite class that gave rise to all of this (and so much more) are the very ones that are — yet again — being blindly entrusted to solve this.

A $1.8 Trillion Bailout: Where the Money’s Going (On Politics, USA Today)
The U.S. Treasury Department is working through the weekend with Congress to craft a plan to spend as much as $700 billion to absorb bad mortgages and other assets from bank or other institution balance sheets to keep the financial system from collapsing. The move comes close on the heels of an $85 billion Federal Reserve rescue of American International Group and the Treasury’s takeover of housing finance firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Treasury plan, which follows a new federal guarantee for money market fund holdings, would push Washington’s potential bailout tab to $1.8 trillion.

Cash for Trash (by Paul Krugman)
Some skeptics are calling Henry Paulson’s $700 billion rescue plan for the U.S. financial system “cash for trash.” Others are calling the proposed legislation the Authorization for Use of Financial Force, after the Authorization for Use of Military Force, the infamous bill that gave the Bush administration the green light to invade Iraq. [Emphasis added.] There’s justice in the gibes. Everyone agrees that something major must be done. But Mr. Paulson is demanding extraordinary power for himself — and for his successor — to deploy taxpayers’ money on behalf of a plan that, as far as I can see, doesn’t make sense…

Mr. Paulson insists that he wants a “clean” plan. “Clean,” in this context, means a taxpayer-financed bailout with no strings attached — no quid pro quo on the part of those being bailed out. Why is that a good thing? Add to this the fact that Mr. Paulson is also demanding dictatorial authority, plus immunity from review “by any court of law or any administrative agency,” and this adds up to an unacceptable proposal… I’d urge Congress to pause for a minute, take a deep breath, and try to seriously rework the structure of the plan, making it a plan that addresses the real problem. Don’t let yourself be railroaded — if this plan goes through in anything like its current form, we’ll all be very sorry in the not-too-distant future.

Stupider than Shit (by Arthur Silber at the Power of Narrative)
The Bush administration is not genuinely intelligent by any measure, but these criminals are shrewder than hell. Why do you think they made the initial proposal in the extreme form they did? Because they know that if they finally give the Democrats a few “safeguards,” if they “attach a few strings,” and perhaps if they allow for “independent oversight,” the Democrats will give them the momentous bailout they want — all to be paid for by American taxpayers for the next hundred years (assuming the U.S. survives in any recognizable form, which becomes more doubtful by the hour).

The Democrats have already announced to the world that is exactly what they’ll do. The Democrats, liberals and progressives fall right into the trap, as they do every single fucking time. At this point, does anyone believe “strings” or “oversight” are worth a goddamned thing?… In brief: the Bush administration will get exactly what it wanted all along.

Stupider than shit. That’s an insult to shit.

Not So Fast, Nancy (by paradox at The Left Coaster)
As a general rule anything Congress produces fast and on the fly is terrible legislation. As the Patriot Act so aptly demonstrates, out of nowhere vast powers and discretion were handed over without any deliberative thought or legislative processes at all… The whole political and ideological structure of conservatism lies in total ruins before us. Vast amounts of money and policy are at stake in somehow trying to clean up the incredible stinking mess, yet Bush and the Republicans are demanding all of the money to let their market philosophy off the hook without any new rules or safeguards in place, just hand over all of the dough now.
We had a candidate who told us back in March 2007 that we’d better be preparing for this day. And the party leaders you disparage, paradox, helped to push her out of the race.

Another Letter (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
To Matt Stoller from an anonymous congressman: “Here’s the industry’s play: progressives will approach Nancy with ideas for reform, and she’ll agree to push for their proposals, and she’ll really mean it. Then industry lobbyists will go to Dennis Moore, Melissa Bean and a few other Democrats, and tell them how dire the consequences of the proposals would be, and that the members who understand how the economy works need to step up to stop Nancy and the crazy liberals from doing something rash…

The only way, our leadership will conclude, to get anything at all passed is to include nothing more than the inconsequential proposals that … lobbyists agreed to. Then we’ll all go along because it would be wildly irresponsible not to act when we’re staring over the brink of a complete collapse of world financial markets… The only defense for the play is for a significant group of Democrats to say they won’t vote for any proposal that isn’t unpalatable to industry, and mean it. It’s a pretty high stakes game of chicken, but otherwise we come out of this with nothing but a $700 billion giveaway to a crooked industry.”

The Moment for Leadership is Here, Obama (by chicago dyke at Corrente)
So chatting it up with some insider types, this is what I’ve been told: Obama has the opportunity, right now, to act and determine the future re: this bailout stuff. If he goes along with the current plan, I’m told Senate Dems will follow along; if he doesn’t they won’t either. It’s more than obvious to anyone reading this blog that the current plan is little more than giving free money to the very people who fucked everything up in the first place and sticking taxpayers with the bill. It’s really that simple, and no amount of propaganda is going to change that… This is a much more crucial moment than perhaps many realize, and it’s important for Obama to live up to this first, critically important test as head of the Democratic party. Just say no, Mr. Obama. No.

Obama calls bailout a ‘blank check’ (Politico)
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) heaped criticism Sunday on President Bush’s mortgage-bailout blueprint, calling it a “blank check” for the administration and Wall Street with insufficient safeguards for taxpayers and homeowners.

Democrats Set Bailout Conditions (New York Times)
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats began to set their own terms on Sunday for a plan to rescue the nation’s financial institutions, including greater legislative oversight of the Treasury Department, more direct assistance for homeowners and limits on the pay of top executives whose firms seek help. The Democrats’ demands came as Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. blanketed the Sunday talk shows to promote the Bush administration’s $700 billion bailout package, emphasizing that it was needed not just for Wall Street, but for all Americans. He urged Congress to move swiftly to approve a “clean” rescue plan without tacking on extra programs.
But will Democrats stick with even the little bit they’re asking for, as Republicans stomp their feet and hold their breath?

GOP warns Dems not to add extras to bailout bill
Republican leaders in Congress are warning Democrats not to load up the Treasury Department’s emergency bailout bill with help for homeowners or others facing economic hardship – all while avoiding a direct endorsement of the bill themselves… Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is up for reelection in November, said the Treasury’s $700 billion bailout plan must not become a vehicle for “partisan plans and pet projects” if it is to receive congressional approval next week.

McCain or Obama — who bears responsibility for the crisis? (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
John McCain on the Senate floor, May 25, 2006: “… I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.”

Barack Obama voted against the legislation. Barack Obama — in the Senate for mere months — quickly became the number 2 recipient of contributions from Fannie Mae.

Illiquidity and Insolvency (by Mark Thoma at Economist’s View)
I say (1) get rid of the toxic stuff, that helps the liquidity problems and gets credit markets moving again (they froze up severely after Lehman was allowed to collapse, that was a mistake), (2) add additional capital to help with solvency, this is extra insurance in case freeing up credit markets by solving the liquidity problem isn’t enough by itself, and (3) give taxpayers a stake in all of this for their troubles. The exact form of that stake isn’t as important as the fact that they have one.

As Lambert at Corrente would say, “And we get?”
What Wall Street Should Be Required to Do, to Get A Blank Check From Taxpayers (by Robert Reich)
My five nominees:

1. The government (i.e. taxpayers) gets an equity stake in every Wall Street financial company proportional to the amount of bad debt that company shoves onto the public. So when and if Wall Street shares rise, taxpayers are rewarded for accepting so much risk. 

2. Wall Street executives and directors of Wall Street firms relinquish their current stock options and this year’s other forms of compensation, and agree to future compensation linked to a rolling five-year average of firm profitability. Why should taxpayers feather their already amply-feathered nests?

3. All Wall Street executives immediately cease making campaign contributions to any candidate for public office in this election cycle or next, all Wall Street PACs be closed, and Wall Street lobbyists curtail their activities unless specifically asked for information by policymakers. Why should taxpayers finance Wall Street’s outsized political power – especially when that power is being exercised to get favorable terms from taxpayers?

4. Wall Street firms agree to comply with new regulations over disclosure, capital requirements, conflicts of interest, and market manipulation. The regulations will emerge in ninety days from a bi-partisan working group, to be convened immediately. After all, inadequate regulation and lack of oversight got us into this mess. 

5. Wall Street agrees to give bankruptcy judges the authority to modify the terms of primary mortgages, so homeowners have a fighting chance to keep their homes. Why should distressed homeowners lose their homes when Wall Streeters receive taxpayer money that helps them keep their fancy ones?

Why You Should Hate the Treasury Bailout Proposal
[F]rom a reader by e-mail: “I worked at [Wall Street firm you've heard of], but now I handle financial services for [a Congressman], and I was on the conference call that Paulson, Bernanke and the House Democratic Leadership held for all the members [last week]… I wanted to let you know that, behind closed doors, Paulson … explicitly says that [the bailout plan] will buy assets at above market prices…

“I don’t think that our leadership has been very good during this negotiation (or really, during any showdowns with this administration) at forcing the administration to own their position. If Paulson wants this plan, then he needs to sell it to the public, and if he sells a different plan to the public (the nonsense buying-at-market-price plan) then we should pass that. I’d rather see the government act as a market maker for the assets to get them transferred over to private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds and other willing holders. And if we need to recapitalize these companies, it seems like the cheapest way for the taxpayer is to go in and buy up the distressed debt and then convert that to equity.”…

[H]istorically, financial system rescues have involved seizing the troubled institutions and guaranteeing their debts; only after that did the government try to repackage and sell their assets. The feds took over S&Ls first, protecting their depositors, then transferred their bad assets to the RTC… The Treasury plan, by contrast, looks like an attempt to restore confidence in the financial system — that is, convince creditors of troubled institutions that everything’s OK — simply by buying assets off these institutions. This will only work if the prices Treasury pays are much higher than current market prices…, in effect throwing taxpayers’ money at the financial world.

And there’s no quid pro quo here — nothing that gives taxpayers a stake in the upside, nothing that ensures that the money is used to stabilize the system rather than reward the undeserving.

Not necessarily practicing what you used to preach … (by Brad Setser at Follow The Money, Council on Foreign Relations)
Back in 1998, after Asia experienced a systemic banking crisis, the United States led a series of international working groups to develop best practices for handling future crises. One of the working group — the second working group — developed principles for managing a systemic banking crisis. The group’s recommendations included: “Bank owners (holders of bank equity) should not be bailed out. They should lose their investments when banks are given public support, or their investment should be diluted through sales of equity (or some convertible instrument) to a government agency, which is then in a position to benefit and recover cots if the institution’s conditions improves.”

Responsibility For Thee But Not For Me (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
Funny, how the same institutions that so recently successfully argued that unemployed Americans or those crippled by medical expenses should “face the music” and be denied the protection of the bankruptcy courts are now expecting the paycheck class to bail them out! Hey, no harm, no foul!

Who you gonna call?  Debt Busters?
Treasury Proposes to Have Wall St. Manage Bad Debt (CNBC)
Wall Street is being called upon to manage its own mortgage mess. As part of the government bailout of the financial industry, the Treasury has floated a plan with industry executives that envisions the $700 billion in bad mortgage debts being bought by the government will be run by five to ten outside asset managers, CNBC has learned. These managers will each run portfolios of up to $50 billion each, according to a source familiar with the plan… It was unclear how the Treasury would handle the problem of asset managers who might hold or otherwise have been invovled in the mortgage mess and whether those running the assets could bid for them.

Can you trust a Wall Street veteran with a Wall Street bailout? (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Making the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson repeatedly said today’s financial problems were long in the making. He should know. He was part of the Gold Rush that has brought the global financial system to the brink of collapse. Paulson presided over one of the most profitable runs on Wall Street as chairman and chief executive officer of investment banking titan Goldman Sachs & Co. from 1999 until President Bush nominated him on May 30, 2006 to take over the Treasury Department… But with Paulson now seeking virtually unfettered authority to administer the largest bailout of the financial industry in U.S. history, many are wondering whether Paulson also doesn’t come with enormous potential conflicts of interest.

For Japan, Economic Hope in Wall St. Bailout (Washington Post)
TOKYO, Sept. 22 — Washington’s bailout of Wall Street may also help bail out Japan, a nation hobbled by aimless leadership, punishing public debt, a dwindling workforce and growing weakness in the exports that power the world’s second-largest economy.

Open Thread (by Mary at The Left Coaster)
When Paulson’s “plan” came out this weekend, many thought, “Gosh, this is really bad. How could it be worse?” Well, with lobbyists working overtime this weekend, we find that the updated version is even worse. Phil Gramm (the guy who McCain wants to name the next Secretary of the Treasury) was able to get the bailout plan to rescue his personal foreign bank: UBS… [Emphasis added.] It was the UBS connection that made Phil Gramm toxic to the McCain campaign, at least publicly. Obviously, the guy who brought the US Enron, is now bringing the US the son of Enron, guaranteed to make your life worse. Aren’t you happy to see the gang in Washington watching out for their base?
Hey, who else can we bail out?  Oh, *I* know, how about the AUTO INDUSTRY?

Auto industry to press Congress for $50B in loans (Detroit News)
Auto industry allies hope to secure up to $50 billion in government loans this month that would pay to modernize plants and help struggling carmakers build more fuel-efficient vehicles… The situation is growing dire after months of tumbling sales, high gasoline prices and consumers’ abandoning profitable trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Of course, that was earlier in the month, but hey, now might be the best time to ask.  Demand, even.  It’s another emergency!

Consumers unlikely to start spending again soon (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — While Friday’s flurry of regulatory rescue actions on Wall Street should help loosen the ever-tightening restrictions on consumer credit, don’t expect American families to rush in and take on much new debt.
It’s consumer spending that drives the economy, friends.  So what’s being done for us ordinary folks, while all these big shots get their bailouts?

A Worker Bailout Fund? (by Mark Thoma at Economist’s View)
In response to the financial crisis, as we help firms that are deemed too big and too interconnected to fail, hundreds of billions of dollars are being tossed around as though it is mere pennies. Since it is widely expected that the crisis will get worse before it gets better, and since there is a non-trivial chance of a substantial uptick in unemployment, shouldn’t we begin thinking about a worker bailout fund? Or are workers too little to be helped?

I don’t think so. So instead of waiting until unemployment goes way up, and then watching Congress fight over what to do about it while people struggle to make ends meet, let’s get a plan in place now that dedicates some of the money being tossed around to helping workers. If unemployment goes up, what will we do? How will we help? If we are going to bail out the big players – take toxic paper off their hands – there’s no reason at all not to bail out workers too.

Naomi Klein saves the day on Real Time: Andrew Sullivan has no clue (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
It’s so chic of conservatives like Sullivan to blame the American people for the economic crisis, because as Sullivan stated on Real Time, millions and millions of people took out loans on homes that they couldn’t afford. Yes, the Kudlow Thesis of the market housing crisis. Don’t blame the lenders and grifters that came upon us like a biblical plague of locusts, blame the  people.

Naomi Klein, God love her, told him that it was the Wall Street profiteers that preyed upon society. His ideal conservative world is completely fictional. And as she says, what comes next is the real disaster. Today was Christmas morning to the fat cats on The Street, but what happens next to all the debt we the people have just incurred? Whoever is elected president will have a major role in deciding our fate.
Need I remind readers that Andrew Sullivan is an Obama fan?  Click through to watch the video. 

Obama cult poster… (by J -SOM at Liberal Rapture

My candidate, myself (by Robert Burton, Salon)
Last week, I jokingly asked a health club acquaintance whether he would change his mind about his choice for president if presented with sufficient facts that contradicted his present beliefs. He responded with utter confidence. “Absolutely not,” he said. “No new facts will change my mind because I know that these facts are correct.” I was floored. In his brief rebuttal, he blindly demonstrated overconfidence in his own ideas and the inability to consider how new facts might alter a presently cherished opinion… And yet, if we, as a country, truly want change, we must be open-minded, flexible and willing to revise our opinions when new evidence warrants it. Most important, we must be able to recognize and acknowledge when we are wrong…

As I have pointed out in my recent book, ”On Being Certain,” feelings of conviction, certainty and other similar states of “knowing what we know” may feel like logical conclusions, but are in fact involuntary mental sensations that function independently of reason… Just as it’s nearly impossible to reason with someone who’s enraged and combative, refuting or diminishing one’s sense of certainty is extraordinarily difficult. Certainty is neither created by nor dispelled by reason.
Burton goes on to say that he would like to see the candidates for president tested to see how well they use rational processes for decision making rather than feelings.  I, on the other hand, would prefer to see VOTERS tested that way.  See below.

The mush brain Obama has caused on the Left. (by J –SOM at Liberal Rapture)
I find it alarming and fascinating that – after 10 months – I have yet to meet an ardent Obama supporter who can – even for a moment – see their own hypocrisy. The FISA flip flop is excused – along with all the other major flip flops… But Palin is an evil, dumb bitch…Obama is wise and true… They are cock sure about Obama. Cock sure about Palin. Cock sure they are right about everything, and yet never examine anything. Concerns and questions are not allowed. These people scare me more than the far Right nut jobs – precisely because the far Right is acting on some core principle – however distasteful I may find it. No such principle is at play with the PODS. They follow without question – all the while pretending to be rational.

Is This What Passes for Liberal Discussion and Humor These Days? (by SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
At a friend’s tonight, I watched part of a recording of the September 12th HBO show, “Real Time with Bill Maher.” I’m in shock. This is what these television personalities think and say, and feel it’s perfectly alright to express? Things like this about Sarah Palin?… “Did you see the [interview with Charlie Gibson]? I am officially frightened.” … “Charlie Gibson asked her if she’s ready to be vice president or president. She said, ‘I’m ready’. And a bell went off, and she said, ‘Ohhh, and so’s my pie’.”… “She thought the Bush Doctrine had something to do with forbidding her daughters to shave down there.”

Saturday: Women Swiftboating Sarah (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
[S]ome of the commentary about Sarah that goes on in workplaces and supermarkets and on TV isn’t funny anymore. Remember what the meme was back when Hillary was running?  “I don’t have anything against a woman running for president.  Just not *this* woman.”  And now I’m hearing the same thing said about Sarah.  “I don’t have anything against a woman for VP.  But why does she have to be someone like Sarah?”… [According to the Palin haters,] what kind of woman would qualify for President or VP?  She’d have to be:

• not too pretty
• not overtly religious
• not a suburban SUV mom
• not too fertile
• a senator
• well travelled
• confused about nothing
• pro-choice

She’d have to be someone like…

Nahhh, any woman but her…

Hillary gets warm welcome in Pikeville (Kentucky State News, thanks to Alegre)
PIKEVILLE – She’s now called the “adopted daughter of Kentucky,” and 350 of her eastern Kentucky admirers turned out to hear Hillary Clinton stump for Bruce Lunsford Saturday morning at the Pikeville-Pike County Regional Airport. She turned heads and touted the candidacy of Lunsford, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate who is trying to unseat four-term incumbent Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell…Rather than asking themselves who they are for, Clinton said, voters should ask “who is for me? Who is for me and my family, my community, my schools, my job in the coal mines, my veterans, my young people serving in the military right now?”
Gee, who might that be?  Who ON EARTH might that be?  The only candidate for president I can think of who is for me is Cynthia McKinney, running with the Green Party.

A gutter lack of integrity (by J –SOM at Liberal Rapture)
A reader sent my this tidbit from Down Under: “Bill Clinton likes Palin’s instincts.” The President was referring to her political instincts noting that she was an effective politician and should not be underestimated. He spoke about the sitting, elected, Governor of Alaska with respect – which is ,not doubt, why he is so hated by PODS… Obama is not trustworthy. The evidence is in and is overwhelming. What Obama says and what Obama does are at odds on nearly every major issue. From Iraq, to Nafta, to Public Financing, to FISA he has demonstrated an utter lack of integrity. Maybe I should say a gutter lack of integrity.

Political Investment (by Anglachel)
The current meme running around Left Blogistan that the entire mortgage crisis and the resulting meltdown we are now enduring is because Clinton sided with the Republicans to destroy the FDR era Glass-Steagall Act…The point is not that it was a good or bad act for Clinton to sign. [Click through to read a contemporary account showing how Clinton resisted, but was abandoned by conservative Democrats.] (After all, one of its authors is the enthusiastic Obama-supporting Republicans, Jim Leach. Repeat – GLBA was written by an Obama supporter.) The point is that the obsession with assigning all blame for Democratic failures, real or imagined, to Bill Clinton is a political failure that continues to pay dividends to the Right.

Now is the time to be piling this stuff right on top of the Republicans, making it crystal clear that this shitpile is one of their making, crafted by them, overseen by them, encouraged by them, and now to be owned by them. You won’t do that by remaining invested in seeing Bill Clinton as the primary point of failure of Democratic policy and politics, and relegate the rest of the political actors, especially the opposition, into minor roles. Do you really want to be arguing, this close to the election, that the mortgage meltdown is the Democrats’ fault?

Sunday: Highly Ineffective Obamaphiles (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
Lea Lane at Huffington Post is worried. [On Saturday], she tried to offer some advice to her fellow Obamaphiles that should have been titled, How to talk to Clintonistas (if you must) but which was posted in disguise as Eat Crow?  Hell Yes to Win this Election.  She is concerned that in your PUMA anger and “confusion” about the election, you will without thinking, condemn her to a wiki page cautionary tale of a failed movement. You may unknowingly prove to be her worst enemy by voting against your own interests. It troubles her…

Here’s the message I would like to communicate to Lea and her ilk:  You guys are fu@%ed.  Big time.  We’ve heard all your stupid hypocritical arguments on sexism and Roe.  We know you have no respect for Hillary or the process. We are determined to stop Obama and his corrupt Chicago Machine in its tracks.  Wake up and smell the Starbucks, Lea.  If you want to win us back, grovel.  Get down on your knees and beg forgiveness.  Promise that you’ll haul Howard Dean’s ass back to Vermont.  Get Obama to apologize profusely for the caucus fraud and the sexism and the accusations of racism and the delegate manipulation at the convention.  We want the satisfaction of seeing him admit that our votes matter to him.

“Eat crow”? Eat THIS. (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
The writer offers these suggestions to her fellow bots: “Praise HRC. Never mention her flaws. Be gracious and do not bring up her vote for the war, or her “dirty campaign.” Do not allude to Bill. Instead, try to find something you can praise with some conviction.” Her flaws? In politics, as Martin Anderson liked to say, the question is always “Compared to what?” Compared to Obama — a crooked pol from Chicago who lies incessantly… Hillary ran a dirty campaign? My god, these Obots are so entrenched in their private universe that they no longer recognize reality. Barack Obama ran, is running, the filthiest campaign in the history of the Democratic party.

I consider Kos and HuffPo to be arms of the Obama campaign. Obama used those conduits to fill the net with the most disgusting lies in recent American campaign history: The “darkened video” smear, the “Bill’s a racist” smear, the RFK smear, the outrageous NAFTA smear. Obama said nothing when Keith Olbermann called for Hillary’s murder — and Obama’s silence on that score equals approval. The Obots incessantly told all Hillary supporters to get out of the party. Obama rigged the caucus votes and denied revotes in Michigan and Florida. And his vile supporters continue to spew death threats at anyone who won’t vote as they command.

“Do not allude to Bill.” These Obot fools still act as though Bill Clinton — the man who gave us eight years of peace and prosperity, the man who turned a sea of red ink black — is some sort of liability. In their sick alternative reality, they consider Bill Clinton the crazy uncle in the attic who must never be mentioned.

Poll: Racial views steer some white Dems away from Obama (by Ron Fournier and Trevor Thompson, AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House if the election is close, according to an AP-Yahoo News poll that found one-third of white Democrats harbor negative views toward blacks — many calling them “lazy,” “violent,” responsible for their own troubles. The poll, conducted with Stanford University, suggests that the percentage of voters who may turn away from Obama because of his race could easily be larger than the final difference between the candidates in 2004 — about two and one-half percentage points.

The Racist Blame Begins. Before he’s even lost (by NewHampster at Alegre’s Corner)
When will someone do a study of the real reasons so many of us distrust his lying ass?  When will they call and ask me about my absolute distaste for one who’s only real concern is himself?… Oh but of course I know the real reason for a study like this now.  It is to play the race card.  To once more tickle white guilt and see if a few more dems won’t vote for The One™ just so they can be sure not to feel guilty like the rest of us poor racist trash.
Actually, Ron Fournier is a McCain guy.  I’m not sure what his motivation was in commissioning and releasing this study.

Scaring Seniors (FactCheck.org)
An Obama-Biden ad says McCain supports “cutting benefits in half” for Social Security recipients. False!

On Taxes, Obama Faces Air Assault (Political Punch, ABC News)
[Saturday] afternoon, as Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., addressed a rally in Jacksonville, Fla., a small airplane flew overhead pulling a banner that read, “Raising taxes is not patriotic.” The banner was in reference to comments made by Sen. Joe Biden.

McCain: I’m glad I deregulated Wall Street. (Think Progress)
In the wake of last week’s financial meltdown, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has been calling for more regulation and criticizing lax oversight of Wall Street, despite the fact that he and former senator Phil Gramm passed much of the deregulatory reforms that led to the current crisis. Interviewed on CBS today, however, McCain said he does not “regret” championing the deregulation of Wall Street: “Q: In 1999, you were one of the senators who helped pass deregulation of Wall Street. Do you regret that now? McCAIN: No. I think the deregulation was probably helpful to the growth of our economy.”
Click through to watch the video

‘Always for Less Regulation’? (Washington Post)
One element of the Obama campaign’s brief against Mr. McCain is that he supported repeal of the law separating commercial banks from investment banks. “He’s spent decades in Washington supporting financial institutions instead of their customers,” Mr. Obama said [Thursday]. “Phil Gramm, one of the architects of the deregulation in Washington that led directly to this mess on Wall Street, is also the architect of John McCain’s economic plan.” Would it be churlish to point out that another author of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley law is former congressman Jim Leach, a founder of Republicans for Obama? Or that Obama advisers Lawrence H. Summers and Robert E. Rubin supported the repeal — which was signed by President Bill Clinton?

It’s a reasonable question which candidate has been more attentive to the brewing problems on Wall Street and which has a better prescription for them. But Mr. Obama’s attack does not give a fair reading of the McCain record.

McCain Wants Cuomo at SEC (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
“If you wanna fire Chris Cox, the chairman of the SEC,” asked Scott Pelley on “60 Minutes” tonight, “who would you replace him with?” “This may sound a little unusual, but I’ve admired Andrew Cuomo,” responded Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., referring to the New York State attorney general. “I think he is somebody who could restore some credibility, lend some bipartisanship to this effort.” “He’s a Democrat,” Pelley pointed out. “Oh, yes,” said McCain. “He served in the cabinet of President Clinton,” said Pelley. “Yes,” said McCain. “And he did a good job. And he has respect. And he has prestige.”

FORMER CLINTON STAFFERS JUMP TO MCCAIN (First Read, MSNBC)
Former Hillary Clinton campaign staffers charged Obama with being too inexperienced for the presidency, shifting their support to McCain, on a conference call sponsored by the McCain campaign Friday afternoon. “Obama really doesn’t have the experience,” said Miguel Lausell, senior national political advisor to Hillary Clinton. “We don’t know what he’s going to be doing. We don’t really know where he’s coming from, and that’s the big difference.” Luchy Secaira, former Sen. Hillary Clinton Delegate-at-Large, said that stance on women’s issues is all talk and no action. Secaira said that Obama’s rhetoric on the Equal Pay Act is not backed up with hiring practices in his Senate office.

Lifetime Poll: Palin Helps McCain with Women (Political Wire)
A new Lifetime Television poll finds the selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as Sen. John McCain’s running mate “has greatly increased the GOP ticket’s appeal to women.” Key finding: McCain-Palin holds a 44% to 42% lead over Obama-Biden on who has a “better understanding of women and what is important” to them. Obama held a 52% to 18% lead on the question in July. “Breaking it down further, age was biggest determining factor. Young women, ages 18-34, chose the Democratic ticket as being more empathetic to their needs, while women aged 35-64 went for the McCain-Palin ticket.”

Palin Continues to Attract Large Crowds (Political Wire)
Gov. Sarah Palin drew a crowd of nearly 60,000 people to a rally she held in the battleground state of Florida, according to the Fort Myers News-Press. “Admiring throngs mobbed the Palin family’s arrival and departure, snapping souvenir pictures. Autograph seekers thrust campaign signs, caps with the McCain-Palin logo and copies of magazines with her face on their covers, and the Palins responded warmly.”

Palin Wins Concessions for Veep Debate (Political Wire)
“The Obama and McCain campaigns have agreed to an unusual free-flowing format for the three televised presidential debates, which begin on Friday, but the McCain camp fought for and won a much more structured approach for the questioning at the vice-presidential debate,” according to the New York Times. “At the insistence of the McCain campaign,” the Oct. 2 debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden “will have shorter question-and-answer segments than those for the presidential nominees… There will also be much less opportunity for free-wheeling, direct exchanges between the running mates.”

Subpoenaed witnesses fail to show for Troopergate hearing
A state Senate committee convened Friday to take testimony from witnesses facing subpoenas to tell what they know about the Troopergate affair, but none showed up – including Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband, Todd.

Early Voting Begins in Some States (Political Wire)
There are 42 days until the presidential election but some people have already voted. According to USA Today, “voters by the thousands will begin casting ballots for president this week in an early voting process that’s expected to set records this year… Residents of Virginia, Kentucky and Georgia are among the first in the nation eligible to vote in person, as well as by mail. During the next few weeks, at least 34 states and the District of Columbia will allow early in-person voting for Nov. 4 elections.”

Ala. GOP pressure ends prisoner registration drive
Alabama Prisons Commissioner Richard Allen stopped a voter registration drive for inmates Thursday under pressure from the Alabama Republican Party. In a letter to state Republican Party Chairman Mike Hubbard, Allen said individuals conducting the program “were not doing anything for the inmates that they could not do themselves by simply contacting the Secretary of State’s Office for the voter registration postcard.”

Charges Dropped Against Reporters Arrested At RNC (by Cernig at Crooks and Liars)
Charges are being dropped against over two dozen journalists, including Amy Goodman and her two producers, arrested during the crackdown on protests at the Republican convention in St. Paul. Goodman’s charge of “obstructing the legal process” has been dropped, as have felony riot charges against her colleagues Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Other dropped charges are mainly for “unlawful assembly”.

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I am not a Republican, and I am not a racist.  I will be voting for Cynthia McKinney for president.  So don’t threaten me with your post-partisan, post-racial, manipulative, coercive hate mail.

All Hat No Cattle

Up To $1 Trillion Needed to Prevent Meltdown (Political Wire)
“Congressional leaders said after meeting Thursday evening with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that as much as $1 trillion could be needed to avoid an imminent meltdown of the U.S. financial system,” according to Politico. According to Sen. Christopher Dodd, lawmakers were told last night “that we’re literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our

U.S. Plans to Clean Up Finance System (Wall Street Journal)
The federal government, acknowledging the need to take a more comprehensive approach to the financial crisis, is working on a sweeping series of programs that would represent perhaps the biggest intervention in financial markets since the 1930s.  At the center of the potential plan is a mechanism that would take bad assets off the balance sheets of financial companies… It’s size could reach hundreds of billions of dollars.

Stocks soar as officials confirm gov’t rescue plan
NEW YORK – Wall Street extended a huge rally Friday as investors stormed back into the market, relieved that the government plans to rescue banks from billions of dollars in bad debt. The Dow Jones industrials rose nearly 360 points, giving them a massive gain of more than 770 points over two days, and Treasurys fell as money flowed into equities.

View from the left: The Bailout of All Bailouts is a Bad Idea (by Robert Reich)
[T]he problem isn’t a liquidity or solvency crisis; it’s a crisis of trust… A better idea would be for the Fed and Treasury to organize a giant workout of Wall Street — essentially, a reorganization under bankruptcy, for whatever firms wanted to join in. Equity would be eliminated, along with most preferred stock, creditors would be paid off to the extent possible. And then the participants would start over with clean balance sheets that reflected new, agreed-upon rules for full disclosure, along with minimum capitalization… The only way Wall Street’s meltdown doesn’t spill over to Main Street is if policymakers begin to pay adequate attention to the people whose wallets really keep the economy going, and who merit more help than the Wall Street tycoons whose carelessness and negligence have put it in such jeopardy.

View from the right: Larry Kudlow blames Congress and low income families for housing crisis: ‘Guilty Liberal Consciences’ Forced Banks To Make Bad Loans (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
Larry Kudlow proves once again that he’s nothing more than a right wing, free market, Milton Friedman hack that just lies at will. Doesn’t he have a conscience? Nope…It’s never the big money freepers that horde the wealth of this country and  have no restrictions on what they can do.
Click through to watch the video.

Stock-market woes highlight risk U.S. families now face (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — As millions of people watched their 401(k) retirement plans rise and fall this week along with the stock markets, their fears reflect a sweeping revolution in how Americans save for retirement. Whether it’s disappearing work-based health care, the move from traditional pensions to 401(k)s, the push to privatize Social Security or just making it harder to file for personal bankruptcy, these and other social supports and safety nets that were designed to make Americans more secure have been watered down, abandoned or altered so that individuals bear a greater share of the risk and cost.

Senator Clinton Calls for Immediate Action to Halt Market Crisis
Assails Bush Administration for Ignoring Warnings as Crisis Built
Proposes Bold Steps to Restore Confidence in Market
Alegre has reminded us that Hillary was trying to head off this crisis back in March of 2007.  Click here for links to text and video of both speeches.

Friday: Freaky Friday (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
Why, Howard [Dean], WHY couldn’t we have Hillary this year?  You media types have a lot to answer for too.  In a year when we need our best, brightest, most competent, ready-to-go leaders, you connive to give us John McCain and Barack Obama, a Product.  Was this really necessary?  Why was it so important to sideline this woman in a time of crisis in our nation’s history?   What was so damn special about Barack Obama?  How come you couldn’t see past the color of his skin to the complete absence of content in his character? Well?  I’d like to hear some answers from the media who helped to force this decision on us.

Financial Crisis and Political Opportunity (by Anglachel)
If you are committed to the idea that government is the problem, or that use of government power to structure outcomes and compel compliance is always suspect, you will not be able to move decisively to take advantage of this political opportunity. Yes, it’s trite, but a crisis is danger and opportunity. Things uprooted can be replanted in better locations, or replaced by [something] else entirely. You have to know what you want at several levels, and be able to explain it in a way that the ordinary person can grasp and agree to. Kind of like [what Hillary said yesterday—see above].

First, put the blame where it belongs, on the heads of the people in charge… Make the opposition own this shitpile, and make it clear who is really paying the price for the pile. Then point out what a really bad response looks like… Remind people that the Bush administration’s actions when caught by crisis – 9/11, Katrina, this meltdown – is to freeze, like a deer in the headlights, unable to make any decisive action at the appropriate time. Then talk about what is at stake if we stay on that course… This crisis is a political opportunity to do what is right and to secure political capital. The current Democratic leadership does not appear able to take it to the bank.
Read the whole thing.  Really.

Poll: GOP brand making comeback (Politico)
Half of registered voters have a favorable opinion of Republican party, its highest ranking in three years.
Jeb Bush: “The Republican brand improves when the political conversation is about issues and the ideas around them.”  He really, really said that.  If Democrats mounted a serious branding effort, and put the blame where it lies, as the Clintons do, this shift would not be happening.

Obama Outraged at Being Accused of Not Supporting Something He Doesn’t Support (by Jonathan Martin at Politico)
Obama, on the trail in New Mexico, had this to say of McCain: “And today he accused me of not supporting what the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Bank did with AIG despite no evidence whatsoever that that’s what I had said.” To recap, when I wrote earlier today that Obama supported the bailout, I quickly was instructed by his staff that this was not the case. He just didn’t oppose it, I was told. Now he’s so adamant about not opposing the Fed’s move that he’s complaining about McCain’s portrayal. Where, I wonder, is the line between not opposing and, ya know, supporting.

Does Team Obama have a clue?… (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
The financial crisis is the issue of the moment. This is Obama’s opportunity to demonstrate vision and boldness. Instead, he’s all over the map like an overturned bucket of warm gelatin. Josh Marshall thinks that we’re supposed to cheer Obama’s squishiness. We’re supposed to consider McCain at fault for not keeping up with Obama’s shifting positions. And we’re supposed to give a damn about whether John McCain forgot the name of the guy running Spain right now. The headline on TPM: Obama Hits McCain As Economic Flip-Flopper. There’s truth in that charge… But the “flip flop” charge is pretty galling when it comes from a candidate who would not issue a clear statement until he held up his own flipper in the air to feel which way the wind was blowing. Now Obama talks as though he favors the bailout strongly (as opposed to his previous position of “non-opposition”).

Obama describes ‘four principles’ guiding his response to Fed’s rescue plan (Politico)
The day begins with reports about an emerging rescue plan for the financial sector, and Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama just issued this statement that lays out what he says are the four principles that will guide his thinking on the merits of that bailout. A quick summary of what Obama says he believes:
• The financial rescue must be combined with efforts to create new jobs elsewhere in the economy.
• Nothing should be done that makes the CEOs of financial companies rich.
• The plan must also have “tough new oversight and regulations of our financial institutions.”
• There must be global coordination on responding to the crisis.
You were expecting something concrete?  Oh, harty har har.  Obama doesn’t SOLVE PROBLEMS, you silly goose, he DESCRIBES ACCEPTABLE PROCESSES for solving them.  While your savings circle the drain.

McCain lays out six steps to respond to financial crisis (On Politics, USA Today)
This hour in Green Bay, it’s Republican nominee John McCain who is describing six steps he would take… [H]ere’s a quick summary of what McCain plans to say:
• “First, to deal with the immediate crisis, I will lead in the creation of the Mortgage and Financial Institutions trust — the MFI.”
• “Second, I will propose and sign into law reforms to prevent financial firms from concealing their bad practices.”
• “Third, we need regulatory clarity. The lack of transparency in our financial markets went unnoticed by the regulatory agencies scattered throughout Washington charged with protecting the common good.”
• “Fourth, we must ensure that consumers and investors are protected.”
• “Fifth, in cases where failing companies seek taxpayer bailouts, the Treasury Department will follow consistent policies in deciding whether to guarantee loans.”
• “Finally, the Federal Reserve should get back to its core business of responsibly managing our money supply and inflation. It needs to get out of the business of bailouts.”

Bundlers for McCain, Obama Are Among Wall Street’s Tumblers (Capital Eye)
How did Wall Street’s largest firms also become some of the largest donors to John McCain and Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns? Take a look at the candidates’ rosters of bundlers on OpenSecrets.org, and it becomes clear. McCain’s list includes at least 69 individuals who, according to his campaign, have raised a total of at least $11.4 million for his campaign. That makes the struggling investment industry his top source of bundlers… The securities and investment industry is Obama’s second-largest source of bundlers, after lawyers, and at least 56 individuals have raised at least $8.9 million for his campaign. Bundlers in the larger finance, insurance and real estate sector have collected at least $13.4 million for Obama, making it his most generous sector.

Obama questions rival’s advisers (Politico)
New ad hits McCain for taking advice from Carly Fiorina, Phil Gramm and George W. Bush.

McCain ad goes after former Obama adviser (On Politics, USA Today)
This time it’s former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson who’s the subject of a TV ad from Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s campaign that raises questions about Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s judgment. Fannie Mae is one of the mortgage giants that’s been taken over by the federal government as regulators try to get a handle on the crises rocking the financial and credit markets. Yesterday, the McCain campaign released an ad that said Obama was getting economic advice from another former Fannie Mae chief, Franklin Raines. Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton called that an “flat-out lie.”

Obama adviser warned against over-regulating subprime mortgages (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
As storm clouds gathered over the subprime mortgage mess more than a year ago, Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser warned against regulating the risky mortages too much because that could hurt minorities and others who needed the loans. “Regulators should be mindful of the potential downside in tightening too much,” Obama adviser Austan Goolsbee wrote in a column March 29, 2007 for the New York Times… He also noted that new types of home loans like subprime loans historically helped people who had been excluded from getting home loans, including “the young, the discriminated against, the people without a lot of money in the bank to use for a down payment.” He said “it has allowed them access to mortgages whereas lenders would have once just turned them away.”
And it will be costing us taxpayers a ton of money.

The moral imbalance of bailouts (by Jeff Jarvis)
When Hurricane Ike hit Texas, the government, acting on our behalf, offered bailouts to the thousands whose homes — built in risk-prone areas — were damaged or destroyed: payment for hotel rooms, aid in rebuilding. But when your neighbor’s house burns down, she gets nothing from us. She gets help only if she has paid for insurance. If that same neighbor gets cancer, she’ll also get no help from us unless she or her employer could afford insurance.

But the government is — we are — bailing out banks that risked too much on bad investments. By buying time, the bailout could also give a lifeline to people who borrowed too much on their homes. If the neighbor lady overmortgaged herself with a now-toxic loan, she might get a break. But if that neighbor lady defaults because she has cancer and has to pay her medical bills before her responsible 30-year, flat-rate, well-documented mortgage, well, she’s out of luck.

Creative Destruction: The Solid Core Behind the Financial Crisis (by Chris Floyd at Empire Burlesque)
“The bailout [of American International Group]… effectively puts taxpayer money at risk while protecting bad investments made by A.I.G. and other institutions it does business with.” Do you get it now? The rich and powerful spend years making foolish deals in a market they rigged with the connivance of utterly corrupted politicians on both sides the aisle; their fraudulent scheme finally collapses, exposing them to some of the most horrific financial losses in history….and YOU will have to pay for it… [D]espite all the disasters raging around us — the wars, the atrocities, the tyranny, the economic collapse — the system is working. It’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do: serve the rich and powerful, guard and protect them, entrench them in their rule. Just like John McCain says, the system is fundamentally sound.

Wall Street’s crisis isn’t affecting most voters’ thinking (On Politics, USA Today)
“The crisis on Wall Street is driving more voters toward Democratic nominee Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll,” writes USA TODAY’s Martha T. Moore. But, she adds, “far more voters say the financial turmoil will have no effect on their vote.” According to Martha, “in the survey, taken Wednesday, 29% of registered voters said the crisis makes them more likely to vote for Obama, compared with 23% who said they were more likely to vote for McCain. But 43% said the virtual collapse of major financial institutions such as Lehman Bros., and the resulting market plunge, will have no effect when they go to the polls Nov. 4.”
It’s hard to believe.

And now for the REALLY important news:
Poll: Obama tops McCain as football-watching buddy
According to an AP-Yahoo! News poll, people would rather watch a football game with Barack Obama than with John McCain — but by barely the length of a football. Such views are significant because in many elections, candidates considered more likable often have an advantage.

Don’t you just love what the Democratic Party has become?  No?  Then you must be a racist.
Obama mocks McCain in Nevada stops (AP)
Barack Obama sharpened his attacks on John McCain and mocked the Republican’s recent calls for reform in two stops in Nevada on Wednesday after days of listening to nervous supporters fret about the Democrat’s chances of taking the White House… In Elko, Obama tried to anticipate his critics and called on the crowd of about 1,500 to sharpen their elbows, too. “I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face,” he said. [Emphasis added.]

It Was Only A Matter of Time (by Rabble Rouser Reverend Amy at No Quarter)
Obama has backtracked on yet another one of his promises. I think the title of this article pretty much gives it away: “Obama Says He Won’t Try to Repeal ‘Don’t Ask’ on His Own.” Yep. I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Here’s more of the article: “Democrat Barack Obama said if elected president he would not try to repeal the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy about homosexuality on his own. Obama said in an interview to run in gay publications Thursday that he wants to work with military leaders to build a consensus on removing the ban on openly gay service members in the armed forces.”

McCain camp backs up Spain tough talk (Politico)
Campaign says he did not misspeak when he declined to commit to a meeting with Spanish prime minister.

Palin email hacker caught (by Valhalla at Corrente)
Oops… Hacker’s dad seems to be a Democratic state representative in Tennessee, Mike Kernell. [Emphasis added.] Nothing profound to say here, except: People! Don’t use ’secret hints’ for your passwords that are data freely available on Wikipedia.

Palin E-Mail Hacker Says It Was Easy (Wired)
A person claiming to be the hacker who obtained access to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s private Yahoo e-mail on Tuesday has posted a supposed first-person account of the hack, revealing the relatively simple steps he says he took to crack the private e-mail of the Republican vice-presidential candidate… The simplicity of the attack, of course, makes it no less illegal. The hacker said that he read all of the e-mails in the Palin account and found “nothing incriminating, nothing that would derail her campaign as I had hoped. All I saw was personal stuff, some clerical stuff from when she was governor…. And pictures of her family.”

Palin’s husband won’t testify in trooper inquiry, campaign says (CNN)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (CNN) — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s husband won’t comply with a subpoena issued by state lawmakers investigating her firing of Alaska’s public safety commissioner, the McCain-Palin campaign said Thursday. A state Senate committee is scheduled to meet Friday to take statements from the 12 people they subpoenaed last week, including Todd Palin. But McCain-Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella said Todd Palin would not face a “fair hearing” before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Has The ‘Surge’ Brought Us Any Closer To ‘Victory’?
Journalists are under-reporting certain key aspects of the current Iraqi political situation.

UCLA study of satellite imagery casts doubt on surge’s success in Baghdad (UCLA press release, thanks to Economist’s View)
By tracking the amount of light emitted by Baghdad neighborhoods at night, a team of UCLA geographers has uncovered fresh evidence that last year’s U.S. troop surge in Iraq may not have been as effective at improving security as some U.S. officials have maintained.
So, uh, Barack.  Didn’t you just say that the surge has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams?  I wonder if you could be wrong.

House Ds to Bush and Iraq War: Have some more money! House Ds to the unemployed: Fuck you! (by lambert at Corrente)
WaPo: “House Democrats are likely to drop a 13-week extension of unemployment insurance benefits from a major spending package that includes continued funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that would create a new education benefit for military veterans returning from the battlefields. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said yesterday that the unemployment insurance provision would “probably not” be part of the final package of war and domestic spending…” Nancy, Steny, nice work! It’s good to see you carrying out your 2006 mandate so forcefully, and I’m sure we can expect more of the same come January!

No way does Sen. Obama get to pick the DNC’s next chair (by Heidi Li at Alegre’s Corner)
CQ Politics is reporting a new twist in the shameless collusion between Senator Obama and the DNC to suggest that, at a time when the Democratic Party is deeply divided, it is somehow Senator Obama’s prerogative to pick the next DNC chair… Apparently the new Democratic Party way is for one chair to overrride rank and file Democrats and use any number of unscrupulous tactics to install his preferred candidate as the nominee and then that nominee turns around and arrogates to himself the right to pick the next chair… The cycle of egomanical self-servingness has just been ratcheted up.
The CQ Politics article speculates that Clinton traitor Bill Richardson may be the one being considered.

Do you want fries with your culture war? (by vastleft at Corrente)
Click through to watch the most anti-liberal elitist video you’re likely to see on television.

Short Selling Ban: Why is the Bush SEC Scared of the Market? (by Dean Baker)
That is the question that serious reporters would be asking after the SEC banned all short-selling on financial firms. Have the folks at the SEC determined that stocks of financial firms are under-valued? They must be really smart if they can determine that. Of course if the SEC crew can recognize undervalued stocks, presumably they can also recognize over-valued stocks. Have they ever stopped trading because a stock’s price had gotten too high?

CNBC feeling the heat (County Fair  at Media Matters for America)
Anchor Erin Burnett questioning the patriotism of short sellers? Analyst Jim Cramer wondering if terrorists are behind the financial madness that continues to unfold on Wall Street?

Media Matters for America headlines

• In article about Dem criticism of Lieberman, CNN.com did not report he broke RNC speech pledge

• CNN’s Roberts failed to challenge Romney on taxes falsehood

• Hannity did not challenge McCain’s false claim that Alaska “provides 20 percent of America’s energy requirements”

• Quinn says he told Fatimah Ali to “get an American name,” because, “why would you want to relate to Africa? Africa is a nightmare.”

• Limbaugh baseless smear: “Obama thugs” responsible for Palin email hacking

• MSNBC anchor said Obama “would add $3.4 trillion to the national debt” without noting that McCain’s proposal would add more than $5 trillion

• Hannity asked if it was “danger[ous]” for Obama to speak of “economic crisis” but ignored McCain ad saying “the economy is in crisis”

• NY Post falsely claimed that ad analysis findings “clashed with recent media coverage accusing McCain of distorting Obama’s record in ads”

• Savage on Muslim immigrants: 15th-century “throwbacks, some of whom are no doubt terrorists, and some of whom are gonna produce children who will become terrorists”

• Minneapolis radio host Baker on Pelosi’s response to Wall Street crisis: “Another reason why it’s very rare to find a woman worthy of serving in political office”

AP Reporter Detained, Beaten by Police in Vietnam
An Associated Press reporter in Vietnam was punched, choked and hit over the head with a camera by police who detained him Friday while he covered a Catholic prayer vigil in the communist country. “They told me I was taking pictures in a place that I was not allowed to be taking pictures,” he said. “But it was news, and I went in.”

Jerusalem Journalists Propose Forum To Confront Crisis Facing Israeli And Palestinian Media Staff
Israeli journalists have spoken out against restrictions on freedom of movement facing reporters in Palestine and propose a joint forum with Palestinian colleagues to deal with a range of problems.

Nigeria’s Media, Opposition Slam Closure Of Private TV
Nigeria’s opposition and media groups Wednesday condemned the closure of one of the country’s independent television stations which ran a story that President Umaru Yar’Adua was planning to step down.

Opposition Protesters Batter Press
A wave of violent clashes between opponents and supporters of the government in Bolivia has badly hit the press, particularly public and community media.

Libel Suit Against Grisham Dismissed (by TChris at TalkLeft)
Bill Peterson, the former district attorney of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, and two investigators who were involved with Peterson in the trial and conviction of Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz, didn’t like the way they were portrayed in John Grisham’s book, “The Innocent Man.” Williamson and Fritz were convicted of murdering cocktail waitress Debbie Sue Carter. Twelve years later, DNA evidence exonerated them. Peterson and the investigators sued Grisham for libel. They also sued “Barry Scheck, founder of the New York-based Innocence Project and an attorney for one of the men falsely accused in the murder.” U.S. District Judge Ronald White has wisely dismissed the lawsuit.

Cops Need Warrant for Cellphone Location Data, Judge Rules (Wired)
The government cannot force your cellphone provider to turn over stored records about your location without proving to a judge there is probable cause you have violated the law, a federal district court ruled Wednesday. [O]ther judges have disagreed with the logic of protecting this data as if it were very sensitive.

Overholser unveils the “new” Online Journalism Review
Annenberg School of Journalism director Geneva Overholser writes: “This website will be different from the ‘old’ OJR in a couple of ways: First, as you’ll see, it is integrated with the Knight Digital Media Center. Also, we want to ensure that Annenberg faculty, friends and students play an important role in the conversation. …We also will eagerly continue to accept comments and suggestions from readers.”

Miner: I see Internet values seeping into print journalism
“Internet values reward instant punditry, the more flamboyant the better,” writes Michael Miner. “Simple, solid reporting is OK, but flamboyance is what attracts page hits, and page hits attract advertisers — enough of them, in a theoretical tomorrow, to keep journalism afloat. …Cool dispassion is what a few old-school reporters clinging to a dying trade will go on practicing until they disappear. But frenzy’s in fashion.”

Surfin’ Safari: Top 30 Newspaper Sites for August
The race for the White House and the 2008 Olympic games gave newspaper Web sites a leg up in August, according to the latest data from Nielsen Online. Nearly all of the top 30 sites reported increases in unique audience in August compared to the same period a year ago. Some top gainers: The Baltimore Sun and New York’s Daily News.

NYT Co. Shares Jump on August Report
New York Times Co. shares rose 12% Thursday after the company reported August revenue results at its newspapers that reflected an improvement in online ad growth after a particularly tepid July, along with better results at the long-beleaguered Boston Globe. The media company said online ad revenue rose 7.9% in August, mostly due to growth in display advertising.

Al Gore to Buy Environmental Magazine Plenty?
Al Gore’s getting into the magazine business. Sources familiar with the former vice president’s plans say he is set to announce the acquisition of a stake in Plenty, a four-year-old title about environmentally-conscious living. As it happens, Gore — who already has a toe in the media business through his TV network, Current — is on the cover of the current issue.

NBC’s Web Sites See Surge in Traffic
The Peacock felt gale-force winds beneath its wings this week on the Internet. A trio of unrelated events conspired to give NBC Universal record traffic at three Web locations: CNBC.com, NBC.com, and iTunes. Instability on Wall Street this week made CNBC.com a prime destination, delivered the site’s largest audience ever, according to internal data provided by Omniture.

America Likes Watching Americans Compete
Rash Report: Strong Ratings for ‘America’s Got Talent’ and ‘America’s Next Top Model’

How Many Web Services Can One Person Use?
Claire Cain Miller: How many more new social networking or micro-blogging or video-sharing site can one person use? Most of us don’t have time to respond to voice mail and e-mail every day, let alone check our Twitter updates and Facebook accounts and Flickr friends. And even if we have the time, do we need another site that helps us share and connect and network?

BuzzLogic Launches a New Approach to an Ad Network for Bloggers (Mashable)
One of the growing trends this year is that just about everyone with any kind of scale is trying to cash in by creating an ad network. While many of the ideas sound similar, BuzzLogic is trying something rather unique, targeted specifically towards bloggers and the advertisers trying to reach their audiences. BuzzLogic offers what it likes to call a “Conversation Ad Network,” which is basically marketing speak for targeting bloggers with highly engaged audiences in fairly specific niches.

Rallying Cry for Display Ads
Display ads have fallen on hard times. The graphic ads that border a Web page are among the slowest-growing formats in the online-ad marketplace, and they are seen by many marketers as stodgy and ineffective. But some ad-technology and Web-measurement companies are trying to engineer a comeback for display ads, offering data that they say show display advertising is more effective than marketers think.

The Google-Yahoo Pact FAQ: We Don’t Set Prices; Why Yahoo Will Earn More (Paid Content)
As it tries to avoid a potential antitrust clampdown from the Justice Department over its search ad deal with Yahoo, Google hopes it can ease advertisers’ fears about the pact as well. In a post on the Google Public Policy blog, the company tries to make the case that the partnership won’t result in higher prices—necessarily, anyway. But Google certainly doesn’t deny that some marketers will see higher charges.
Click through to read excerpts from the Google-Yahoo ad FAQ.

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I am not a Republican, and I am not a racist.  I will be voting for Cynthia McKinney for president.  So don’t threaten me with your post-partisan, post-racial, manipulative, coercive hate mail.

Picking Winners by the Popularity of Paraphernalia (New York Times)
Longtime pollsters will tell you that predicting elections is a complex science built on years of population analysis and heady math. But according to CafePress.com, it is simply a matter of throw pillows.

Not just any throw pillows but ones with folksy political slogans like “Hockey Moms for McCain Palin.” Or T-shirts that say “Obama is my Homeboy,” or infant jumpers with groan-worthy puns like “O-baaa-ma” over a picture of a cuddly sheep. Could sales of such items predict who will be elected president? CafePress.com — a site that lets people upload their designs and then prints them on items — says yes, they can…

It turns out that sales of Kittens for Clinton T-shirts are perhaps no less reliable than Gallup polls. For example, sales of Barack Obama merchandise first surpassed Hillary Clinton items in late January, just weeks before the Illinois senator took the lead in the polls. And merchandise for the Obama-Biden ticket was outselling McCain-Palin items until the Republican National Convention ended in September. Sales for both are now neck and neck, much as the candidates are in the polls.

Gallup: Obama back in the lead (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
For the first time since the Republican convention, Barack Obama is preferred over McCain in Gallup’s daily tracking poll. The difference isn’t statistically significant, 47 to 45 percent, but it’s consistent with the Ipsos/McClatchy poll released last night, which found the race tied 45-45, but that those who favor McCain are squishier in their support than those who favor Obama.

Battleground Not Much Bigger Than 2004 (Political Wire)
Just out from the Wisconsin Advertising Project: “Despite much talk about an expanded playing field, by and large, states receiving advertising in 2008 look similar to the states targeted in the 2004 presidential campaign. The Obama campaign aired ads in seventeen states from September 6-13, while the McCain campaign aired ads in fifteen of those same states.”
So much for that 57-state strategy.

`60 Minutes’ to give hour to McCain, Obama
NEW YORK (AP) – CBS’”60 Minutes” will devote its full broadcast Sunday to profiles of John McCain and Barack Obama with fresh interviews, hoping to set the stage for the general election campaign’s first presidential debate on Sept. 26.

Kilkenny on Palin: Citizen Journalism Success (Poynter Online)
On August 31, Anne Kilkenny wrote this e-mail about Sarah Palin’s track record in Wasilla, Alaska, where Kilkenny lives. By Friday there were over 3,000 results on Google for Kilkenny and her e-mail. That night, Kilkenny was interviewed by National Public Radio and everybody else. This is another moment that proves the Internet’s power to carry a message from a very small town to the entire world.
But is this a success of any kind of journalism?  The email, to me, was full of things Kilkenny disagrees with Palin on.  She’s entitled to her opinion, but what’s the big deal about it?

Facebook Political Ads Test Limits
Political parties and interest groups have long cherry-picked news stories that promote their agenda to feature in campaign ads. But some new ads popping up on Facebook take that tactic to a new level. “AP Says: Palin Lied,” reads one ad, accompanied by an unflattering photo of the vice presidential candidate. Another ad — accompanied by the same photo — reads, “Washington Post breaks ANOTHER Palin scandal. Charging tax payers for her sleeping at home.” Another with a picture of John McCain grimacing reads, “Time’s Joe Klein has had enough of McCain’s dishonorable campaign lies. A must read.”

Clicking on the ads takes visitors straight to a story on the Web sites of those publications. People who click on the ad that reads “WSJ Says: Palin Lied,” for instance, are directed to a story on The Wall Street Journal Web site about the contradictions in Gov. Palin’s record regarding the “Bridge to Nowhere.” But none of the publications cited in the ads bought them — or even was aware of them. The buyer — though never identified anywhere on the ads or on the pages that you land on after clicking on them — is the liberal group MoveOn.org. It’s the latest example of fuzziness about who’s behind what when it comes to political ads online.

How Fact-Checking Took Center Stage in the 2008 Campaign (Editor & Publisher)
The fact-checkers have gone wild in the past two weeks, but even before Barack Obama and John McCain were officially selected for the final leg in the race for the White House, political editors and reporters had done some soul-searching, leading many to a new commitment to studying, and maybe correcting, the record when needed.
I didn’t notice any reduction in lies, did you?  The only thing different about this election is that bunches of lies are coming from the DEMOCRATS for the first time.

From the Fact Check Desk: Obama’s New Spanish Language TV Ad Es Erróneo (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., has launched a new Spanish-language TV ad that seeks to paint Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as anti-immigrant, even tying the Republican to his longtime conservative talk-radio nemesis Rush Limbaugh… There are some real factual problems with this ad, which is titled “Dos Caras,” or two faces. First of all, tying Sen. McCain – especially on the issue of immigration reform – to Limbaugh is unfair. Limbaugh opposed McCain on that issue. Vociferously. And in a larger sense, it’s unfair to link McCain to Limbaugh on a host of issues since Limbaugh, as any even occasional listener of his knows, doesn’t particularly care for McCain. Second, the quotes of Limbaugh’s are out of context.
Click through for the details.

McCain ad hits Obama on taxes (On Politics, USA Today)
Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s campaign says this new TV ad [click through to watch] will be on the air nationally on some cable networks:… “…Obama and his liberal Congressional allies want a massive government, billions in spending increases, wasteful pork. And, we would pay — painful income taxes, skyrocketing taxes on life savings, electricity and home heating oil…” In reality, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center has written, under his plans Obama “would give larger tax cuts to low- and moderate-income households (than McCain would) and pay some of the cost by raising taxes on high-income taxpayers.”

The nonpartisan FactCheck.org has said that McCain “misrepresents Obama’s tax proposals again. And again, and again.”

There is no truth to the rumor . . . (by Leonard Pitts Jr.,  Miami Herald)
For the record: Sarah Palin did not call dinosaurs ”lizards of Satan.” Barack Obama is not a Muslim. That list of books that Palin supposedly wants to ban is a fake. Obama doesn’t refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance. The picture of Palin wearing a flag bikini and hefting a gun is a fraud. Obama is, too, a U.S. citizen. Palin doesn’t want Alaska to secede. These and other rumors are, of course, busily bouncing all over the Internet. I dispute them only for the aforementioned record and not from any expectation that doing so will make the slightest bit of difference to the willingness of people to believe whatever they want…

Maybe you’re wondering what’s the fuss. Politics and lies, after all, go together like carrion and flies, and this year is no different… Still, there’s something new at work here. After all, this stuff used to be the exclusive province of political operatives; we the people were content to leave lying to the professionals. These days, shadowy groups and shadowier individuals are in the thick of it. The Internet has made it ridiculously easy; you can sabotage a campaign without ever changing out of your PJs.

Historians say McCain camp not sleaziest (Politico)
David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s chief strategist, said Sunday that John McCain is running the “sleaziest and least honorable campaign in modern presidential campaign history.” It was a line trotted out all weekend by various Obama staffers as part of an effort to portray the Republican nominee as a purveyor of the slimiest tactics in recent memory… “The idea that this campaign is the sleaziest ever is absurd,” said David Greenberg, a professor of history and media studies at Rutgers who has written books on Presidents Coolidge and Nixon. “In fact, there’s been very little that’s below the belt, and aides have been fired on all sides when they’ve gotten near, let alone crossed, the lines. There’s nothing at all to rival the Swift-boating of Kerry in 2004, the imputations of un-Americanness to Dukakis in 1988, the anti-Catholic stuff against Al Smith in 1928 and the regular resort to slander and character assassination of so many 19th-century campaigns.”

Recent Obama Ads More Negative Than Rival’s, Study Says (by Howard Kurtz, Washington Post)
Despite perceptions that Sen. John McCain has spent more time on the attack, Sen. Barack Obama aired more negative advertising last week than did the Arizona Republican, says a study released yesterday. Seventy-seven percent of the Illinois Democrat’s commercials were negative during the week after the Republican National Convention, compared with 56 percent of the spots run by McCain. Ken Goldstein, who directed the study by the Wisconsin Advertising Project, based at the University of Wisconsin, says the pattern was a reversal from earlier months, in which McCain’s advertising was consistently more negative than Obama’s.

Huckabee: McCain Has Always Been Against Regulation, Knows Market ‘Will Correct Itself’ (Think Progress)
In the wake of the sudden collapse of Wall Street giant banks, Sen. John McCain spent yesterday “scrambling to recast himself as a champion of regulation,” trying to erase his past support of legislation “to broadly deregulate the banking and insurance industries helping to sweep aside a thicket of rules established over decades.” Reacting to the Fed takeover of AIG, McCain decalred today, “We need strong and effective regulation” in the future. However, [Tuesday] night one of his chief campaign surrogates was singing a different tune. On Fox News’s Hannity and Colmes, former governor Mike Huckabee emphasized McCain’s past as a dergulator who would allow the market to “correct itself”:

McCain Says Wall Street Was `Reckless’ in AIG Crisis (Bloomberg)
John McCain, shifting his position from a day ago, suggested the government’s $85 billion takeover of American International Group Inc. was unavoidable and he blamed “greed and excess” for the turmoil on Wall Street… Twenty-four hours earlier, McCain said in morning interviews that he didn’t want taxpayers to be “on the hook” for AIG.

New Obama ad focuses on Corning plant in Pennsylvania (McClatchy)
COLLEGE TOWNSHIP — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has made the closing of the former Corning plant in College Township the centerpiece of a new TV campaign commercial that attacks Republican rival John McCain over the economy.
How many of us will remember the closing of a Maytag plant in Galesburg, Illinois?  Obama promised at one time to help the workers, but never even discussed the plant closing with Lester Crown, a major Maytag stockholder and also a big Obama supporter.

Obama’s new 2 minute Economic ad: ‘Plan for Change’ (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
Barack Obama puts out a fairly lengthy two minute ad [click through to watch] that talks directly to voters and allows him to explain his positions in a more detailed fashion. I still disapprove of his overall bipartisan message, I would be pounding Republican ideals that has caused this mess, but it’s still very effective.

Predictable (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
From the new Obama ad: “I’m Barack Obama. I hope you’ll read my economic plan. I approved this message because bitter, partisan fights and outworn ideas of the Left and the Right won’t solve the problems we face today. But a new spirit of unity and shared responsibility will.” Yes, because the outworn ideas of the Left like corporate responsibility and vigorous oversight wouldn’t have solved a goddamned thing. (Not to mention silly Left ideas like Social Security! Say, wouldn’t this be a good time to dump all the Social Security funds into the stock market? Bet we’d make a bundle – eventually…) God, I’m really going to have to hold my nose to vote for this “post-partisan” cheerleader.

Even If You Won’t Say Democrat, Would It Kill You To Say Republican? (by BDBlue at Corrente)
Obama finally talks about the economy in his latest ad…, which I generally think is a good idea. The substance is fine, but the framing is for shit, IMO. He still can’t say the D-word or even the R-word. The problem is not Washington. It is not the “outworn ideas of the Left and the Right.” It is Republicans. That is the problem. And Democrats are the solution. At least I thought that would be the Democratic message. Instead, the message is that Obama is the solution and Washington is the problem. Then I guess we should all vote against our incumbent Democratic Congressmen since they are equally to blame as the Republicans? They are Washington, no?

And, btw, what outworn ideas of the left are you talking about, Barack? Economic justice, regulation, jobs, fair pay, antitrust enforcement, equal access to opportunity? Which one of those fucking wornout ideas of the left don’t you support? I’d like to know before I go in and vote. Was Reagan right and Carter wrong? Or is it that you’ve just been watching Meet The Press for 20 years and so you’ve internalized all the loathing of Democrats and the mythical “left”? Don’t want to sit at the uncool kids’ table.

Echoing the Campaign of a Rival, Microsoft Aims to Redefine ‘I’m a PC’
Microsoft’s new advertising campaign is an audacious embrace of the disdainful label that Apple has gleefully affixed onto users of Microsoft products: “I’m a PC.”
Why isn’t the Democratic Party doing some rebranding like this?  Why aren’t they taking back the party brand, and the liberal brand, after they’ve been trashed so badly by the right-wing megaphone—with the help of the Democrats themselves?

Hagel: ‘It’s a stretch’ to say Palin is qualified (On Politics, USA Today)
“Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska on Wednesday became the nation’s most prominent Republican officeholder to publicly question whether Sarah Palin has the experience to serve as president,” the Omaha World-Herald reports. Among the things Hagel told the newspaper about Alaska Gov. Palin: “‘She doesn’t have any foreign policy credentials. … You get a passport for the first time in your life last year? I mean, I don’t know what you can say. You can’t say anything. It’s a stretch to, in any way, to say that she’s got the experience to be president of the United States.’” Hagel, who is leaving the Senate at the end of the year, has said he has no plans to endorse either Republican presidential nominee John McCain or Democratic nominee Barack Obama.
Well, he’s not doing Obama any favors, either, by these kinds of statements.  Every time anyone talks about Palin’s inexperience, we’re invited to think about Obama’s inexperience—and he’s at the TOP of the ticket.

Troopergate probe appears to be unraveling (AP)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska—The abuse-of-power investigation of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was unraveling Wednesday, with most key witnesses refusing to testify, new legal maneuvering and heightened Republican pressure to delay the probe until after Election Day.

Palin’s Private E-mails Hacked, McCain Campaign Shocked (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
As Gawker reports, the private yahoo e-mails accounts of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin have been hacked… As we covered…, Palin has used her private e-mail account to conduct official business and, like members of the Bush administration before her, has attempted to use this as a way to avoid the very transparency she pledged would mark her gubernatorial term.

AP Refuses Secret Service Request for Palin’s “Hacked” Emails
WASHINGTON Hackers broke into the Yahoo! e-mail account that Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin used for official business as Alaska’s governor, revealing as evidence a few inconsequential personal messages she has received since John McCain selected her as his running mate… The Secret Service contacted The Associated Press on Wednesday and asked for copies of the leaked e-mails, which circulated widely on the Internet. The AP did not comply.

Kilkenny on Palin: Citizen Journalism Success
On August 31, Anne Kilkenny wrote this e-mail about Sarah Palin’s track record in Wasilla, Alaska, where Kilkenny lives. By Friday there were over 3,000 results on Google for Kilkenny and her e-mail. That night, Kilkenny was interviewed by National Public Radio and everybody else. This is another moment that proves the Internet’s power to carry a message from a very small town to the entire world.
But is this a success of any kind of journalism?  The email, to me, was full of things Kilkenny disagrees with Palin on.  She’s entitled to her opinion, but what’s the big deal about it?

Clinton cancels appearance at protest after learning Palin will be there (On Politics, USA Today)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton had been set to be at a rally Monday outside the United Nations to protest the speech there that day by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Then the Democratic senator’s staff learned that Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, is also scheduled to attend. Clinton’s team then canceled the former first lady’s appearance… Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign, said in a statement that “Gov. Palin believes that the danger of a nuclear Iran is greater than party or politics. She hopes that all parties can rally together in opposition to this grave threat.”

Biden says it’s ‘patriotic’ for wealthy to pay more in taxes; GOP pounces (On Politics, USA Today)
Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden had this to say to correspondent Kate Snow … on ABC News’ Good Morning America: “We want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people.” Those earning more than $250,000 a year will “pay more. … It’s time to be patriotic, Kate. Time to jump in. Time to be part of the deal. Time to help get America out of the rut. And the way to do that is — they’re still going to pay less taxes than they did under Reagan.”…

Tucker Bounds, spokesman for the campaign of Republican presidential nominee John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin, has this to say in a statement he’s sent to reporters: “Higher taxes and bigger government is not patriotic, it’s a prescription for fewer American jobs and greater economic hardship.  In case there is any confusion, when Barack Obama’s campaign describes tax increases as ‘patriotic’ they plan to raise taxes and slow job growth.”
Click through for a link to the Biden video.

McCain seemingly rejects Spain as an ally. (Think Progress)
According to Spain’s El Pais, John McCain would not answer this week whether he would be willing to meet with Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. “Would you be willing to meet with the head of our government, Mr. Zapatero?” the questioner asked multiple times. Five months ago, McCain said he would be willing. But in the interview earlier this week, McCain could not offer a coherent and logical response: “McCain proceeded to launch into what appeared to be a boilerplate declaration about Mexico and Latin America — but not Spain — pressing the need to stand up to world leaders who want to harm America.”
Did he reject Spain as an ally, or did he just not know or not remember that Rodriguez is the PM of Spain?

Did Obama illegally interfere in Iraq? (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
The charges are grim and shocking: “On Monday the New York Post published a shocking report accusing Barack Obama of interfering in U.S. foreign policy and ongoing military operations in Iraq by directly calling upon the Iraqs to delay any agreement with the United States to aid his political campaign…” … [This] story, alas, comes to us from Iranian journalist Amir Taheri, who is tied into the worst of the neocons… I don’t like Obama, but Taheri’s presence in this yarn makes me suspicious.

One of us…? (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
Obama’s followers … insist on framing their hero’s story in terms of Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen. What trouble, exactly, has Obama ever seen? Even his admirers, when pressed, will admit that Obama is filled with simmering resentments which sometimes bubble into visibility. You can see the bubbles in his books. But what justifies those resentments? What trouble has he seen? He ain’t one of us. I speak in terms of class, not race. Progressives will pretend that I am talking about race, because they think that accusing Obama’s opponents of bigotry will put their man into power. Sorry, but that trick won’t work any more.

Yes, I understand that John McCain — son of an admiral, and wedded to wealth — ain’t one of us either. Far from it: He hails from a far more rarified level of privilege. McCain is like JFK in this regard (and only in this regard): He does not pretend to be other than what he is. Obama does.

Obama laughs at McCain’s plan to “take on the old boys network” (by SilentPatriot at Crooks and Liars)
Barack Obama today continued his assault on John McCain’s empty response to the monumental collapse of Wall Street. From Phil Gramm and the bevy of lobbyists running his campaign, to the pass-the-buck “solution” of forming a committee, to his failure to take action over the past 26 years, Obama lays out the clear contrast between his vision for the economy and the same old failed Republican ploys offered by Bush/McCain/Palin.
It is just as laughable to think of Obama taking on the “old boys”{ network.

Deadly Star: If You Don’t Vote for Me, You’re a Racist Loser (by Arthur Silber at The Power of Narrative)
[Obama:] “We always knew this was going to be hard – this is a leap for the American people.”… Note the division. The two categories are irrevocably split: “we” versus “the American people,” that is, those Americans who will not vote for Obama. “Us” versus “them.” The enlightened versus the ignorant. The intelligent versus the stupid. And with the damnably evasive phrase, “this is a leap,” a phrase that remains unequivocally clear in its meaning, the non-racist versus the racist…

By virtue of the fact that he is a Black American — and by virtue of that fact alone — Obama presents himself as the champion of the oppressed, of those who have been and still are discriminated against, of, if you will, the “losers” in American society. Yet as I have shown in many essays, and as Anglachel similarly argues…, the truth is precisely the opposite. Obama has fully adopted the positions and policies of the ruling class — which is to say, of the white, male ruling class. Most of the liberal-progressive writers and bloggers adamantly refuse to acknowledge this fact, and they will not even approach the subject. But why should they?…

Most of the progressive bloggers are “winners” culturally, economically, in terms of race and status, and in every other way. Obama’s program is more than fine for them. But … what happens when the “losers” realize that, in fact, Obama is not on their side at all?

Obama’s Con Job Destined to Break a Lot of Hearts (by Ani at No Quarter)

Gotta love that marketing!… [T]o some kids it’s just a fad and sixth months from now it will just be another piece of metal haphazardly thrown in their whatnot drawer. And yeah, the tracking device is kind of creepy. We’ve got enough big-brother in this country. None of that is my worry. The worry is there are those who actually believe the hopium he’s been selling. That’s why cons are the worst kind of theft. Obama’s con involves the theft of idealism. Senator Obama truly is politics as usual. He is a product of the corrupt Daley political machine; the media creation of his campaign manager David Axelrod; well marketed, kind of like the ultra slick ChangeRing website.

But one of these days, after the pundits and media whores realize they need a new way to make a buck, all the facts will finally be exposed about him. To sell more papers, they will tell the truth… Now please fast forward to ten years from now. Someone else might come along: black, white, bi-racial, Latina, Asian, Indian, man or woman. And that person will likewise have a positive message. The difference perhaps, is that with this future candidate, maybe it won’t be “words, just words.” Maybe he or she will actually have the goods to back it up. But being that your naïve heart has already been broken with the charlatan Obama, you won’t believe it. And that will be a grave loss.

Trilogy of Terror (by Lynne in Lakeland at Liberal Rapture)
I’m sick of being called a Republican because I see through the mystique of Obama. I’m sick of being called a racist because I won’t vote for an unqualified man who happens to be black. I am over being called stupid because I can’t see the greatness of Obama… I have issues with John McCain. I disagree with a lot of what Sarah Palin believes in. But they don’t talk down to me and I appreciate it. Dean, Pelosi and Brazille, the trilogy of terror, have told me that I am no longer welcome in my former party. I didn’t let the door hit my ass on the way out.

The “Oh, Shit!” Moment (by madamab at The Confluence)
The “Oh, Shit!” moment is that pause before a woman realizes she is outnumbered by men who can do her physical or professional harm, and that there’s no way to fight them on equal ground… This year, Hillary Clinton experienced her own “Oh, Shit!” moment. As she mounted her historic quest for the White House, she saw woman after woman deserting her. Elected female Democrats were silent as a group (with some notable exceptions, such as the lovely and much-missed Stephanie Tubbs-Jones) as the media (corporate and fauxgressive), the DNC and Barack Obama systematically tore her apart. Some famous feminists came out in support of Hillary, but soon experienced their own “Oh, Shit!” moments as they realized that other famous feminists had joined ObamaNation…

[W]e must learn from Hillary’s experience. The ONLY WAY to prevent it from recurring is to realize that only in vast numbers are we strong enough to resist the ingrained hatred and fear of women that are endemic in our society as a whole. We must elect more women. If we disagree with a woman who is running for office, we must be sure to temper our disagreement with a certain amount of solidarity, so that she knows that attacks on her gender will not be tolerated. Republican female elected officials did this quite effectively with Sarah Palin, and so did Hillary.

“You really got to go some…” (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
There is nothing more frustrating than trying to talk reason into a hard-core conspiracy addict who ascribes illimitable powers to the object of his paranoia. Zealots committed to a position will presume that any counter-evidence is doctored and that any counter-argument originated in a pay-off. To this day, Kossacks and Ariann-droids still believe that Hillary controls the mainstream media and the tabloids. They still believe that Hillary sent out “racist dogwhistles.” They still believe that Hillary is the one who should apologize. Although Markos Moulitsas Kos took down the page about Bristol Palin’s child being fathered by a black guy, he still keeps this piece of lying filth about Hillary in the public eye, even though it was utterly debunked. Try this experiment: Go to Google Images and type in “Hillary” and “www.dailykos.com.” What do you see?

NBC should pull MSNBC out from under the NBC News umbrella (Broadcasting & Cable)
Ben Grossman’s suggestion: “Put it in the cable group alongside USA and Bravo and all its other money-printing brands that are carrying the NBCU portfolio. …With one move, MSNBC would be free to pursue the borderline-brilliant programming strategy that has elevated the network, while at the same time protecting the venerable NBC News brand, which is a bit under siege following the loss of Tim Russert and the silliness that occurred during the conventions.”

Surprised Economists Urge People Not to Panic on NPR (by Dean Baker)
NPR had a segment on Morning Edition which featured several economists urging people not to pull their money out of money market funds. All three economists told people that money market funds are still very safe, even though some did report losses due to the recent turmoil in financial markets. It is worth noting that the expert crew on NPR were all caught by surprised by this financial turmoil. Listeners should keep this in mind in assessing their current perspectives.

THe Washington Post Redefines Chutzpah (by Dean Baker)
The newspaper that had no room for those warning of the housing bubble criticizes the bailouts. Wow!!!! Yes, bailouts are expensive and they could have been easily avoided if the people designing economic policy over the last fifteen years had a clue. The Post, which has been a regular outlet for James “36,000 Dow” Glassman, and David “Why the Real Estate Boom Will Not Bust” Lereah, has been of no help in advancing sound policy over this period.

Media Matters for America

• Savage on Muslim immigrants: 15th-century “throwbacks, some of whom are no doubt terrorists, and some of whom are gonna produce children who will become terrorists”

• ABC reported McCain’s comment that “economy is broken,” but not previous day’s comment that “fundamentals of our economy are strong”

• Christian radio host Jan Markell hosted conservative activist Nonie Darwish, who advanced claim that Obama is a “political Muslim”

• NY Times, Reuters quoted McCain criticizing Obama for Hollywood fundraiser, didn’t mention reports of McCain’s own recent lucrative fundraisers

• Politico’s Martin uncritically reported false claim that “Obama opposed legislation that … would protect legal protection to babies outside the womb”

• KSFO’s Rodgers: “[F]emale leadership of the Democratic Party” consists of “ugly skanks” who “hate” that “Sarah Palin’s good-looking”

• Corsi again falsely claimed “there is no substance to the allegations” that his book “contains lies”

• NPR, CNN’s Crowley report on Obama’s Beverly Hills fundraiser, ignore McCain’s recent lucrative fundraisers

• NPR’s Liasson played clip of McCain ad without noting its distortions

• O’Reilly says of Michelle Obama: “She looks like an angry woman”

• Media continue to falsely suggest Palin supports benefits for same-sex couples

• Quinn: To feminists, even “a childless feminist who looks like a Bulgarian weightlifter in drag” can be a “real woman”

Ike causes widest US Internet outage since 2003
NEW YORK (AP) – The power blackouts that followed Hurricane Ike have caused the widest outage for U.S. Internet service since 2003, according to a firm that tracks Internet connectivity. Internet connections in Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania were the hardest hit

Financial Services Pullback Drives Display Ad Spend Down 6 Percent In H108: Nielsen (Paid Content)
It looks like Wall Street’s chaos might just affect online advertising more than some thought a few days ago. Just in time for the financial markets’ meltdown this week, Nielsen Online finds a 27 percent decline in display ad spending by financial services companies drove a 6 percent year-over-year decrease in overall display dollars in the first half of 2008. The number of display impressions decreased by 9 percent during the same period.

TV, Cable Stocks Mostly Match Wall Street’s Big Drop
Wall Street endured another panic attack Wednesday as broad stock-market indices were down 4%-5% and TV and cable stocks fell in proportional lockstep.

Four-Member TV Crew Kidnapped And Killed In Mosul
Four members of the Al-Sharqiya TV station were kidnapped yesterday in the northern city of Mosul following a smear campaign against the station by state TV broadcaster Al Iraqiya.

Moroccan Blogger Jailed For Disparaging King
A blogger who accused Morocco’s monarchy of encouraging a culture of favoritism has been jailed for showing disrespect for King Mohammed.

Reporting Rules For Foreign Journalists In China Enacted For Olympics Set To Expire Next Month
China said relaxed rules for foreign journalists that were enacted ahead of the Beijing Olympics will expire next month without detailing whether reporters will face more restrictions.

Turns Out, We’re Not Such Big Multitaskers
MRI Study Finds Most Media Usage Confined to One at a Time

Video Interview: Bill Moyers Focuses on Shock Jocks
What happens when our airwaves fill with hate? BILL MOYERS JOURNAL takes a tough look at the hostile industry of Shock Jock media with a hard-hitting examination of its effects on our national political discourse, and interviews the author of Shock Jocks: Hate Speech & Talk Radio in the process.

Zell To LAT Staffers: We’re In This Together; Lawsuit Charges Are ‘Frivolous’ and ‘Unfounded’ (Paid Content)
Tribune chairman and CEO Sam Zell struck back at a class action lawsuit brought against him by a group of current and former LA Times staffers alleging that he misused the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Zell said the complaint, filed Tuesday in federal court, is filled with “frivolous and unfounded allegations.” In a press release, Zell also said “I hope every partner in this company is as outraged as I am at having to spend the time and money required to defend ourselves against it.” With the media industry in crisis, the ad climate worsening and the economy tanking hard, this is no time for such distractions, Zell said.

Zell is not your problem. You are. (by Jeff Jarvis)
Newspapers and newspaper companies are about to die. The last remaining puddles of auto, home, job, and retail advertising are about to be sucked down the drain thanks to the economic crisis and credit is about to be crunched into dust. So any newspaper or news company that has been teetering will fall. If Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, and AIG can fall, so can a puny newspaper empire — and there’ll be no taxpayer bailout for them. When this happens, will it be Sam Zell’s fault? Hardly. The Times veterans should not be suing Zell. They should be suing themselves.

Rupe: I Don’t Want To Buy The New York Times
Like he has in the past, Rupert Murdoch declares that his newspaper and local TV ad businesses are doing terribly, but that the rest of the company is growing great guns. Or at least enough to ride out a downturn. And New York Times readers and/or employees who fear that Rupert was going to buy the crown jewel of American journalism can relax. Not going to happen, he says.

New York Times to Add Business Column
Breakingviews.com, an independent financial publication, will provide opinion columns for The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune.

Survey: Nearly every kid a video gamer
The survey found that while young Americans don’t necessarily play the same thing, nearly all of them – girls included – play video games of one kind or another. And they don’t just play by themselves. Nearly two-thirds play video games to socialize face-to-face with friends and family, while just over a quarter said they play with Internet friends. “It shows that gamers are social people,” says Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at Pew who led the report on the survey. “They communicate just as much. They spend time face-to-face, just as much as other kids. They e-mail and text.”

Watch your back, Grinch: Here comes ‘A Colbert Christmas’
NEW YORK (AP) — O come, all ye Colbert faithful. Stephen Colbert will host his own Christmas special this year, Comedy Central announced Tuesday. A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All! will air Nov. 23 as a one-hour special. It will be a musical special featuring John Legend, Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Feist — and The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who’s slated to sing a duet with Colbert of a song simply titled Hanukkah… A DVD of the special will be released Nov. 25. Part of the proceeds will go to the charity Feeding America.

A Video Contest to Illustrate Democracy
The State Department is asking the world to create three-minute videos that answer the question “Democracy is … ?” as part of a new contest timed to mark International Democracy Day.

Sir Bob Geldof Launches Peace Channel
Sir Bob Geldof, the charity campaigner and rock star, has opened the way for citizen journalists to report on conflicts around the world with the launch of his Peace Channel.

Yahoo begins radical home page overhaul
SUNNYVALE, California (Reuters) – Yahoo Inc is moving ahead on Thursday with a radical redesign of its home page — the most heavily trafficked site on the Web — making changes that give users a personalized view of the wider Web.

Google Chief Defends Yahoo Advertising Deal
Google C.E.O. Eric Schmidt said he will move forward with a controversial ad deal with Yahoo, despite questions raised by federal regulators.

Every Inch of the Web Shall Be Monetized: AdCamo Introduces the Brandable Cursor (Mashable)
In addition to conventional text and banner ads, publishers can now make money on everything from in-line text ads (highlighting specific words that link to advertisers) to pop-up previews (i.e. – Snap). AdCamo, the online advertising platform for Web page backgrounds, has added yet another unique ad format to its mix: the cursor. While custom cursors are nothing new – you’ve probably noticed them on countless MySpace profiles – monetizing them is, and represents the growing trend of selling ads on virtually every conceivable piece of Web real estate. AdCamo’s “brandable cursor” ads work alongside the service’s existing background ads, so for example, if you see an ad for Budweiser, you cursor may in turn become a can of Bud when you mouseover the background ad.

Google Backs $750m African Internet Project
Google has teamed up with a media billionaire and HSBC on a venture that will offer internet access to three billion people in Africa and other emerging markets.

Fries With That Zune? Fast Food, Slow Connection (Paid Content)
Sitting in a McDonald’s in suburban St. Louis, breaking my rule about eating fast food when I’m not on the road and trying out the latest Zune gimmick— free wireless access via Wayport at roughly 9,800 golden arch outlets across the US. First impressions: Way easy and way slow. It’s not just the Zune WiFi that’s sluggish; the free-with-food hour of Wayport WiFi on my laptop is slower than real ketchup. It took about 5 minutes to establish a connection, load the page and log on. You could finish a Happy Meal by the time you’re actually doing anything purposeful.

Australian company launches 3D Internet tool
MELBOURNE (AFP) – An Australian company on Thursday launched a free tool it says offers web browsers a world-first opportunity to view the Internet in three dimensions.

Computers figuring out what words mean
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – The Internet got smarter this week with the release of a semantic map that teaches computers the meanings behind words — and gives the machines a vocabulary far larger than that of a typical US college graduate.

Google can sort digital photos on face value
Google’s face-recognition system ties into Picasa Web Albums, Google’s online photo-sharing service.

Yellowstone tries to balance cell phones, nature
Yellowstone National Park officials, attempting to balance competing demands for cell phone service and preserving the park’s tranquility, have released a draft plan to guide the development of wireless services within the park.

Google Maps Introduces Walking Directions and Street View for Mobile Users (Mashable)
If the infusion of walking directions in Google Maps interests you, and you don’t mind the privacy concerns voiced about Google’s Street View, and you happen to have a Web-enabled mobile phone on hand, you may be glad to know Google Maps for Mobile is now newly improved with both these features.

Google and G.E. Team Up on Energy Initiatives
Google and General Electric said they would team up on a technology and policy effort aimed at increasing the capacity and versatility of the power grid.
Is Google taking over the ENTIRE world?

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I am not a Republican, and I am not a racist.  I will be voting for Cynthia McKinney for president.  So don’t threaten me with your post-partisan, post-racial, manipulative, coercive hate mail.

Matt Davies

Fed Gives AIG an $85 Billion Loan in Exchange for 80% Stake (by Mark Thoma at Economist’s View)
[T]he Fed is going to give AIG an $85 billion loan in exchange for an 80% stake in the company… So you as a taxpayer now have a large stake in AIG.
Now that we own it, can we turn it into a health insurance company and cover everybody?

Nationalize the World! The Sun! The Moon! Me! (by Arthur Silber at The Power of Narrative)
Funny. Those damned commies won after all. You go, Murka!
Where’s MY bailout?

Deep Thought (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
Why is Mrs. Alan Greenspan [Andrea Mitchell] allowed to anchor the coverage of the financial crisis at the Very Liberal MSNBC, considering the part her spouse played in this mess? Why does she never mention her conflict of interest?

Boiler Room (by Dean Starkman, Columbia Journalism Review)
It seems to me that well into Year II of the Panic, the business press is in the process of making the same mistake it made in the run-up to the debacle: focusing on esoteric Wall Street concerns and ignoring the simplest, most basic, but most important one—the breathtaking corruption that overran the U.S. lending industry, including and especially the brand names, and the extent to which Wall Street drove that corruption. Let’s just call it a case of over-sophistication. Its persistence, however, will only impede journalists’ ability to cover this thing going forward. [Emphasis added.]
No historical background is provided, either.  There was corruption in the savings and loan scandals.  There was corruption in the book-cooking scandals that included Enron.  And that’s to name only two.  People see it, and they know what is happening.  As Robert Reich said recently, markets can’t function without trust.  We all know that some really bad people are getting away with some really bad stuff, and are sticking us with the bill for it.  Over and over and over again.  WE’re paying for their multiple mansions.  WE’re paying for their Picassos and their couture gowns and their jewels.  We can even watch them spend our money on television—on the CW, and on Bravo.

Corruption is also what’s wrong with our political system  Our representatives are helping these greedy bastards, and are being well paid for it. You can’t have a vibrant democracy when so many people are getting away with so much theft.  People don’t trust the process, which is supposed to be democratic.  It’s supposed to be fair.  The only way to solve the corruption problem is to TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS.

It’s a huge story, but the mainstream media will not touch it.  The owners of the media and the lackeys they hire, for huge bucks, have too much invested in the status quo.

The Free Market traders (by John Amato at Crooks and Liars)
…on FOX and CNBC say to let it all burn down so they can pick the bones off our country…I saw one land developer licking his chops at the prospect of being able to buy a ton of buildings real, real cheap…That’s conservatism at its finest.

How Sound Is the Economy? (by Scott Lilly, Center for American Progress)
For eight years we have papered over the fact that American consumers do not have the purchasing power to sustain economic expansion… [Emphasis added.] But the Bush administration and their enablers at the Federal Reserve Board found a way to inoculate the economy temporarily from the fact that the paychecks which Americans were taking home were insufficient to buy the goods and services the economy was capable of producing. The prescription was easy credit—car loans, credit cards, and most importantly, mortgages.
It’s WAGES that drive an economy, stupid.  Which should be an easy issue for the Democrats.  But Democrats are ignoring working class voters.

Where the Shadows Lie (by Anglachel)
Since Reagan, the Democratic leadership has wavered back and forth between those who want to bring the politics back to bread and butter issues, which means addressing working class needs and interests, and those who want to create a coalition that does not rely on white working class votes… Thus the electoral strategy of the current party leadership appears to be keep the yahoos down on the farm and secure the hegemony of Whole Foods Nation… The dark underbelly of this move is the presumption that the people who have been told their interests must wait will always be there for the Democrats because we have nowhere else to go. Specifically, this means African Americans, women voters and GLBT voters. Republican policies and objectives are deemed so awful to us that we will not defect or sit out, no matter how dismissive or unresponsive the Unity Democrats [Obama, Brazile, Dean, etc.] are to our interests…

The focus of the Unity Democrats is on the winners of the economic realignment, those who managed to win a place in the white collar upper-middle class… The other part is to minimize the damage the losers of that realignment can inflict, which mostly means refusing to commit to policies and plans that will defend their interests. Or even their lives… The ultimate shadow of Reagan is that you don’t win by defending losers, only by securing the interests of the winners. That is the dark heart beating in the chest of the Unity Democrats. They are done with the losers.
And that’s why the Republicans are courting us.  Because the Democrats are not.

Get Your Class War On (by Thomas Frank, author of The Wrecking Crew, and What’s the Matter with Kansas)
Now comes the fall culture-war offensive, catching the Democrats by surprise as it always does and spreading panic and desperation among their ranks. As the depth of the Republican breakthrough becomes apparent to Democrats, they launch the same feeble counterattacks that failed them last time, prudishly correcting misleading GOP advertisements and crying for the recess monitor when the other side plays dirty. And none of this works.

Things would go better for Democrats if they recognized the culture war for what it is: a debased form of class war, a false populism in which an “authentic” America rises up against its would-be masters, an effete bunch of arugula-eaters who say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” But a visceral feeling of class conflict is what lies at the core of the whole thing: a righteous grievance against wrongful, pedantic rulers. It is so attractive emotionally that I often wish I could sign up for it myself.
If Democrats stood for true populism, as the Clintons, and Brian Schweitzer in Montana, and Jim Webb in Virginia have shown, they could win the culture wars.  But as Anglachel said above, they apparently don’t want to.

Oh Dear Sweet Jesus (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
[Click through to watch a video of Obama’s latest speech, on the economy.] It so upsets me when I actually agree with Tweety [Chris Matthews],  but he’s absolutely right: Why isn’t Obama fucking FURIOUS about what’s happening with the economy? Where’s the EMOTION? Why isn’t he pounding on the podium, raking these greedy motherfuckers over the coals for destroying this economy? He should be choking with rage at what they’ve done to wage earners. What’s with the professorial detachment? Where’s the passion about how this disaster will screw working people?

Obama Needs Clear Message on Economy (by William Galston, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and co-editor of The Democratic Strategist)
When I say you have no message, here’s what I mean:
First, you are not offering a coherent account of what has gone wrong with the economy – why it is no longer working for average families…
Second: you are not offering a focused, parsimonious list of remedies for the economic ills you cite. As a result, few if any voters can actually cite a single signature economic proposal you have made…
Third: you are not drawing crisp, punchy contrasts between your plans and McCain’s…

Attacking McCain for employing lobbyists is a waste of precious time and resources; it plays on his turf and accepts his definition of the problem. Moreover, It diverts attention from the core issue – a Republican approach to the economy, shared by Bush and McCain, that shafts ordinary Americans and does nothing to help them deal with the challenges of global competition. So far, while the McCain campaign has gone for the jugular, you’ve gone for the capillaries.

Today’s must-read: Obama and the financial crisis (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
The Democratic party should have been able benefit politically from the current financial crisis. Alas, Obama cannot invoke Clinton’s legacy of prosperity, since Obama’s legion of zombies spent so much time trashing that legacy during the primaries. Worse, Obama was funded by many of the ailing and failing financial institutions which got us into this mess: “Seven of the Obama campaign’s top 14 donors consisted of officers and employees of the same Wall Street firms charged time and again with looting the public and newly implicated in originating and/or bundling fraudulently made mortgages.”

Obama’s Finance Chair, Failed Bank Owner Penny Pritzker And Today’s Wall Street Problem (by Uppity Woman at No Quarter)

[W]hile Barack Obama is faking outrage over all the bankruptcies and bailouts, he doesn’t mention that a number of his top ten contributors are from Wall Street, including Goldman Sacs, Lehman and the JP Morgan Chase. He also fails to mention that one of the first subprime lenders to stick it to borrowers and have her bank seized is a woman named Penny Pritzker, who just happens to be Barack Obama’s campaign Finance Chair (as confirmed on April 3, 2008) and a potential Secretary of the Treasury in an Obama administration.

All In The Family (by Susie at Suburban Guerrilla)
[T]he global head of Lehman Brothers’ investment management division is….George Herbert Walker, Bubble Boy’s cousin.
And they hired Jeb Bush as a consultant recently, if I recall correctly.  I guess he was in there scouting for assets for the Carlisle Group to steal.

Perhaps, Time for Someone to Play Offense (by David Leonhardt, New York Times)
The Bush administration, the Fed and Congress, meanwhile, continue to focus on the immediate crises, with little attention to the underlying reasons that the economy has gotten into this mess — a stagnation of incomes, an explosion of debt and a decidedly outdated, and limp, approach to government oversight. Remarkably, the presidential campaign has gotten less serious, while the economy’s problems have become more so… Mr. Bernanke and Mr. Paulson have done a nice job of playing defense. But when will someone start playing offense?
And who might that be, let’s see, someone who has IMPLEMENTED change.  Someone who has EXPERIENCE with reform.  Maybe somebody like that.

Obama Sidesteps Reform in Illinois (by Dennis Byrne, Chicago Tribune op-ed columnist, posting at Real Clear Politics)
For those of you who still cling to the fantasy that Barack Obama is “about change,” you should note how he, or his minions, want nothing to do with reforming politics in Illinois, perhaps the most corrupt state in the Union… When the Democratic presidential candidate–now his party’s industrial-strength voice for our deliverance from political corruption everywhere–was asked by a reformer if he would help get his political mentor back home to get off the dime and move the most minimal of state ethics legislation toward passage, the Obama campaign sent word back that amounted to a “no.”… The legislation would make illegal the widespread abuse called pay-to-play politics, by which companies doing business with the state contribute to the state official in charge of ladling out contracts…

Here’s another example of how Obama has revealed himself to be a creature of the Chicago machine. Who can forget his silence when he could have affirmed his reformer credentials by endorsing Democrat Forrest Claypool over machine creature Todd Stroger as Cook County Board president?… Agent of change, my foot.
Obama also supported a Daley machine candidate for alderman, Dorothy Tillman, rather than a reform-minded independent.  And there are more examples.  Obama is NOT a reformer.

OBAMA AND THE CHICAGO MACHINE (by Divine Democrat at No Quarter)

[Obama] is part of the Chicago machine and he wants to keep it that way. If he is elected President, the Chicago machine will go National. If you think Washington politics is dirty now… just wait, it’s going to get a lot dirtier. If Obama loses his bid in the election and has to go back to Illinois, he wants to make sure the Chicago machine will be there to greet him with open arms and plenty of cash for his next run at the Presidency.

Could Market Meltdown Mean Fewer Lobbyists? (by Alegre)
After years of DC taking money and direction from the hotshots on Wall Street, the shoe seems to (finally) be on the other foot.  Our so-called leaders will finally have to wean themselves from the flow of money coming from the big PACS, and start to think for themselves where our economy’s concerned.  Let’s hope that one small and decent thing can come of the total fluster-cluck Bush and his cronies have made of our economy over the past 7 years.
Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?  Arthur says no.

You Are All Insane (by Arthur Silber at The Power of Narrative)
Whoever wins, whichever party ascends to or preserves temporary dominance, doesn’t matter a damn. Certain policies in very delimited, narrowly circumscribed areas may change, but nothing fundamental will. I watch people tear themselves to pieces, rant and rave about who’s a bigger liar, who’s more corrupt, who’s too old, who’s too scary (for whichever of 10,000 reasons, race and sex being only two), who represents true “change” (neither, you moronic dolts), imagine doomsday scenarios if “their” candidate doesn’t win and The Evil Overlords of Hell, Damnation and Everything Bad That Ever Was (also known as “the other party”) take the reins of powers, and I think…

YOU’RE ALL INSANE.

No Cause For War In New Iran Report (by Cernig at Crooks and Liars)
The International Atomic Energy Agency has just produced it’s latest report on Iran’s nuclear program. (… [L]eaked by US officials as usual.) Mainstream media outlets are going with a US-pushed narrative that centers around increases in the number of centrifuges Iran is operating and around IAEA criticism of Iran for not being forthcoming enough about alleged previous work which may have had military applications. The report is being seen as giving added impetus to calls for more UN sanctions… The best thing about the new IAEA report, though, is that it provides no new cause for war.
It’s definitely good news, but the administration’s chest beating won’t stop.  They’ve got to get John McCain elected, after all.

Obama, McCain to Speak to Clinton Global Initiative (The Page, Time)
The two presidential candidates will participate with the likes of Queen Rania, Gordon Brown, Hamid Karzai, Al Gore, Michael Bloomberg, Lance Armstrong, Bono and more in addressing the fourth annual meeting. Obama by satellite.

McCain LIVE at the Clinton Global Initiative, Obama by Satellite (Too Busy Cramming for the 1st Presidential Debate the NEXT DAY?) (InsightAnalytical)
If Obama were the only one of the two included, and appeared via satellite, I wouldn’t have been at all curious.  But the fact that McCain is taking a day off the campaign trail and appearing LIVE–the day before the first debate–well, now isn’t that interesting? McCain is either very confident on the debate subject or Bill Clinton wants to get him good and tired before that debate the next night in Mississippi…OR … Do you think there will be a nice photo op featuring McCain and Clinton shaking hands and smiling??  I’m thinking back to just before the Democratic Convention when Bill explained the differences between Candidate A and Candidate B and then asked “who would people vote for” in a comment perceived by many as a dig at Obama.

TPM: Obama has a problem with “aging white women in battleground states.” (by bostonboomer at The Confluence)
It wouldn’t be this, would it? “The time has come, Senator Barack Obama says, for the baby boomers to get over themselves.”… And I certainly can’t imagine it would have anything to do with anything Barack Obama said about Hillary Clinton during the primary campaign. Of course not. That was just politics. No one would be troubled by Obama saying during the NH debate that Hillary is “likeable enough.” And remember the time he said “You challenge the status quo and suddenly the claws come out,” and that other time he said “I understand that Senator Clinton, periodically when she’s feeling down, launches attacks as a way of trying to boost her appeal.”…

Gee, I just can’t imagine why those silly “aging white women in battleground states” would be reluctant to vote for Barack Obama. Can you?

The 30 Percent Solution: Why Democratic Women Are Voting for McCain/Palin (by madamab at The Confluence)
If 30% of the Senate and House were women, you can bet your increasingly-less-valuable paycheck that both parties would be feeling a lot more responsible to that constituency. But as it is now, the Democrats have gotten fat and lazy, assuming that we will hand them our votes no matter what they do, resting on their decades-old laurels and doing little or nothing to stop this horrendous attack on our reproductive freedoms. McCain and the Republicans are willing to elect a woman to the Executive Branch for the first time in the history of our country. They are advancing the 30% Solution. Obama and the Democrats are not, and are not. Do you get it now, Obamans?

Wednesday: People Like Us (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
Please take the money you might have sent to the DNC this year and donate to the downticket Dems of your choice, then to the causes that will help you re-establish your party. The Denver Group has a plan, PUMAPac has activities and a movie.  It’s an investment in your future and the future of the country. And remember, “We are the ones no one expected.”

Pollster: White Ohio voters are moving to McCain (McClatchy)
Tom Jensen of Raleigh’s Public Policy Polling smoke with Peter St. Onge of the Charlotte Observer about PPP’s recent polling in Ohio, which found John McCain leading Barack Obama 48-44, a four-point swing for McCain since PPP’s August Ohio poll. The underlying numbers will be troubling to Obama supporters, says Jensen.

Poll suggests McCain’s support softening as race stays tied (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — John McCain and Barack Obama remained neck and neck seven weeks before Election Day, but there’s been some softening of the support for McCain and his running mate, a new Ipsos/McClatchy poll has found.

Palin rakes in cash on Republican fundraising circuit (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — She’s got their hearts, now she wants into their wallets.

DNC MEMBER TO ENDORSE MCCAIN… (by J –SOM at Liberal Rapture)
Get thee to Deadenders and read all about it. Lynn Forester de Rothschild, member of the Democratic National Committee’s Platform Committee, will endorse John McCain for president on Wednesday. It is good to see some of those in the thick of it coming to their senses. I would like to return to the Democratic Party one day… soon… but cannot until the Obama Left is expunged.
Don’t forget that Greta van Susteren’s husband, John Coale, a former Hillary supporter, endorsed McCain a couple of weeks ago.

New Hampshire Democratic Legislator Endorses John McCain (by NewHampster at No Quarter)
“MANCHESTER, NH — The McCain-Palin campaign today announced that New Hampshire State Representative Doreen Howard, a Democratic legislator from Newmarket, has endorsed John McCain for president. Representative Howard previously supported Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s candidacy.” 

Ponderables from the mail box (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
[A] bit of news comes from a PUMA in PA.  We’ll make her anonymous for right now. She has the following news flash about what took place at last weekend’s meeting of the PA State Committee.  As it turns out, the meeting had to be adjourned for lack of a quorum:

“The lack of a quorum prevented any business from being discussed at this past weekend’s meeting of the PA State Committee.  No yard signs because all the money is going to something like 63 offices being opened across the state for the big O.  Those headquarters are over-run with college kids but the political pros who get Democrats elected avoided the meeting where they’d be urged by paid DNC operatives to get out and support the ticket.  (They won’t.  The delegation is still getting over the scene at Denver, and the directive to not sign the petition of 300.)  With a democratic registration edge of 1.1 million in the state, they think they can win the General when Obama lost to Clinton by nearly 10% in the primary!  Don’t they realize that a lot of those registrants and switchers from R were supporting HRC?”

It’s Mine and You Can’t Have Any! (by Alegre)
We’ve all heard of BHO’s amazing abilities to raise money in this year’s election.  That is after all why he backed out of his promise to take public financing for his general election run.  He figured he could raise far more than the $84 million he would have gotten from the taxpayers.  And he’s been right so far.  Sadly, that means he’s siphoning off money from down-ticket Democrats, and our congressional candidates are suffering as a result. Meanwhile, McCain is getting an infusion of that $84 million and the RNC will be a huge help to boot.  Then there are all those 527s and outside interest groups that McCain didn’t kick to the curb. Politico reports that Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid needs help in his efforts to increase our majority in the Senate this year.  Reid went to BHO to ask for a small share of that $77 million he had in the bank.  BHO’s answer…?  A big fat NO!  Anyone surprised by that stand on your head…

Of course, … it’s all Hillary’s fault for refusing to bow out back in January after BHO “won” those caucuses in Iowa.  But then we’ve gotten pretty used to the press and media making excuses for BHO’s poor showing at every level of this campaign.  I’m sure we’ll see a lot more finger pointing once November 5th rolls around.  Too bad those fingers will be pointed in the wrong direction.

Alaska Republicans seek to halt investigation of Palin’s actions (On Politics, USA Today)
Five state Republican lawmakers in Alaska have gone to court in a bid “to stop an investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s firing of a public safety commissioner,” the Associated Press reports.

Palin to Meet Foreign Leaders (Political Wire)
Gov. Sarah Palin “will meet with foreign leaders next week at the United Nations, a move to boost her foreign-policy credentials,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Said a campaign strategist: “The meetings will give her some exposure and experience with foreign leaders. It’s a great idea.”

OUTRAGEOUS! (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
ABC News deliberately edited the interview with Governor Palin to make her appear bellicose and ignorant. You’ll be shocked when you see what they left out.

New Yorker Column Short on Facts, Long on Attacks of ABC News (TVNewser)
The New Yorker’s Steve Coll spent a column this week blasting ABC News over a variety of issues relating to Charlie Gibson’s interview with Gov. Sarah Palin. But the overriding theme — that ABC attempted to turn the interview into an entertainment event — appears factually incorrect. We hear people inside ABC News are none too pleased with the New Yorker for its factual inaccuracies.

Alaska National Guard General gets promoted after retracting damaging Palin statements (by SilentPatriot at Crooks and Liars)
This scandal is as easy to follow as it is transparently outrageous. Since choosing her as VP, the McCain campaign has been trying it’s hardest to make the case that as “Commander in Chief” of the Alaskan National Guard, Sarah Palin has relevant national security experience. On August 31, the actual commander of the Alaska National Guard– Major General Craig Campbell — punctured a hole in that meme when the AP reported Campbell saying: “‘[Palin plays] no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard.’”… Realizing that Campbell was severely undercutting one of the campaign’s main talking points, it appears someone leaned on him and got him to change his tune… Now, for being a good soldier, Campbell has gotten a major promotion.

Fiorina: McCain, Palin can’t run a corporation…but so what? (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
So Carly Fiorina, a top adviser to John McCain, doesn’t think he could run a major corporation. That’s awful, say the Barack Obama folks… But Fiorina has also said GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin could not run a big company, either. So what, Fiorina said. “That’s not what she’s running for,” she noted.

McCain reportedly ‘furious’ with Fiorina, campaign adviser says she will ‘disappear’ from TV. (Think Progress)
A top campaign adviser said Fiorina will be punished for her candid sentiments: “‘Carly will now disappear,’ this source said. ‘Senator McCain was furious.’ Asked to define ‘disappear,’ this source said, adding that she would be off TV for a while – but remain at the Republican National Committee and keep her role as head of the party’s joint fundraising committee with the McCain campaign.”

McCain Accuses Mika Of Being In The Tank For Obama (Media Bistro)
On “Morning Joe” [Tuesday], Sen. John McCain accused Mika Brzezinski of being “a supporter for Obama” and ribbed her for never visiting McCain’s website to research the issues. “‘Supporter of Sen. Obama?’ I’m not sure I would characterize myself that way, but that’s okay.” Brzezinski later added: “I take objection to that.”
Brzenski has been in the tank for Obama since at least the beginning of this year.  Her father, Carter National Security Advisor Zbig, is an advisor to the Obama campaign.

What would you say you do here? (County Fair , Media Matters for America)
TPM’s Greg Sargent notes that CNN’s Candy Crowley doesn’t think it is her job to tell viewers which candidate is lying more.  But it is her job to baselessly speculate that people won’t vote for a candidate who drinks green tea.  It is her job to falsely characterize the Democrats’ message as “we don’t support the troops and we’re not tough on national security.” Got it.
Yes, who does lie?  Inquiring minds want to know.  See below.

Obama Inflates Role in Creation of Stimulus Package (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
In Golden, Colo., [Tuesday], Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., took credit for the stimulus package that passed earlier this year. “In January, I outlined a plan to help revive our faltering economy,” Obama said, “which formed the basis for a bipartisan stimulus package that passed the Congress.” Is that true? Democrats on Capitol Hill who support Obama say no. Wanting Obama to win, however, none will say so on the record.

WE’RE ALL SEAN HANNITY NOW: (by Bob Somerby at the Daily Howler)
Josh Marshall’s descent into Hannity Land has been a dizzying ride. But even by Josh’s declining standards, [a] gruesome post by Kate Klonick represents a new low in rube-running… Do you enjoy being treated like fools? If so, you’ll love Klonick’s opening: “On the campaign trail, Sarah Palin likes to brag about how she put the Alaska state jet on eBay and fired the governor’s personal chef. One item that doesn’t appear in her stump speech, however, is the personal tanning bed Palin had installed in the governor’s mansion.” Since Palin bought this item herself …, it’s hard to see how it relates to the paring of … state assets… As a matter of simple politics, it’s amazingly stupid to write this about Palin even as you attack Palin’s misstatements.
Something I should have said yesterday about the tanning bed: The nights are very long in Alaska during the winter.  Seasonal Affective Disorder (depression due to the lack of sunlight in far northern and far southern climes) is a fairly common malady.  Some sufferers report that tanning beds relieve the symptoms.

Will Public Believe McCain ‘Doublespeak’ — Or The Press? (by Charles Babington, AP)
The “Straight Talk Express” has detoured into doublespeak.
The AP has been pro-Republican, so this is a bit of a surprise.  And then the next question is, when will the media start calling Obama on HIS lies?

An Unfair Attack on McCain on Immigration Reform (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
[I]s it accurate for McCain’s TV ad to claim [Democratic inspired] “poison pills made immigration reform fail”? It’s a stretch — a partial truth. Those amendments didn’t help. Certainly the opponents of immigration reform on the right had much more to do with the bill dying than did Sen. Obama… But certainly those trying to get the bill passed had reason to question whether Obama was on their side in trying to get the bill that Kennedy was supporting passed into law. All in all, McCain worked much harder, risked much more, and stuck with the coalition more often than did Obama. Period.

Senate Dems Push Conflicting Messages on McCain (by Z. Byron Wolf at Political Punch, ABC News)
Democrats are straddling two, conflicting arguments in their criticism of Sen. John McCain on the economy. With one foot, they’re kicking forward the notion that McCain is a new Herbert Hoover, deluded and talking about a strong economy even as the stock market crumbled. At the same time, they’re telling Americans there’s not depression in the offing and “Don’t panic.”… Question – if there is truly no reason to think we are headed into an economic depression and truly no reason to panic, aren’t the fundamentals, on some level, strong?

Passing around the internet: “some people will do anything to get elected”

I am no McCain fan, but this is hilarious:
McCain Says: Shut Up and Sing (by Eric Trager, Commentary, thanks to SusanUnPC at No Quarter)
According to CNN, John McCain took aim at Barack Obama today for flying “off to Hollywood for a fundraiser with Barbra Streisand and his celebrity friends.” Leave it to CNN to completely miss the greater context of this story: namely, McCain’s longtime–and hillarious–use of Streisand as his foil [video].

McCain and Palin are laughing at the press (County Fair, Media Matters for America)
And it’s the press’s fault. Why? “Because the political press has consciously folded its work into the larger entertainment culture.”

Pigs, Dogs, Fish and Frogs. Oh My! (by Craig Crawford at The Trail, CQ Politics)
With pigs, pit bulls and fish-wrapping now all the rage on the presidential campaign trail, why not add scary frogs to the pile. Long before Karl Rove put his name on the politics of distraction, a top Republican operative who specializes in electing weak candidates once explained to me how you derail a powerful foe who’s winning on issues. He called it the ugly frog routine. Ugly frogs in this game can be anything that opposing candidates do or say that, out of context, puts them on the defense.

“Stick that frog right in their face, shake it all around, and say, ‘Here, look at this BIG UGLY FROG,’” the GOP consultant said. “Then, as they defend themselves and explain the context, real quick grab another ugly frog. Repeat often until they’ve spent most of the campaign reacting to your agenda.” John McCain’s team has been playing the ugly frog routine against Barack Obama almost daily, starting with the Paris Hilton celebrity advertisement, forcing the Democrats to react to a barrage of silly attacks.

How do you fight the ugly frog routine, I asked this practitioner of the political dark arts. “Get your own frogs,” he said. “Stay off defense.”

Outrage as a Campaign Tactic (Political Wire)
Time uncovers the secret behind McCain strategist Steve Schmidt’s use of outrage to dominate news cycles. “In the heat of a campaign, Schmidt understood that outrage could cut through the news clutter like a buzz saw. It didn’t matter much if the outrage was fueled by fact — better if it was fueled by emotion, which would tweak the fury of his base, leading to exciting exchanges on cable television and fresh chatter around the watercooler. Unlike health care or foreign policy, the emotional charge of outrage has a magnetic effect; voters are forced to take sides and respond, shifting the debate.”

McCain and the BlackBerry (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)
[Tuesday] morning McCain domestic policy adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin was asked what Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., could point to from his work on the Senate Commerce Committee that would prove to the American people that he has experience on technology issues. “He did this,” Holtz-Eakin said, holding up his BlackBerry. “Telecommunications in the United States, the premiere innovation in the past 15 years comes right through the Commerce Committee. So you’re looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create. And that’s what he did.”

The campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., immediately tried to paint this as an Al-Gore-I-invented-the-internet moment.
Don’t they know it’s a media lie that Al Gore said he invented the internet?  And if they don’t know it, are they qualified to run a campaign for a Democrat?

Please leave Al Gore out of this (County Fair , Media Matters for America)
From AP: “Move over, Al Gore. You may lay claim to the Internet, but John McCain helped create the BlackBerry.” Al Gore did not “lay claim” to the Internet. That wasn’t true in 1999 when the press, and the GOP, peddled it. And it’s not true today.

Roveian Push-Poll Targets FL Voters to Smear Obama (No Blood for Hubris )
Key West resident Joelna Marcus received a phone call today. She was asked if she is Jewish, and she replied in the affirmative. She was asked if she was religious. She was then asked if her opinion of Barack Obama would change if she knew that Obama had given lots and lots of money to the PLO.

Obama campaign sues Michigan GOP over alleged voter scheme (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Michigan Republicans of a scheme to use mortgage foreclosure lists to challenge the voting eligibility of lower-income people who’re likely to back Democrats in November.

Voter Database Glitches Could Disenfranchise Thousands (by Kim Zetter, Wired)
Electronic voting machines have been the focus of much controversy the last few years. But another election technology has received little scrutiny yet could create numerous problems and disenfranchise thousands of voters in November, election experts say. This year marks the first time that new, statewide, centralized voter-registration databases will be used in a federal election in a number of states. The databases were mandated in the 2002 Help America Vote Act, which required all election districts in a state or U.S. territory to consolidate their lists into a single database electronically accessible to every election office in the state or territory.  But the databases, some created by the same companies that make electronic voting machines, aren’t federally tested or certified and some have been plagued by missed deadlines, rushed production schedules, cost overruns, security problems, and design and reliability issues.

Ballot measure to decriminalize prostitution divides liberal San Francisco
Sex workers, the county Democratic committee and a health official support Proposition K as a boon to prostitutes’ and the public’s safety. The mayor, the D.A. and the business community oppose it.

Kerry wins rare primary challenge (On Politics, USA Today)
John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, easily won yesterday’s Senate Democratic primary in Massachusetts — in which he faced what for him was a rare intra-party challenge.
What a shame.

Almost a “Saturday Night Massacre” (American Constitution Society)
On Sunday and Monday, the Washington Post published two excerpts from Barton Gellman’s new book Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency. The first part explores the role David Addington, Vice President Dick Cheney’s legal counsel, played in quashing “unwelcome questions about warrantless domestic surveillance.” The second part reveals that President Bush was not informed of the concerns his senior advisors had raised over the preceding months regarding the program, and that only a last minute meeting combined with imminent resignations by the acting Attorney General, the FBI Director, and other senior Justice Department officials forced the President to withdraw his opinion that overrode the Justice Department to declare the warrantless domestic surveillance program legal.

Great series on “Angler,” the new book on the reign of Dick Cheney (by lambert at Corrente)
Today, warrantless surveillance; horrifying—and illuminating on the role of the extremely post-partisan Gang of Eight. But now, thanks to retroactive immunity, what was once illegal is now legal! So the nation can heal. I think it’s time to get over it and move on. The rule of law is so Eighteenth Century, don’t you agree? Harry, Nancy, Obama: Nice work.

Addington signed Gonzales’ name to re-authorize warrantless wiretapping program. (Think Progress)
In 2004, after top Justice Department lawyers refused to re-certify the legality of President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program, the Bush administration re-authorized the program anyway without the Justice Department’s approval. Previous accounts of the program’s re-authorization reported that the “line for the attorney general’s signature remained blank.” But in the Washington Post today, Barton Gellman reports that Vice President Cheney’s lawyer, David Addington, actually signed then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales’s name to the document:

Luke Russert Gets Into the Family Business as Reporter
Offered the chance to report on youth issues for NBC News, the gregarious young Luke Russert dove into the assignment with gusto, toting a microphone backstage at the Democratic and Republican conventions. Many of his stories have appeared on the Nightly News web site and he blogs about his experiences on iCue.com.
Nothing like being a legacy.  Especially a white male legacy.  Especially an East Coast white male legacy.  If I sound jealous, it’s because I damned well am.

Media Matters for America headlines

• Ignoring GOP vote for subpoena, AP reported McCain campaign claim that Dems “hijacked” “Troopergate” investigation

• Limbaugh: “Troopergate” investigation is “pure sexism,” but Palin “didn’t bend over and let” Alaska politicians “have their way”

• Dick Morris falsely suggested Hillary Clinton was “complain[ing]” of sexism when she became emotional in NH

• The Detroit News uncritically reported Republican claims that Obama would “raise taxes”

• Applebee’s and green tea redux: Reuters’ Decker said Biden’s “French cuffs” could cause problems for him “connect[ing] with voters”

• Kilmeade baselessly claimed Dems “air-drop[ped]” team of “lawyers and investigators into Alaska” to investigate Palin

• Morning Joe uncritically aired McCain’s false claim that Palin is “governor of a state that 20 percent of our America’s energy supply comes from”

Current TV to Broadcast Tweets During Debates
Current TV is handing over feedback on the upcoming presidential debates to those who make up so much of the network’s programming: its audience. During the debates, the network bent on viewer-created content will broadcast Twitter messages — or “tweets” — from viewers. In close to real time, Current will display comments on the screen while John McCain and Barack Obama face off.

YouTube Bans Violent Videos
YouTube has moved to ban videos that incite violence following criticism that it needed to toughen its policies. Google-owned YouTube has updated its community guidelines — specifically pointing out that a new addition is to make sure no videos “directly incite violence.”

Handwritten Urdu Newspaper Stands Out in Indian Media Mob
After his father died in April, Syed Arifullah took the reins of a newspaper that stands out even in India’s increasingly crowded media market. The Musalman, the oldest Urdu-language daily paper in India, has been handwritten by Urdu calligraphers since it was founded by Mr. Arifullah’s grandfather 81 years ago.

Jack Nelson Among Current, Ex Tribune Co Staffers Suing Zell; Claim ‘Scam’ (Paid Content)
Current and former members of the Tribune Co. Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) and various retirement programs sued Sam Zell in U.S. District Court Central District of California Tuesday… The stated goal of the class-action suit, which has to be certified to represent the class of Tribune employees: “to protect Tribune Company’s pension and retirement funds; to give the employee-owners a place at the table with regard to management of their assets; and to remove Zell and his cronies from the Tribune Company’s board in order to save what is left of a still great news gathering operation.” You may recall that Zell took Tribune private by using the ESOP, which now owns the company. The plaintiffs call this a “scam” and contend that the deal contravenes laws mean to help workers.

Newspapers Still Dominate Local, But TV And Radio Growth Rates Zoom Ahead: Borrell (Paid Content)
Local newspapers sites still generate the highest ad revenues, at an estimated $3.7 billion, but local radio and TV sites’ growth rates are double, a report from local media analyst Borrell Associates, with help from BIA Financial, predicts. Aside from the worsening economy and chaos on Wall St., newspapers’ growth is hindered by its limited diet of display ads and the usual pool of marketers they tend to rely on for the print side. But the report also shows that newspapers, along with local TV and radio, are still relatively strong versus internet companies not tied to traditional media. That said, the rise of TV and radio will continue to cut into newpapers’ local dominance.

Gannett’s August Publishing Ad Revenues Down 17%
Gannett Co., the nation’s largest newspaper company, reported a third straight month of steep advertising declines in its publishing segment as a worsening economy weighed down an already troubled ad market. The 16.8 percent year-over-year drop in August was only slightly worse than the declines of 16.3 percent in June and 16.7 percent in July, suggesting the market may be stabilizing.

TV Product Placement Down
At first blush, it’s a finding that sounds like cause for celebration for culture-over-commerce purists: According to a report by Nielsen, product placement on primetime programming for the first six months of 2008 was down nearly 15%. But even taking into account that double-digit drop, January-June viewers still experienced 204,919 “brand occurrences.”

Time Inc’s Maghound Service Launches Under the Radar; Some Majors Missing (Paid Content)
Time Inc has quietly launched its much delayed and much-anticipated online magazine subscription website Maghound. The service, in beta, borrows concepts heavily from Netflix, in that it allows users to choose up to 15 magazines from a broad range of titles for one set monthly fee, with the ability to switch titles at any time. At launch, it has 240 titles, about 40 less that what Time Inc said at a trade show in June, Folio notes. In addition to all Time inc titles, of course, it has titles from Conde Nast (not all), Rodale, and others. Notably missing is any magazine from the Hearst stable… The membership pricing is tiered—three titles for $4.95 a month, five titles for $7.95, seven titles for $9.95, and $1 per title for eight titles or more, and no annual contract.

Did ‘Spore’ copy protections backfire on EA?
Enraged by what they call “draconian” copyright protections, thousands of people flooded Amazon.com to give the game a one-star rating. And now there seems to be another movement afoot, one that is far more likely to hit EA where it counts. What’s the fuss about? Electronic Arts imposed copyright protections that limited the number of times a user can install the game to three.

Best Buy Acquires Napster (Mashable)
Napster, the original peer-to-peer music sharing network that has since transformed itself into a legal subscription service, is being acquired by Best Buy. The electronics retailing giant will be paying $121 million to buy Napster – a more than 85% premium to where Napster’s beleaguered shares were trading as of Friday. Although Napster was able to sign up more than 700,000 subscribers, the service was never profitable and was on track to run out of cash sometime next year. Under Best Buy’s ownership, that problem is resolved, and the combined companies are confident that they can use Best Buy’s massive reach and distribution to improve the business, in addition to leveraging Napster to sell other digital products to consumers.

Amazon Does the Obvious, Finally: Adds Video on IMDb (Paid Content)
Amazon has finally done what many have been asking it since the time the company bought IMDB: it has enabled video on the film and TV database/info site. The company says users can now watch 6,000 full-length feature films and TV episodes for free on IMDb.com’s video section.

Permanent link to MTA daily media news

I am not a Republican, and I am not a racist.  I will be voting for Cynthia McKinney for president.  So don’t threaten me with your post-partisan, post-racial, manipulative, coercive hate mail.

Real Clear Politics

Hominid Views, Monte Carlo simulations

Links: 9/15/08, 8/15/08, 7/15/08

Wall Street’s Woes Challenge Candidates (Wall Street Journal)
The meltdown poses problems for both presidential candidates and doesn’t especially play to the strengths of either.

Wall Street crisis is culmination of 28 years of deregulation (McClatchy)
WASHINGTON — No one cog in the federal government’s machine of financial regulation let down the country by failing to prevent the latest shakeout on Wall Street. The entire system did.
Why isn’t Obama saying this, over and over and over?  Could it be because most of Obama’s economic advisors don’t like regulation, either?  And could it be because calling for fiscal responsibility would remind Democrats too much of the Clintons?

Obama ad hits McCain for saying economy’s ‘fundamentals are strong’ (On Politics, USA Today)
In its latest TV ad, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s campaign again takes aim at Republican John McCain for saying the economy’s “fundamentals are strong.” The ad, released moments ago, repeats a message that Obama and his running mate Joe Biden pushed hard yesterday as the crisis on Wall Street continued to unfold. They say McCain doesn’t understand that the economy “is broken:”
That is not the same thing as saying that there are problems, and the problems are because of many years of Republican POLICY.  No one wants to believe that the entire economy is broken.  It’s too far a stretch right now.  People won’t go that far in their thinking without more preparation.

Obama needs to invoke Clintonomics, but he can’t (by Iain Martin, The Telegraph, U.K.)
The Democrats have a good claim to being the true fiscal conservatives in recent US history, arguing for balanced budgets and stability. But to illustrate that argument the Obama campaign would need to point to the record of a previous administration which governed, for the large part, in such a fashion. And the problem is that at its head was Bill Clinton… Obama is denied access to fiscal conservative themes – which could help him greatly in charging the Republican party with incompetence and economic neglect – because he doesn’t want to invoke too many memories of the Clinton era.
And, of course, the only person limiting him is he himself.  But no, not content to simply refuse to invoke the Clinton era, his campaign tells McClatchy that this is all Bill Clinton’s FAULT.  (Why do I blame the Obama campaign?  Because there have been so very many McClatchy headlines that give the Obama daily line verbatim.  Somebody in their Washington Bureau is in love with Obama, and was throughout the primaries.)

McClatchy: blame Bill (by gob at Corrente)
McClatchy’s front page today lays the blame for the current financial crisis at Bill Clinton’s feet. Over the headline “Wall Street crisis is culmination of 28 years of deregulation” we see a photo of Bill grinning and giving the thumbs up, captioned “Bill Clinton in 1999 signed legislation that overturned nearly 70 years of regulation of the financial industry.” The commenters strike back with the facts, supported by linky goodness: it was a Republican bill, passed in the Senate on a straight party-line vote with exception of the DINO [Democrat in Name Only] Hollings. I spent many an hour ranting at Bill for his bad policy positions, but I don’t think this is fair journalism. The article is better, tracing things back to Reagan conservatism, but whoever made this editorial decision deserves a check from the RNC.
McClatchy, you disappoint me.  I expect better from you.  Back when you were Knight-Ridder, you were the best in refusing to fall for the administration’s line on the Iraq War, either before or during.

Shattered Donkeys (by Pat Racimora at No Quarter)

 

McCain’s Record On Economic Reform: ‘Zero’ (Think Progress)
A new ad released [Monday] by the McCain campaign states, “Our economy in crisis. Only proven reformers John McCain and Sarah Palin can fix it.” In a statement today, McCain said he will “replace the outdated and ineffective patchwork quilt of regulatory oversight in Washington” and bring “accountability to Wall Street.” That promise rings hollow considering he has the former lobbyists of AIG, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Bank of America on his campaign staff.
But Obama’s record is zero, too.  Why do his supporters want to keep reminding people of that?  Obama voted for Cheney’s energy plan, and he voted for the bankruptcy bill that has made it more difficult for ordinary people to go bankrupt.  Those are the only things I know of that he’s done at all in terms of the economy.

Loose Change: Why bad economic news doesn’t hurt McCain, or help Obama, as much as you think. (by John Dickerson, Slate)
Why isn’t Obama killing McCain on this issue? Part of the answer may be that polls have narrowed across the board as McCain has solidified his base. (Voters like McCain better, so they like his ability to handle the economy better—even though they may have no idea what his policies are.) Some portion of the tightening also comes from McCain’s advocacy of oil drilling… McCain’s other economic plans also have a similar action-oriented feel… If voters see him as the action candidate, perhaps they’ll take his word for it. On the specifics, though, he’s not in a very strong position… Still, Obama can be pushed around on the economy because voters don’t know what he’s for. Yes, he’s for change—but what does that mean when it comes to their daily lives?

What it will take to get the Democrats’ attention (by riverdaughter at The Confluence)
There are ominous signs on the horizon… And we have two candidates who are both ill-equipped to handle what is about to happen.  One is committed to his party’s ideology but seems to possess the personal mettle to withstand a crisis.  The other has spurned his party’s ideollogy and has no practical experience in dealing with tough situations with any kind of personal fortitude. It will take a Depression to get the Democrats to focus on what is important. [Emphasis added.]

Lehman cash: Hillary tops, Obama second (Hot off the Trail, McClatchy)
Hillary Clinton was the top recipient of political contributions from employees of the bankrupt Lehman Brothers, according to an analysis by opensecrets.org. She’s received $409,000. Barack Obama was second, receiving $395,000. John McCain was seventh. He’s received $144,000.

Why Wall Street is Melting Down, and What to Do About It (by Robert Reich)
Bailouts, subsidies, and government insurance won’t help Wall Street because the Street’s fundamental problem isn’t lack of capital. It’s lack of trust. The sub-prime mortgage mess triggered it, but the problem lies much deeper. Financial markets trade in promises — that assets have a certain value, that numbers on a balance sheet are accurate, that a loan carries a limited risk. If investors stop trusting the promises, Wall Street can’t function… [T]he best way to rebuild trust is through regulations that require financial players to stand behind their promises and tell the truth, along with strict oversight to make sure they do.
Say, wouldn’t it be nice to make politicians do the same?  Huh?  You with me?  Anybody?

Recovering alcoholics have to apologize to the people they harmed when they were drinking.  But the recommendation is that they not do it right after getting sober.  They need to get some sober living under their belts before their loved ones will even be ready to hear an apology.  The loved ones want to be able to believe the apology will be accompanied by continuing good behavior.  We have been so brutalized by our elected officials that it will take a lot of good behavior before we start to believe anything they say.

Creative Destruction (by William Grieder, The Nation)
In the long run, the destruction of concentrated wealth and power is always good for democracy, liberating people from the heavy hand of the status quo. Unfortunately, many innocents are slaughtered in the process. As the US manufacturing economy was dismantled by downsizing and globalization, the learned ones (Alan Greenspan comes to mind) told everyone to breathe easy — ultimately this would be good for the workers and communities who lost the foundations of their prosperity. Now that “creative destruction” is visiting the bankers, we now observe they are not so accepting of their own fate.

Faster, Economy. Fail! Fail! Fail!??? (by madamab at The Confluence)
Some think the frightening downward spiral of this economy will favor Democrats, and Barack Obama, in November. But I believe that the Democratic Party has squandered its economic credibility, jettisoning the Clintons, one of the most trusted economic brands in the history of America, for Barack Obama, an unknown brand with newer packaging… Given that horrible decision, where is the superior judgment of the Democrats on the economy?

OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS’ IRAQ WITHDRAWAL (by Amir Taheri, New York Post—a Rupert Murdoch newspaper that has endorsed John McCain)
WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence. According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July. “He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington,” Zebari said in an interview.

Obama campaign contests Taheri column (Politico)
An Obama aide accused Taheri of confusing the Status of Forces agreement with a Strategic Framework Agreement, for which Obama has pushed for congressional review. “This article bears as much resemblance to the truth as a McCain campaign commercial. Barack Obama has consistently called for any Strategic Framework Agreement to be submitted to the U.S. Congress so that the American people have the same opportunity for review as the Iraqi Parliament,” said Obama spokeswoman Wendy Morigi. “Unlike John McCain, he supports a clear timetable to redeploy our troops that has the support of the Iraqi government. Barack Obama has never urged a delay in negotiations, nor has he urged a delay in immediately beginning a responsible drawdown of our combat brigades.”

A Traitor In Our Midst (by Matthew Weaver at No Quarter)
Obama does not deny he asked for delay. [See above.] He is only splitting hairs about what he was asking delay on. Bottom line is that Obama has interfered in U.S. foreign policy by negotiating with a foreign government, albeit an America puppet-government, by asking them to delay agreements with the U.S… So, Obama, while claiming the anti-war mantle throughout the election, actually negotiated with the Iraqis in July to delay the withdrawal of troops until after the election?!

The McCain Campaign has issued a statement…: “At this point, it is not yet clear what official American negotiations Senator Obama tried to undermine with Iraqi leaders, but the possibility of such actions is unprecedented. It should be concerning to all that he reportedly urged that the democratically-elected Iraqi government listen to him rather than the US administration in power… [I]t demands an explanation.
It may demand more than an explanation.  It may demand a prosecution.  And it’s not unprecedented.  Reagan and Nixon may both have participated in similar activities.

Barack Obama’s big blunder (by Michael Goodwin, New York Daily News)
With top Dems fearing Barack Obama is in a hole, the Obama campaign has made a weird decision. It’s going to dig that hole deeper, harder and faster. No more Mr. Nice Guy, Obama vows. He’s going to really start hitting John McCain now. He’s going to make voters understand that McCain equals four more years of George Bush. It’s a weird decision because Obama has been doing exactly that for four months. The problem is not that Obama hasn’t hit McCain hard enough or linked him to Bush often enough. The problem is that he hasn’t done anything else.
And the other problem is that it isn’t working.  Do something that WORKS—if you want to win, that is.

Barack Obama under fire for ignoring advice on how to beat John McCain (by Tim Shipman, The Telegraph, U.K.)
The Sunday Telegraph has learned that senators, governors and union leaders who have experience of winning hard-fought races in swing states have been bombarding Obamas campaign headquarters with telephone calls offering advice. But many of those calls have not been returned. A senior Democratic strategist, who has played a prominent role in two presidential campaigns, told The Sunday Telegraph: “These guys are on the verge of blowing the greatest gimme in the history of American politics. They’re the most arrogant bunch Ive ever seen. They won’t accept that they are losing and they won’t listen.”

Obama Lays Out Plans To Woo Women Voters: Forget Palin, Focus On Equal Pay (by Sam Stein at the Huffington Post)
During a conference call with national female supporters on Monday, Barack Obama and his aides outlined a comprehensive strategy to target female supporters who could be on the fence between his and John McCain’s candidacies. The plan included intense focus on McCain’s opposition to equal pay legislation, which aides to Obama believe resonates beyond female voters; sending out prominent female surrogates to serve as political “ambassadors”; limiting focus on Gov. Sarah Palin in favor of McCain himself.
McCain may be worse on legislation for equal pay than Obama, but he’s better in actual practice.  So I’m not sure this is the best issue for Obama.  And does focusing on McCain have to involve alienating older voters?  See below.

Does Obama WANT to lose? (by Joseph Cannon at Cannonfire)
This Obama ad is so lame that most of the PUMA sites have been quick to display it, just as I am displaying it here. [Click through to watch it.] The obvious problem: People know that John McCain cannot use a computer keyboard, due to a disability caused by the torture he underwent while in a Vietnamese prison. This ad has redefined the Democrats: The party of FDR is now the party that makes fun of disabled people — a perception reinforced by the ghastly attacks on Sarah Palin’s child.
Is it really a good idea to imply that old people cannot bring fresh ideas to the national debate? The elderly vote. In large numbers.
The Boston Globe reported in 2000 that John McCain can’t even comb his hair or tie his shoes.

Obama Hits McCain Hard on Lobbyists (Political Wire)
Last week, we noted Sen. John McCain tapped a lobbyist to begin planning for a potential transition if he wins the November election. This week, Sen. Barack Obama has turned the news into a blistering advertisement. Key line: “His campaign is run by lobbyists. Now we find out McCain’s White House will be lobbyist-run too… Does that sound like change to you?”

RNC response: “If Barack Obama is truly worried about lobbyists’ influence, he should start by looking in the mirror. This week, Joe Biden’s lobbyist-ties became too much to bear and his son ended his profession of successfully lobbying senators like Obama. Obama’s attacks this weekend are a transparent attempt to cover-up for his campaign’s lack of transparency and abundance of special-interest connections.”

Unmentionables (by Anglachel)
When I got home this evening, there were two fundraising letters in the mailbox. One was for Obama and contained letters from Obama and Biden… In the RNC sending, the Republican Party and the RNC are mentioned 24 times in the letter and another 12 times on the donation coupon… In the Obama sending, there is no mention of the Democratic Party, the DNC (except possibly a small code with the letters “DNC” as part of the code at the edge of the payment coupon), or of Obama and/or Biden’s political affiliation… Why is the head of my party, the party nominee for the presidency, not even mentioning the party in his fundraising letters? When did being a Democrat count as something unmentionable?
I believe the turning point was when the anti-Clinton wing of the Democratic Party became Obamacrats.

Obama and McCain Make August a Record Month (Capital Eye)
The polls are putting John McCain and Barack Obama neck-and-neck, but as far as the money race is concerned, Obama has managed to maintain his strong lead. The Democrat’s campaign is reporting a $66 million haul for August, $11 million more than he raised in February, which previously was his record month. According to the Washington Post, Obama attracted more than half a million new financial supporters.

McCain collected $47 million in August, according to his campaign, also his record best. Because the Republican opted into the public financing system, he is now limited to $84 million through Election Day, while Obama started September with $77 million on hand. But McCain will receive plenty of financial support from the Republican National Committee, which reportedly collected about $23 million last month.  

Now It’s the DCCC That Is Swimming Against the Tide (by Stuart Rothenberg)
In a curious coincidence of timing, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has added a number of Congressional districts to its various lists of competitive contests at exactly the same time that Republicans are seeing an uptick in their poll and fundraising numbers and an improved political landscape… “We are seeing a real change up and down the ballot, from state legislative races to Congressional to the presidential,” said one enthusiastic Republican operative.

Independent groups target Obama, McCain (AP)
WASHINGTON – A sudden surge in advertising by outside groups is rapidly filling the airwaves and cable channels with unflattering portrayals of Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain as their presidential contest enters its final seven weeks.

Anti-Abortion 527 Launches Anti-Obama TV Ad (Political Punch, ABC News)
A new 527 has emerged. Called BornAliveTruth.org, the political organization says its mission “is to educate the public on the IL Born Alive Infants Protection Act and Senator Obama’s record opposing this act.”

“Just when I thought I was in… they push me back out …” (by lambert at Corrente)
CNN: “Obama campaign rolls out new ‘faith merchandise’”… Tell me it’s not a great country! One question: Is atheism a “faith background”? How about wanting to vomit when people whore “merchandise” their religion — Is that a faith background?

McCain campaign tries to quell ‘Troopergate’ (AP)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain is trying to put to rest the ethical controversy that’s come to be known as “Troopergate,” releasing e-mails supporting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s contention that she dismissed her public safety commissioner over budget disagreements, not because he wouldn’t fire her ex-brother-in-law.
And that ex-brother-in-law is no peach.  He seems to be an alcoholic and an abusive stalker.  Nevertheless, public employees shouldn’t be fired for personal reasons. Don’t forget that the AP’s political editor, Ron Fournier, is a McCain fan.

In ‘Troopergate’, Monegan accused of insubordination (McClatchy)
Walt Monegan lost his job as public safety director because he resisted Gov. Sarah Palin’s budget policies and showed “outright insubordination,” say papers the governor’s lawyer filed Monday with the state Personnel Board.

Palin ‘Unlikely’ to Meet With Prosecutor (The Trail, Washington Post)
ANCHORAGE — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is unlikely to meet with a special prosecutor looking into whether she or other state officials improperly pushed to punish a trooper, a spokesman for John McCain’s presidential campaign announced Monday. Since Palin was named as McCain’s running mate Aug. 29, the campaign has dismissed the state legislature’s investigation into her dismissal of the state’s director of public safety, saying that Democrats are exploiting the probe for political gain.

And now for the MOST important issue of the day: Palin Had Tanning Bed Installed (Political Wire)
Gov. Sarah Palin “had a private tanning bed installed in the Governor’s Mansion in Juneau,” according to Us magazine. “Tanning beds can cost up to $35,000 to install in a home — not including the cost of parts.” Said a spokesman: “She did. She paid for it with her own money.”

Radio host suspended for airing anti-Palin protesters’ [phone] numbers (McClatchy)
Anchorage AM radio host Eddie Burke has been suspended for a week for broadcasting the phone number of women involved in organizing a protest against Sarah Palin.

Couric To Interview Palin (Media Bistro)
TVNewser reports that Katie Couric will interview Republican VP nominee Gov. Sarah Palin next week on the campaign trail, and will include something not seen in previous interviews — time with Sen. John McCain and Palin together.

Palin Proves There’s Sexism (by Marie Cocco)
Palin’s treatment resolves a lingering dispute from the Democratic nominating contest. The rank sexism that surrounded Clinton’s bid often was dismissed (especially on the left) as no such thing. The animosity was said to be not about any woman candidate; it was about that woman, candidate Clinton. Now it’s about Palin. At least no one can rationalize her treatment as mere Clinton-hating.

Sarah Palin is great for feminism. (by Ann Althouse)
[I]n recent years, feminism has been dominated by Democratic Party devotees who act like they own feminism, as if theirs was the only feminism — as if they could dictate that all women should vote Democratic… But feminism is something that transcends party politics. Women have interests that the par