Meet Spiro Agnew, wearing lipstick.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin,
who has made a crackdown on gift-giving to state officials a
centerpiece of her ethics reform agenda, has accepted gifts valued at
$25,367 from industry executives, municipalities and a cultural center
whose board includes officials from some of the largest mining
interests in the state, a review of state records shows.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/09/palin-accepted-25000-in-gifts.php

Republican lawmakers offered a plan calling for Wall Street firms to purchase insurance on mortgage-backed securities and "ADVOCATING TAX CUTS AND RELAXED REGULATIONS". Treasury officials had previously rejected a plan focusing on insurance in favor of one that purchased troubled assets, Cantor said.

This is the republican's solution???? ADVOCATING TAX CUTS AND RELAXED REGULATIONS?????!!!!!

This is exactly what Bush did for the last 8 years! Ask for something you know it insanely irresponsible, get everyone upset, then let the democrats trip all over each other while the republicans focus on getting what they really want. What a shell game!

Wake Up!!!!!

From:

Head of State

http://headofstate.blogspot.com/2008/09/mccain-and-bushs-kabuki-theatre-mccain.html

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Credit Where Credit Isn't Due: McCain and Bush's Kabuki Theatre

Now we know why McCain hired the Bush contingent.

It emerged in the White House briefing today that McCain called Bush and asked him to initiate a meeting today at 4 pm at the White House, putatively for him to "deal with" the crisis.

That is, McCain asked Bush to help him create an trifecta: To try to lend some credence to McCain's desperate assertion that a suspension of his campaign is necessary, in effect either avoiding a debate in which he would face critical questions about his stance on the economy or marching in claiming "victory"; attempting to co opt the financial crisis thereby trying to put an end to his plummeting in the polls created by his flailing positions on the economy--perhaps best reflected by his statement days ago that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong"; and perhaps buying more time for Sarah Palin after her embarrassing photo op at the UN yesterday, by moving her debate forward as well.

Here's how it happened, according to Q and A at the WHB:

McCain emailed Bush asking for the 4 P.M. meeting. Now, one reasonably might ask, why is today such a necessity for McCain, if his interest is solely the national good?

Because it is before the debate. McCain hopes to stage a meeting at the White House, thereby, with Bush's cooperation, lending plausibility to his claim to need to suspend his campaign. Then, if Republicans, in their own electoral interest, can be persuaded to come to agreement, before the debate, he would claim--in an act of utter stage management--to have "resolved" the crisis. Thereby hoping to take the heat off on his past careening stances and sliding polls and staunch the bleeding on the polls--before the debate.

This is Kabuki Theatre masquerading as substance--no different than what we saw at the U.N. yesterday.

It is utterly stage managed, utterly cynical, and utterly unrelated to the substantive deliberation necessary to actually resolve these matters on the merits and for our nation's future, rather than for short-term and desperate political advantage.

These occurrences are equally important for what they indicate about McCain's governing style as they are for their impact upon democratic process: impulsive acts that rely on drama and theatrical posture rather than substantive reasoning and long-term deliberation; a strong willingness to sacrifice substantive reasoning, deliberative process, and even prior structures and agreements to immediate political need; an attempt to reach outcomes through last minute stage management rather than substantive argument.

These should create deep concern for anyone who wishes for a change in governmental process from the past eight years.

We have an economy, rather than a campaign, to rescue. Putting nation before politics means putting all attempts to resolve it before political attempts to co opt it--and to move towards one's commitments, rather than towards a more immediate and short-term salvation.

Cite:

Head of State

http://headofstate.blogspot.com/2008/09/mccain-and-bushs-kabuki-theatre-mccain.html

Check out this parody of Palin called "Head of Skate"

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1831461

Hilarious

and I thought that the Clintons made for drama ...geez, they are minor league thespians compared to McCain: imagine a McCain White House with such nonsense every single day!!!! (I dare not even contemplate an end-times President Palin with the nuclear codes ... )

In all reality, McCain is a more seasoned debater than Obama. He also speaks in short, easy to understand sentences, and doesn't pontificate on a subject.

Obama has got to nail these debates. Has to come across as decisive, strong, and knowledgeable.

I'm giving McCain the advantage in all of these debates, and I'd like to see Obama surprise me.

this from politico, anyone who doubts Obama should move to alaska:

It was McCain who had urged Bush to call the White House meeting but Democrats made sure Obama had a prominent part. And much as they complained later of being blindsided, the whole event turned out to be something of an ambush on their part—aimed at McCain and House Republicans.

“Speaking professionally,” said one Republican aide, “They did a very good job.”

When Bush yielded early to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D- Nev.) to speak, they yielded to Obama to speak for the assembled Democrats. And it was Obama who raised the subject of the conservative alternative and pressed Paulson on what he thought of the idea.

House Republicans felt trapped—squeezed by Treasury, House Democrats and a bipartisan coalition in the Senate. And while McCain spoke surprisingly little after asking for the meeting, he conceded that it appeared there were not the votes for the core Paulson plan without major changes.

Rasmussen's Daily Tracker, today:

Obama - 50
McCain - 45

"This is Obama’s biggest lead since his convention bounce peaked with a six-point advantage. In fact, on only two days since clinching the Democratic nomination in early June has Obama enjoyed a lead bigger than he has today."

Looks like this might wind up being a bad turn at the craps table for Johnny Mac. But it ain't over. I'm still waiting for the House GOPers to cave to the great uniter and for the media to fall back in love with their knight in shining armor.

Is there any truth the rumor that the real reason that McInsane is skipping the debate is that he believes that he was supeonaed to appear and he so hates the 'rule of law' that he has pulled his lawyers from running interference in Alaska to block his appearance on stage tonight?

McCain's actions are unpredictable and quite amazing. The only thing is that as irresponsible as he is he's got nothing to lose and the presidency to gain. My worry in this is that despite whatever back room disagreements exist amongst them, the R's will maintain lockstep unity on the face of this and turn the narrative to McCain as visionary super-leader whether that's saving us all from what would have been a bad-deal or claiming credit for getting one done. His gambit isn't about what actually decided upon, it's turning whatever that is into a narrative that promotes him as a mavericky leader.

Of course, it's a gamble that he won't look like a crass fool, but while his being so is apparent to all of us in the choir here it may not be obvious to those already leaning toward the Rs or the truly undecided (what can they have left to be undecided about?!?).

My biggest political fear at this particular juncture is that the debates tonight actually get cancelled and the networks proceed with other Friday night programming, leaving BO flapping in the wind and having to re-schedule or cancel altogether. This scenario is the one McCain always wanted which was to get out of this thing and have everyone jumping to his tune.

Does anyone know how likely this is at the moment??

FrustratedDEMinNH,

AIG is in trouble because they backed bullshit mortgage derivatives by 99% leveraged purchase of bullshit mortgage derivitive to hold as collateral against the bullshit mortgage derivitives. AIG used houses of cards to insure the financing of the building of those selfsame houses of cards built upon an earthquake fault . . . AND due to thirty (30) years of Republican kleptocracy it was all perfectly legal.

Over simplication of the subject dramatically understates the horror of the situatuion.

I am really glad to see these reports coming in showing MO closing the gap again. I am heartbroken to think that Virginia and NORTH CAROLINA could go blue but my own beloved Missouri might still end up throwing in its lot with the GOP. This cannot happen and it will not happen. We are the most bellweathery bellweather in this whole country, and I refuse to believe that we are going to buck the trend and vote for the Senile/Insane ticket when the alternative is so obviously superior. Missouri is going to go blue this fall. It has to.

or he's trying to throw Obama off his game with this distraction about whether or not he's going to show up.

if McCain hasn't figured out that Obama can't be thrown off by such a transparent stunt, then he really is completely clueless. Someone who is such a poor judge of his adversaries shouldn't be president.

Well, the proof is in the pudding, isn't it.

I mean, if McCain makes a surprise showing at the debate, and all his adoring nimrods in the press give him softball "aw shucks" coverage, and he seems gracious, self-deprecating and has a strong debate, then tomorrow's a different kind of day.

I note schizophrenia about who is a better debater; some say Obama really learned over 22 debates with Hillary - that's a *lot* of practice. Others say Obama just isn't that good a debater and McCain is comfortable in the venue. They do say Jim Lehrer isn't going to listen to too much canned crap, happily.

Obama up five in R2K.
Obama up five in Rasmussen.
Obama up seven in Hotline/Diageo.

This whole "bail out" idea, seems to me as set up to get the democrats to defend a bill that come from this administration, thus puttig the onus on democrats. It makes them defend a bill that was the Bush administration's brain child. And at the same time make McCain possibley look like the Mavericky, Maverick that stood up to "The Man". Quite frankly, it sickens me...

"Tonight: The Debate
The first presidential debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET tonight at the University of Mississippi. Barack Obama will be showing up, while John McCain has not committed to coming yet."

At the risk of over-parsing this, McCain committed to showing up. He hasn't made it clear that he will honor his commitment.

btw...why are we having a presidential debate in Mississippi of all places??? "Mississippi Burning" bring anything to mind. The state that tried to ban civil rights? Our first black presidential candidate is having his first presidential debate in Mississippi???...you just can't make this stuff up