Political Punch

THe stimulus package is nothing short of an obama attempt to nationalize the economy. If you think nationalizing anything, especialy medicine for some reason like "Oh all of the poor people who can't get the waiting list that they need", than listen up. In Canada they have nationalized health care. They now have long waiting lines for treatments to slove life threatening problems. THis is a disaster. A conversation with a Canadian doctor might go something like this,"Help me I need khemo therapy tommarow or I die" sorry the waiting list says you can't get it for a year and a half have a nice day." Bottom line nationalizing anything does not work. If obama succeeds in nationalizing our economy he will make us no beter than communist russia. Please do not let him do that. Please value your freedom, please value the very principals on which this country was founded. And please don't fall into the media's trap and make victims out of inocent bystanders like wallstreet CEOs. Please help save our country.

What a crock of Rightwing BS here!
Y
Some of you people really sink to new lows of ignorance and idiocy!
A friend retorted "All politicians Lie"
Well, but we've seen an absolute MARATHON of lies these past 8 years from the biggest liars of all: the Repugs!
And as McSAME keeps showing us, they LIE and THEN Forget about it!
And just this morning we see McSAME boostering for "Accountability" for this financial meltdown, when JUST MONDAY he was telling us the economy was doing "Just fine".
What!? He already forgot about that? Certainly he already forgot which party has presided over this wrecked economy these past miserable 8-12 years!

Who is Obama kidding? President Bush proposed rebate checks in January. And it was hardly a new idea, they did it back in 2001, too. Obama sure does love taking credit for stuff he didn't do.

So what is liberals' reaction to the recent CFTC report that says most likely speculation has had no effect on oil prices? This makes democrats bascially flat out wrong on their assessment of the reasons for the energy costs.

Chances are you haven't heard of the report since there has been a near blackout in the media and democrats are busy with the partisan side show energy bill farce. The CFTC says it is hard to track some of the transactions but there is NO evidence of speculation playing a role and actually long term futures decreased this year.

True Patriot:

FACT: Obama was born in Hawaii. He did not "pull himself up" from anywhere in Kansas.

FACT: Obama's "typical white" grandmother was VP of a bank.

He also attended a prestigious school in Hawaii.

What evidence OTHER THAN that from Obama or his books exists to prove he was not only offered jobs with Wall Street firms, but also turned down those same offers?

Elite is an attitude not a dollar amount.

What is a Republican's definition of elitist?
A half black, half white man who pulled himself up from from a poor family in Kansas and worked so hard that he got the highest merit honors possible at Harvard, then turned down huge paying Wall Street jobs to do grass roots work in poor neighborhoods.

Do you ever wonder if Republicans believe the garbage that spews forth from their own mouths?

Hey, Obama doesn't have a rich wife to get money from or more houses than he can count to mortgage if the campaign needs money. So he has to RAISE it.

When will we hear this story on CNN or MSNBC--or even network news channels? They can't wait to report on "lies" in the McCain-Palin campaign! But actual lies from the Obama-Biden campaign are ignored. The general public only hears the Obama-Biden sound bites, not the facts.

Okay, now which of the candidates is supposed to be old, senile, confused and delusional?
Sounds like Obama is having a "Senior moment"....again.

Either that or his "has all the answers", Milli-Vanilli teleprompter wasn't working when he made those untrue remarks.

$1,000,000,000,000 in new Obama Spending

He's only taxine 5% of the people?

Fuzzy Math?

Sure, you the right to think what you want, but will you please not resort to attacks on my intelligence? There are people who support McCain with whom I've been able to have a civil discussion.

And what do you mean corporations don't pay taxes? They do. It's levied on a percentage of their profits.

Look, even if we want to take a hardline stance with Iran or Noth Korea, we must have the means to do so. If we do not have a strong economy, we will not be able to have a strong military either- and we will not be able to deal with any future threats.

We are running in a deficit, and the money has to come from somewhere. The upper-income and the huge corporations-especially the oil companies which are rolling in huge profits are those that can afford to bleed. And government regulations can of course control corporations so they will not be allowed to drive up costs with the addition of extra taxes.

And socialism is more than just giving people a tax cut and credits. It means the state doesn't allow any privatisation and all your banks, land, assets and whatnot are all predominantly controlled by the government. I don't see that happening here anytime soon just because of tax cuts.

This is the worst reporting I've ever seen. How can someone put information such as this on the Web while his only source of information is reportedly off the record Democrats? Unless you have more substantial proof of people saying he had no part the proposal of the Stimulus checks this column is pretty much just editorial trash.

In addition someone can only be guilty if proven so.

So, Obama should have said:

"I presented a plan in January and Congress later passed a stimulus package. Evidently my plan was a good idea, because Congress passed and gave you basically what I proposed"

"Did they choose John McCain's ideas? No, they didn't. Somehow, it seems I have good ideas and John McCain doesn't.

"Just like the Iraqi government and Condi Rice have agreed with my timetable for withdrawl in Iraq. Just like Condi Rice and George Bush and 5 former Secretaries of State (including McCain's own advisor Henry Kissinger) have agreed with my idea to use direct diplomacy with Iran BEFORE we bomb them (instead of bomb first and talk later, like John McCain seems to want to do)."

"Just like how I presented a plan LAST YEAR to regulate a Wall Street financial industry that is out of control, while John McCain is still waiting for a 3 year commission to study his lobbyists plans, before he disregards everything and 'goes with his gut' irregardless."

So, to sum up:

"My ideas and judgement = good"

"John McCain's ideas = wacky and irresponsible"

Gee I wonder if the ladies on The View would confront Obama about this lie?

Obama has to inflate everything because he has no accomplishments of his own.

Haha, I'm glad I'm able to have a civil discussion with you. Sometimes I've been derided as being dumb or stupid by people who support McCain because I don't agree with them. Glad to know there are plenty of people who aren;t like that :)

Well, for me the reason why I don't agree with McCain's policies are because of his approach towards tax cuts-letting the tax cuts for the rich to continue and continue tax cuts for the middle income. The thing is the top 1% of the income ladder contribute around 50% of all taxes paid. Where is McCain going to get the money from to continue funding the Iraq war? I mean, currently we're borrowing money from China and stuff, and they're charging interest.

Someone's going to have to pick up the tab one day. I agree with Obama's policies because he would at least increase taxes on the upper-income and corporations, so he's going to get quite a bit of money to hopefully get rid of the huge deficit. And we do need money if we want to have a war.

I think it is also important that we build up the military back to its original strength before Iraq-in order to face future conflicts. This is something Obama has vowed to do. Iraq was a disaster, and the best we can do now of course it to try and adapt to the situation.

I don't see the Iraq war being won anytime soon, because the Iraq war can be won only when the country is finally stable and not overrun with insurgents. I think the problem is that in order for a democracy to flourish, Iraq needs to have other strong institutions such a free media, research groups and think tanks to support it-otherwise it'll just crumble. Their people's mindsets need to change, and unfortunately this can't happen fast enough. Because they've been under a dictatorship-and colonial rule before that, Iraqis aren't able to properly support a democracy.

His choice of Palin has also been a point of contention for me, since she appears shaky on foreign policy. I mean, considering McCain's age, I think he should have factored in the fact that he might not finish his term and his VP would have to succeed him when choosing his VP.

Haha, I'm glad I'm able to have a civil discussion with you. Sometimes I've been derided as being dumb or stupid by people who support McCain because I don't agree with them. Glad to know there are plenty of people who aren;t like that :)

Well, for me the reason why I don't agree with McCain's policies are because of his approach towards tax cuts-letting the tax cuts for the rich to continue and continue tax cuts for the middle income. The thing is the top 1% of the income ladder contribute around 50% of all taxes paid. Where is McCain going to get the money from to continue funding the Iraq war? I mean, currently we're borrowing money from China and stuff, and they're charging interest.

Someone's going to have to pick up the tab one day. I agree with Obama's policies because he would at least increase taxes on the upper-income and corporations, so he's going to get quite a bit of money to hopefully get rid of the huge deficit. And we do need money if we want to have a war.

I think it is also important that we build up the military back to its original strength before Iraq-in order to face future conflicts. This is something Obama has vowed to do. Iraq was a disaster, and the best we can do now of course it to try and adapt to the situation.

I don't see the Iraq war being won anytime soon, because the Iraq war can be won only when the country is finally stable and not overrun with insurgents. I think the problem is that in order for a democracy to flourish, Iraq needs to have other strong institutions such a free media, research groups and think tanks to support it-otherwise it'll just crumble. Their people's mindsets need to change, and unfortunately this can't happen fast enough. Because they've been under a dictatorship-and colonial rule before that, Iraqis aren't able to properly support a democracy.

His choice of Palin has also been a point of contention for me, since she appears shaky on foreign policy. I mean, considering McCain's age, I think he should have factored in the fact that he might not finish his term and his VP would have to succeed him when choosing his VP.

Grey Matter: You're absolutely right in your assessment; having a strong military is vital to our economy, as having a strong economy is vital to our military. The two items do go hand-in-hand, just as you said.

I think the question of where money will come from if taxes are cut is a really good one, and an important one for us to discuss. I've often heard politicans, on both sides, say that they will cut taxes (or at least cut taxes for the majority of Americans) while they will increase expenditures in a variety of areas. The math just doesn't work out.

I believe that McCain economic plan is the better of the two candidates', but of course that is up to the American people to decide. McCain is looking to repeat what happened during the Clinton years; balance the budget through bipartisan efforts to control spending. McCain has a very lengthy history that can be looked to in order to give credence to his claims that he is adamant about cutting wasteful government spending. Right now, I think we can all agree, our biggest expenditure is the Iraq war, and one of the most important reasons to support McCain is that he will see to it that the Iraq war is ended with victory, making another war in the region very unlikely, whereas Obama has vowed to end the war. It is the opinion of many that pulling troops out before victory can be achieved will lead to another war in the near future, that could be deadlier and costlier. It is better, and less expensive in the long run, to finish what we started so that we concentrate on getting our own country back on track.

When I was deciding which candidate to support, as an Independent, I looked at both candidates' economic plans (as well as their other planned policies) and judged which I thought to be the smartest and the safest, and which plans I thought were the most achievable. I chose to support John McCain, because I think he does have the right plans and the record to back up his claims. Does that mean that I agree with all of his policies? No, but I have yet to find a politician whose policies all my own. Does that mean that I think everyone who votes for the other candidate is stupid and ill-informed? No to that too. I do think that there are a lot of people who are not educated on what it takes to run our country and how different policies and plans will impact our future. And I further think there are a lot of people who gather all of their information from television ads or left (or right) leaning blogs without doing the research needed to have an informed opinion. And that, to me, is just sad.

We might not have had another attack since 9/11- but is it because Al-Qaeda simply chose not to attack yet? Look, the fact is we still have not been able to catch Osama, nor considerably stamp out radical Islam.

Deidra, in any country, maintaining a military imposes a cost on the country. And I suppose it's kind of a chicken and egg question-which comes first? For sure, we need a strong a robust economy to even protect American's own financial security. And if we do not have a strong economy, maintaining a powerful military is out of the question too-how are taxpayers going to give the govt budget to spend when they themselves are suffering? And when our economy weakens, investors flee.

Yes, McCain wants tax cuts-but even for the cooporations. Now, where is he going to get the money from then? He has to get it from SOMEWHERE. We are in a huge hole not just because of the economic policies but because of Iraq. You know, the Chinese are the ones we are billing on our credit card, but of course they are charging interest, and the amount currently has about twelve zeroes behind it, and somebody's going to have to pay for it one day.

We must first have a strong economy before we can have a strong military-we have to be strong financially too. Otherwise, the terrorists don't even have to attack us to weaken us.

Okay, John, I am going to help you here. You have a lot of questions, so I am going to do my best to answer them for you.

First off, BO is not about to take Indiana. Check your facts. According to latest polling, McCain is up by an average of 4.7 in that state. You can find the info on Real Clear Politics.

I'm a McCain supporter and you asked if I have ever been broke. I have nothing to prove it to you, but I can tell you that I spent about a year living in a basement only able to eat rice, and canned green beans and corn while I worked and saved as much money as I could in order to become a productive citizen. I took jobs that I hated just to pay bills, which I barely did. I lived in a scary neighborhood and had a car that worked less than half of the time, and I had absolutely no one to turn to for support, so I had to work hard and I had to educate myself. Now, I am living 100% debt-free in a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood, I have a college education and a great life. This is not because of a government program - this is because I worked my butt off to get here. If I can do it, so can others. I know that someone who is dirt poor doesn't have to have assistance, unless they have a physical or mental disability, in order to pull themselves up and become something better than they once were.

Palin is not avoiding the media - she has had interviews and continues to have them. She is also not "avoiding" the law, she is making the smart choice by not standing by while an Obama-supporter driven lawsuit is brought against her over a very trivial matter.

How can McCain give us change? Look at his record. If you want facts, go to OntheIssues.org and you can see his history of votes and quotes regarding just about any issue you wish to find. Using the phrase 'even Karl Rove says the GOP is full of it' is misleading. He said that the ads were going to far on both sides, though Obama's were the worse of the two. Also, pointing out the lobbyists in McCain's campaign is misleading unless you also mention the lobbyists in Obama's (including Biden's son).

Compared to what you are paying in gas and food a tax increase would make very little difference? That depends on what kind of a tax increase you are talking about. If you are talking about a corporate tax increase, then everything you now purchase will increase in price. That includes gas, food, clothes - everything - because that cost is then shifted to you. It can also affect your pay; if you work for a company that is having to pay more for its goods because of corporate tax increases, then it is likely that your pay and benefits will not rise as rapidly as they could. It's all economics and it's all common sense.

What makes me better than you? I don't know. Tell me a little about yourself. Seriously, to address your question, the only reason people say that McCain and Bush are the "same" is because they are from the same party. I urge you to take a long, hard look at McCain's policies and plans - visit his web site. A vote for McCain is not a vote for Bush's third term, no matter how many times Obama and his supporters say it is so.

Name ONE THING the GOP has done to help the economy - here's a huge, massive thing: the GOP supports a strong defense system. Without a strong defense system, we could not be where we are today. While it is true that the war in Iraq costs far too much, it is also true that we have not seen another attack on our soil since 9/11. That's been seven years - pretty startling when you think about it. Our country simply could not be strong, economically or in any other way, without a strong national defense.

As for the debates, did you ever watch any of the primary debates? Just asking. Your take on them may have been very different from mine, but I don't think Obama is strong in the debate. Otherwise, wouldn't he have agreed to at least one of the town hall discussions that McCain suggested? But I agree with you that I'm looking forward to the debates. I think they'll be fun and very informative. I am especially looking forward to the Biden/Palin debate. I obviously a McCain supporter but I love Biden, and especially love him in a debate. I think Palin will be able to hold her own; she's very intelligent and articulate, but I'm curious to see what happens.

And yes, I have checked the polls. Which poll are you checking? I suggest going to Real Clear Politics instead of MSNBC or whatever is telling you that Independents are turning blue.

But good for you for taking such an interest in politics. Although, I might suggest, if you're so poor that you can't afford gas, maybe you should spend some time looking for a job instead of posting to blogs? Just a thought.

John Mc Cain is a lier and only out to take the middle class under. He has been in congress for over 25 years and voted only for the rich. He is Bush over and over and will never change. He does not offer any real change except what we have already had. I will not vote for someone that can not give any real answers to the problems, except to say he will fix it. He is so out of touch it is unreal.

It is time for someone with some real direction to take over. The polls are all wrong and Mc Cain does not have a change in this election. I am Obama and would not vote for Mc Cain if he was the only one running. I can not stand the man!!!!!