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Monday, October 6th, 2008
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10:04 am
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| Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
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9:42 am - I'm just ranting because things have already gone too far to stop... *sigh*
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The bailout...
It won't reduce imports from China; it won't address the decline of American manufacturing; I doubt it recognizes our inflation dangers; it won't work against the fact that most Americans don't have any savings put away; it won't help with those many nations that stopped trading in US dollars and switched to Euros; it won't stop the wasteful spending in Iraq; it won't turn out the pockets of those greedy CEOs that created the mortgage crisis; it won't bring back service jobs sent to India; it won't restore world confidence in America as a whole; it will make our national debt much worse -- which will continue to weaken the value of our dollar; it will do nothing for stagnant wages...
I just don't see it doing much of anything.
The reason for this, in my opinion, is because the bill originally came down from the Bush administration. They have consistently shown us their distorted and narrow view of what constitutes a healthy economy -- so long as people were happy up in the ivory tower, they could have cared less what fires were burning below in the streets. And so, Democrats and Republicans can tack on as many provisions as they like, it won't fix the flawed basis of the bill, which was made to protect the status quo.
People need to get over this ILLUSION that a free market system will work, or that we've been living in a free market system. YOU FUCKING HEARD ME! Our markets have been all about government lobbying to control the flow of credit, taxes, and money -- while most of our industries and major businesses have been living off of corporate welfare of one form or another. I mean, face the facts -- our train and airline industry haven't made a profit in decades, why are they still around? Free market? HA! At best, the specter of 'free-market' is only a tool used to make less regulation of unethical business practices more palatable to the public.
So... once we get over that free-market illusion, we can scrap the bullshit bill, and start over from scratch. Then, instead of putting a 2-trillion dollar band-aid on our investment banks (yeah, that $700-billion is a load of shit -- we've already spent $300-billion in bailouts and there's sure to be more on the way), we can spend a bit more to make an economy that is healthy enough to generate the revenue necessary to pay that money back.
Otherwise, what I'm seeing now -- means the death of American economic power in the world... if it isn't dead already.
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(8 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
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8:22 am - Harper's Magazine Weekly Review:
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| Monday, September 29th, 2008
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12:07 pm
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Blaming it on invisible CEOs? Easy.
Blaming it on Democrats? Typical.
Blaming it on minorities? Priceless...
The GOP hate Bush. Not because he gave them their every wet fantasy and it turned to shit -- they could care less if the reality they want is not how reality actually works. They hate him because he makes them look bad. I mean, 8 years of gaffs? It hurts them just as much as it hurts us -- you know they get tired of it too. So no surprise the Barbie-doll equivalent of Bush is REALLY making them nervous. I guess, when you take away the cock and balls -- the same moronic response to simple questions no longer works for neo-cons.
Well, McCain's bluff was called -- the debate happened -- and Palin is next on deck October 2nd. Prediction: Biden will mop the floor with her, but without satisfying liberals by taking the stick to her -- and yet, neo-cons will still show just what they think of 'feminism' by claiming Biden was unfair in his attacks because she's just a girl.
...........
Meanwhile -- as politicians "come together" bail out the wealthy idiots who lobbied for control of the majority of America's wealth... neo-cons are busy spreading lies about who caused the financial collapse:
My favorite has been the old 'Blame Bill Clinton' line -- which in this case means blaming his attempts to help minorities afford homes. This has led to some stunning rhetoric, including Ann Coulter's predictable racist article, 'They Gave Your Mortgage To A Less Qualified Minority' (no I won't fucking link to her article, google it if you must)... But let's note something -- there is a LARGE difference between a program that helps minorities -AFFORD- a home, and a bank lending system that foolishly bought up risky loans and sold them as a commodity.
Neo-cons are also laying the blame at the failed bill to turn-out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when evidence of their illegal book-keeping was brought to light. I don't care if a few Republicans wrote a reform package -- when this bill failed, REPUBLICANS held the majority in BOTH the House and the Senate.
There's more of course -- many neo-cons are trying to twist economics into magic to make it seem as if actions taken by Democrats led to this disaster. The cases of this are too numerous to mention. One would assume the Republicans could have done something to work it out in the 12 years they had control of Congress, the 8 years they controlled the President, the 4 years they controlled the Senate -- and the 4 years they controlled all three branches at once.
Hell... everyone saw this coming in Summer of 2007 -- no one did shit.
So... who is to blame?
--companies who gave out loans to those who were not qualified because they were earning money for each loan they gave...
--idiot bankers who accepted the loans because they assumed the homes could always be sold at their high price should the loans fail (even though, historically, no home price spike has ever stayed high)...
--investors who knew the loans were shit, but bundled them with investing schemes to make them seem profitable so they could dump the shit loans to clueless sellers...
--other investors who knew the loan bundles were just a scheme to dump shit loans, but traded them anyway in order to make a profit while the illusion of profit was still hot...
--everyone else in the market who knew what was up, but didn't speak a word of it because they were all rolling in money...
--and any politician, Democrat or Republican (but mainly Republican), who figured the market didn't need regulation, so why bother if the lobbyists are happy...
--and lobbyists who pushed for deregulation because they know crime pays.
So, now... the time for finger pointing is over? I don't think so. I think it's time we play the guilt-by-association card Republicans have been slicing away at Obama with -- and recognize that the lobbyists who pushed for de-regulation, are the same people Republicans put in charge of regulation, and now are the same people on McCain's campaign staff. And before you tell me that, "yes -- but McCain is firing them left and right" -- look at the reality: McCain isn't firing them because of their economic positions, or even their political positions -- but because of their public gaffs that have hurt his campaign (Example: Phil Gramm, "this is a mental recession [snip] We have sort of become a nation of whiners").
...........
Meanwhile: personal confession, I find violence very entertaining -- and the best form of humor...
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, September 26th, 2008
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1:06 pm - A better analysis of McCain's actions, I have not heard:
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10:04 am
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*headdesk* -- *headdesk* -- *headdesk*
Bwahahahahahaha... So the White House meeting descended into a shouting match, which left Paulson (the man who, by virtue of Bush's legislation package, would be crowned the unquestionable lord and master, economic emperor) down on one knee begging all who attended to NOT discuss the moronic results of Bush's attempt to dictate a democratic process.
During that process, Washington Mutual figured it was a good time to go tits-up. That'll certainly cloud the issues with more panic rhetoric. (Good thing I cleared that credit card off my debt... I'll be canceling it shortly.)
Meanwhile, McCain continues to host press interview after press interview after "suspending his campaign", as Obama awaits in Mississippi for... who knows. The debate is on -- whether McCain is willing to drop his hypocritical rhetorical gamble, is anyone's guess.
Where is Palin? I think John Stewart is correct -- she is well on her way to becoming Vice President, insofar as we have known Dick Cheney to be the ultra paranoid, religious fanatic, corrupt mess-maker, low-poll-number-holder, Vice President.
I'm sorry for posting this, but I can't stop myself:
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Thursday, September 25th, 2008
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10:28 am - And the hits just keep on coming...
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Hahahahahaha! After preaching the gospel of deregulation for decades; after saying the economy is strong for so long during his campaign; after just recently using FOX News to spin the notion that Obama is weakening the economy by talking about how bad it is -- McCain is 'suspending' his campaign... AGAIN... to "deal" with the economic crisis that McCain denied existed, up until just now, when his denials caused his poll numbers to plummet.
I think 70% of the American electorate just called 'bullshit' on this 'suspension'.
The debates are going on whether McCain can handle it or not!
Of course, I liked 'mharpold8's suggestion that Palin take over for McCain in the upcoming presidential debate... since, you know... they did claim she was more qualified than Obama after all >:)
Oh... but here's a really delicious bit -- the date that McCain wants to reschedule for? Is the same day that Biden and Palin were scheduled to debate. Oh yeah -- that reeks of staling.
McCain is running from the debate, while Palin is running from reporters at the same time as she tries to pose for the reporter's cameras.
This is a race... right? But it's as if McCain is in the lagging car, and he keeps tossing pieces of his car into the road in the hopes that the yellow flag will slow the race, and allow him to catch up.
It's pathetic.
David Letterman calls McCain to task for skipping out on his scheduled appearance... even catches him lying about being 'on a plane to Washington'. The cosmic humor here? David's Youtube video is 9-minutes and 11-seconds of David tearing McCain a new asshole:
I could say so much more, but I love it when you guys say it instead :)
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(25 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
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8:44 am - Feel free to debate among yourselves...
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Congress/Senate: "Hey! Slow down there. We can't just sign off on something we barely read, or took time to comprehend. This legislation package is loaded with extraordinary powers, no oversight, and complete lack of respect to our democratic system...
I mean, this isn't like a war, or our healthcare, or our rights, or FEMA -- this is OUR MONEY we're signing away!"
...........
Hahahaha! Gods, what predicable swine our politicians are. No threat to peace and human life has made these assholes stand up and do their job like a threat to their stock portfolios.
But, I am happy to see them take this situation more seriously.
In the past, Cheney and other Bush cronies have always done nothing until the warnings signs turn into a full-blown crisis, and THEN, they take full advantage of the government on panic mode to fleece us on everything from war profiteering to reduced regulation.
You think they won't take advantage of this too?
I wouldn't put it past Cheney and the Bush administration to buy up controlling percentages of every company in trouble and put it all in their name while selling the rest to Halliburton and Saudi Arabia.
So yeah -- debate away!
I don't care if it takes the next three months to hash out this bailout plan. I just don't want any CEO to walk away without first having his/her pockets turned out, while home owners get some long needed protections to keep those sub-prime loans from turning into more 'toxic waste'.
...
Oh... but here's one thing -- those taxation/spending plans that Obama and McCain have? They're defunct now. No way the government will be in the same shape as when those plans were made. Take note as to which candidate admits to that first, who adjusts their plans first, and who offers what in the end.
I realize Obama could fumble this and I'll have put my foot in my mouth. And yet, I'm willing to bet McCain will cart out a lie that the bailout will make a huge investment return -- so we should cut taxes before we even know what that return is.
...in the meantime:
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(8 comments | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
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8:34 am
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| Monday, September 22nd, 2008
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9:03 am
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This promises to be another deadline week from hell at work and at home. So... no news links this week. Sorry.
HOWEVER! Here is a link to all the voting and voting registration information you will ever need on a state by state basis:
The Motherlode of All Voter Registration...
...If you don't vote this election year I will personally smash your kneecaps with a ball-peen hammer. Get to work!
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, September 19th, 2008
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9:55 am
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| Wednesday, September 17th, 2008
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10:04 am
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| Monday, September 15th, 2008
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9:33 am
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| Friday, September 12th, 2008
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9:22 am
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| Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
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10:46 am
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| Monday, September 8th, 2008
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9:55 am
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| Friday, September 5th, 2008
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9:57 am
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RNC 2008 -- it took you four days to say nothing...
The theme of Republican campaigns is that they always accuse their opponents of their own sins. The 2008 RNC was no exception.
Where they accused Obama before of being all hope-speeches and no substance, the DNC was full of direct initiatives and specifics; while the RNC was all anti-Obama and empty rhetoric. After listening to three news shows and NPR, the phrase that came up most for the RNC was, "gave no specifics"....
Where Republicans accused Obama of not having any executive experience, they now have a VP that only looks experienced if they ignore questions about her career (experience at corruption?) and lie profusely. Meanwhile, McCain acts like getting shot down over Vietnam, then getting his salad tossed, qualifies as executive experience. Meanwhile, Obama says you can keep your experience, I have a great staff and the intelligence to make anything real....
When they say Obama will lose any of the multiple wars Bush has started (and not finished in seven years), McCain's policies will ensure an eventual victory that will sure as shit not feel like a win when all the costs are added up. In reality, any end to these wars based on lies and profiteering would be a victory for the American taxpayer...
When they say Obama will raise taxes, they deny his actual plan to reduce takes by transferring the load to the most wealthy, who can afford this without cost to investment. Meanwhile, McCain's plan attacks his pet peeve of ear-marks while making no real effort to curb the budget -- guaranteeing that this nation will have to raise taxes after his term, or go bankrupt like the former USSR...
And my favorite, they land-blast Obama for being popular -- because you are all a bunch of high-school kids now, and if Obama doesn't like you, he'll make fun of you and then you won't be able to find a date for the formal dance. Meanwhile, they pick a VP based on her gender and little known record in order to build up the kind of popularity they sorely lack...
...........
But really... of course the RNC gave no specifics.
Republicans are torn when it comes to specifics -- some are hooked on the culture wars, some are addicted to the glut of the Bush years, some forgot that use of military force is supposed to stop conflict (not engage in more and more revenge killing), and the rest like the idea of a powerless government. Naturally -- these ideals don't line up at all. But with McCain -- you get watered down ideals, a man who was a soldier in appearance (albeit, a poor pilot), and a man who was a 'maverick' for the cameras -- yet a whore when it came to his senate voting. Add McCain's power abusing, former oil executive lobbying, hypocrite religious fanatic choice for VP -- and you have a ticket you can unite behind...
...depending on which of the two faces of the two candidates you wish to believe in.
It's like a political crap buffet table! Take what you want, leave the rest -- but don't be surprised if a lot of that shit you didn't want shows up on your plate anyway.
JUST EAT IT! It's exactly like when you all thought you were going to be having that beer with George Bush Jr. -- only later, you found out he's a former alcoholic who doesn't drink beer anymore because it messes with his anti-depression meds (which he has to take because of 30 decades of binge drinking damage) -- so you get a shit-shake instead. Enjoy!
...........
Meanwhile... outside of the convention center... people attempted to protest orderly.
It was clear that both sides, the law enforcement and the protesters, understood the old saying:
"If peaceful protest becomes impossible, violent protests become inevitable."
However, that meant that -- while the protesters did their best to keep their rallies orderly and non-violent -- some of the local authorities (under the direction of the Alberto Gonzales corrupted DOJ), stifled the protests in such a way as to not make it appear that they were being oppressed.
Hanky-panky was played with bullshit arresting charges, the rounding up of reporters as well as protesters, illegal withholding of books and pamphlets, and seemingly disorganized permit processing -- which all led to most of the ruckus seen by the media.
To that end -- the final day of protesting was an outrage.
The peaceful protesters had originally gotten their permit to demonstrate after 5pm -- but at the last minute, the St. Paul city flipped the time they could protest in order to clear the streets of dissenters before prime-time coverage. The result was a massive cluster fuck of running protesters, moving police blockades, tear gas, face-offs, sit-ins, and of course -- massive arrests.
...now, I have to say, the police showed tremendous restraint during the periods of standoff. I still hold no blame to those officers who were there to do a job, and did that job correctly (some didn't). It was those in charge of the city permits that caused this problem -- and the higher state, local, and federal officials who did everything in their power to make the protesters as effective-less as possible share the blame.
The worst part of it is -- the actions of the so called anarchists could have given the appearance to many watching TV that those abuses of power were justified. Trust me: for every one anarchist, there were 100 peaceful protesters. The feds only made things worse.
...........
All in all, I'd say the RNC was like a forced-into-retirement party, where the hookers could only fluff the angry/confused/confrontational/senile people that remembered to take their happy blue pills.
...and to think I was worried that something would happen :P
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(13 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, August 31st, 2008
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10:38 pm - No-no, you assholes, the party starts when we say it will!
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Hurricane Gustav May Suspend RNC
This makes no sense... McCain is not the president -- he has no role in doing anything for the disaster relief efforts.
Bush, Cheney, Arnold, and some others are supposedly canceling their speeches for the first day. Some of that seems relevant -- god knows they don't want to be caught in yet another party photo-op while more US cities drown on their watch. Still, this stinks.
I think they realized too late that they scheduled the first day of their party on Labor Day -- and everyone within driving distance has the day off to come to St. Paul and protest.
I'm joining the protesters. I've made up my mind. To hell with what might happen.
I just hope the real reason the RNC is holding back isn't because they have some terrorist attack stunt planned to boost the old neo-con fear machine :P
UPDATE:
Police raid RNC protest sites in Twin Cities
...so, in true Iraq war style, the RNC is making the SPPD do "preemtive" raids on peaceful protest planners?
Oh, this so does not sit well with me. Better believe I'm joining the protesters now. This shit isn't what they do in America -- this is KGB bullshit right here. They will not get away with that.
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(16 comments | comment on this)
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| Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
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11:18 am - Clinton supporters for McCain...
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I am in the Twin Cities where McCain will be accepting the nomination from the Republican party. If you wish, you can come stay at my place so you can attend the RNC and show your support for McCain.
No room and board fees...
...however, every night while you sleep I will be trying to beat sense into your empty fucking skull with a ten-pound crowbar that I normally keep in the trunk of my car.
.......
Seriously --WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!?!?
Are you pissed because you think the media unfairly made an issue of Hillary being a woman?
...Did you not see where the media also made an unfair issue of McCain's age, or Obama's last name (or Obama's race -- fucking DUH!). Did you think the media conglomerates had ANY skill in handling any candidacy with fairness and reasonable objectivity? These fools are trying to fill 24-hours of news with talk when they have nothing to say -- of course it was fucked up. It was fucked up equally on all sides. Hell -- Tucker Carlson kept calling Obama more of a woman than Hillary. Process that one for a while...
Are you upset because there was finally a woman candidate and she lost her chance to break that glass ceiling?
...Well where the fuck were you in 2004 when Carol Moseley Braun was campaigning? Oh... wait... there's a difference here... it's hard to put my finger on it... let me think... what's different between Carol and Hillary... hmmm...
Why don't we get back to that at a later time... *cough*brown-skin!*cough*
Are you upset that the way the Florida and Michigan votes were handled made the voting unfair?
...Let me set you straight: Florida and Michigan got into trouble by trying to screw the other 48 states; Hillary agreed with the rest of the candidates to not count their delegate votes; then Hillary broke that promise and campaigned in both states when no one else could, and only her name appeared on the voting ballots; even still -- Obama agreed to include their delegate counts after that bullshit, because he had enough delegate votes to beat Hillary even with Michigan and Florida voting for Hillary.
...if you think that mess unfairly favored Obama, you need to stop eating those paint chips you find in your apartment windowsills.
Are you actually stupid enough to think John McCain will represent women voters more?
...Allow me to educate you:
1- McCain skipped a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would ensure women have the opportunity to recover back pay for discrimination once they discover it. If he had been there to vote, he said he would have voted against it and that women “need education and training” rather than an equal pay bill -- yeah, those are his words...
2- He voted to suspend the Family and Medical Leave Act unless the federal government certified that compliance would not increase business expenses or provide financial assistance to businesses to cover any related costs. So there's the family values thing for you -- you can only get pregnant on your own dime, got it?...
3- McCain voted 'no' to allocate $100 million to expand access to preventive health care services that reduce the numbers of unintended and teen pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions. Either McCain likes abortions, or he thinks all unwed mothers are whores that don't deserve a dime of the same money he'd waste on the oil companies...
4- McCain opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based. Myths and scare tactics are the best form of teen pregnancy prevention in McCain's world...
5- In 1990, McCain voted 'no' on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control. McCain message to poor people: just die already...
6- McCain opposed requiring insurance coverage of prescription birth control in 2003. He's been lying about his reasons for that one ever since. Make a note: Cindy McCain never actually gave birth to kids...
7- McCain voted 'no' on legislation to overturn the "global gag rule," which bars foreign nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if the organization (using its own, non-U.S. funds) provides abortion services or information or advocates for pro-choice laws and policies in its own country (see: 'McCain likes abortions' comment above)...
8- Though he has flipped and flopped to create confusion, the fact remains McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade. Is he pro-choice? Nope. He's just against putting that final stake in the heart of a wedge issue that Republicans have been milking for those zombie-like one-issue voters...
9- In recent interviews regarding equal pay, McCain expanded on his reasons for not supporting legislation to that goal because... wait for it... he's worried about all the lawsuits corporations would face after such a law was passed. Get that? He's more concerned about the punishments those poor corporations would face for failing to obey any equal pay laws, because... you know... it's just so had to pay women the same wage as men.
...okay -- so, what have we learned?
We learned that any reason a former Hillary supporter could give for not supporting Obama -- is bullshit. You either are just overly hurt because Hillary lost, or you are - in fact - a racist. There's nothing else remotely resembling logic for why you would support McCain.
Now go look into the mirror for a few hours before you repeat any mindless hate-speeches about voting for McCain because Hillary lost a democratic primary season that did actually favor her unfairly.
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(14 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, August 21st, 2008
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10:53 am - OOOOooo-- burn!
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