2008 USP(G)ET pt. II: counting the days to 2012 primary thread 1

from another Politico piece:

After a wild meeting at the White House, House Financial Service Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was asked whether the Congress and the president were close to a deal.

“Yes and no,” he said. "We're closer to a deal between House Democrats, Senate Democrats, Senate Republicans and the administration. I cannot tell you, but we seem further away with the House Republicans because we thought we might have some differences of opinion over the president's approach. They're now talking about a very different approach."

Frank bashed McCain for becoming involved in the bailout talks, suggesting he was doing it only for political gain in the presidential race.

"I think Sen. McCain was hurting politically on the economic issue," Frank just told reporters. "I think this was a campaign ploy for Sen. McCain. I think they then had this problem that there might not have been enough of a deadlock for him to resolve. I don't know what motivated what, but the next thing we know, he's in a position, frankly, where he's making it harder to get things done rather than negotiate differences.

"He's slowed it down, I don't know whether he caused it or what," Frank said. "We are trying to put it back together."

link: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13946.html

hearing palin re: israel you get a whiff of that pentacostalism when she kicks into the "good guys / bad guys" mode

she can't discuss policy or nuance, but like a good hockey parent (q.v. this) she knows how to whip up the US vs. THEM / good vs. evil / Manichean lizardbrain nonsense

read that as "lizardbrarian"

just as well

McCain screws the pooch

(n.b. not a Palin reference)

Ed Harris as McCain, Fred Ward as Todd Palin

TOP 10 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT SARAH PALIN

10. Sometimes Sarah calls John McCain “Grandpa.”

9. She stole that sexy librarian look from me.

8. Recently passed legislation to build a bridge to Funkytown.

7. Does great impressions of Tina Fey.

6. Favorite meal: moose nuggets and beaver jerky.

5. Working on “Knight Rider” spinoff about a talking snowmobile.

4. Favorite book? “Late Show Fun Facts” -– available at fine stores everywhere.

3. Once spent a week in the hospital after attempting to put lipstick on a pit bull.

2. To improve her foreign policy experience, she recently went to the International House of Pancakes.

1. Only person I know who’s not afraid to go hunting with Dick Cheney.

― Office Cat is Eating the Monitor Again (kingfish), Thursday, September 25, 2008 10:10 PM (55 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this could not be less funny

Enh. Apparently it was delivered by residents of Wasila by satellite.

i probably need to see it on the show in context, at first i assumed that was like another slate article or something

So hey, folks, four weeks ago tonight Barack did a speech in Denver and a plane took off from Alaska.

that actually seems longer than i expected. i think time is speeding up

seems longer ago than i expected, as in that felt like last week

yeah that looks like pretty standard letterman ho-hum top 10 fare. u probably don't need to watch it to understand it, just imagine him saying "WHAT? WHAT?" in between some of them

four weeks ago tonight i was in north carolina amongst republicans. when i woke up friday morning, one of my best friends said, exultantly, in reference to the selection of palin, 'this is what happens when you put a bunch of smart people together in one room.'

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i dont pay attention to these threads but did you guys see this shit?!?!?!?!?!?!
http://www.nicksloan.com/2008/09/new-527-ad-mccain-could-die-soon.html

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h57/texasrainmaker/obama_punch.jpg

yeah dude that was on teevee today with his band-aids on his face and everything! terrifying

that shit is going to backfire so retardedly

So apparently Obama has said he'll be there to do either a town hall, one on one w/ Jim Lehrer, or something of a mix. I just got another email about "Join a local debate watch party" from the campaign.

Also, this:

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080925/capt.4b44b3fd2d434ec3a5dfd0c74acbe883.aptopix_bush_mccain_obama_2008_financial_meltown_dcpm114.jpg?q=85&sig=E_qVdnhwOOUrDX5DY6BXng--

one of my best friends said, exultantly, in reference to the selection of palin, 'this is what happens when you put a bunch of smart people together in one room.'

Could you ask him for a follow-up?

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/09/25/business/26bush_600.jpg

'she's got more executive experience than mccain, obama and biden combined'

no mention of the fact that wasilla has roughly the population of my public school district (my senior class: 105), or that alaska in general, apart from being significantly unlike Outside (dividend, no sales tax) has about a quarter the people of brooklyn.

and you know, this honestly wouldn't be a huge deal if she showed any sort of intelligence or inquisitiveness. i don't have any executive experience, but i'm pretty sure i know a good bit more about foreign policy, among other things, than she does. and i've even lived in alaska!

ugh that ad

"bump this thread if your high school had more ppl in it than wasilla, AK" would be a good thread

uh, how many 7250-person high schools are there?

high school district, dude -- and a lot

you said hs district; jordan said high school full stop

hey gabbneb why dont you pick a fight about it

c'mon neb, you can tell the difference

guys, i'm not talking to either of you btw

more observer than leader

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2008/09/ann-selzer-on-youth-minority-turnout.html

Hugh Hefner: Bunny Ears for Palin

oops, another eurofag here
that 'head of skate' trailer is ace; check out the credits at the end.
also 'from the makers of the mighty ducks and syriana'

Palin would make an interesting new Girl Next Door, since all of the other ones have finally dumped Hef.

Holly and Bridget probably have more foreign policy experience than her as well.

Does anyone know if the debate tonight (assuming it happens) is streaming online anywhere?

It'll be on More4 on saturday night...

I think it's on BBC News 24, in which case it will be on the BBC website to UK people.

HAHA dudes Kathleen Parker at National Review asking Palin to drop out of race on McCain's behalf -> http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDZiMDhjYTU1NmI5Y2MwZjg2MWNiMWMyYTUxZDkwNTE=

If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself.

Only Palin can save McCain, her party, and the country she loves. She can bow out for personal reasons, perhaps because she wants to spend more time with her newborn. No one would criticize a mother who puts her family first.

Do it for your country.

(sorry if that's already been posted/laffed over)

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/87229

I can't believe Friday's big Presidential Debates might be postponed because John McCain doesn't want to do them! Actually I can believe it. John McCain, who I used to know back in the day, is what you might call a pussy—at least when it comes to being incessantly tortured by the Vietcong, ie, me!

ie, thats a beg to PLZ PUT COUNTRY FIRST & CRAWL BACK INTO THE IGLOO WE FOUND YOU FROM, WE'LL CALL YOU WHEN WE WANT TO BOMB RUSSIA, KTHXBYE!

Answering my own question:

www.mydebates.org

Cause and Effect? [Mark Krikorian]

I really thought this was a joke, but it's not. WaMu's final press release, before it sank beneath the waves (h/t Sailer):

WaMu Recognized as Top Diverse Employer—Again

Company ranks in top ten of Hispanic Business’ Diversity Elite and earns perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index

SEATTLE, WA (September 24, 2008) – Washington Mutual, Inc. (NYSE:WM), one of the nation’s leading banks for consumers and small businesses, has once again been recognized as a top employer by Hispanic Business magazine and the Human Rights Campaign.

Hispanic Business magazine recently ranked WaMu sixth in its annual Diversity Elite list, which names the top 60 companies for Hispanics. The company was honored specifically for its efforts to recruit Hispanic employees, reach out to Hispanic consumers and support Hispanic communities and organizations.

The Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization, also awarded WaMu its second consecutive 100 percent score in the organization’s 2009 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which measures progress in attaining equal rights for GLBT employees and consumers. WaMu joins the ranks of 259 other major U.S. businesses that also received top marks in the annual survey. The CEI rated a total of 583 businesses on GLBT-related policies and practices, including non-discrimination policies and domestic partner benefits.

In both surveys, WaMu earned points for competitive diversity policies and programs, including the recently established Latino, African American and GLBT employee network groups, all of which have a corporate executive sponsor and champion.

“Diversity is an integral part of cultivating a welcoming, innovative and dynamic workplace here at WaMu. We are proud to be recognized for the opportunities and benefits we offer to all of our employees, including the specific efforts we have made to engage Hispanics and the GLBT community,” said Steve Rotella, WaMu president and COO. “We are committed to diversity at WaMu and pledge to listen to our customers and work closely with our employees to continue to make progress.”

These two recent honors build upon diversity recognitions WaMu received earlier in 2008. WaMu was named one of 25 Noteworthy Companies by Diversity Inc magazine and one of the Top 50 Corporations for Supplier Diversity by Hispanic Enterprise magazine.

09/26 07:26 AM

...

reading the corner is so surreal

I like this gal more and more [Mark Steyn]

An Alaska mayor writes to a California newspaper:

“Dear Editor,” Palin wrote in 2002. “San Francisco judges forbidding our Pledge of Allegiance? They will take the phrase ‘under God’ away from me when my cold, dead lips can no longer utter those words.”

09/25 09:44 PM

i can't wait to see what today will bring.

thanking u america for quality political theatre,

Somebody dig out the quote where she attributes under god to the founding fathers, that is always good for a chuckle.