UPDATED: FactCheck.org weighs in…Who Is Behind The Palin Smears? Looks Like Obama Is Paying For Some Of It
Click image to see the source of just one of the tasteless gems coming from the left.
Speaking of gems, did you hear that Palin referred to Obama as Sambo? Where did that smear come from?
macranger did some investigating and here is what he found:
Two members of Barack of Obama’s campaign, Dick and Sharon Price, created a post today on their “LA Progressive” blog that accuses Sarah Palin of using the name “Sambo” to describe Barack Obama.
Aside from the fact that this constitutes slander, for there is absolutely no evidence – sources, etc, there is more to the story about “Dick and Sharon”. First, their blog only came into being on 10 March 2008 according to whois records.
This is about the time that several satellite Pro-Obama blogs began to appear around the internet, several of which were found to be funded by the Obama campaign. Most likely this rag is funded by the Obama campaign as well.
Secondly, according to sources they are bona-fide Democrat political operatives that are known for planting such slanderous stories about opposition candidate going back for a while now.
The source called them “assassins”.
The fact that the story wasn’t designed to do anything but get the story into Google search engines tells you much of the type of characters these two are – bottom feeders and just what kind of people support Barack Obama.
UPDATE: To note how bad this lie is, the Daily Kos which linked to it earlier deleted the link.
So that takes care of Sambo, and I already posted on the debunking of the affair, banned books, and troopergate and teen pregnancy funding.
This is what started it all ,and from there, it went to this. As for the Ebay/plane. She said she “I sold the plane, I put it on e-bay”. From there it turned into a “Sarah lied, see I have proof!” The dumbass with the proof admitted that the plane was sold, the plane was on e-bay, but the plane did not sell on e-bay! Wow, she never said it did Einstein!
Here are just a few other gems that I found:
Palin: She Inhaled [CBS News]
Sarah Palin Photos: A ‘Busty’ T-Shirt From Her College Days [Huffington Post]
UPDATE:
We’ve been flooded for the past few days with queries about dubious Internet postings and mass e-mail messages making claims about McCain’s running mate, Gov. Palin. We find that many are completely false, or misleading.
- Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.
- She did not demand that books be banned from the Wasilla library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a “What if?” question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin’s first term.
- She was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party, a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She’s been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
- Palin never endorsed or supported Pat Buchanan for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a “courtesty” when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
- Palin has not pushed for teaching creationism in Alaska’s schools. She has said that students should be allowed to “debate both sides” of the evolution question, but she also said creationism “doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.”
A few of these claims were included in a chain e-mail by a woman named Anne Kilkenny. We’ll be looking into other charges in that e-mail for a future story. For more explanation of the bullet points above, please read the Analysis.
AnalysisSince Republican presidential nominee John McCain tapped Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, information about Palin’s past has been zipping around the Internet. Several claims are not true, and other rumors are misleading.
No Cut for “Special Needs” Kids
It’s not true, as widely reported in mass e-mails, Web postings and at least one mainstream news source, that Palin slashed the special education budget in Alaska by 62 percent. CNN’s Soledad O’Brien made the claim on Sept. 4 in an interview with Nicolle Wallace, a senior adviser to the McCain campaign:
O’Brien, Sept. 4: One are that has gotten certainly people sending to me a lot of e-mails is the question about as governor what she did with the special needs budget, which I’m sure you’re aware, she cut significantly, 62 percent I think is the number from when she came into office. As a woman who is now a mother to a special needs child, and I think she actually has a nephew which is autistic as well. How much of a problem is this going to be as she tries to navigate both sides of that issue?
Such a move might have made Palin look heartless or hypocritical in view of her convention-speech pledge to be an advocate for special needs children and their families. But in fact, she increased special needs funding so dramatically that a representative of local school boards described the jump as “historic.”
According to an April 2008 article in Education Week, Palin signed legislation in March 2008 that would increase public school funding considerably, including special needs funding. It would increase spending on what Alaska calls “intensive needs” students (students with high-cost special requirements) from $26,900 per student in 2008 to $73,840 per student in 2011. That almost triples the per-student spending in three fiscal years. Palin’s original proposal, according to the Anchorage Daily News, would have increased funds slightly more, giving intensive needs students a $77,740 allotment by 2011.
Education Week: A second part of the measure raises spending for students with special needs to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Unlike many other states, Alaska has relatively flush budget coffers, thanks to a rise in oil and gas revenues. Funding for schools will remain fairly level next year, however. Overall per-pupil funding across the state will rise by $100, to $5,480, in fiscal 2009. …
Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a “historic event,” and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets.According to Eddy Jeans at the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, funding for special needs and intensive needs students has increased every year since Palin entered office, from a total of $203 million in 2006 to a projected $276 million in 2009.
Those who claim that Palin cut special needs funding by 62 percent are looking in the wrong place and misinterpreting what they find there. They point to an apparent drop in the Department of Education and Early Development budget for special schools. But the special schools budget, despite the similar name, isn’t the special needs budget. “I don’t even consider the special schools component [part of] our special needs funding,” Jeans told FactCheck.org. “The special needs funding is provided through our public school funding formula. The special schools is simply a budget component where we have funding set aside for special projects,” such as the Alaska School for the Deaf and the Alaska Military Youth Academy. A different budget component, the Foundation Program, governs special needs programs in the public school system.
And in any case, the decrease in funding for special schools is illusory. Palin moved the Alaska Military Youth Academy’s ChalleNGe program, a residential military school program that teaches job and life skills to students under 20, out of the budget line for “special schools” and into its own line. This resulted in an apparent drop of more than $5 million in the special schools budget with no actual decrease in funding for the programs.
Not a Book Burner
One false rumor accuses then-Mayor Palin of threatening to fire Wasilla’s librarian for refusing to ban books from the town library. Some versions of the rumor come complete with a list of the books that Palin allegedly attempted to ban. The story is false on several fronts: Palin never asked that books be banned; the librarian continued to serve in that position; no books were actually banned; and many of the books on the list that Palin supposedly wanted to censor weren’t even in print at the time, proving that the list is a fabrication.It’s true that Palin did raise the issue with Mary Ellen Emmons, Wasilla’s librarian, on at least two occasions. Emmons flatly stated her opposition both times. But, as the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman (Wasilla’s local paper) reported at the time, Palin asked general questions about what Emmons would say if Palin requested that a book be banned. According to Emmons, Palin “was asking me how I would deal with her saying a book can’t be in the library.” Emmons reported that Palin pressed the issue, asking whether Emmons’ position would change if residents were picketing the library. Wasilla resident Anne Kilkenny, who was at the meeting, corroborates Emmons’ story, telling the Chicago Tribune that “Sarah said to Mary Ellen, ‘What would your response be if I asked you to remove some books from the collection?’ “
Palin characterized the exchange differently, initially volunteering the episode as an example of discussions with city employees about following her administration’s agenda. Palin described her questions to Emmons as “rhetorical,” noting that her questions “were asked in the context of professionalism regarding the library policy that is in place in our city.” Actually, true rhetorical questions have implied answers (e.g., “Who do you think you are?”), so Palin probably meant to describe her questions as hypothetical or theoretical. We can’t read minds, so it is impossible for us to know whether or not Palin may actually have wanted to ban books from the library or whether she simply wanted to know how her new employees would respond to an instruction from their boss. It is worth noting that, in an update, the Frontiersman points out that no book was ever banned from the library’s shelves.
Moreover, although Palin fired Emmons as part of a “loyalty” purge, she rehired Emmons the next day, and Emmons remained at her job for two-and-a-half more years. Actually, Palin initially requested Emmons’ resignation in October 1996, four days before the public discussion of censorship. That was at the same time she requested that all four of Wasilla’s department heads resign. Palin described the requests as a loyalty test and allowed all four department heads to retain their positions. But on Jan. 30, 1997, three months after the censorship discussion, Palin informed Emmons and Wasilla’s police chief, Irv Stambaugh, that they would be fired. According to the Chicago Tribune, Palin did not list censorship as a reason for Emmons’ firing. Palin rehired Emmons the following day. Emmons continued to serve as librarian until August 1999, when the Chicago Tribune reports that she resigned.So what about that list of books targeted for banning, which according to one widely e-mailed version was taken “from the official minutes of the Wasilla Library Board”? If it was, the library board should take up fortune telling. The list includes the first four Harry Potter books, none of which had been published at the time of the Palin-Emmons conversations. The first wasn’t published until 1998. In fact, the list is a simple cut-and-paste job, snatched (complete with typos and the occasional incorrect title) from the Florida Institute of Technology library Web page, which presents the list as “Books banned at one time or another in the United States.”
Closet Secessionist?
Palin was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party – which calls for a vote on whether Alaska should secede from the union or remain a state – despite mistaken reports to the contrary. But her husband was a member for years, and she attended at least one party convention, as mayor of the town in which it was held.The party’s chair originally told reporters that Palin had been a member, but the official later retracted that statement. Chairwoman Lynette Clark told the New York Times that false information had been given to her by another member of the party after she first told the Times and others that Palin joined the AIP in 1994. Clark issued an apology on the AIP Web site.
The director of Alaska’s Division of Elections, Gail Fenumiai, confirms that Palin registered to vote in the state for the first time in May 1982 as a Republican and hasn’t changed her party affiliation since. She also told FactCheck.org that Palin’s husband, Todd, was registered with AIP from October 1995 to July 2000, and again from September 2000 until July 2002. (He has since been registered as undeclared.) However, the AIP says Todd Palin “never participated in any party activities aside from attending a convention in Wasilla at one time.”There is still some dispute as to whether Sarah Palin also attended the AIP’s 1994 convention, held in Wasilla. Clark and another AIP official told ABC News’ Jake Tapper that both Palins were there. Palin was elected mayor of Wasilla two years later. The McCain campaign says Sarah Palin went to the 2000 AIP convention, also held in Wasilla, “as a courtesy since she was mayor.” As governor, Palin sent a video message to the 2008 convention, which is available on YouTube, and the AIP says she attended in 2006 when she was campaigning.
Didn’t Endorse Pat Buchanan
Claims that Palin endorsed conservative Republican Pat Buchanan for president in the 2000 campaign are false. She worked for conservative Republican Steve Forbes.The incorrect reports stem from an Associated Press story on July 17, 1999, that said Palin was “among those sporting Buchanan buttons” at a lunch for Buchanan attended by about 85 people, during a swing he took through Fairbanks and Wasilla. Buchanan didn’t help matters when he told a reporter for the liberal publication The Nation on Aug. 29:
“I’m pretty sure she’s a Buchananite.” But in fact, she wasn’t.Soon after The AP story appeared, Palin wrote in a letter to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News that she had merely worn a Buchanan button as a courtesy to her visitor and was not endorsing him. The letter, published July 26, 1999, said:
Palin, July 26, 1999: As mayor of Wasilla, I am proud to welcome all presidential candidates to our city. This is true regardless of their party, or the latest odds of their winning. When presidential candidates visit our community, I am always happy to meet them. I’ll even put on their button when handed one as a polite gesture of respect.
Though no reporter interviewed me for the Associated Press article on the recent visit by a presidential candidate (Metro, July 17), the article may have left your readers with the perception that I am endorsing this candidate, as opposed to welcoming his visit to Wasilla. As mayor, I will welcome all the candidates in Wasilla.
Palin actually worked for Forbes. Less than a month after being spotted wearing the “courtesy” button for Buchanan, she was named to the state leadership committee of the Forbes effort. The Associated Press reported on Aug. 7, 1999:
The Associated Press, Aug. 7 1999: State Sen. Mike Miller of Fairbanks will head the Alaska campaign chairman for Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes, campaign officials said. Joining the Fairbanks Republican on the leadership committee will be Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin, and former state GOP chairman Pete Hallgren, who will serve as co-chairs.
Still, after nine years, the truth has yet to catch up completely.
No Creationism in Schools
On Aug. 29, the Boston Globe reported that Palin was open to teaching creationism in public schools. That’s true. She supports teaching creationism alongside evolution, though she has not actively pursued such a policy as governor.In an Oct. 25, 2006, debate, when asked about teaching alternatives to evolution, Palin replied:
Palin, Oct. 25, 2006: Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both. And you know, I say this too as the daughter of a science teacher. Growing up with being so privileged and blessed to be given a lot of information on, on both sides of the subject – creationism and evolution. It’s been a healthy foundation for me. But don’t be afraid of information and let kids debate both sides.
A couple of days later, Palin amended that statement in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News, saying:
Palin, Oct. 2006: I don’t think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class. It doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.
After her election, Palin let the matter drop. The Associated Press reported Sept 3: “Palin’s children attend public schools and Palin has made no push to have creationism taught in them. …Â It reflects a hands-off attitude toward mixing government and religion by most Alaskans.” The article was headlined, “Palin has not pushed creation science as governor.” It was written by Dan Joling, who reports from Anchorage and has covered Alaska for 30 years.
That E-mail Author
Switching gears: Almost 100 readers have written to ask us if the many claims made about Palin in an e-mail written by someone named Anne Kilkenny are true. We can tell you that Kilkenny is a real person. (She was quoted by the Chicago Tribune, as we said above.) According to the New York Times, she’s a Democrat. According to Kilkenny herself, Palin “has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s attempt at censorship.”We’re still analyzing Kilkenny’s claims, and we will be posting something on this soon.
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September 8, 2008 - 03:36 PM on September 8th, 2008
Looks like the Light of Truth is beginning to shine on these lying, degenerate cockroaches. Pam thanks for posting this. This is the first I have seen where someone has actually identified and caught some of these filthy little Boll Weevil vermin.
I hope you Leftists and Liberals, you Obama supporters, are very proud of the vile, underhanded tactics of your people. This is not American, this is not civilized, these are the tactics of Bolsheviks. And it is just one more example of the fundamental differences between the Left and the Right.
September 8, 2008 - 03:41 PM on September 8th, 2008
And where do the smears and lies about Obama come from? Reich-wingers, swift boaters, etc. Deal with your own cockroaches, Robert. Where does the lie about Barbie Doll rejecting the bridge to nowhere come from? Did you hear the one about the governor who backed a pork barrel bridge before she “supposedly opposed it” and took the money anyway.
September 8, 2008 - 03:50 PM on September 8th, 2008
Care to point out some of those lies, ellis? And be specific, VERY specific. Along the lines of what Pam posted here. C’mon, back up your rhetoric…
September 8, 2008 - 04:47 PM on September 8th, 2008
Damn those pesky little facts Robert
September 8, 2008 - 04:51 PM on September 8th, 2008
1. Obama is a Muslim — was debunked
2. Obama does not reach across the aisle – wrong
3. Palin and the bridge to nowhere – nonsense
4. Palin and reform – she has and does use lobbyists
5. McCain is a maverick – he may have been but his record for many years dictates otherwise (90% vote with Bush)
6. Silence on the ethics issues facing Palin (troopergate, using influence)
7. Palin has adequate foreign policy experience
8. Palin is ready right now to assume POTUS – gimme a break
Those are quick off the top. Misleading statements and outright lying is a cornerstone of the right.
September 8, 2008 - 04:59 PM on September 8th, 2008
ellis, put yer thinking cap on. You posted:
“And where do the smears and lies about Obama come from? Reich-wingers, swift boaters, etc. Deal with your own cockroaches, Robert.”
And I asked you for SPECIFIC examples of lies told about Obama. Now tell me items 3 through 8 in your post above are lies told by the Right about Obama. Just try. I am waiting…
September 8, 2008 - 05:04 PM on September 8th, 2008
Ellis, I can answer some of your questions.
1. Read his books. He talks about his muslim background.
2. Better double check that. I would try looking at the Illinois State Legislature public website for that. He didn’t do anything while a Senator so there’s no need to check that record.
3. Really?
4. So funny.
5. 90% of the votes in Congress are about naming post offices and declaring various awareness months. 90% is an average agreement for all of that.
6. Well, she cleaned up house and those good ole boys are trying to get revenge. Actually there is not one piece of solid evidence against her.
7. No one said she had adequate foreign policy experience but unlike the muslim she’s not running for president, McCain is. She’ll get her experience.
8. Yes, with her tenacity, integrity, intelligence and guts she sure could step in asap.
Yawn…is that all?
September 8, 2008 - 05:04 PM on September 8th, 2008
Take 3-8 as points you guys lose on. Doesn’t matter to me. They are lies not necessarily about Obama, but certainly lies and misleading.
September 8, 2008 - 05:07 PM on September 8th, 2008
BonBon,
You gotta be kidding. The bridge is being raised in many, many stump speeches and ads, and it’s a pure piece of garbage argument. She flip-flopped when all hell broke loose on the idiocy of the project. She reversed her position but stilltook the money.
September 8, 2008 - 05:17 PM on September 8th, 2008
This is rich…
September 8, 2008 - 05:21 PM on September 8th, 2008
ellis, I give you credit for at least trying. You gamely made a go of it where other Leftists feared to tread (this topic). Thanks for playing…
September 8, 2008 - 05:30 PM on September 8th, 2008
Hey Robert,
Ellis probably doesn’t realize that Palin got involved after the issue was all but dead(and she was campaigning for the governorship), but as soon as she took office, she said no to the bridge..the feds told her the money was hers, so she used it for transportation! That bitch! How dare she spend money wisely
September 8, 2008 - 05:37 PM on September 8th, 2008
Which one of his sons was involved in a failed bank?
Doug is a pilot for American Airlines. He was a US Navy Pilot
Jack is 21 and attend the Naval Academy
Jimmy is 19 and is in the Marines.
September 8, 2008 - 05:38 PM on September 8th, 2008
They are lies not necessarily about Obama, but certainly lies and misleading.~ said ellis, yet can’t point to a single one!
September 8, 2008 - 05:52 PM on September 8th, 2008
[...] Who Is Behind The Palin Smears? Looks Like Obama Is Paying For Some Of It | Right Voices [...]
September 8, 2008 - 06:08 PM on September 8th, 2008
Yep! I rest my case.
September 8, 2008 - 06:33 PM on September 8th, 2008
Feds Finally Seize Failed Bank That McCain’s Son Ran
One item that I’ve discussed a great deal here has been that of the failing bank (Silver State Bank) that John McCain’s son — Andrew McCain — ran as a member of the bank’s board of directors and its audit committee. (See previous stories below)
Well, we have an update. The bank has finally failed, and seized by federal regulators on Friday night, making it the 11th bank to fail in the U.S. this year.
In light of the attention being paid to the takeovers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and the two political conventions, the media seems to be overlooking this very important story on how the son of the Republican presidential nominee — and one of the campaign’s biggest fundraisers — suddenly and mysteriously resigned from Silver State Bank in July, citing only “personal reasons,” refusing to discuss the issue with the media (or even return their calls). Sadly, America is in the thick of the biggest national financial crisis since the savings and loan meltdown of the 1980s and McCain was at the epicenter of the 11th bank failure this year. Yet, silence. …..
Read it all at:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-nickolas/feds-finally-seize-failed_b_124854.html
September 8, 2008 - 06:35 PM on September 8th, 2008
The McCain involvement in a bank failure reminds me of another lie: That Obama will raise taxes on low and middle income earners. His plan focuses on the uppper 1% of taxpayers.
September 8, 2008 - 06:57 PM on September 8th, 2008
When the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire, you will se a tax increase across the board. Those will expire and then new tax cut legislation needs to be written, debated and then voted on. So ellis, it is a tax increase across the boards. In the future, take a look at the archives…this has been talked about in other threads.
As for Andrew McCain? What is it that you think he did? Other than HuffPo, you would be hard pressed to cite a financial analyst that would go along with your hint of wrong doing:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122089085654510439.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
After five months on Silver State’s board, Andrew McCain stepped down July 26, citing “personal reasons.” Earlier that week, regulators had intensified their scrutiny of Silver State and began monitoring its financial stability on a daily basis, according to a state regulatory filing. The day before Mr. McCain resigned, another major Nevada bank, First National Bank of Nevada, had failed.
There is no evidence that Mr. McCain committed any wrongdoing or that Sen. McCain had any knowledge of or involvement in the Silver State situation.
Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for Sen. McCain, said Andrew McCain stepped down after realizing that Silver State “needed directors who could devote a great deal of time and attention to guiding the bank through this challenging time. Living in Phoenix and having just accepted the chairmanship of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Andy realized that it would be difficult for him to devote the time and attention that Silver State’s shareholders and depositors deserved.”
Mr. McCain’s ties to Silver State date to 2006, when he became a director of Choice Bank, a small Scottsdale, Ariz., lender that Silver State acquired that year. Choice was smaller than Silver State, but its deteriorating finances have hurt the parent company. Silver State last month took an $18.8 million write-down due to the “continued deterioration” of Choice’s credit quality, according to a securities filing.
Mr. McCain joined Silver State’s board and audit committee in February. In June, a routine exam by federal and state regulators found that Silver State “exhibited extremely unsafe and unsound practices and conditions,” according to the Nevada Financial Institutions Division.
If Mr. McCain had remained on Silver State’s board another four days, his position on the audit committee would have required him to sign off on the company’s second-quarter financial statements. Three weeks after Mr. McCainquit, Silver State had to revise those second-quarter numbers to reflect a larger net loss.
September 8, 2008 - 06:59 PM on September 8th, 2008
And more on the closing
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/09/08/daily16.html
September 8, 2008 - 07:03 PM on September 8th, 2008
And Yet Another Browser?…
Hewlett-Packard is teaming up with Mozilla and Symantec to create a more secure Web browser that will add an extra layer of security and virtualization capabilities to the corporate desktop.More secur……
September 8, 2008 - 07:04 PM on September 8th, 2008
“Silver State was the 11th bank failure in the country, and according to the latest national data released by the FDIC, 117 banks and thrifts were on its watch list in the second quarter, the highest total since 2003.”
And the economy is going great guns, right? Pardon me while I gag. Four more years of McCain-Bush? To quote Barbie Doll – “Thanks, but no thanks.”
September 8, 2008 - 07:11 PM on September 8th, 2008
Send Better Gaffes! Via Just One Minute:
http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2008/09/send-better-gaf.html
The HuffPo tells us that Sarah Palin gaffed with these comments about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae:
Speaking before voters in Colorado Springs, the Republican vice presidential nominee claimed that lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had “gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers.” The companies, as McClatchy reported, “aren’t taxpayer funded but operate as private companies. The takeover may result in a taxpayer bailout during reorganization.”
Hmm – apparently this is a gaffe because, since there has been no cash outlay as yet by the taxpayer, it is not accurate to say that Freddie and Fannie were “too expensive”.
Really? Did the concepts of “opportunity cost” and “implicit cost” go on a post-convention vacation? The implicit Federal guarantee of Freddie and Fannie distorted the mortgage market in many ways, the costs of which are coming home to roost to all of us, taxpayers included.
And that implicit guarantee had a value to Freddie and Fannie investors, presumably offset by a cost to… hmm, taxpayers? Taxpayers! And in the current market environment I think it is fair to say that the two entities were leaning pretty heavily on that guarantee, so the implicit cost had, let’s see, gone up and arguably become, yes, too expensive relative to the dubious mismanagement practices being underwritten. That said, taking over the two firms under new management does not reduce the current cost of the guarantee except to the extent that better management, better incentives, and/or better regulation will improve their performance.
DEVELOPING: I want to weave in glorious examples of the implicit future costs of Social Security and Medicare as examples of programs routinely called “too expensive” even though they are adequately funded today. And in a Mad Crescendo I may even mention a favorite Dem talking point – the “cost” of the Iraq war as represented by a decline in our national prestige, a non-cash outlay if ever there was one.
Or I may go to dinner. We make these tough calls every day.
September 8, 2008 - 07:12 PM on September 8th, 2008
Yes Silver State was the 11th..Chuck Schumer can take credit for bank number 10 that went under!
September 8, 2008 - 07:14 PM on September 8th, 2008
the highest total since 2003.”said Ellis
Let’s see, the Dems controlled the Sentate from mid 2001 until 2004. And then took the Senate and the Cogress in 2006..see what happens when Dems get their mitts on things..
September 8, 2008 - 07:52 PM on September 8th, 2008
The Pigeon on Old Cars…
Hopefully my friend Denver Braa is reading this (yes, that’s his real name). I finally got my Beast back; a 1971 Dodge Polara to be exact. It’s been in the shop since July 3rd, mere days before I left on…
September 8, 2008 - 07:56 PM on September 8th, 2008
There you go again (to quote your hero, Ron Reagan). Again, Congress neither funds nor controls Fannie and Freddie. The failed Bush-McCain economic policies handsomely contributed. Yes, McCain’s economic policies are in lock step with Bush. To draw in another Reaganism: “Are we better off than we were 8 years ago?” Hell, no. And to reward Bush-McCain policies with another four years is ridiculous.
September 8, 2008 - 08:30 PM on September 8th, 2008
No ellis, stop the nonsense and go to the thread on the subject! btw, we have over site committees for this very reason, but the Dems had a big stake in this. See the thread!
http://rightvoices.com/2008/09/07/the-bush-administration-seized-control-sunday-of-troubled-mortgage-giants-fannie-mae-and-freddie-mac-aiming-to-stabilize-the-housing-market-turmoil-that-is-threatening-financial-markets-and-the-overa/
September 8, 2008 - 08:39 PM on September 8th, 2008
America sure was a lot better off with Bush than with Bush and the Reid-Pelosi Democrite-controlled worse-than-useless Congress:
George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six the economy was fine.
A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) the unemployment rate was 4.5%.
4) the DOW JONES hit a record high–14,000 +
5) American’s were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations over seas, living large!…
But American’s wanted ‘CHANGE! So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress & yep–we got ‘CHANGE’ all right!…..
1) Consumer confidence has plummeted ;
2) Gasoline is now over $4 a gallon & climbing
3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);
4) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS & prices still dropping;
5) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
6) as I write, THE DOW is probing another low~~11,300–$2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS EVAPORATED FROM THEIR STOCKS, BONDS & MUTUAL FUNDS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS!
YEP , IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE!…AND WE SURE AS HELL GOT IT!!!….NOW ‘B-HO’, the DEM’S CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT–AND THE POLLS SAY HE’S GONNA BE ‘THE MAN’–CLAIMS HE’S GONNA REALLY GIVE US CHANGE!!….JUST HOW MUCH MORE ‘CHANGE’ DO YA THINK YOU CAN STAND???
September 8, 2008 - 08:57 PM on September 8th, 2008
what’s our deficit? where’d the surplus go under Bush-McCain? whose economic policies were being implemented all of the last 7 1/2 years? don’t be afraid to say it; we all know – Yes, Bush-McCain.
So, from your above comment I see you don’t want change. Why do you hate America and Americans? Why the hell has McCain suddenly ratcheted onto the “change” mantra? Because he knows the American people have had enough of the Bush-McCain policies. I’ve yet to hear one iota of difference between McCain’s proposed economic policy and the failed policies of the last 7 1/2 years. Has it ever occurred to you that it takes time for the impact of economic policies to come to fruition? Of course the last couple years have been abysmal. Bush-McCain’s policies have reached maturity, and their full negative impact is being felt.
September 8, 2008 - 09:17 PM on September 8th, 2008
Where did the surplus go? Well let’s see, the Clinton surplus got us a recesssion beginning in January 2000. Clinton’s inaction on terrorism led us to the funding of 2 wars. Any more questions?
September 8, 2008 - 09:37 PM on September 8th, 2008
When all else fails, blame it on Clinton. You’re so predictable.
September 8, 2008 - 09:46 PM on September 8th, 2008
You asked a question and I answered you with what happened. It isn’t a secret.
September 8, 2008 - 09:58 PM on September 8th, 2008
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September 8, 2008 - 10:02 PM on September 8th, 2008
ellis: We do want change, change we can believe in—and it isn’t Barack Saddam Hussein Osama Obama’s version that we want.
September 9, 2008 - 02:27 AM on September 9th, 2008
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September 9, 2008 - 02:27 AM on September 9th, 2008
California: “I now pronounce you Party A and Party B”…
It seems strange but in reality it appears that is the eventual destination for marriage in California.
Via Orb:
“Brides” and “grooms” are no longer allowed to marry in the State of California.
That privilege is only extended to…
September 9, 2008 - 02:54 AM on September 9th, 2008
Obama: Against community organizers before he was for them…
Sarah Palin, in her acceptance speech, had a great line:
I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a “community organizer,”except that you have actual responsibilities.
 This has lead to a firestorm of complaints from community organizers who d……
September 9, 2008 - 04:39 AM on September 9th, 2008
On Palin: A Fair Game Attempt By The MSM…
While this blog has been critical of the MSM and its treatment of GOP Vice-Presidential candidate Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, a report published in WaPo may qualify as fair game. As published on UPI’s website, the report suggests some may ha…
September 9, 2008 - 07:26 AM on September 9th, 2008
“Palin Billed Taxpayers For Nights Spent At Home, Travel To NCAA Game, Sled Race”
Yes, siree, Robert. I can see so clearly why Barbie-Doll is a reformer. Always figuring out new angles, and ways to personally benefit. Yet another ethics red flag in AK. If it walks like a duck (ummmmmmm, moose), snorts like a moose … oh, you get the picture even if you don’t admit it.
With four more years of Bush-McCain, you’ll be left with only “change” you can count …. pennies, nickels, dimes; while the anointed Republican fat cats and insiders get richer.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/09/palin-billed-taxpayers-fo_n_124984.html
September 9, 2008 - 07:47 AM on September 9th, 2008
Michelle Obama’s Princeton Undergrad Thesis, Alas,…
“Michelle notes that she graduated with honors in her major. Again, the problem is that her undergraduate thesis is on the web. You might expect that she wrote about Shakespeare’s sonnets or the political evolution of W.E.B. Du Bois. Well, no. Essent…
September 9, 2008 - 08:03 AM on September 9th, 2008
the Huffington wbsite is a sewer. I expect it to be the source of some of the lies.
September 9, 2008 - 08:06 AM on September 9th, 2008
Here is the explanation of that Ellis..had you bothered to do some homework, you would have found that she was well within the law:
http://volokh.com/posts/1220936107.shtml
You have to read the article http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html?hpid=topnews carefully to figure this out, but what the story ultimately reveals is that Palin (a) billed the state for most expenses allowed by law, including per diem when she stayed in her own home (her “duty station” was the state capitol of Juneau) in Wasilla; (b) didn’t bill the state for other expenses, when she could have done so lawfully, such as per diems for her children; and (c) spent a lot less money on expenses than did her predecessor, especially on travel and by ridding herself of the state’s personal chef. [FWIW, she apparently maintained two residences, the governor's mansion in Juneau, which by state law is her official work "base" and where assumedly she didn't get a per diem (but where her predecessor had a personal chef whom she let go), and Wasilla, from where she commuted to Anchorage for work when the legislature wasn't in session. Saintly to take the per diem she was legally entitled to when in the second residence? No. Worthy of the lead headline on Washingtonpost.com? Please! Not illegal, not unethical, and not a scandal.]
Meanwhile, I have to wonder whether the Post has several reporters looking over Joe Biden’s expense reports. Does he bill the government for his daily roundtrip to Delaware? How many “fact-finding missions” has he participated in annually during his Senate career? Inquiring minds want to know?
UPDATE: The Post doesn’t do the math for us, but the total per diem claimed was $16,951 divided divided by 312 days, or $54.33 per day (the per diem is $60 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/09/09/GR2008090900280.html?sid=ST2008090900325&s_pos=list , so there were some partial days).
Also, the article headline, “Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home,” and some related content, is very misleading. A glance at the expense report reproduced http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2008/09/09/GR2008090900280.html?sid=ST2008090900325&s_pos=list on the Post’s website makes it clear that she requested per diem for her daily expenses, but not for lodging, and that she apparently wrote “lodging–own home” only to explain why she wasn’t requesting hotel expenses. One almost wonders whether the author of the story understands what a “per diem” is; the story notes that Palin rarely charged the state for meals when in Wasilla and Anchorage, but of course she didn’t, because she instead just asked for the per diem!
The Post also reports:
In the past, per diem claims by Alaska state officials have carried political risks. In 1988, the head of the state Commerce Department was pilloried for collecting a per diem charge of $50 while staying in his Anchorage home, according to local news accounts. The commissioner, the late Tony Smith, resigned amid a series of controversies.
“It was quite the little scandal,” said Tony Knowles, the Democratic governor from 1994 to 2000.
It must have been quite a little scandal, because a search of the Anchorage Daily News for “Tony Smith” reveals no per diem controversy, only a controversy over alleged contract-steering that led to Smith’s resignation, and an earlier, much smaller controversy about state officials, including Smith, taking foreign trips. There was a contemporaneous (early 1989) controversy over the expenses claimed by state Sen. Paul Fischer, including allegations that he requested a per diem on days when he was not where he claimed to be.
September 9, 2008 - 08:28 AM on September 9th, 2008
There you have it, ellis. Thanks Pam for doing the research. The Huffington website is so worthless, being run by a seriously mentally ill Liberal, it isn’t worth the digits its printed on.
September 9, 2008 - 10:11 AM on September 9th, 2008
News & Opinion Roundup (9 Sept 08)…
N Korea’s Kim missing from parade – Word on the street is he had a stroke, I guess his son had better be studying his How to be a Turd Dictator manual pronto.
Hurricane Ike Expected Over Cuba Today En Route to Gulf
Fannie & Freddie: What n…
September 9, 2008 - 11:27 AM on September 9th, 2008
Uncle Jay Explains The News — September 8, 2008…
Uncle Jay’s news word for this week is “distraction.â€
……
September 9, 2008 - 11:27 AM on September 9th, 2008
Uncle Jay Explains The News — September 8, 2008…
Uncle Jay’s news word for this week is “distraction.â€
……
September 9, 2008 - 11:29 AM on September 9th, 2008
[...] Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, , Dumb Ox Daily News, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, and Right Voices. Also, thanks to Linkfest Haven [...]
September 9, 2008 - 12:14 PM on September 9th, 2008
Pork barrel legislation is within the law, also, but we’re all against it for obvious reasons. Same concept applies to Barbie’s expense accounts. If she’s so set to watch taxpayer’s money, I submit that the lesson must start at home. Obviously, Palin doesn’t want to apply her so called reform attitude to her own purse.
Game, set, match.
September 9, 2008 - 12:43 PM on September 9th, 2008
Really? Did she get reimbursed for all her meals? Nope. Did she keep the chef? Nope..keep digging ellis
September 9, 2008 - 03:30 PM on September 9th, 2008
The Financial & Psychological Implosion of the Obama Campaign…
STRUGGLING FOR MONEYObviously the Palin Pick is to blame for Barack Obama’s money
problems. Suddenly his decision not to take public financing
for the final part of the race is not looking like a good
idea. Check
the Newsmeat numbers….
September 9, 2008 - 06:23 PM on September 9th, 2008
Juan Cole is a liar…
Or, just too lazy to do basic research or just so bigoted that he’s both. ……
September 9, 2008 - 07:43 PM on September 9th, 2008
Welcome to a new blogger…
I’d like to welcome a new blogger to our corner of the blogoverse….
September 9, 2008 - 09:09 PM on September 9th, 2008
Someone might want to stick with the teleprompter…
Obama doesn’t seem to have much message discipline. ……
September 9, 2008 - 09:38 PM on September 9th, 2008
Barack’s Gaffe-O-Matic…
photo credit: newyorkblogPodcast Show Notes
On Obama’s “Lipstick on a Pig” gaffe coupled with a subtle question of whether Palin can handle the VP job with five kids.
Hope and Change, a new post-partisan politics trying to d….
September 9, 2008 - 09:38 PM on September 9th, 2008
Barack’s Gaffe-O-Matic…
photo credit: newyorkblogPodcast Show Notes
On Obama’s “Lipstick on a Pig” gaffe coupled with a subtle question of whether Palin can handle the VP job with five kids.
Hope and Change, a new post-partisan politics trying to d….
September 10, 2008 - 01:29 AM on September 10th, 2008
What PDS (Palin Derangement Syndrome) really shows Part 1…
Desperation.Â
Nothing more, and nothing less.
The democrats have reached a severe point of desperation in the presidential race as they face something they cannot understand, and find to be anathema:Â A woman who is feminist, successful, and unapolog…..
September 10, 2008 - 10:54 AM on September 10th, 2008
[...] Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Dumb Ox Daily News, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. ARTICLEURL digg_bgcolor = ‘#ffffff’; digg_skin = [...]
September 10, 2008 - 02:15 PM on September 10th, 2008
Intel Sharing Works – ‘Fusion Center’ Strategy…
The bottom line in this strategy is the real-time sharing of information. This has enabled our soldiers (and the Columbian soldiers) to combine each piece of information, no matter how small, so they could put the pieces of the puzzle together…
September 10, 2008 - 04:02 PM on September 10th, 2008
[...] Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Dumb Ox Daily News, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. ARTICLEURL digg_bgcolor = ‘#ffffff’; digg_skin = [...]
September 10, 2008 - 08:47 PM on September 10th, 2008
Joe Biden – super genius…
I wonder if Barack Obama is lately seeing Wile E. Coyote when he looks at Joe Biden. ……
September 10, 2008 - 11:20 PM on September 10th, 2008
PATIENT EVIL – An R.J. Godlewski / Right Truth Blog Exclusive – Chapter Thirty-Six…
PATIENT EVIL…
September 11, 2008 - 12:41 AM on September 11th, 2008
Catholic Bishops continue to address Biden RE: abortion – with a special comment from Father Ron…
……
September 11, 2008 - 12:56 AM on September 11th, 2008
The Obama Campaign drops yet another race card…
Here we go again. You would think they would get tired of it, but no, once more, the Obama supporters have dropped the race card, this time on Sarah Palin.1
Governor Implies Palin’s Repeated Use Of ‘Community Organizer’ Is Another W….
September 11, 2008 - 02:37 AM on September 11th, 2008
What PDS really means Part 2 : Redefining Feminism…
……
September 11, 2008 - 07:56 AM on September 11th, 2008
Generic 9-11 Post (9-11-2008)…
Because all the cool kids are doing it.
All I wanted to do this morning was find coverage of President Bush dedicating a new memorial at the Pentagon. Success!
U.S. President George W. Bush will mark the seventh anniversary on Thursday of the Sept. ….
September 11, 2008 - 05:37 PM on September 11th, 2008
9-11 tributes…
On this day, when so many have the loss of loved ones to remember, I’ll link to what I had written 5 years after 9-11 and to others who have better words than I. ……
September 11, 2008 - 08:55 PM on September 11th, 2008
Charlie Gibson Eats Boogers…
I mean he must right?
I didn’t watch the whole thing and after reading my trusty Ministries of CORRECT Information, I’m glad I didn’t. The video is still being sat on by the network that pays the twit to look down his nose at peopl….
September 12, 2008 - 01:56 AM on September 12th, 2008
Apartment manager bans flying American flags…
Just in time for the 7th anniversary of 9/11. Nice.
Operators of a Vancouver, Wash. Apartment complex subsidized by the taxpayer-funded Department of Housing and Urban Development, also known as HUD, have told residents they cannot fly or display Ame….
September 12, 2008 - 08:03 AM on September 12th, 2008
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September 15, 2008 - 10:38 PM on September 15th, 2008
[...] Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Democrat=Socialist, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven [...]