Tom Brokaw's in the Tank for McCain

I've never liked NBC's Tom Brokaw much. I've always found him to be pompous and prone to lecturing people. When a clear McCain bias in his opinions and poll misrepresentations started popping up I really took a distaste to the man. Now, he's got McCain staffers calling him for advice?

Chuck, a very senior Republican was startled the other day when he called me and said, ‘What in the world is going on in Florida? Why are we in trouble there?’

- Brokaw speaking to Chuck Todd, political director of NBC News, on this past Sunday's Meet the Press.

WTF?!

About F*n' Time!

"Overheated rhetoric and personal attacks on our opponents distract from the big differences between John McCain's vision for the future of our nation and the Democrats'.

Throughout his life John McCain has held himself to the highest standards and he will continue to run a respectful campaign based on the issues. We expect that all supporters, surrogates and staff will hold themselves to similarly high standards when they are representing the campaign."

- Rick Davis, McCain campaign manager, March 11, 2008.


Yeah, right. Until their backs are against the wall, that is.

In light of the McCain campaign's gameplan of exchanging substantive discussion of the issues that matter with a full-on embrace of relentless guilt-by-association tactics, the Obama braintrust has decided to fight back and focus on the Arizona senator's involvement in the '80s savings and loan fiasco thru his membership in the infamous "Keating 5". A website has been set up featuring a 13 minute video that makes the case for the origins of the current credit crisis stemming from the culture of deregulation that McCain endorsed and promoted throughout his career in the senate, leading to the "Keating 5" savings and loan crisis and scandal which cost countless retirees their life savings and retirement funds.

Here's a 30-second teaser of the 13-minute doc:



Next up, in our humble estimation, should be shedding light on Gov. Palin's and her husband Todd's membership in the Alaska Independence Party noted for their secessionist platform. Their motto: Alaska First, Alaska Always. Nice.

Here's video of Gov. Palin welcoming those assisting the 2008 AIP convention. (She is said to also have been a member before switching her affiliation to the GOP. Todd Palin changed his political affiliation in 2002. More details here.)



If these people want to bullshit the American people into believing they truly put country first and that Obama is unpatriotic by association, let them convincingly defend themselves against their support of secessionists and the like. And when are McCain's numerous votes against funding for veterans' hospitals and his dismal ratings with veteran groups going to be brought up, front and center?

To say nothing of the following recent assertion by Democratic strategist Paul Begala, who researched John McCain thoroughly for a book he wrote on the GOP presidential candidate:

"...John McCain sat on the board of a very right-wing organization, it was the U.S. Council for World Freedom, it was chaired by a guy named John Singlaub, who wound up involved in the Iran contra scandal. It was an ultra conservative, right-wing group. The Anti-Defamation League, in 1981 when McCain was on the board, said this about this organization. It was affiliated with the World Anti-Communist League--the parent organization--which ADL said 'has increasingly become a gathering place, a forum, a point of contact for extremists, racists and anti-Semites.'"

If this is true, then McCain's opposition to the Martin Luther King holiday--which he has since has regretted and apologized for--can perhaps be seen in quite a different light.

These people are counting on the Obama campaign to not have the balls to take the gloves off and hit back as hard. They have the lack of pursuit of justice on the part of congressional Democrats in the numerous instances of high crimes and misdemeanors perpetrated by the Bush administration as their inspiration. Prove them wrong, I say.

Three Words: Tina Fey Rocks!

She nails it, once again. By the way, all hail the Queen!

W (extended trailer)

I've always been quite fond of the Talking Heads classic "Once in a Lifetime". When I realized it was about the passage of time and one day asking yourself "well, how did I get here?" it became a bittersweet love.

The extended trailer (see below) for W, Oliver Stone's upcoming biopic of the current president Bush, utilizes the song in this particular context to great effect.

W opens nationwide on Oct. 17th. Can't wait.

NYC Term Limits: 3 Is (not) a Magic Number

In my fair city, the term limits laws keep the elected officials to 2 terms in office. That's how the people of New York City want it and have voted twice in favor of keeping it that way (1993, 1996). Now, under the guise of saving the city from a potentially dangerous economic downturn, with Mayor Mike Bloomberg as the messiah, a chorus of both Bloomberg supporters and term limits opponents has been selfishly leading the charge against the will of the people and granting Hizzoner eligibility for a third term. Of course, the desire to remain as incumbents is a large factor in all this for members of the City Council, while the possible economic fallout serves as political cover.

You know what? We heard this nonsense regarding Rudy Giuliani in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th tragedy. (By the way, Guiliani was the main instigator for term limits...until HE became an incumbent. Figures.) And guess what? Bloomberg came in, got the job done, and was a MUCH BETTER mayor than Capt. Comb-over ever was. So, this time I say, let's respect the will of the people, bring in somebody new and give them a chance to lead the way, with new ideas and policies. Isn't that what democracy is all about?

Three of the major local newspapers--NY Times, Daily News and Post; the top Spanish-language daily, El Diario, is against it, I believe--are in favor of barring term limits, so it looks like the people will have to stand up for themselves and let their displeasure with this proposal be heard. Again.

How She Did It

The Great Schlep

Were not fans of actress/comedienne Sarah Silverman, but she makes a good--and humorous--case for getting young jews to visit their grandparents in Florida in order to convince them to vote for Sen. Barack Obama, in this video for The Great Schlep website.



[Thanks to Gotham Notes for the heads up.]

Random Notes on the Vice-Presidential Debate

- Much livelier than the first presidential debate. There was a spark that had been missing from that previous debate, which I personally ascribe to both Sen. Obama's generally cool demeanor and Sen. McCain's percieved sense of annoyance. (It was as if he just was dying to blurt out "Why am I here? Don't you people know I'm the only real choice here?" Or something to that effect.)

- Gwen Ifill was very good in her role as moderator. Her tone, approach, and demeanor were just right. She is undoubtedly a pro.

- Sen. Biden was a bit restrained but made his points clearly and effectively. Brilliant on foreign policy; steadfastly made his case for a John McCain administration to be the continuation of George W. Bush's across the board; attacked with might but not excess (directly questioning the 'maverick' tag and getting a few good zingers in there throughout the debate); and showed a very human side when he touched on the death of his wife and daughter and subsequently raising his sons as a single parent. Unfortunately, I was once again wondering--as I did during the presidential debate--why Sen. McCain's 'friend of the troops' claims were not countered by the Arizona senator's dismal record voting against veterans' hospital budgets and his standing with veterans' groups. (There's a reason why the troops are contributing cash to the Obama campaign by a margain of 6 to 1 over the McCain campaign.) But Biden rocked. More importantly, and in direct contrast to his opponent of the evening, he looked--dare I say it--presidential. And consequently, deeply reassuring if the unspeakable were to happen to a President Obama.

- Gov. Sarah Palin was not the train wreck she was in her dealings with ABC's Charlie Gibson and CBS' Katie Couric, and kept gaffes at a minimum in comparison to her past dealings on the national stage. If folksy charm is what is going to decide the outcome of the election, then she undoubtedly made a big push for it this evening. However, she clarified very little regarding her ticket's positions; was frequently disingenuous and made little sense at times; and her constant repetition of GOP talking points that had no real bearing on whatever question she was being asked at that moment, revealed both a defense mechanism designed to keep her from putting her foot in her mouth, and how out of her league she actually was. But, she was admittedly confident and assured--if a bit tense--in her demeanor, holding her own. In essence, what she takes from this debate, after all her blunders post-convention and pre-debate, is that she managed to live another day. Of course, with that she helps the Sarah Palin cause more than she does the ticket. Hopefully, it won't be enough to help them become victorous on Nov. 4th.

And Speaking of Voter Fraud...

The G.O.P. Laundromat

Man, I’ve seen less spin from washing machines than what the political scene has been doling out in the last few days.

You know the GOP is deathly afraid of the outcome of this election when the party of Tom DeLay, king of voter disenfranchising and district gerrymandering, is bringing up alleged voter fraud. That’s your scam, motherfuckers! And it has been greatly benefiting you, to the detriment of the rest of us, since at least the year 2000. You guys couldn’t even get Republican Attorney Generals to do your dirty work, so you ended up firing 8 of them once they told you their investigation found no there there. And now, you’ve come back to that modern chestnut. How sad.

Meanwhile, the McCain camp is hedging their bets by implying possible bias on the part of tonight’s moderator for the Vice-Presidential debate, Gwen Ifill, due to her book on post-civil rights African-American achievement which features Sen. Barack Obama as one of the tome’s main subjects. This, of course, serves two purposes: to make Ifill overly self-conscious, so as not to be accused of bias, possibly letting her guard down, and failing to be as inquisitive as necessary; and to provide cover for Gov. Sarah Palin’s possible lackluster showing in the debate. Not to mention—aided and abetted by the mainstream press—shuffling the victim card to the top of the deck, creating an over-charged atmosphere where Democratic VP candidate Sen. Joe Biden is supposed to be measured and careful not to humiliate Palin and alienate potential voters. Nonsense.

Biden needs to be precise, concise and not let up. Gov. Palin described herself as a pit-bull with lipstick, and she’s made it clear she considers herself a tough cookie, so let it rip, then. I’m sure she can handle the heat. But she probably doesn’t know where the off switch is. One thing is certain, however: if all of a sudden Palin starts giving uncharacteristically eloquent, knowledgeable responses as never before, then “the hump” has reared its ugly head.

Remember how George W. Bush was thought to have been wired up and coached live during his debates? Gotham Notes does. And he fears it may happen again with Palin. Somebody better pat her down. Seriously.

Good luck to us all tonight.

Senate Takes a Whack at Bailout Deal

I don’t believe in bailing out corporate greed and speculation, especially when no relief of that nature is made available to the hard-working, small business person who goes through a rough patch. Capitalism for the lower and middle class; socialism for the rich: no, thanks.

Having said that, if this ongoing situation truly threatens the stability of the economy, then I would be in favor of a solution where—handled with maximum govt. oversight—Uncle Sam would come in as a partner, in effect buying low and selling at a higher rate in the future, so that it’s not a bailout but a business venture very likely to generate profits for John Q. Taxpayer in the long run. Equity, not charity.

Let's see what happens.