Secrets of the City

Minnesota Democratic Party Chairman Brian Melendez said Bachmann was playing with fire.

“The last politician who used that term that carelessly was Joe McCarthy, and Michele Bachmann seems anxious to step into his shoes,” Melendez said.

Is it too late to move to district six and vote against her?

Progress Illinois did a quick fact check and determined that Tony Rzeko is not a leftist, as she claimed, as well as claiming that Saul Alinski was a teacher to Obama in Chicago, despite having died in 1972.

I dislike the phrase “un-American” and think the use of it should instantly disqualify someone from office. It’s too closely linked with one of the most disgraceful moment in American history, the Communist Witch Hunts.

That being said, if there is something I think can be fairly described as un-American, it is this sort of behavior. Because America is rooted in being a pluralistic society, and rooted in democratic principles, and both are undermined by this sort of despicable smear campaign that is based in nothing but guilt by association.

So Bachmann is concerned about Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayers, despite Obama repeatedly denouncing Ayers activism in the Sixties? Where is Bachmann’s similar concern for the fact that Palin’s husband belong to a secessionist group, and that Palin herself has closely associated with them and publicly supported them? What about McCain’s relationship with G. Gordon Liddy? What about McCain’s relationship with lobbyist Vicki Iseman? Or Rick Davis?

What about Bachmann’s own relationship with Tim LaHaye via the Council for National Policy, a vicious anti-Catholic and antisemite (his “Left Behind” Web so once referred to Israelis as “illegitimate, land grabbing, not-to-be-trusted Yids” because they preferred a star of David to a Red Cross, apparently.)

Or does she think that only people with loose connections to the American left wing should be investigated?

All I know is: Don’t get between Michelle Bachmann and a camera. She’ll knock you over like linebacker.

I’m not going repeat racial slurs, Max; but do you think running the entire quote gives it a different context?

No. The web site apparently claimed that not using a Red Cross legitimized that view of Jews. If I were to say “Tasting hotdish legitimizes the view that Minnesotans are afraid of spice and cook everything with little cocktails weiners in it,” I would be saying that the view is justified.

But the point I’m making is not that we should investigate people’s loose associations. It’s that such behavior is a distraction, and shame on Michele Bachmann for trying to turn a distraction into a witch hunt.

Fine, go after the guys with little wieners. Um, not that I’m in that demographic.

I’m just glad this is getting lots of attention. I just hope the people in the 6th district see it. Maybe some republicans in that district will chose to just not vote in this race if they can’t vote for Tinkleberg. Or is there a 3rd party in this race?

Tinklenberg’s releasing his 24-hour fundraising numbers at 3:05 today. At Act Blue alone, he’s now at $165k raised since yesterday. That doesn’t include what’s been raised directly on his campaign site. His communications director said they’ve been “overwhelmed” by donations — to many to give me a good tally.

Does Palin EVER take the stage without toting along Trig?

She’s got the pedo vote locked up by now. Oops, should have posted that thought as “just sayin’”

Holy crap: $483,000 since 3PM yesterday for Tink. Way to go Michelle.

MnIndy

In a perfect world, “Saturday Night Live” writers would currently be working on a “Hardball” skit for tonight’s show, with Sarah Palin playing the role of Michelle Bachmann.

But I’ll settle for seeing Colin Powell endorsing Obama on tomorrow morning’s “Meet The Press”.

We need to come up with an award, call it the Hatch or maybe the Boschwitz
award, for the stupidest political move in Minnesota politics.

Michelle is definitely the clear front runner this year.

100,000 people turn out in St. Louis to see Obama.

I’ve been waiting over 20 years for the perfect opportunity to dedicate this song to a deserving individual. Congratulations, Michelle Bachmann.

As MNSpeak’s ambassidor to the 6th District, are there any pearls of wisdom I can pass on from you to my representative in the House of Representaives, the Honorable M. Bachmann?

Interestingly. she is one of the few major political figures in the state I have never met personally.

Tell her she’s spot on and she should keep talking, Bob. Instead of all this faux indignant talk, rejoice that she might be talking herself out of re-election.

If you disagree with Ms. Bachmann’s notions, please fill out this ultimately useless internet petition.

Seriously, how do people like this get elected? I am so running for office, apparently you can be both dumb as a box of rocks and bat-shit crazy and still get elected. Maybe I will start my campaign as dumb as a box of rocks and then transition into the bat-shit crazy and finish my term by going totally bitchcakes.

Seriously, how do people like this get elected?

Have you seen a map of her district?

But I’ll settle for seeing Colin Powell endorsing Obama on tomorrow morning’s “Meet The Press”.

Score!

“This business of a congresswoman from Minnesota who is going around saying ‘Let’s examine all congressmen to see who’s pro-America or not pro America, — we have got to stop this kind of nonsense. Pull ourselves together and remember that our great strength is in our unity and our diversity … And to focus on people like Mr. Ayers and trivial issues for the purpose of suggesting that somehow Mr. Obama would have some sort of terrorist inclinations — I thought that was over the top. It was beyond just good political fighting back and forth. I think it went beyond.”
–Colin Powell (second video at about 4:19)

But I’ll settle for seeing Colin Powell endorsing Obama on tomorrow morning’s “Meet The Press”.

Score!

Very good weekend for Obama.

100,000 turn out in St. Louis,
75,000 turn out in Kansas City
$150,000,000 raised in September
632,000 NEW donors in Sept. (avg. donation of $86)
Powell endorsement

I hear Fox is already spinning the Powell endorsement as a “black thing.”

Myself, I’m kind of ambivalent, and not sure how much it helps Obama, besides being a slap in the face for McCain. I don’t think too many on the left trust Powell very much since he blew a lot of his credibility when he made his WMD presentation before the Security Council. There may be some spill over of that into the independents. And of course, the Right Wing/ Neo-cons have NEVER trusted Powell.

Of course, it does give the media something else to talk about for the next few days, sucking some of the air out for a McCain “comeback” story.

I’d say Powell’s support for Obama might push some fence-sitters over the line.

“Tell her she’s spot on and she should keep talking, Bob. Instead of all this faux indignant talk, rejoice that she might be talking herself out of re-election.”

That’s a spot on observation, Rat. Had the same thought myself. The more MB speaks — especially on national television — the better ET’s (phone home!) chances get for an upset. A surge of “unlikely voters” for Obama would also help Tinklenberg upset Bachmann. The odds are still long, but we will see. Strange things happen in Minnesota politics.

Aubrey Immelman, Ph.D., a professor of political psychology at St. Johns University and the College of St. Benedict, was so outraged at Bachmann’s contests that he has registered himself as a write-in candidate, as an alternative for disillusioned Republicans.

What about Bachmann’s associations?

ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN A MEMBER OF THE “DEATH TO AMERICA” JIHADI PARTY??

“was so outraged at Bachmann’s contests that he has registered himself as a write-in candidate, as an alternative for disillusioned Republicans.”

Dr. Political Psychology has her right where he wants her.

I think Joe the Plumber moves more votes to either side than Colin Powell. But I suppose there’s a small percentage who were waiting around to see what Powell had to say.

Does Palin EVER take the stage without toting along Trig?

Does Palin EVER hold Trig for more than 5 minutes at a time? I hope Bristol is being paid for babysitting her brother that much.

“I think Joe the Plumber moves more votes to either side than Colin Powell.”

Nah.

That should be Joe the Fake Plumber, Rat.

Sounds like El Tinkero has now raised +$600K since Bachmann’s comments on Friday. Front page article on the Strib suggests the dynamics of the 6th district race just changed. Bachmann’s spokesperson similtaniously denies she said what we all heard her say on teevee and blames the media.

Minnesota politics — always interesting.

That should be Joe the Fake Plumber, Rat.

That’s pretty nasty. I don’t know that the guy let on he was a plumber. He wanted to buy a business. His story took on a life of it’s own, beyond his control.

He just asked Obama a question about his taxes. What’s wrong with that?

Rat, you’re doing it again.

So is all this empathy for this plumbing guy that I’m trying to muster here — from the depths of my heart meaningless to you, Kurtis? Meaningless?

He just asked Obama a question about his taxes. What’s wrong with that?

I think you answered your own question.

As far as questions go, these are all of the “do you still beat your wife” variety. intelekshul honesty: ur doing it rong.

Bachmann was on FOX 9 this morning (just after 7:30) and Alix Kendall initially pressed her for a real answer about the comments on Hardball but ultimately let her do more campaign spin work and let her off after she dug herself a bit deeper and reinforced what she had already said about Obama. The best thing that Bachmann can do is keep talking on national TV though, makes her party look very intellectual.

I can’t find a transcript of his Obama encounter, but I’m pretty certain that he said more than “I want to buy a plumbing business.” Of course, if you’re not a plumber yourself, the economics of buying a plumbing business doesn’t really work, as you’re probably going to have to hire a Master Plumber to oversee all the other workers.

And, it’s not that he questioned Obama about the tax plan. Obama gave a full, respectful answer to the guy. The problem is, The answer didn’t fit Joe’s preconceived position, so he then goes on and continues to spout dishonest representations of Obama.

Sort of like McCain/Bachmann and Ayers. They keep telling us Obama has to answer the question about his association with Ayers. well guess what, Obama has already answered the questions multiple times. even to McCain’s face in the last debate. What more do they want? If they have some evidence that Obama’s answer is untruthful, and it really is an important issue, show us the evidence.

I’m thinking about starting a baiting business. Fortunately, I won’t have to hire a Master Baiter because even though I’ve never worked in the industry, I have vast experience.

What more do they want?

Why, to repeat the lies until they become the truth, of course.

Will your healthcare plan cover blindness and palm superfoliation, grote?

Kurtis, my first focus is on getting erected. Once I’m in orifice, we’ll sweat the big stuff.

Does this thread come with a Laugh Track?

What more do they want?

Why, to repeat the lies until they become the truth, of course.

True. They don’t really want an answer.

Careful Rat, laughing is contagious, and most non-group health plans will drop your coverage.

I think I’m pretty much immune.

Here’s the issue with Joe the Plumber, Rat. The way the McCain campaign spun it — and it’s understandable they would read it this way, based on Joe’s questions to Obama, was that he was a plumber who wanted to but the business he worked at, but, because it would make him $250k per year, his taxes would go up under Obama. As an independent voter, he was concerned about this.

The facts? His name isn’t Joe. He doesn’t have a plumber’s license. He can’t buy the business, because he is $40k in arrears in back taxes. Even if he could, it’s not for sale. Even if it were, it doesn’t make $150k per year. Also, he’s a registered Republican, not an independent voter, who just happens to be related to someone who did jail time as a member of the Keating Five.

And you wonder what’s wrong with that? What’s right with it!

Well, Max, that’s not completely accurate. He makes about 40 K a year, and only owes a grand or two in back taxes. The state of Ohio suggested that he might not have even known about that.

And the Keating business is just now-debunked speculation based on a coincidence of an obscure name.

Joe does do plumbing work, and Joe is his middle name. The idea that “he’s not named Joe, and he’s not a plumber” is quibbling.

For some reason, the best storyline on Joe is the one I haven’t seen anyone cover, which is that even if Joe seriously had the means to buy the business, he wouldn’t get the credit for it right now. THAT is the way the fiscal crunch affects Joe.

I don’t know how many people want tax policy to favor the wealthy and screw the working class because they think might be rich one day, but I don’t think Joe is all alone, there.

You put it that way max, one might think that the guy was a plant.

Does he usually go by his middle name? If so, I’d let that slide, as plenty of people do that. Especially people with family roots in wealthy, elite society.

Of course, if he were a plant, I could see them telling him to “use your middle name. That sounds more blue collar than Samuel.”

Do you have a link for the Keating connection being discredited, Kurtis? I haven’t seen that.

Nonetheless, it was not Joe the Plumber asking about his taxes, it was some guy whose middle name is Joe asking about taxes that don’t and will not exist for him.

Well, let’s set this jumbled episode aside and just set about the task of spreading the wealth around.

In a stump speech yesterday, after exhorting Obama for being a “socialist” who wants to “spread the wealth around,” McCain promised to buy everyone’s house.

For being a self-proclaimed democrat, Rat, you sure loves you some Republican talking points.

See, no one gets my jokes.

Dying is easy; comedy is hard.

@maxx

See, no one gets my jokes.

I guess you are not only immune, but can’t be a carrier.

Thank you, Kurtis. I will strike that from my list of complaints about Joe the Plumber.

(Sorry for the extra X, Max. I used to have a cat named Maxx, so my finger always double pumps that key out of habit.)

Speaking of name scandals, Rex is not really named Rex.

You know Rat, we’ve always had a progressive income tax in this country.

And in fact, McCain’s idol Teddy Roosevelt endorsed it:

When our tax laws are revised the question of an income tax and an inheritance tax should receive the careful attention of our legislators. In my judgment both of these taxes should be part of our system of Federal taxation. I speak diffidently about the income tax because one scheme for an income tax was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court; while in addition it is a difficult tax to administer in its practical working, and great care would have to be exercised to see that it was not evaded by the very men whom it was most desirable to have taxed, for if so evaded it would, of course, be worse than no tax at all; as the least desirable of all taxes is the tax which bears heavily upon the honest as compared with the dishonest man. Nevertheless, a graduated income tax of the proper type would be a desirable feature of Federal taxation, and it is to be hoped that one may be devised which the Supreme Court will declare constitutional.

If you want to talk about “spreading the wealth”, look at what Teddy also had to say about the estate tax:

It is important to this people to grapple with the problems connected with the amassing of enormous fortunes, and the use of those fortunes, both corporate and individual, in business. We should discriminate in the sharpest way between fortunes well-won and fortunes ill-won; between those gained as an incident to performing great services to the community as a whole, and those gained in evil fashion by keeping just within the limits of mere law-honesty.

Such taxation should, of course, be aimed merely at the inheritance or transmission in their entirety of those fortunes swollen beyond all healthy limits.

Imagine that, McCain’s idol is a socialist.

I think the basic issue is this. The Republican party has to sell this idea that in America everyone has a chance to get into that top 2% of earners even though all of their policies tend to keep that from actually happening.

When did the American dream go from a car in every garage and a chicken in every pot to our current state of affairs?

probably around the time that televisions were affordable for the masses and we could really see / fantasize about how the other not 98% live. yes, I blame the media for the erosion of our hard working values.

OMG.

Salon has Bachmann tagged as (R-Wingnutterland). LOL

Does she really think we’re too stupid to notice her actually saying “Absolutely. I’m very concerned that [Obama] may have anti-American views.”

I don’t think Michelle Bachmann has any idea when it means to be an American and I am embarrassed that she represents our state.

New headline for this story: Michelle’s Million Dollar Mistake

Wow, thanks for that link, Bob. Don’t forget the private donations to Tinklenberg. It’s Michele’s $1,640,000 Mistake… and counting!

I’m coining a new phrase: Joe-Plummered. Definition: What happens to people who dare ask Barack Obama a question. Questioners who allow O to maintain cover of centrisity tend to be immune. Side effects include having your entire life vetted by the OTS-MSM Division. Preventative suggestions include: Not dare questioning Barack Obama. Used in a sentence: I’m afraid of speaking out because I don’t want to get Joe-Plummered.

Joe Plummed is what happens to people who are shamelessly exploited by McCain in a desparate effort to charge up his campaign.

Joe Plummed is what happens when people step forward in a public forum with what they think is a gotcha question that is rooted in misstatements and untruths.

But good to know that conservative paranoia is working overtime.

Even when/if Obama wins, the right will be on his case the whole time, just like they were on Clinton and the left has been on Bush. De-legitimizing the opposition, even when they actually win the election, is unfortunately the new normal.

Joe the plumber was as undecided/independent as kwatt. That Sammy Davis Jr. crap was pretty terrible too.

So because it doesn’t apply to him, that discredits his question? It is now totally illegitimate to ask Barack Obama a question unless that question specifically pertains to you. Good to know. I’d like to see how fervently the OTS-MSM Division dug into the lives of people who ask questions at highly-choreographed “town hall” campaign events. I’m guessing not very much.

No, Kevin. The question is legitimate, and if you watch the video, you’ll see that Obama answers it fully and forthrightly.

You’ll also hear that Joe the Plumber misrepresents himself throughout. People probably wouldn’t have cared, but then McCain made him the central argument in the final debate, and suddenly people were curious about him.

So my question to you is this: Are you really claiming it is somehow Obama’s fault that Joe the Plumber has gotten a lot of attention? How many times did John McCain mention the guy during the debate?

So now you have to be undecided as well. Good to know. Perhaps someone could publish a list of criteria one must meet in order to question O.

Are you serious? Again, Kevin, McCain made Joe the Plumber the subject of national scrutiny, not Obama.

But it’s good to know what conservative talking points are, especially when they make no sense.

You’ll also hear that Joe the Plumber misrepresents himself throughout. People probably wouldn’t have cared, but then McCain made him the central argument in the final debate, and suddenly people were curious about him.

I consider myself pretty plugged in to the race, and when McCain first mentioned him, my response was “who the fuck is that?” Not only would no one have cared, no one would have known about him if it weren’t for McCain.

Kevin, if you want to keep carping on questions that have been asked and answered of Obama, I’ve got a whole list of questions for McCain that he’s never been asked, let alone addressed on his own.

I don’t blame Obama at all. OTS-MSM Division is a separate entity, though I understand how the two can be confused. I question them. Shouldn’t they be more curious about the answer from the presidential candidate? Talk about misrepresenting one’s self. Mr. Centrist Post-Partisan goes all socialism on us and they run to get the scoop on the guy who asked him a question? JTP isn’t running for anything, who gives a sh*t about him. Ask the man wanting to be president what he means by spreading the wealth around. Whose wealth? To whom does he want to spread it? How much? What if it hurts a small business’ ability to grow and create jobs? Nah, we’ll just dig into the background of this guy Joe. He’s what matters here.

Nobody went socialist. Unless progressive taxation is socialist, which it isn’t.

Are you even trying to make a real case, Kevin?

We already have a progressive tax system. A small number of payers pay an overwhelming majority of taxes. O said in effect that he will increase taxes even more on that small number and redistribute their wealth, presumably to those with less. If that’s not socialism, the stench is awfully similar.

It really isn’t. I’m honestly surprised that someone who makes their living in politics and tries to represent themselves as a fair broker would so deliberately misrepresent an ordinary and unremarkable rolling back of tax breaks as a despised political idiology.

kwatt, you do realize, don’t you, that no FICA is collected on any earned income over $150,000? That would mean someone earning $200,000 has $50,000 that is left un-FICA’d; someone earning $1,000,000 doesn’t have to worry about any FICA at all being chizzled from $850,000 of their income.

Is that fair to the millions of working Americans who do pay their fair share of taxes? Imagine how much more solvent the SSA would be if the 7.5% FICA was collected on ALL earned income?

So, 1% of Americans earn — what — 40% of the income in the country? (Or some ridiculous number like that.) Why does it hurt them more than anyone else to have some additional income taxed?

Sorry, kwatt, the rich get no sympathy from me. Especially the ones who get multi-million dollar bonuses while laying-off tens of thousands of workers.

He won’t raise it “even more.” He’ll be returning it to where it was the last time we had a balanced budget, before the Bush administration wrecking ball came through. It would go up something like 3%.

As was also mentioned above kevin, what about McCain’s promise to buy everybody’s house? That proposal is a hell of a lot more socialist than anything Obama’s proposed.

On the other hand, Kevin, what is it called when the highest tax rates get cut? Socialism for the wealthy? What is it called when hedge fund managers are taxed at a lower rate than you or I? Good policy?

I’d be for a flat tax except for one very pesky fact of life — the FICA tax.

Despised by who Max? Socialism. in some variant is pretty popular in Europe, which has been doing pretty well the last decade or so.

Even the more conservative politicians in Europe are a fair more liberal than our liberal politicians.

What is it called when hedge fund managers are taxed at a lower rate than you or I? Good policy?

I’d call it time for you and I to get a tax cut.

I’d be for a flat tax except it would mean that the poor would pay a larger percentage of the taxes, and that makes no freaking sense at all.

Any time taxes are adjudted so that wealth flows downward, conservatives cry socialism. When it’s adjusted so that wealth flows upward, what’s that called?

Despised by Americans, mnblrmkr. “Socialism” is pretty much a code-word for “politics that we associate with Europeans who we hate and think hate us.”

When it’s adjusted so that wealth flows upward, what’s that called?

Reganomics.

Discussion and conclusion from lunchtime:

An outside chance that MN’s DC delegation will be all Dem after the election. More likely: Kline will be the sole GOP member.

Despised by Americans, mnblrmkr. “Socialism” is pretty much a code-word for “politics that we associate with Europeans who we hate and think hate us.”

The only problem with that is that when you poll Americans about the actual policies, a lot of the European socialist policies are actually pretty popular here.

When Americans talk about socialism, they’re not actually talking about socialism. In the same way that when people on the left shout “fascist,” they rarely have a clue as to what actual facism consists of. They’re just epithets for politics we don’t like.

When Americans talk about anything they rarely have a clue of what they are talking about.

I have two questions about this socialist thingy:

Some say that the real reason we have not put together the kind of social safety net that other developed countries have is that we are ethnically heterogeneous, while they are for the most part homogeneous. Is there validity in this considering most Americans would prefer to cherry pick the best parts of Euro-style liberal democracy?

The people of both Western Europe and the US went on major privatization/dergulation binges in the late 70’s and early 80’s but that went out of popularity in Europe by the 90’s while it still persists in the US. What would have caused this difference in attitude?

I’m not sure how it would fit into a theory, but I wonder if the trans-national cooperation of the European Union might have had an impact.

The myth of the free market is unusually strong here. I suspect because America has such a bounty of natural resources and is so large that we tend to be able to weather financial crises that plunge smaller European countries into an economic tailspin. So European countries are often more interested in government regulating the economy than the US is. There’s a real sense in this country — and one I think is unjustified by history — that, left on its own, the market is self-correcting and the larger economy will survive just about anything.

But that’s probably just a piece of the puzzle. It’s a good question, lunch.

It doesn’t take a genius to notice that if you let capitalism roll along and do its thing, the wealth divide will perpetually increase. There’s a simple positive feedback: when you have more money, you have more opportunities, you have better education, you have more to invest, you make more money. Give it 40 years of Republican control and you’ve doubled the wealth in the hands of the richest 1%.

So what do you want, kevin? Another 40 and it doubles again, and 90% of us are eating our pets, all in the name of ideological purity and the twisted conception that those of us who have ten times their share simply deserve it by virtue of their honest hard work?

Call it whatever you want. Socialism, fine. Fuck it. I think the alternative is bullshit, and so does everyone else with half a brain.

So what do you want, kevin? Another 40 and it doubles again, and 90% of us are eating our pets, all in the name of ideological purity and the twisted conception that those of us who have ten times their share simply deserve it by virtue of their honest hard work?

Man, Agent 34 would probably feed me for a week.

OK, that kind of made me sick.

As I have a wavering no pets policy. I’d starve!

Reading history, it has seemed that from the 1870’s to the 1930’s the entire capitalist system was due a cyclical crisis every decade. The bulk of the American people lived in unhealthy conditions and worked too hard for too little reward. I was amazed(but not amazed considering the preamble) to discover that laissez faire free-market orthodoxy was nearly completely discredited in the popular mind by 1932. Strange how short people’s memories are… Sixty years and we forgot how to harness the market!

Gettting back to the Rat’s original comment about Joe:

I think Joe the Plumber moves more votes to either side than Colin Powell. But I suppose there’s a small percentage who were waiting around to see what Powell had to say.

It doesn’t appear that he’s moving many votes:

In Ohio, 68 percent of respondents said they recognized “Joe the Plumber,” but only 6 percent said that Joe’s story will make them more likely to vote McCain; 4 percent were more likely to vote for Obama; and 85 percent were not affected.

A similar finding was recorded in Missouri, where 80 percent had heard of the presidential plumber; 8 percent were more likely to vote McCain; 3 percent more likely to vote Obama; and 86 percent not affected by his story.

As ambivalent as I am about Powell, I think he’ll have a bigger impact than that.

People who care about “Joe the Plumber” should vote for the guy who’s going to give him a tax cut and health insurance, not the guy who’s going to wave him around on a stick until the election, then hang him out to dry. That includes, of course, Sam the Joe the Plumber.

It doesn’t appear that he’s moving many votes:

I’d say that’s small, but significant enough to matter.

I’d say that’s small, but significant enough to matter.

That’s what she said!

Only if all of them were undecideds or leaning Obama. Most likely, a good chunk of them were already at least “leaning” McCain already, and this only strengthed their prior commitment.

I would guess that the number of voters that were persuaded to “switch” is much, much smaller. Probably less than 1%.

alie ftw

Hee!

ConsumerReports analyzed the two health care plans, if anyone cares about that kind of thing.

As ambivalent as I am about Powell, I think he’ll have a bigger impact than that.

It is a slow burn for McCain. It is not one thing but one thing after another that is going to destroy his campaign. I was going to vote for him until the Sara Palin choice. I thing Powell articulated that along with the fact that the ideology has over taken common sense. No one thing will solve our problems but the ability to reason out a problem is the first step to a solution. I no longer have faith in the republicans to accomplish this with the current choice. I like McCain but won’t vote for him any longer and Powell summed it up the best.

Back to the subject, we are into Day 5 in the newscycle and this is on page one of the Star Trib. Also, the PiPress reprints her letter to Politico, where she says “But when you can’t win on the issues, you steal the election with a couple of lies and $1 million worth of mud.”

That’s what she said!

Despite the way the blogs and the Democratic Party are spinning it, I never called all liberals anti-American, I never questioned Barack Obama’s patriotism, and I never asked for some House Un-American Activities Committee witch hunt into my colleagues in Congress.

What I did was ask legitimate questions that Minnesotans have been asking me: What does Barack Obama mean by change?

That’s not what we’ve been claiming, and that is not what you asked. You DID call for the press to investigate your fellow congress members for “anti-American” beliefs.

It doesn’t matter that Matthews was the first to use that term in the interview. He was merely re-stating what you had already expressed. If that was not what you meant, you could have very easily said “No, that’s not what I mean.” Instead you said “Absolutely, I am concerned about…”

Why isn’t it appropriate to ask about the formative relationships he’s had? The types of relationships that may have influenced Barack Obama’s views on public policy and on government decision making? Why are the media more intent on learning the type of plumbing license Joe the Plumber has than on exploring the obvious questions about Barack Obama’s formative relationships with people such as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers  people with views far outside the mainstream, where most voters find themselves?

Asked and answered multiple times. Including once to McCain’s face during the last debate.

So why isn’t it appropriate to ask what that policy agenda would look like?

If you haven’t noticed that Obama has been explaining what his policy agenda is, and would look like, then you obviously haven’t been paying any attention to the race Michelle, or you’re being deliberately obtuse. He’s been detailing his foreign, health care, tax, energy, environmental, et al. for months.

Is it really any wonder people are so cynical about politics?

Not really, when a candidate for re-election tries to claim she didn’t say what she clearly said on tape. “Who are you going to believe. Me your your lying eyes.”

It bothers me that Bachmann keeps harping on people being “outside the mainstream.” I mean, I know she sees her worldview as mainstream, but she’s about as far to the right as you get without actually belonging to the John Birch Society. She’s at least as far outside the mainstream as Jeremiah Wright.

Also, I guess she’s not really a believer in taking personal responsibility, despite doing so being something of a conservative mantra. Honestly? “I only said anti-American because Matthews did”? Well, you took it and ran with it, Michele. He certainly wasn’t the one calling for an investigation of anti-Americanism in Congress.

I don’t know what’s to get bothered about. She has constituents to answer to, and they’ll decide whether she’s too far out for them.

considering some of the xenophobic goofball behaviour we’ve seen in St. Cloud, Anoka, etc. over the years, it wouldn’t be surprising if calling for investigating her fellow Congressfolk on McCarthyist grounds would play well among her base. just sayin’.

I don’t know what’s to get bothered about. She has constituents to answer to, and they’ll decide whether she’s too far out for them.

So, only “radical leftists” bother you Rat?

They bother me more. Because they make it harder for Democrats to win.

Radical rightists should just keep talking.

Except Obama is much, much closer to the center than Bachmann could ever hope to be.

My only concern with radical rightists talking is that the less well behaved among their thrall will see their fierce rhetoric as an incitement to violence/call to arms. I would like more civil voices to be given amplification and shriller voices to more ridicule. Any ideas on how to accomplish that?

I’d start by not seeing one extreme as less or more prone to violence than the other.

It’s not about being prone to violence, it is partly about being effective at it and it is partly the tacit approval that mainstream rightists give their outlaw cohort. It was radical rightists that blew up the Murrah federal building, and radical establishment rightists who broke the law in Iran Contra, watergate illegal domestic wiretapping. Violent radical leftists are not even countenanced by the majority of the left because of the massive streak of pacifism and humanitarianism of that belief group.

i expect to hear any day now about bachmann going into “treatment” at an undisclosed facility.. for… something, i don’t know maybe tourette’s…. used as an excuse for her current nuTTTy behavior/comments