McCain Screws Arizona To Enlarge Campaign War Chest

John McCain, like the rest of his Senate Republican caucus (save for Specter, Snowe and Collins to some degree) decided that their constituents did not deserve an economic stimulus that would create jobs and help to close state budget deficits around the country. They helped to cut the stimulus and then they voted against it. Arizona alone has a deficit nearly worth a third of their overall budget and has had to cut essential programs in order to stay too far out of the red. Common sense would say that a politician would hide themselves in a cave if they had slashed opportunities of their constituents, but oh, not John McCain.

From The Phoenix Business Journal:

U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Tuesday he is definitely running for reelection in 2010 and has begun using criticism of the $838 billion federal economic stimulus plan as a platform to raise money.

McCain, 72, had given indications of a run for fifth term, but publicly told supporters in a fundraising e-mail Tuesday he is definitely seeking reelection. He also used the opportunity to criticize Democrats over the spending package.

“The economic challenges currently confronting our nation are immense and unfortunately, the Democrats in Congress propose addressing these challenges through increased spending that wastes billions of taxpayers dollars and saddles our children and grandchildren with a staggering debt. Their proposals will not stimulate economic growth or create jobs,” McCain said in the e-mail.

McCain has clearly lost touch with the people he is supposed to represent. Obviously that giant thumping he took from Barack Obama in November had no effect on his ego or his sense of reality. In truth, the stimulus in its original form would create or save 3.5 million jobs and a sizable amount of those would be in the Grand Canyon State. Saying that the stimulus would not create jobs is just a flat out lie. Maybe that's why he's losing to a potential Napolitano challenge in the polls thus far.

McCain's Attempt To Stay Relevant In Senate Fails

It is hard to be in the minority, no matter what legislative body you are in. When you are a recently failed Presidential candidate and your party was soundly rejected at the ballot box and continuing in public opinion polls, things get even worse. If John McCain and the Republicans actually wanted to help the American people, they'd have tried to work with Democrats on the Majority's bill. However, led by McCain of all people, going it alone resulted in where many Senate bills go, to the trash heap.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Senate has killed an alternative economic stimulus plan by Sen. John McCain that would have cut income and payroll taxes but spent far less than President Obama's plan.

The party-line 57-40 vote against McCain's $421 billion plan came Thursday as a group of moderate Democrats and Republicans struggled to cut up to $100 billion from Obama's version.

McCain's plan would have cut the bottom two income tax brackets and lowered corporate income taxes. It also would have extended unemployment benefits and provide money to repair and replace military equipment worn out in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of course it wasn't surprising that this bill met a quick demise. It was never in the cards for a Republican sponsored stimulus to get any kind of recognition. I understand they want to be the party of opposition but pulling crap like this smells more like obstructionism than anything else.

John McCain Needs To Worry About Himself, Not Rush Limbaugh

Senator John McCain took the time to go on Fox News and defend Rush Limbaugh's status in the Republican party over at Fox News this morning. He basically told Obama to lay off, but really Senator, don't you have more important things to worry about besides the king of hate radio, like saving your own skin?

Lieberman Shows Up On Meet The Press, Still Can't Find His Soul

Joe Lieberman was on Meet the Press this weekend, though I really do not know why, unless he was just trying to gloat for getting off the hook for stabbing Obama in the back during the campaign. He certainly wasn't sitting to answer questions from Tom Brokaw. All Lieberman did was duck, weave and evade Brokaw's attempt to at least get an apology from Holy Joe.

Obviously not even that could be accomplished:

How Blue The Map Is For The Young

While the conservative pundits scream and shout that we are still a center-right country, they have no intentions of remarking what the electorate of tomorrow feels about our future and which party to vote in to change it.



Now that is a serious landslide of blue!

Republicans Eating Their Own

Olbermann discusses why on Earth would the Republicans be trying to tear each other down to the degree they have been over the last couple of days? As we on the left laugh at Palin's lack of civics and geography, you've got to wonder who benefits from hurling these embarrassing attacks.



So far the best guess is that they are just juvenile hits that will help to spin the GOP further out of control.

What The Hell Staten Island?

First off, I'd like to congratulate our fifth borough for electing Mike McMahon to Congress, adding yet another Democrat to caucus and making New York City's delegation completely blue. With that, why the hell did the island go for John McCain and Sarah "nutjob" Palin? I know Staten Islanders are generally more conservative, but registrations have moved significantly for Democrats and on top of that, voted for Gore. So what's going on here?

From The NY Times:

“You see that kind of voting there because Staten Island has a lot of Republicans and the people we used to call Reagan Democrats,” said John H. Mollenkopf, director of the Center for Urban Research at the City University of New York Graduate Center.

“You have a large group of Italian-Americans and German-Amercians, people from blue collar backgrounds,” Mr. Mollenkopf said. “And they are used to crossing party lines to vote for one way for one office and for another party for another office on the ballot.”

In fact, Staten Island, the smallest of the city’s boroughs, is vastly different from its counterparts. The island is physically separated from the rest of New York City; no subway runs from other parts of the city to the island and it is reachable by car only by a single bridge or a boat.

It is overall the most suburban of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also the whitest of the boroughs, with about 77 percent of its 477,000 residents being white. Hispanic Staten Islanders make up about 12 percent of the population and black residents make up about a tenth.

Yeah, yeah, the place is different, I get that. Yet is it just because there are more white people that determined the borough's vote? Indiana and Iowa went for Obama and Iowa is way more white than Staten Island. Perhaps it is the "Reagan Democrat" effect, or more bluntly a nastier side of the American electorate that thinks that they'll do better if only those that look like themselves get a leg up. That ugliness popped up on election night when a group of thugs attacked Ali Kamara for being a black muslim, mentioning Obama as they beat him. It may only be one incident, but can you imagine that happening in Manhattan? I think not.

A Two Year Election Condensed Into One Minute

Okay so the video is actually a minute and forty seconds, but the comedy team at 23/6 pretty much covers everything in a nutshell:



And now it is time for a break and to hit the NYC election parties!

Cheers to watching more great returns!

Forget The Exit Polls, Go With The 7-11 Poll

In a hurry to hear how much Obama is beating McCain by? Nevermind those exit pollers, take it straight from the coffee/tea drinkers at 7-Eleven. This was taken by a Gothamist reader in Manhattan:

Photo by Daniel McCormack.

Well there you have it, Obama by a caffeinated landslide!

Obama Wins Dixville Notch!

Keeping with tradition, the small town of Dixville Notch, NH voted early this morning and the tally is already in. For years on end, the Republican candidate has won this race in the small hamlet. Even in years where voter turnout is low, all the eligible voters come out early so they can make headlines. John McCain might have been counting on some positive news early in the morning, but that could not be found up there.

From The NY Daily News:

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. - Democrat Barack Obama came up a big winner in the presidential race in Dixville Notch, N.H., where the nation's first Election Day votes were cast and counted early Tuesday morning.

Obama defeated John McCain, 15 to 6. Independent Ralph Nader received no votes.

Well it would be great to see Nader's count stay the same, but it shouldn't go too much higher, certainly not percentage-wise. As for the main event, an Obama victory here might just foretell a blowout nationwide by the end of the night.

McCain Has A Spelling Problem

McCain already has a host of problems with his campaign and unfortunately, spelling happens to be one of them. Sure, it doesn't rank up there with his views on the war, the economy and choosing the Thrilla' from Wasilla but there is nothing worse than screwing up an advertisement or a flyer than a spelling error.

From ThinkProgress:

Yesterday, the McCain campaign released an online advertisement that responded to Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) criticism of its tax policy as “making a virtue of selfishness.” The ad — which featured a yellowed picture of a scowling Obama — misspelled the word “virtue.” Here is a screenshot of the “virture” ad:

“VIRTURE” (11/2/08)

This is at least the third time in the past month that the McCain-Palin ticket has released advertisements with misspellings. Here are the other two, both available on the official McCain YouTube channel:

“EVERBODY” (10/16/08)

“EXAGERRATE” (10/2/08)

At the Presidential level, this type of mistake shouldn't even be an issue. Yet the misspellings are symbolic of the larger flaws in the campaign. Perhaps I'm just a little bit of a spelling nut, but I know I'm not alone. The most important thing is that these little things takes away time that McCain could use to present a positive message about himself. Not that he has one, so he just resorts to nasty, misspelled attacks against Obama.

Boehner Calls Obama Chickenshit Straight From The Coop

This weekend the surrogates were out in full force for both candidates but the tone of both sides couldn't be more different. House Minority Leader John Boehner for example, talked about Obama's "present" votes in the Illinois Legislature, calling him "chickenshit" for not voting yes or no on certain legislation. Of course, with anything Republicans use to attack their opponents across the aisle, there is a certain level of another animal's excrement and a layer of hypocrisy on top of it.

From Yahoo News:

While campaigning for Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Wednesday, Boehner told a small crowd at a bar in the college town of Oxford that failing to vote "yes" or "no" on an issue meant a lawmaker was a "chickens---."

The Ohio congressman said the last thing the country needs is to have a "chicken" in the White House.[...]

In the Illinois General Assembly, "present" votes are common and used for far more than avoiding a difficult choice. At times lawmakers vote "present" when they have a conflict of interest. In other cases, they do it to register opposition to a procedural decision or to signal that they support a bill's goal but feel the legislation is flawed.

In Obama's case, the 129 "present" votes amounted to about 3.5 percent of the votes he cast in nearly eight years as a state senator.

During his talk, Boehner also disparaged Obama's work as a community organizer.

"This guy was a community organizer for 20 years," Boehner said. "If somebody can tell me what a community organizer is, maybe I can understand it better."

I'd love for Boehner to say that to the face of a community organizer but I'm guessing he is too much of a coward. The truth is, community organizers do an incredible amount of hard work for our nation and for Republicans to use this as a campaign attack is sickening to organizers in both parties.

Now back to the issue of legislative voting. Boehner goes after Obama for the "present" votes that make up 3.5 percent, but it is Boehner who has missed more than five percent of all his votes in Congress since 1991 (and don't even get me started on McCain's voting habits recently). And then there are the votes he did show up for such as hate crimes legislation, but the ignorance and bigotry they rest on isn't out of courage, but cowardly political expediency.

Talk about a chickenshit legislator!

Kool-Aid Seen Oozing From Senator Graham's Pores

Today is the last round of segments from the Sunday talk shows before election day. Both sides are working hard to promote their candidate, but Senator Lindsay Graham goes above and beyond the call of duty for McCain. Graham is clearly living in a land of delusion where the Kool-Aid flows like cheap beer at a keg party. On CBS this morning, you can see the red sugary stuff seeping out of him in every way possible.

From Crooks and Liars:

Download | Play Download | Play
Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C. and John McCain's bosom buddy, today on CBS with Bob Schieffer:

What we've seen in the last two weeks is a very much tightening of the race in the states that matter. I really believe that Senator Obama is the virtual incumbent. And if he's not at 50 percent today in North Carolina, he's not going to win.

We see closing in Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. We have him under 50 and in the margin of error. The intensity level in the last couple of weeks has been unbelievable on our side. Senator Obama is being defined for the most liberal senator in the Senate. That's his voting record. Joe the Plumber kind of put Obama policies on a real face. ...

I said in Fayetteville that I would beat Michael Phelps in swimming before Barack Obama wins North Carolina. And I can't swim.

I'm standing by that. I know North Carolina. John McCain will win North Carolina.

Virtual incumbent? How does he come up with stuff like this?

Perhaps him and Tucker Bounds have been sitting at the same bar together long enough to start hallucinating. Graham may be telling the truth with his swimming skills, but I've really got to hand it to him for his acting, which is far superior than Michael Phelps. As for incumbency, the only connection to the current Pretzeldent is had by John McCain, the man that has voted with Bush more than ninety percent of the time.

Bush Administration Official Broke The Law For McCain

The Republicans are doing whatever they can to stay in power and breaking the law is no big deal in order to achieve those ends. We already know that the McCain/Palin campaign is going as nasty and negative as possible in order to smear Barack Obama and swing Independents to their side. Now with less than two days until election day, they are employing the Bush Administration to attack Obama with his aunt's status in the United States. Let us be clear, revealing this information is a crime and the Bush Administration knows it.

From TPM:

You may have noticed that the AP is reporting that Barack Obama's aunt (who he does not seem to have a relationship with) was denied asylum in the US four years ago and is now living illegally in Boston. Convenient timing, ain't it?

The real story, though, is down in the third paragraph of the AP story ...

Information about the deportation case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one of them a federal law enforcement official. The information they made available is known to officials in the federal government, but the AP could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved in its release.

That's about as transparent a red flag as an outfit like the AP is usually willing to give. And there you have it. Quite likely working in concert with the McCain campaign, a Bush administration official is leaking details on an immigration case to try to help McCain three days before the election. It's shades of Bush I's riffling through Bill Clinton's passport files just before the 1992 election in a desperate last minute gambit as they were swirling down the drain.

The always incredible and brilliant Dr. Cornel West was on Bill Maher on Friday night and he made a great point. That is we are experiencing the desperation of the conservative movement in all its vicious glory. All of these attacks are as ugly and spiteful as they can be in order for them to hold onto the control of the government. Fighting each and every one, especially by helping to get out the vote for Obama is the way we win this.

This is the most important election in a long time, if not the most important in the history of our nation. So get out there and use any free time you have for the next 52 to 54 hours and knock on doors, make phone calls and help your local Democratic campaign office. We are all sick of the way Republicans politicize government agencies for their own selfish means. A little hard work now will go a long way for the next four to eight years for our country. Get to it now!

Cheney Endorses McCain, Is It Out Of Spite?

With three days to go John McCain has an enormous problem on his hands, just within the conservative community. Democrats and many Independents are lining up behind Barack, but so are long time conservatives such as Lawrence Eagleburger and even GOP Congressman Chris Shays has thrown McCain under the bus. So obviously he needs to hear that someone prominent is still in his corner, but could there be anyone worse to step up than Dick Cheney?

From The Huffington Post:

The Obama campaign gleefully sends over an announcement of a major endorsement.... for John McCain... by Dick Cheney.

"In three days we'll choose a new steward for the presidency and begin a new chapter in our history," the Vice President said Saturday morning. "It's the biggest decision that we make together as Americans. A lot turns on the outcome. I believe the right leader for this moment in history is Senator John McCain."

Gleefully, ecstaticly, joyfully, all those adjectives work for the occasion. Cheney isn't an idiot though, he knows how much America loathes him after the last eight years. Why would he offer such an "endorsement" with only a few days to go when the last of the impressionable voters are looking for their candidate? Perhaps he did it out of spite because McCain didn't go negative enough? Hmmm, that's one question to ponder, but I'll take the good news even without an answer.

Don't Let Robo-Calls Attack You!

Get away from John McCain's vicious robocalls (especially if you are in a swing state) and help Obama make real-live calls from actual people to undecided voters and others to help get out the vote this weekend through election day!

Circular Firing Squad Continues Within McCain/Palin Camp

These are not good times for the GOP and their hope (McCain) and prayer (Palin) to stay in the White House. George Bush has less than three months to go but the way things are going on the campaign trail the "team of mavericks" have four days until it's all over. The blunders were bad enough yesterday, but one supposed supporter of McCain and former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger shredded Palin's "experience" went above and beyond, or shall I say below for the Republican ticket.

From The Huffington Post:

Lawrence Eagleburger, who served as Secretary of State under George H.W. Bush and whose endorsement is often trumpeted by McCain, said on Thursday that the Alaska governor is not only unprepared to take over the job on a moment's notice but, even after some time in office, would only amount to an "adequate" commander in chief.

"And I devoutly hope that [she] would never be tested," he added for good measure -- referring both to Palin's policy dexterity and the idea of McCain not making it through his time in office. (Listen to audio below.)

The remarks took place during an interview on National Public Radio that was, ironically, billed as "making the case" for a McCain presidency. Asked by the host whether Palin could step in during a time of crisis, Eagleburger reverted to sarcasm before leveling the harsh blow.

"It is a very good question," he said, pausing a few seconds, then adding with a chuckle: "I'm being facetious here. Look, of course not."

Facetiousness aside, prominent Republicans are abandoning McCain in droves. Incumbents looking to win close races are either ignoring him or trying to link themselves with Obama and/or attacking the Presidential nominee out in full view for the public to see. Pundits started leaving with the selection of Sarah Palin and it could just make for the undoing of tie that binds the different factions of the Republican party, not just for the hope and prayer of getting into office.

McCain Aide Claims Obama Pals With Anti-Semites But Can't Name Them

The McCain campaign truly is in shambles. Listen to his national spokesman Michael Goldfarb try to link Obama to anti-semites and fail miserably. Seriously, this campaign is a total joke. If you are going to viciously smear someone, at least try to get your names straight before going on air.

McCain Gets Stood Up By Joe The Plumber

You know things are bad for McCain when your last hope at connecting to the mythical American "Joe" bails out on you at a campaign rally five days out from the election. Not only did that happen to the Arizonan Senator, but no one gave McCain the message and he tripped up on a grand scale in front of his 6,000+ audience.

From ThinkProgress:

At a rally today in Ohio, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) accused Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) of wanting to “spread the wealth.” McCain then summoned Joe the Plumber, who wasn’t even in the audience:

McCAIN: That’s only because Joe the Plumber asked [Obama] the right questions right here in Ohio. … Joe’s with us today. Joe, where are you? Where is Joe? Is Joe here with us today? Joe, I thought you were here today.

[CROSSTALK]

McCAIN: All right, well you’re all Joe the Plumbers, so all of you stand up!

Sir, Joe the plumber can't be found because your idea of him doesn't exist. Joe Wurzelbacher is busy becoming a country music star, so having him tip his hat in your direction is over. McCain used Joe for a political argument and now Joe is using him, that is all there is to it between the two of them. Now I wonder what the 4,000 students who were bussed in to make McCain's crowd swell get for being his stage props?

Chris Shays Throws McCain Under The Bus

Sensing McCain's imminent defeat, Representative Christopher Shays is trying to save his own political skin by sacrificing his party's Presidential candidate. Shays is one of many conservatives that are running from McCain and the Republican party is getting ready for a big fight within its ranks, though the fact that this infighting is occurring now as opposed to after the election points to an ominous sign for the GOP.

From The Yale Daily News:

Locked in a tight congressional race, Rep. Chris Shays of Connecticut’s 4th district is the latest in a slew of Republican incumbents, including Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, to concede a near-certain victory to the Obama camp.

“I just don’t see how [McCain] can win,” Shays said in an interview here on Sunday.

Shays, the Connecticut co-chair of McCain’s campaign, said he was disappointed by the standards of McCain’s race, which has increasingly relied on mudslinging.

“He has lost his brand as a maverick; he did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign,” Shays said.

Shays is doing whatever he can to hold on to his Congressional seat, though it isn't the only thing. He also accepted over $800,000 from the realty lobby among other perks to change his outlook on the housing bubble and giving out bad loans. The truth is, Shays will do anything and everything to acquire campaign cash and hold onto power. Despite his public break from McCain, he still needs to be kicked to the curb...and replaced by someone that will represent all of the 4th District in Connecticut, like Jim Himes.