Republicans are people, too. Mean, greedy, selfish people!

This is a different face of a McCain supporter. Still ugly.

Meanest Lady Ever Denies Candy to Kids of Obama Supporters

From WriteChic

Catch you later.....

Honest McCain Campaign Poster #51

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Harry Truman - 60th Anniversary of "The Greatest Campaign Speech"

Sixty years ago today, President Harry Truman made what some consider the best Democratic campaign speech ever.

"The welfare of the people should come first." (with audio link)

"I have told the people that there is just one big issue in this campaign and that's the people against the special interests.

The Republicans stand for special interests, and they always have.

The Democratic Party, which I now head, stands for the people--and always has stood for the people."

"Of all the fake campaigns, this one is the tops, so far as the Republican candidate for President is concerned. He has been following me up and down this country making speeches about home and mother and unity and efficiency, and things of that kind. He won't talk about the issues, but he did let his foot slip, when he endorsed the 80th Congress. He endorsed that Congress! He said that Congress had done great things for the future of this country.

It has done great things for the special interests in this country. It has worked for the lobbies, the worst lobby outfits in the history of the United States have been in Washington, surrounding that 80th Congress. And they haven't done a thing that these good-for-nothing lobbies haven't asked them to do."

"Then I asked this Congress to do something about the health of the people of this country. I asked them for health insurance. I asked them for hospitals. You know, in this country there are two classes of people that get all the medical care that they ought to have; and that is the fellow who has got a million dollars at this end of the scale, and the fellow that hasn't got a cent at this end. But the people in the middle, the large number of people in the middle between those two classes, can't afford to go to a hospital, they can't afford to pay what it costs, sometimes; and they can't afford sometimes even to pay the doctor's bill, after they get service.

I wanted an insurance program that would work, so that a fellow would have a little money saved up, when it came time to pay medical and hospital bills, and the doctor and the hospital would get paid promptly. But the Republicans are against that. They say that's socialized medicine. Well, it isn't. That's just good commonsense, and some of these days we are going to get it, because the Democrats are going back in power, and we are going to see that we get it."

"People are waking up that the tide is beginning to roll, and I am here to tell you that if you do your duty as citizens of the greatest Republic the sun has ever shone on, we will have a Government that will be for your interests, that will be for peace in the world, and for the welfare of all the people, and not just a few."

It is one of the best enunciations of core Democratic principles I've ever heard and should be required reading for all progressives. The audio is mesmerizing.

Here's the complete text.

Catch you later.....

We'll be right back after this brief message...

Sweet and to-the-point.

Catch you later.....

Pre-emptive ejection: Audience members removed at McCain rally in Cedar Falls

From the Iowa State Daily:

Audience members escorted out of Sen. John McCain’s, R-Ariz., campaign event in Cedar Falls questioned why they were asked to leave Sunday’s rally even though they were not protesting.

David Zarifis, director of public safety for the University of Northern Iowa, said McCain staffers requested UNI police assist in escorting out “about four or five” people from the rally prior to McCain’s speech.

...Lara Elborno, (see photo/Jon Lemons-Iowa State Daily) a student at the University of Iowa, said she was approached by a police officer and a McCain staffer and was told she had to leave or she would be arrested for trespassing.

...She said McCain staffers wouldn’t tell her why she was being asked to leave and when she got outside, she saw “a group of about 20 people” who had all been asked to leave.

...“When I started talking to them, it kind of became clear that they were kind of just telling people to leave that they thought maybe would be disruptive, but based on what? Based on how they looked,” Elborno said. “It was pretty much all young people, the college demographic.”

...“I saw a couple that had been escorted out and they were confused as well, and the girl was crying, so I said ‘Why are you crying? and she said ‘I already voted for McCain, I’m a Republican, and they said we had to leave because we didn’t look right,’” Elborno said. “They were handpicking these people and they had nothing to go off of, besides the way the people looked.”

And they wonder why they're behind?

We are witness to one of the worst run campaigns of my lifetime. If they can't effectively run a campaign, what would lead us to believe they are capable of running the government?


I wonder if the crying McCain voter might want a mulligan?


H/T to the Booman Tribune

Catch you later.....

Three Red Hens: Letterpress & Design: Designs on the presidency: 50+ Manifestations of Design in the 2008 Campaign

Three Red Hens: Letterpress & Design: Designs on the presidency: 50+ Manifestations of Design in the 2008 Campaign

The "Honest McCain Campaign Poster" thingy I've had goin' on here has come in for a little love from a blog devoted to Graphic Design.

I set out to find some of the best examples of graphic design & art from the 2008 campaign but have had a difficult time keeping it balanced. Graphic artists (and artists in general) haven't used their skills for McCain in the same way. Try Googling "McCain poster" versus "Obama poster". Even a poster competition on McCain's website wasn't enough to get the creatives going in the same way.

I tried to stick with the positive or at least light-hearted manifestations of design in this campaign, but there's plenty of negative out there too: There's the resurrection of 90s-style motivational posters parody on both sides (just look in the above "poster" Google searches—eek—just bad design) and everyone & their mom parodying or borrowing from Shepard Fairey's iconic Obama posters—see a few examples here, here, and kinda here (this last one scared me in the East Village the other day!). Of course there's also the Palin Poster Project.

In the end it's really the issues that matter. Just consider this a little eye candy reminder to vote. :-)

There are some really great designs and graphics at the post, be sure to check them out.

I'm very pleased and humbled that my modest efforts at political humor have been well received. It has been great fun.

And after the election (hurry up!) I hope to devote less time to the political and more posting of items of a more purely humorous nature. After eight years of BushCo we all need to learn to laugh again.

Catch you later.....

Michelle Bachman is an Odious, Racist Tool - Veracifier

My parents were born and raised in Minnesota. My extremely large extended family still lives primarily in Minnesota. Most are DFL'ers, well educated, Catholic and progressive.

They can't tell me how this disgusting piece of crap gets elected. They are, however, hopeful we've nearly seen the last of her.

I hope they're right.

Catch you later.....

Honest McCain Campaign Poster #50

From tonight's Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Keith and Rachel are must see TV in this house!

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Martial Law within 100 miles of ANY Border? ACLU - Youtube

More love of the Constitution by those wonderful folks at BushCo.

I've seen it here in northern San Diego county. In the back canyons one might encounter black-clad, MP3 armed Border Patrol agents stopping every passing vehicle in both directions.

Dogs and paddy wagons standing by. I kid you not.

Catch you later.....

Colin Powell on McCain's Negative Campaigning

Well said, good timing.

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GOP Engaged in Massive Election Fraud, Where's the Outrage?

Millions of voters illegally purged and all McSame/Phailin can talk about is Ayers and ACORN?

They're out to steal it, again, because they've got nuthin'.

Catch you later.....

Honest McCain Campaign Poster #49 - Plumber's Edition

They just can't help themselves, can they?

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Rep. Darrell Issa's Response

I finally got a response to my calls and Emails about the "bailout" legislation from my Congressman:

Dear Mr. __________:

Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to the $700 billion Bush-Paulson-Pelosi bailout plan. I share your opposition and voted NO both times the bill was brought before the House of Representatives.

It is an outrage to stick taxpayers with the bill for the failed decisions of Wall Street financiers. When investors put their money into the marketplace, they reap a benefit when they make the right choices, they have to face the consequences when they make bad ones. The Paulson-Bush-Pelosi scheme allows investors to realize the benefits while shifting all the risk to taxpayers. It is the wrong plan, and a bad idea.

Furthermore, in their rush to act, the Bush Administration and Congressional leaders spread panic, shattered American's confidence in the banking system, ignored the American people and shut out debate on alternatives that would more effectively address the problem without shifting the cost and trillions of dollars of additional risk to taxpayers.

Our financial markets are struggling, and we do need to act to insure that creditworthy individuals and businesses have access to the capital they need to conduct legitimate business transactions. But we don't owe Wall Street a bailout, and we can do it without putting taxpayers on the hook.

In opposing the Bush-Paulson-Pelosi scheme, I offered several alternatives, including the use of Guaranteed Recovery Bonds, suspension of mark-to-market accounting rules, and restoring the net-worth certificate program which the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has used successfully to help banks recover during previous economic downturns. To view my statements or to read my alternative proposals, please visit my website at www.house.gov/issa.

I will continue to work on your behalf in Congress to advance common sense solutions to restore stability to the financial markets and promote economic growth. The American economy has time and again weathered political shocks and financial hardships and proven itself resilient. I am confident that we will get through the current turmoil, overcome the losses incurred, and return to financial prosperity.

Again, thank you for contacting me to share your concerns on current conditions in the financial markets and the bailout scheme. I appreciate hearing your views.

Sincerely, Darrell Issa

Member of Congress

Let me just say, again, that I am disappointed with the responses from Sens. Boxer and Feinstein and Rep. Issa, in varying degrees, but disappointed in the lack of specifics and the tone they seem to take.

These are non-responsive responses, all too typical of our "ruling classes".

I just don't think they 'get' it.

Catch you later.....

Honest McCain Poster #48 - he's really old edition

I wish to state, for the record, that if something, anything, untoward happens to Barack Obama, next week, next year, ten years from now, I am going to hold John McCain, Sarah Palin, Fox News, and the "base" responsible.

In the course of my day in our clinic, I speak to many different people from all parts of our society. And the chatter the last ten days or so has been all about the election and the economy.

There is a growing sense of a hopeful outcome from the 'regular folks', a sense that this time will be different, better.


Amongst certain other folks, however, there seems to be a growing sense of anger, frustration and, yes, violent impulse. I can't believe some of what I hear from people I have treated as a health care pro for 6+ years now. These are people I have cared for personally and professionally, have come to think of as part of our "extended family".


What I hear makes me fear for Sen. Obama's safety and that of his family. This isn't the anonymous bullshit we see too frequently on line. It's from mouth to ear, face to face and I see real hate in it.


And I blame the McCain campaign, top to bottom, for it.


It is in Sen. McCain's power to douse this fire, ignore it or to fuel it. Let his character at last be revealed.


Catch you later.....

The Thinking Man - You Tube

See, I told you so.

Catch you later.....

Sub Prime Voter

Nice base you've got there, Sen McSellout. (from BrettMarty.com via 538)

Jeebus must be so proud of you.

Catch you later.....

Honest McCain Campaign Poster #47 - Questions

Trust me, they're trying to find the answer to that one.

Catch you later.....

Breaking Election News - The Onion, America's Finest Source

Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain

Maybe he can take Sarah's place.

Catch you later.....

DWT on McCain's "Spotty" Military Record

Is It Reasonable To Keep Referring To McCain's Spotty Military Record As "Heroic"-- Or Even Honorable?

In a (mercifully concise) post today, DWT examines the differences in the legend of John McCain, Navy Hero and the truth of McCain's actual performance as a Naval officer.

It references the outstanding Rolling Stone article by Tim Dickinson and brings together several useful links for greater detail.

Though he was in the Navy a bit before I enlisted, my Naval service and Mr. McCain's were contemporaneous.

I vividly recall, during boot-camp but especially during the fire-fighting training of Seamanship School, that the utter horror and needlessness of the events aboard the Forrestal were hammered into us, over and over again. Normally a raucous bunch, 160 men sat in stunned silence as we contemplated what we had seen and heard.

The Forrestal incident serves the Navy to this day as an example of one of the most egregious examples of what can go wrong aboard a warship. To see the films and hear the stories of the heroic efforts of sailors to save their crew mates from an inferno is to know true bravery and selflessness.

And I recall as well, the scuttle-butt that circulated after the Forrestal films were shown to our company: The tragedy was caused by some Admiral's "hot-shot" middie-pilot son and the Naval Department big-wigs had covered up the details and transferred the asshole in question "for the good of the service and to prevent a keel-hauling". John McCain was the first sailor evacuated.

Special rules for "special" people is all too common in the service. DWT asks, and I second, why this also seems to apply to the MSM's kid-gloves treatment of a putative Commander-in-Chief.

When will Mr. McCain's military record come under the same microscope the MSM used to trivialize the heroic service of Sen. John Kerry?

From one sailor to another, from one disabled vet to another: Sen. McCain, can we have the straight poop, now, please?

Catch you later.....

Honest McCain Campaign Poster #46 - Hate

I don't usually take requests, but...

Catch you later.....