I find it ironic that Bush's response to the missing explosives is to accuse Kerry of making wild allegations without having the facts. Aren't we in Iraq right now because the President went to war without having the facts?
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
The Long Term Health of the Party
I’m beginning to think that a Bush win could be the best possible panacea for the Democratic Party in the long-term.
Regardless of who wins, the next President of the United States is going to inherit:
- a guerilla war in Iraq, replete with beheadings, fleeing coalition partners, and porous open borders. And no one will help us. Germany today has said that they would be willing to send in troops, but only for Kerry.
- record deficits which are increasing exponentially, exacerbated by a weak dollar
- failed energy and environmental policies
- failed education policies
- record high oil prices (and record high gas prices)
- high-tech jobs as well as manufacturing jobs have fled the country, leaving us with low-paying jobs with no benefits
- the religious right has gained a foothold in amending the Constitution
Regardless of who wins:
- the housing bubble will burst
- interest rates will rise
- medical costs will double AGAIN
- the cost of gas will double AGAIN
AND, Supreme Court seats will be vacated.
But Bush will probably not be able to appoint overtly right-wing judges, given the polarized climate in DC. The right-wing will turn on him. The citizens will turn on him, and the Republicans will lose the Senate, the House and the Presidency in 2008, probably to John Edwards, or Gov of VA Mark Warren, also a looker. Other prominent Democratic Governors include Bob Holden from Missouri, Mike Easley from NC. I like Brad Henry, Gov of OK, but he's only 40, and he looks like a liberal. Could we one day hope that someone like the Jewish Governor of Pennsylvania, Bob Rendell would be elected? Probably not in 2008. There are several other Democratic Governors, even in the South, but they don't have the national footprint to aspire to higher office.
In any event, in 2008, peace and prosperity will be restored. We will have at least another 8 years of Pax Americana under the Democrats. International relations will be restored. Innovation will again be prized and rewarded in this country. We will fix education, healthcare and civil liberties.
This could be great.
If Kerry wins, the Republicans will turn on him on Day 1. They will blame him for not being able to fix Bush's blunders fast enough. Right wing donations to the GOP will reach record-breaking levels, and McCain will oust him in 2008. Or worse, Schwartzenegger.
Niall Ferguson, a Harvard/Oxford/Hoover Institute historian, compared the situation to John Major's election to a second term, and subsequent ouster in 1997, in a piece in the Wall Street Journal in late August.
Money quote:
"The lesson of British history is that a second Bush term could be more damaging to the Republicans and more beneficial to the Democrats than a Bush defeat. If he secures re-election, President Bush can be relied upon to press on with a foreign policy based on pre-emptive military force, to ignore the impending fiscal crisis (on the Cheney principle that "deficits don't matter") and to pursue socially conservative objectives like the constitutional ban on gay marriage. Anyone who thinks this combination will serve to maintain Republican unity is dreaming; it will do the opposite. Meanwhile, the Dems will have another four years to figure out what the Labour Party finally figured out: It's the candidate, stupid. And when the 2008 Republican candidate goes head-to-head with the American Tony Blair, he will get wiped out."
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Debate Part Deux
The best coverage of the debate by far was from Wonkette:
9:00 Charlie Gibson's gonna hold them to their time limits "forcefully but politely." Funny, that's what we like about Mr. Wonkette.
9:03 Kerry pats Bush on the back! Checking for that wire. . .
9:05 Weapon of mass deception! Hey, that's a. . . joke!
9:07 "I can see why your colleagues think he changes his position a lot... Because he does!" Bush was like wetting his pants to say that. And so he said it again!
9:09 Is it just me, or does Bush get more drawly when he's talking to, uhm, "a group of folks"?
9:14 Global test! Global test! Global test! Bush is so psyched. He's going to start jumping up and down and clapping his hands if someone asks about "frivolous lawsuits."
9:18 Bush: "I talk to Tony Blair all the time! He has an easy name!" (Also: He's not sighing, but he is about to throttle John Kerry.)
9:21 Love it when Bush talks about not joining the International Criminal Court. Do average Americans know what that is or do they think he's talking about the Superfriends?
9:23 Kerry meets with foreign leaders. Good thing Bush is in semi-hysterics or that would be an opening for him.
9:27 Bush is grinding his teeth into stumps. Oh, fuck: "That answer almost made me want to scowl." . . . Uhm. Yeah. I think I could hear crickets. I mean, that joke bombed. Bombed like a bad war.
9:29 Oh, yes. The rumors on the "internets." The interweb. Whatever. You have to excuse him. . . he mainly just uses it for porn.
9:31 Hmmmm. . . back door draft . . .
9:33 Good thing that no one really knows who Charlie Gibson is, or Bush steamrolling over him like a grumpy elderly driver would probably get noticed.
9:37Shorter Bush: "Stop fucking with me! Stop it! Stop fucking with me!"
9:39 The voice in his ear just told him to speak more quietly.
9:40 BREAKING: Canadians want to kill you with their pretend drugs.
9:41 Even worse: There is a third world (Jupiter?) that wants to kill you with its pretend drugs. However, Bush's plan does let you get a dimebag for just over a buck, if you're old. . .
9:42 A reader explains: "third world" means "people who do not look like me." So we revise our warning: Brown people want to kill you with their pretend drugs.
9:47 Again with the OB-GYNS. Let them practice their love, already. Also: Kerry is the first presidential candidate in history to go out of his way to remind people he's a lawyer.
9:49 Bush just called Kerry "Kennedy." He wishes. (Both of them.) Also: Kerry won an award! Yay Kerry!
9:50 Also: Yelling about OBGYNS, a reader points out, is not showing them much love at all.
9:53 Hey, wait: Bush comes from a "school of thought"? Where to begin. . .
9:54 I THINK I AM LOSING MY HEARING BECAUSE BUSH IS SCREAMING SO LOUD.
9:55 Mr. Kerry: Please do not look straight the camera again. You frighten me. (Not as much as BUSH'S SCREAMING, though.)
9:57 Kerry acknowledges wealth of the the men on the stage. Charlie Gibson chuckles, thinks to self, "Yes... yes, I am rich."
9:59 "BATTLING GREEN EYESHADES!!!!!" Acid flashback? Childhood nightmare?
10:01 "DISEL ENGINES!!!!!!!" Uhm. And then, uhm. . . "SORE SPOT!!!!!" Yes, yes, the environment is a sore spot for you, Mr. President, clearly. . .
10:05 Ah, yes, the great halls of Europe. I think I saw Battling Green Eyeshades there once.
10:10 Did the President of the United States really just ask Charlie Gibson if he "needed wood"? Where's Bob Dole when you really need him. . .
10:15 Ack. A thoughtful, morally-charged question! But Kerry respects the "feeling behind it." After all, he's not pro-stem cell research using cells from "abortions or something like that." Whatever: Kerry is friends with Superman!
10:18 Shorter Bush: He was against embryonic stem cell research before he was for it.
10:21 Ha! Bush said he'd choose judges based on whether or not they'd vote for him! Ha! Ha! Funny because it's true.
10:22 Dred Scott case? Wha? Isn't this teevee? Oh well. At least we know for sure that Bush doesn't support slavery. Whew.
10:28 Q: Name three times you've made a mistake. A: I WAS RIGHT TO GO TO WAR. AND THAT'S A TRICK QUESTION. FUCK YOU.
10:30 Dad Wonkette writes in with his summation: "Kerry waxed Bush's ass." And you wonder how I turned out this way
9:00 Charlie Gibson's gonna hold them to their time limits "forcefully but politely." Funny, that's what we like about Mr. Wonkette.
9:03 Kerry pats Bush on the back! Checking for that wire. . .
9:05 Weapon of mass deception! Hey, that's a. . . joke!
9:07 "I can see why your colleagues think he changes his position a lot... Because he does!" Bush was like wetting his pants to say that. And so he said it again!
9:09 Is it just me, or does Bush get more drawly when he's talking to, uhm, "a group of folks"?
9:14 Global test! Global test! Global test! Bush is so psyched. He's going to start jumping up and down and clapping his hands if someone asks about "frivolous lawsuits."
9:18 Bush: "I talk to Tony Blair all the time! He has an easy name!" (Also: He's not sighing, but he is about to throttle John Kerry.)
9:21 Love it when Bush talks about not joining the International Criminal Court. Do average Americans know what that is or do they think he's talking about the Superfriends?
9:23 Kerry meets with foreign leaders. Good thing Bush is in semi-hysterics or that would be an opening for him.
9:27 Bush is grinding his teeth into stumps. Oh, fuck: "That answer almost made me want to scowl." . . . Uhm. Yeah. I think I could hear crickets. I mean, that joke bombed. Bombed like a bad war.
9:29 Oh, yes. The rumors on the "internets." The interweb. Whatever. You have to excuse him. . . he mainly just uses it for porn.
9:31 Hmmmm. . . back door draft . . .
9:33 Good thing that no one really knows who Charlie Gibson is, or Bush steamrolling over him like a grumpy elderly driver would probably get noticed.
9:37Shorter Bush: "Stop fucking with me! Stop it! Stop fucking with me!"
9:39 The voice in his ear just told him to speak more quietly.
9:40 BREAKING: Canadians want to kill you with their pretend drugs.
9:41 Even worse: There is a third world (Jupiter?) that wants to kill you with its pretend drugs. However, Bush's plan does let you get a dimebag for just over a buck, if you're old. . .
9:42 A reader explains: "third world" means "people who do not look like me." So we revise our warning: Brown people want to kill you with their pretend drugs.
9:47 Again with the OB-GYNS. Let them practice their love, already. Also: Kerry is the first presidential candidate in history to go out of his way to remind people he's a lawyer.
9:49 Bush just called Kerry "Kennedy." He wishes. (Both of them.) Also: Kerry won an award! Yay Kerry!
9:50 Also: Yelling about OBGYNS, a reader points out, is not showing them much love at all.
9:53 Hey, wait: Bush comes from a "school of thought"? Where to begin. . .
9:54 I THINK I AM LOSING MY HEARING BECAUSE BUSH IS SCREAMING SO LOUD.
9:55 Mr. Kerry: Please do not look straight the camera again. You frighten me. (Not as much as BUSH'S SCREAMING, though.)
9:57 Kerry acknowledges wealth of the the men on the stage. Charlie Gibson chuckles, thinks to self, "Yes... yes, I am rich."
9:59 "BATTLING GREEN EYESHADES!!!!!" Acid flashback? Childhood nightmare?
10:01 "DISEL ENGINES!!!!!!!" Uhm. And then, uhm. . . "SORE SPOT!!!!!" Yes, yes, the environment is a sore spot for you, Mr. President, clearly. . .
10:05 Ah, yes, the great halls of Europe. I think I saw Battling Green Eyeshades there once.
10:10 Did the President of the United States really just ask Charlie Gibson if he "needed wood"? Where's Bob Dole when you really need him. . .
10:15 Ack. A thoughtful, morally-charged question! But Kerry respects the "feeling behind it." After all, he's not pro-stem cell research using cells from "abortions or something like that." Whatever: Kerry is friends with Superman!
10:18 Shorter Bush: He was against embryonic stem cell research before he was for it.
10:21 Ha! Bush said he'd choose judges based on whether or not they'd vote for him! Ha! Ha! Funny because it's true.
10:22 Dred Scott case? Wha? Isn't this teevee? Oh well. At least we know for sure that Bush doesn't support slavery. Whew.
10:28 Q: Name three times you've made a mistake. A: I WAS RIGHT TO GO TO WAR. AND THAT'S A TRICK QUESTION. FUCK YOU.
10:30 Dad Wonkette writes in with his summation: "Kerry waxed Bush's ass." And you wonder how I turned out this way
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Business Schools Against Bush
It seems that business academia (not a traditionally left wing bunch) have teamed up and ganged up on Bush. In a devastating critique of his fiscal policy, they join the loud and growing chorus of experts who feel that the current administrations policies will at best require major reversal, and at worst, bankrupt the nation permanently.
Money quote:
What is called for, we believe, is a dramatic reorientation of fiscal policy, including substantial reversals of your tax policy. Running a budget deficit in response to a short bout of recession is one thing. But running large structural deficits over a long period is something else entirely. We therefore urge you to consider the fiscal realities we now face and the substantial burden they are placing on our economy.
As the first MBA President, he gets an F.
Money quote:
What is called for, we believe, is a dramatic reorientation of fiscal policy, including substantial reversals of your tax policy. Running a budget deficit in response to a short bout of recession is one thing. But running large structural deficits over a long period is something else entirely. We therefore urge you to consider the fiscal realities we now face and the substantial burden they are placing on our economy.
As the first MBA President, he gets an F.
Dick Cheney loves George Soros
WHAT A HUGE BLUNDER!!!
Dick Cheney urged millions of viewers to go to factcheck.com to see evidence refuting his preferential treatment of Halliburton. But www.factcheck.com is a George Soros website!! He meant factcheck.org!!!!
Fox News even has the incorrect link on their story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134573,00.html
From Fox News:
Cheney said the Halliburton allegations are false and directed voters to factcheck.com, a project of the University of Pennsylvania, to read the truth. He called the issue nothing more than a "smokescreen" by the Kerry-Edwards campaign designed to "repeatedly trying to confuse the voters and raise questions but there's no substance to the charges."
From the transcript:
CHENEY: Well, the reason they keep mentioning Halliburton is because they're trying to throw up a smokescreen. They know the charges are false.
They know that if you go, for example, to factcheck.com (sic), an independent Web site sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, you can get the specific details with respect to Halliburton.
It's an effort that they've made repeatedly to try to confuse the voters and to raise questions, but there's no substance to the charges.
Dick Cheney urged millions of viewers to go to factcheck.com to see evidence refuting his preferential treatment of Halliburton. But www.factcheck.com is a George Soros website!! He meant factcheck.org!!!!
Fox News even has the incorrect link on their story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134573,00.html
From Fox News:
Cheney said the Halliburton allegations are false and directed voters to factcheck.com, a project of the University of Pennsylvania, to read the truth. He called the issue nothing more than a "smokescreen" by the Kerry-Edwards campaign designed to "repeatedly trying to confuse the voters and raise questions but there's no substance to the charges."
From the transcript:
CHENEY: Well, the reason they keep mentioning Halliburton is because they're trying to throw up a smokescreen. They know the charges are false.
They know that if you go, for example, to factcheck.com (sic), an independent Web site sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania, you can get the specific details with respect to Halliburton.
It's an effort that they've made repeatedly to try to confuse the voters and to raise questions, but there's no substance to the charges.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Mutiny in Iraq
Even the soldiers have had enough. Although no large scale surveys have been done, there has been a marked increase in vocal disenchantment on the part of soldiers stationed in Iraq.
Money quote:
"Nobody I know wants Bush," says an enlisted soldier in Najaf, adding, "This whole war was based on lies." Like several others interviewed, his animosity centered on a belief that the war lacked a clear purpose even as it took a tremendous toll on U.S. troops, many of whom are in Iraq involuntarily under "stop loss" orders that keep them in the service for months beyond their scheduled exit in order to keep units together during deployments.
Is this timed to coincide with Michael Moore's new book? Will They Ever Trust Us Again is a collection of letters from soldiers in Iraq. I haven't read it, but I'd venture to guess they are not supportive of the war.
Money quote:
"Nobody I know wants Bush," says an enlisted soldier in Najaf, adding, "This whole war was based on lies." Like several others interviewed, his animosity centered on a belief that the war lacked a clear purpose even as it took a tremendous toll on U.S. troops, many of whom are in Iraq involuntarily under "stop loss" orders that keep them in the service for months beyond their scheduled exit in order to keep units together during deployments.
Is this timed to coincide with Michael Moore's new book? Will They Ever Trust Us Again is a collection of letters from soldiers in Iraq. I haven't read it, but I'd venture to guess they are not supportive of the war.
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