*** Official Barack Obama FBG campaign headquarters *** (2 Viewers)

[Gr00vus]

OK, I was undecided until today, but I've made my decision. I'm voting Obama. And I live in the I-4 corridor of Florida too, so my one vote really MIGHT make a difference

I'd be really interested to hear what the deciding factors were for you at this late date - care to expound?

It wasn't an epiphany.. I'd been leaning this way for a while. I'm a staunch independent and actually prefer to vote Libertarian, but in this race, given where I live, it really seems like a wasted vote. Normally, I hate that argument, but in this case, it really sort of applies. I agree with Obama on more issues than McCain, but I was a little nervous about putting a relatively inexperienced Senator in the highest office in America as opposed to a guy who's been in politics seemingly forever, and has convinced me he has the mettle to run the country. Basically, I needed to be convinced by Obama the man, rather than just the issues. He's done that, and as such, he has my support.

Thanks, that's an interesting perspective.

 

[jdoggydogg]

I am volunteering at the local Obama headquarters this weekend. Should be interesting.

 

[Slappy White]

OK, I was undecided until today, but I've made my decision. I'm voting Obama. And I live in the I-4 corridor of Florida too, so my one vote really MIGHT make a difference

I'd be really interested to hear what the deciding factors were for you at this late date - care to expound?

It wasn't an epiphany.. I'd been leaning this way for a while. I'm a staunch independent and actually prefer to vote Libertarian, but in this race, given where I live, it really seems like a wasted vote. Normally, I hate that argument, but in this case, it really sort of applies. I agree with Obama on more issues than McCain, but I was a little nervous about putting a relatively inexperienced Senator in the highest office in America as opposed to a guy who's been in politics seemingly forever, and has convinced me he has the mettle to run the country. Basically, I needed to be convinced by Obama the man, rather than just the issues. He's done that, and as such, he has my support.

Baby, you're makin' me all hot.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

OK, I was undecided until today, but I've made my decision. I'm voting Obama. And I live in the I-4 corridor of Florida too, so my one vote really MIGHT make a difference

I'd be really interested to hear what the deciding factors were for you at this late date - care to expound?

It wasn't an epiphany.. I'd been leaning this way for a while. I'm a staunch independent and actually prefer to vote Libertarian, but in this race, given where I live, it really seems like a wasted vote. Normally, I hate that argument, but in this case, it really sort of applies. I agree with Obama on more issues than McCain, but I was a little nervous about putting a relatively inexperienced Senator in the highest office in America as opposed to a guy who's been in politics seemingly forever, and has convinced me he has the mettle to run the country. Basically, I needed to be convinced by Obama the man, rather than just the issues. He's done that, and as such, he has my support.

Baby, you're makin' me all hot.

I have to stay at my desk a while longer now.

 

[Gr00vus]

I am volunteering at the local Obama headquarters this weekend. Should be interesting.

Are you going to make calls? I think I might do that again this weekend even though it was pretty boring.

 

[Statorama]

What Obamabots need to know

This post is for the Obama followers. Whether you are an Obamacan( a weak Republican supporter of Obama) or just an every day Democratic supporter, this post is for you. As we approach the final week before Election Day, I thought it was important to bring to light some facts you may have glossed over as you prepare to cast your ballot. There are some important issues that the Obama Campaign has been deceiving you on and this post is simply designed to bring them to light. It's important to be fully informed before you vote, if after reading this you still wish to vote for Obama that's fine by me. But if Obama is elected and you are unhappy with the result because it is not what Obama promised you, you have been forewarned and the fault is your own.

If You Are Making 50,000 Or More A Year, Obama Is Raising Your Taxes- So, not quite the 250,000 your guy promised is it? You see, what he wont tell you is that by rolling back Bush's tax cuts, it is a defacto tax increase. American Thinker has a helpful table for you to look at:

2000 Tax Tables 2003 Tax Tables 2004 Tax Tables 2010 Tax Tables - (Bush Tax Cuts have Expired) Increase with Obama Tax Increase* Taxable Income $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 Tax: Single $10,581 $9,304 $9,231 $10,581 $1,350 Tax: Married - Filing Joint $8,293 $6,796 $6,781 $8,293 $1,512 Tax: Married - Filing Separate $11,143 $9,304 $9,231 $11,143 $1,912 Tax: Head of Household $9,424 $8,189 $8,094 $9,424 $1,330Go over and actually read the story, he even links to the IRS website so you can put in your own income and check for yourself. But hey, if you think your rich and you can afford it, be my guest and vote for the guy. Obama Might End The War In Iraq, But Will His Policies Start A New War?- As I understand it, a great deal of liberal anger towards President Bush has to do with the war in Iraq and the great appeal of Senator Obama is his promise to "end the war in 16 months." Now because of the surge, this war may very well end in 16 months, but it looks like Obama's blundering on foreign policy may well start another one. When he isn't threatening to invade Pakistan unilaterally he is promising to send more troops into Afghanistan. From Salon.com

Obama wants to send 10,000 extra U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but wants to withdraw all American soldiers and Marines from Iraq on a short timetable. In contrast to the kid gloves with which he treated the Iraqi government, Obama repeated his threat to hit at al-Qaida in neighboring Pakistan unilaterally, drawing howls of outrage from Islamabad.

But Obama's pledge to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan will not be easy to fulfill. While coalition troop deaths have declined significantly in Iraq, NATO casualties in Afghanistan are way up. By shifting emphasis from Iraq to Afghanistan, would a President Obama be jumping from the frying pan into the fire?

So, to all of those supporters who think that once Obama takes over all conflict ends, you are going to be in for quite a surprise. If Obama wins he will have a liberal honeymoon period of six months tops before it is fully understood that "The One" may very well turn out as hawkish as Bush. What will liberal bloggers do then? Biden said Obama will be tested with an international crisis, lets just hope its not of his own making.

You Think Our Deficit Is Bad Now, Wait Until Your Guy Enters Office- All I hear from Democrats and Republicans is that we have to balance the budget. Well, if there is a President Barack Obama you all can keep dreaming. From The Washington Post:

On the campaign trail, Sen. Barack Obama bashes President Bush for "reckless" economic policies that are "mortgaging our children's future on a mountain of debt." But the Democratic presidential candidate has adopted a key component of Bush's fiscal policy: A novel bookkeeping method that guarantees that the $9.5 trillion national debt will get much bigger.

Unlike his Democratic colleagues, Obama has never made balancing the budget a priority. He concedes that he would not be able to do it during his first term, and probably not during his second, either.

As long as he can pass The New Deal Part Deux, what does he care about the deficit? With a rubber stamp congress and a groveling media, "The One" will have no problem spending us into oblivion.

Final Thoughts- I'm a big believer in voting with your eyes wide open. I can't stop you from voting for Obama, but I can give you some details you aren't getting anywhere else right now. Stop and think for a moment about what he is going to cost you and your family. If your big issue is that you hate war, well I hate to tell you, one may end under Obama but others may very well begin. If it gives you comfort to believe the lies about his tax plan I can't stop you from believing them, but the facts are what they are. When you go to the voting booth one week from today I want you to know exactly what you are voting for, so when, to quote Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright, "your chickens come home to roost" the only one you can blame, is you. Until next time...

 

[jdoggydogg]

I am volunteering at the local Obama headquarters this weekend. Should be interesting.

Are you going to make calls? I think I might do that again this weekend even though it was pretty boring.

I told them I'd do anything to help. So I might be making calls or I might be making coffee pickups. I'm ok with boring. I've never volunteered in an election before, so I am pretty stoked either way.

 

[Gr00vus]

....lies...misrepresentations...unsupported opinions...baseless fearmongering....

tax policy center's analysis of both candidates' tax policies

Overall, the Obama plan would lower effective marginal tax rates for the majority of households. In 2009, only about 1 in 7 households would see an increase in their marginal rate. Only at the top of the income distribution—households making at least $500,000 a year—would a majority of taxpayers face higher rates. Obama’s plan would leave the average marginal rate on wages and salaries for the economy as a whole unchanged at 24 percent in 2009. In that same year, close to 80 percent of the population would see no change in their marginal rates under Senator McCain’s plan and most other tax units would face lower rates; only about 1 percent of households would experience a marginal rate increase under the fully phased in McCain plan. Overall, Senator McCain’s plan would reduce the average marginal tax rate on wages and salaries by about 1 percentage point, to 23 percent in 2009.

 

[timschochet]

Since it looks like Obama's going to be elected, I'm trying to move beyond my criticisms of his economic policy (everything I have to say on this has been better said by others, and we've all heard the arguments ad nauseum) and focus instead on actions he may take as President that I can support. Here's one that he's been hinting at:

It's time to end the 50 year embargo on Cuba. If it was going to achieve a regime change, it would have happened by now, don't you think? If we can trade with Iran and Venezuela and China and allow American citizens to travel to all of those countries without restraint, why can't we do the same with Cuba? The sad answer is because both parties are beholden to a small group of Cuban Americans who happen to live in a swing state. If Little Havana was in a state like California that usually votes one way in the general election, we would have taken this step long ago. But we have cowards in office who don't want to offend anyone. I have always been sympathetic to the stories of Cuban-Americans who have escaped from Fidel, but we can't let these people decide our foreign policy for us.

Obama has yet to come out and say he's for opening up trade with Cuba, but I have a feeling he's going to do it at some point during his presidency. It might have to wait until Fidel dies, as that will be a symbolic excuse. But it's something we need to do- it will benefit us, and Cuba, and freedom in Cuba, eventually.

 

[Statorama]

Voter rolls filled with dead and absent registrants

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Mississippi's voter situation is hard to believe. Places like Madison County have over 123% more registered voters than people over the age of 18.

Sue Sautermeister, First District Election Commissioner in Madison County, tried to purge the rolls, but ran into trouble when it was discovered it takes a vote of three of the five election commissioners and the purge cannot take place within 90 days of a federal election.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is the first to admit the situation with voter registration in this state is terrible.

"It is terrible," he says. "Combined with the fact that we don't have voter ID in Mississippi, anybody can show up at any poll that happens to know the people who have left town or died -- and go vote for them."

"Whenever we have a third party determined by payment, for example, as they did in Benton County -- 'walking-around' money -- and they determine what that vote is going to be, they've taken your vote, whether they may have voted like you would have or not, they've still thwarted the process and they've still have taken your vote away from you," added Hosemann.

Sue Sautermeister is working hard in the First District of Madison County to start a purging of the voter rolls as soon after the election as possible. She has file drawers full of names of people who haven't voted in years and are known to be dead.

"We have people who registered in 1965 who have never voted," she says. "We have 486 people (registered who are) over 105."

Hosemann says 190,000 new voters have registered for this election and he believes the turnout will be historic.

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

OK, I was undecided until today, but I've made my decision. I'm voting Obama. And I live in the I-4 corridor of Florida too, so my one vote really MIGHT make a difference

I'd be really interested to hear what the deciding factors were for you at this late date - care to expound?

It wasn't an epiphany.. I'd been leaning this way for a while. I'm a staunch independent and actually prefer to vote Libertarian, but in this race, given where I live, it really seems like a wasted vote. Normally, I hate that argument, but in this case, it really sort of applies. I agree with Obama on more issues than McCain, but I was a little nervous about putting a relatively inexperienced Senator in the highest office in America as opposed to a guy who's been in politics seemingly forever, and has convinced me he has the mettle to run the country. Basically, I needed to be convinced by Obama the man, rather than just the issues. He's done that, and as such, he has my support.

Baby, you're makin' me all hot.

I have to stay at my desk a while longer now.

Walk it off.

 

[tommyGunZ]

http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/2008/08/cha...oolsbee_20.html

Interesting interview on Obama and economics here, if you haven't seen it before.

Thanks for posting this. I'd like to watch it later if I remember. (I wish I could blackdot a single post instead of a whole thread.)

You can, sort of. Just reply to the post with a phrase so bizzare, it will only turn up once in the search function.

Digital Underground

 

[Gr00vus]

Voter rolls filled with dead and absent registrants

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Mississippi's voter situation is hard to believe. Places like Madison County have over 123% more registered voters than people over the age of 18.

Sue Sautermeister, First District Election Commissioner in Madison County, tried to purge the rolls, but ran into trouble when it was discovered it takes a vote of three of the five election commissioners and the purge cannot take place within 90 days of a federal election.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is the first to admit the situation with voter registration in this state is terrible.

"It is terrible," he says. "Combined with the fact that we don't have voter ID in Mississippi, anybody can show up at any poll that happens to know the people who have left town or died -- and go vote for them."

"Whenever we have a third party determined by payment, for example, as they did in Benton County -- 'walking-around' money -- and they determine what that vote is going to be, they've taken your vote, whether they may have voted like you would have or not, they've still thwarted the process and they've still have taken your vote away from you," added Hosemann.

Sue Sautermeister is working hard in the First District of Madison County to start a purging of the voter rolls as soon after the election as possible. She has file drawers full of names of people who haven't voted in years and are known to be dead.

"We have people who registered in 1965 who have never voted," she says. "We have 486 people (registered who are) over 105."

Hosemann says 190,000 new voters have registered for this election and he believes the turnout will be historic.

So you're saying all these years since 1968 the state's voted for Republican Presidential candidates (except for 1976) because of voter fraud? Interesting.

No wait, the other thing - tedious.

 

[timschochet]

Here's another one:

Once Obama is firmly in office, I would like to see him issue an executive order ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He has said that he is in favor of it's repeal, but that is NOT the same as issuing an executive order. When Harry Truman ended segregation in the armed forces, he did not wait to seek congressional approval, he did it with an executive order, and it was a very courageous action. I think Obama has the chance to do the same. If he does, long after all of the economic arguments have been won or lost, historians will regard this as an act of greatness. I'm rooting for him to take this step, for which he will have my full support.

 

[Statorama]

Jewish World Review offers $5,000 reward for release of Khalidi tape

Helping send Obama's campaign back to Abaddon!

JewishWorldReview.com | For the last week, this site has been receiving mail -- lots of mail -- asking that we somehow shame the Los Angeles Times into releasing a videotape they admit to having that shows then Illinois state Sen. Barak Obama praising Rashid Khalidi, the one-time PLO spokesman/adviser during a 2003 farewell party in Chicago. Shortly thereafter, he became the head of the Middle East Studies Department at Columbia University.

At what turned out to be a "Jew-bash", Obama, who the polls say will likely be the next leader of the Free World, chose to remain silent. Even after the presentations, the politician who now says he's in favor of a secure Israel refused to denounce what he had just heard. Including, according to the Times:

A " young Palestinian American recit[ing] a poem accusing the Israeli government of terrorism in its treatment of Palestinians and sharply criticizing U.S. support of Israel. If Palestinians cannot secure their own land, she said, "then you will never see a day of peace."

And another speaker likened "Zionist settlers on the West Bank" to Osama bin Laden, saying both had been "blinded by ideology."

The anti-Israel Arab American Action Network sponsored the gala. Obama reportedly helped funnel tens of thousands of dollars to them.

Obama did say, according to the LA Times, that his conversations with Khalidi over the years had influenced his thinking about the Israeli-Arab crisis. The discussions became, he recalled, "consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases."

There's likely a lot more information on that tape that the electorate needs to be informed of.

I'm willing to personally get $5,000 to anybody who can get me a verified digital copy of the events of that evening. If readers want to add money, we'll raise the "bounty".

Once we get the video, which we'll need by Friday, we will post it online for anybody to link to. We will return it back to the "public domain" where it belongs.

 

[jdoggydogg]

Voter rolls filled with dead and absent registrants

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Mississippi's voter situation is hard to believe. Places like Madison County have over 123% more registered voters than people over the age of 18.

Sue Sautermeister, First District Election Commissioner in Madison County, tried to purge the rolls, but ran into trouble when it was discovered it takes a vote of three of the five election commissioners and the purge cannot take place within 90 days of a federal election.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is the first to admit the situation with voter registration in this state is terrible.

"It is terrible," he says. "Combined with the fact that we don't have voter ID in Mississippi, anybody can show up at any poll that happens to know the people who have left town or died -- and go vote for them."

"Whenever we have a third party determined by payment, for example, as they did in Benton County -- 'walking-around' money -- and they determine what that vote is going to be, they've taken your vote, whether they may have voted like you would have or not, they've still thwarted the process and they've still have taken your vote away from you," added Hosemann.

Sue Sautermeister is working hard in the First District of Madison County to start a purging of the voter rolls as soon after the election as possible. She has file drawers full of names of people who haven't voted in years and are known to be dead.

"We have people who registered in 1965 who have never voted," she says. "We have 486 people (registered who are) over 105."

Hosemann says 190,000 new voters have registered for this election and he believes the turnout will be historic.

So you're saying all these years since 1968 the state's voted for Republican Presidential candidates (except for 1976) because of voter fraud? Interesting.

No wait, the other thing - tedious.

 

[Gr00vus]

Helping send Obama's campaign back to Abaddon!

Abaddon (Hebrew אבדון Avaddon, meaning "destruction"). In Biblical references (Job 26:6; Proverbs 15:11), it comes to mean "place of destruction", or the realm of the dead, and is associated with Sheol. Abaddon is also one of the compartments of Gehenna.[1] By extension, it can mean an underworld abode of lost souls, or hell. In some legends, it is identified as a realm where the damned lie in fire and snow, one of the places in Hell that Moses visited. [2]

Hey Stat, I can put up with most of your errant crap, but this is out of line and honestly has me hoping you get a little time out here to learn your lesson. I'm not going to report you explicitly, but if a mod happens to be reading this and gives you a day or two off, I won't be too sad about it.Sorry about that.

 

[Orange Crush]

What Obamabots need to know

Who the heck is that idiot? Shouldn't he have to understand the actual policies proposals and issue statements before being allowed to publish? The one correct thing he said was that Obama was actually more hawkish than his far left supporters think or hope for. But everything else was garbage.

 

[Orange Crush]

Helping send Obama's campaign back to Abaddon!

Abaddon (Hebrew אבדון Avaddon, meaning "destruction"). In Biblical references (Job 26:6; Proverbs 15:11), it comes to mean "place of destruction", or the realm of the dead, and is associated with Sheol. Abaddon is also one of the compartments of Gehenna.[1] By extension, it can mean an underworld abode of lost souls, or hell. In some legends, it is identified as a realm where the damned lie in fire and snow, one of the places in Hell that Moses visited. [2]

Hey Stat, I can put up with most of your errant crap, but this is out of line and honestly has me hoping you get a little time out here to learn your lesson. I'm not going to report you explicitly, but if a mod happens to be reading this and gives you a day or two off, I won't be too sad about it.Sorry about that.

Up until a couple days ago I was genuinely enjoying Stat's posts, purely for entertainment value (kind of like watching a kid have a temper tantrum only it's done in a cute way). But I think he's finally succeeded in pushing my buttons the last two days. I may have to join the masses putting him on Ignore.

 

[cobalt_27]

FINALLY, someone "gets it".Obama fans, people are allowed to have viewpoints in opposition to yours.

You and kaa are keen, perceptive posters. Probably the most cerebral, independent thinkers any of us have seen since BGP. You two belong posting together forever. Keep up the good work and dazzling all of us with your razor sharp intellect.

 

[Orange Crush]

Obama effigy found hanging from tree at University of Kentucky

An effigy of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee and an African American, was found hanging from a tree on the University of Kentucky campus this morning, according to university officials.

UK President Lee Todd said he was alerted about the incident by a professor who was riding his bicycle to campus around 7:30 a.m.

The effigy was found on Rose Street, near the university’s Mining and Minerals building.

Officers with both the University Police Department and the Lexington Police Department are investigating the incident, and the Secret Service has been notified, Todd said.

Todd said it is not known whether a student or someone else was responsible.

“It’s a very embarrassing situation that has happened on our campus, regardless of who did it,” he said.

Todd referred to the incident as a “despicable act.”

“We certainly believe in political expression, just not in this form,” he said.

Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to call the UK police department at (859) 257-1616.

Reporter Nancy Rodriguez can be reached at (502) 582-7079.

An email sent out by the UK administration:

Dear Colleagues,

It is with profound sadness that I must report to you that an effigy of Obama was found hanging from a tree on campus this morning. It was taken down immediately, but the damage and hurt will linger for a long time. I literally feel sick to my stomach. There will be a statement from the President shortly, and we are also considering other expressions of outrage. In the meantime, please alert your staff and be prepared to counsel students, staff, and faculty of color, in particular, as needed.

 

[Slappy White]

McCain is now doing RoboCalls in friggin' ARIZONA!!!

Holy crap!!!

 

[All Your Base Are Belong To Us]

McCain is now doing RoboCalls in friggin' ARIZONA!!!

Holy crap!!!

My friends, I'm John McCain. You may not know this, but I'm your senator. I would really appreciate your vote on Nov. 4th.

 

[NorvilleBarnes]

McCain is now doing RoboCalls in friggin' ARIZONA!!!

Holy crap!!!

Mavricky

 

[Running with scissors]

Obama effigy found hanging from tree at University of Kentucky

An effigy of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee and an African American, was found hanging from a tree on the University of Kentucky campus this morning, according to university officials.

UK President Lee Todd said he was alerted about the incident by a professor who was riding his bicycle to campus around 7:30 a.m.

The effigy was found on Rose Street, near the university’s Mining and Minerals building.

Officers with both the University Police Department and the Lexington Police Department are investigating the incident, and the Secret Service has been notified, Todd said.

Todd said it is not known whether a student or someone else was responsible.

“It’s a very embarrassing situation that has happened on our campus, regardless of who did it,” he said.

Todd referred to the incident as a “despicable act.”

“We certainly believe in political expression, just not in this form,” he said.

Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to call the UK police department at (859) 257-1616.

Reporter Nancy Rodriguez can be reached at (502) 582-7079.

An email sent out by the UK administration:

Dear Colleagues,

It is with profound sadness that I must report to you that an effigy of Obama was found hanging from a tree on campus this morning. It was taken down immediately, but the damage and hurt will linger for a long time. I literally feel sick to my stomach. There will be a statement from the President shortly, and we are also considering other expressions of outrage. In the meantime, please alert your staff and be prepared to counsel students, staff, and faculty of color, in particular, as needed.

Well Stat... Are you all shtick or not?

 

[Gopher State]

Obama Accepting Untraceable Donations

Contributions Reviewed After Deposits

By Matthew Mosk

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 29, 2008; A02

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is allowing donors to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity, campaign officials confirmed.

Faced with a huge influx of donations over the Internet, the campaign has also chosen not to use basic security measures to prevent potentially illegal or anonymous contributions from flowing into its accounts, aides acknowledged. Instead, the campaign is scrutinizing its books for improper donations after the money has been deposited.

The Obama organization said its extensive review has ensured that the campaign has refunded any improper contributions, and noted that Federal Election Commission rules do not require front-end screening of donations.

In recent weeks, questionable contributions have created headaches for Obama's accounting team as it has tried to explain why campaign finance filings have included itemized donations from individuals using fake names, such as Es Esh or Doodad Pro. Those revelations prompted conservative bloggers to further test Obama's finance vetting by giving money using the kind of prepaid cards that can be bought at a drugstore and cannot be traced to a donor.

The problem with such cards, campaign finance lawyers said, is that they make it impossible to tell whether foreign nationals, donors who have exceeded the limits, government contractors or others who are barred from giving to a federal campaign are making contributions.

"They have opened the floodgates to all this money coming in," said Sean Cairncross, chief counsel to the Republican National Committee. "I think they've made the determination that whatever money they have to refund on the back end doesn't outweigh the benefit of taking all this money upfront."

The Obama campaign has shattered presidential fundraising records, in part by capitalizing on the ease of online giving. Of the $150 million the senator from Illinois raised in September, nearly $100 million came in over the Internet.

Lawyers for the Obama operation said yesterday that their "extensive back-end review" has carefully scrubbed contributions to prevent illegal money from entering the operation's war chest. "I'm pretty sure if I took my error rate and matched it against any other campaign or comparable nonprofit, you'd find we're doing very well," said Robert Bauer, a lawyer for the campaign. "I have not seen the McCain compliance staff ascending to heaven on a cloud."

The Obama team's disclosures came in response to questions from The Washington Post about the case of Mary T. Biskup, a retired insurance manager from Manchester, Mo., who turned up on Obama's FEC reports as having donated $174,800 to the campaign. Contributors are limited to giving $2,300 for the general election.

Biskup, who had scores of Obama contributions attributed to her, said in an interview that she never donated to the candidate. "That's an error," she said. Moreover, she added, her credit card was never billed for the donations, meaning someone appropriated her name and made the contributions with another card.

When asked whether the campaign takes steps to verify whether a donor's name matches the name on the credit card used to make a payment, Obama's campaign replied in an e-mail: "Name-matching is not a standard check conducted or made available in the credit card processing industry. We believe Visa and MasterCard do not even have the ability to do this.

"Instead, the campaign does a rigorous comprehensive analysis of online contributions on the back end of the transaction to determine whether a contribution is legitimate."

Juan Proaño, whose technology firm handled online contributions for John Edwards's presidential primary campaign, and for John F. Kerry's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee in 2004, said it is possible to require donors' names and addresses to match those on their credit card accounts. But, he said, some campaigns are reluctant to impose that extra layer of security.

"Honestly, you want to have the least amount of hurdles in processing contributions quickly," Proaño said.

Sen. John McCain's campaign has also had questionable donations slip through.

Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's communication's director, said that "no organization can fully insulate itself from these problems. The McCain campaign has accepted contributions from fraudulent contributors like 'A for You,' 'Adorable Manabat,' 'The Gun Shop,' and 'Jesus II' and hundreds of anonymous donors."

But R. Rebecca Donatelli, who handles online contributions for the McCain operation and the RNC, said security measures have been standard in the GOP nominee's fundraising efforts throughout the campaign. She said she was "flabbergasted" to learn that the Obama campaign accepts prepaid cards.

"Yes, a gift card would go through the same process as a regular credit card and be subject to our same back-end review," the Obama campaign said in its response to questions about the use of such cards.

Campaign finance lawyers said there is a long history of debate within the FEC about how to ensure that donors use their own credit cards.

Election lawyer Brett Kappel said the FEC has never grappled with the question of cash cards. "The whole system is set up for them to accept the payment, then determine whether it is legal or not. And if it's not, send it back. That's what the statute requires," he said.

 

[Trey]

Obama Accepting Untraceable DonationsContributions Reviewed After DepositsBy Matthew MoskWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, October 29, 2008; A02Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is allowing donors to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity, campaign officials confirmed.Faced with a huge influx of donations over the Internet, the campaign has also chosen not to use basic security measures to prevent potentially illegal or anonymous contributions from flowing into its accounts, aides acknowledged. Instead, the campaign is scrutinizing its books for improper donations after the money has been deposited.The Obama organization said its extensive review has ensured that the campaign has refunded any improper contributions, and noted that Federal Election Commission rules do not require front-end screening of donations.In recent weeks, questionable contributions have created headaches for Obama's accounting team as it has tried to explain why campaign finance filings have included itemized donations from individuals using fake names, such as Es Esh or Doodad Pro. Those revelations prompted conservative bloggers to further test Obama's finance vetting by giving money using the kind of prepaid cards that can be bought at a drugstore and cannot be traced to a donor.The problem with such cards, campaign finance lawyers said, is that they make it impossible to tell whether foreign nationals, donors who have exceeded the limits, government contractors or others who are barred from giving to a federal campaign are making contributions."They have opened the floodgates to all this money coming in," said Sean Cairncross, chief counsel to the Republican National Committee. "I think they've made the determination that whatever money they have to refund on the back end doesn't outweigh the benefit of taking all this money upfront."The Obama campaign has shattered presidential fundraising records, in part by capitalizing on the ease of online giving. Of the $150 million the senator from Illinois raised in September, nearly $100 million came in over the Internet.Lawyers for the Obama operation said yesterday that their "extensive back-end review" has carefully scrubbed contributions to prevent illegal money from entering the operation's war chest. "I'm pretty sure if I took my error rate and matched it against any other campaign or comparable nonprofit, you'd find we're doing very well," said Robert Bauer, a lawyer for the campaign. "I have not seen the McCain compliance staff ascending to heaven on a cloud."The Obama team's disclosures came in response to questions from The Washington Post about the case of Mary T. Biskup, a retired insurance manager from Manchester, Mo., who turned up on Obama's FEC reports as having donated $174,800 to the campaign. Contributors are limited to giving $2,300 for the general election.Biskup, who had scores of Obama contributions attributed to her, said in an interview that she never donated to the candidate. "That's an error," she said. Moreover, she added, her credit card was never billed for the donations, meaning someone appropriated her name and made the contributions with another card.When asked whether the campaign takes steps to verify whether a donor's name matches the name on the credit card used to make a payment, Obama's campaign replied in an e-mail: "Name-matching is not a standard check conducted or made available in the credit card processing industry. We believe Visa and MasterCard do not even have the ability to do this."Instead, the campaign does a rigorous comprehensive analysis of online contributions on the back end of the transaction to determine whether a contribution is legitimate."Juan Proaño, whose technology firm handled online contributions for John Edwards's presidential primary campaign, and for John F. Kerry's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee in 2004, said it is possible to require donors' names and addresses to match those on their credit card accounts. But, he said, some campaigns are reluctant to impose that extra layer of security."Honestly, you want to have the least amount of hurdles in processing contributions quickly," Proaño said.Sen. John McCain's campaign has also had questionable donations slip through.Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's communication's director, said that "no organization can fully insulate itself from these problems. The McCain campaign has accepted contributions from fraudulent contributors like 'A for You,' 'Adorable Manabat,' 'The Gun Shop,' and 'Jesus II' and hundreds of anonymous donors."But R. Rebecca Donatelli, who handles online contributions for the McCain operation and the RNC, said security measures have been standard in the GOP nominee's fundraising efforts throughout the campaign. She said she was "flabbergasted" to learn that the Obama campaign accepts prepaid cards."Yes, a gift card would go through the same process as a regular credit card and be subject to our same back-end review," the Obama campaign said in its response to questions about the use of such cards.Campaign finance lawyers said there is a long history of debate within the FEC about how to ensure that donors use their own credit cards.Election lawyer Brett Kappel said the FEC has never grappled with the question of cash cards. "The whole system is set up for them to accept the payment, then determine whether it is legal or not. And if it's not, send it back. That's what the statute requires," he said.

Senator Clinton wants you to vote for the next President, Barack Obama. There is still 6 days left to get on board.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Obama Accepting Untraceable DonationsContributions Reviewed After DepositsBy Matthew MoskWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, October 29, 2008; A02Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is allowing donors to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity, campaign officials confirmed.Faced with a huge influx of donations over the Internet, the campaign has also chosen not to use basic security measures to prevent potentially illegal or anonymous contributions from flowing into its accounts, aides acknowledged. Instead, the campaign is scrutinizing its books for improper donations after the money has been deposited.The Obama organization said its extensive review has ensured that the campaign has refunded any improper contributions, and noted that Federal Election Commission rules do not require front-end screening of donations.In recent weeks, questionable contributions have created headaches for Obama's accounting team as it has tried to explain why campaign finance filings have included itemized donations from individuals using fake names, such as Es Esh or Doodad Pro. Those revelations prompted conservative bloggers to further test Obama's finance vetting by giving money using the kind of prepaid cards that can be bought at a drugstore and cannot be traced to a donor.The problem with such cards, campaign finance lawyers said, is that they make it impossible to tell whether foreign nationals, donors who have exceeded the limits, government contractors or others who are barred from giving to a federal campaign are making contributions."They have opened the floodgates to all this money coming in," said Sean Cairncross, chief counsel to the Republican National Committee. "I think they've made the determination that whatever money they have to refund on the back end doesn't outweigh the benefit of taking all this money upfront."The Obama campaign has shattered presidential fundraising records, in part by capitalizing on the ease of online giving. Of the $150 million the senator from Illinois raised in September, nearly $100 million came in over the Internet.Lawyers for the Obama operation said yesterday that their "extensive back-end review" has carefully scrubbed contributions to prevent illegal money from entering the operation's war chest. "I'm pretty sure if I took my error rate and matched it against any other campaign or comparable nonprofit, you'd find we're doing very well," said Robert Bauer, a lawyer for the campaign. "I have not seen the McCain compliance staff ascending to heaven on a cloud."The Obama team's disclosures came in response to questions from The Washington Post about the case of Mary T. Biskup, a retired insurance manager from Manchester, Mo., who turned up on Obama's FEC reports as having donated $174,800 to the campaign. Contributors are limited to giving $2,300 for the general election.Biskup, who had scores of Obama contributions attributed to her, said in an interview that she never donated to the candidate. "That's an error," she said. Moreover, she added, her credit card was never billed for the donations, meaning someone appropriated her name and made the contributions with another card.When asked whether the campaign takes steps to verify whether a donor's name matches the name on the credit card used to make a payment, Obama's campaign replied in an e-mail: "Name-matching is not a standard check conducted or made available in the credit card processing industry. We believe Visa and MasterCard do not even have the ability to do this."Instead, the campaign does a rigorous comprehensive analysis of online contributions on the back end of the transaction to determine whether a contribution is legitimate."Juan Proaño, whose technology firm handled online contributions for John Edwards's presidential primary campaign, and for John F. Kerry's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee in 2004, said it is possible to require donors' names and addresses to match those on their credit card accounts. But, he said, some campaigns are reluctant to impose that extra layer of security."Honestly, you want to have the least amount of hurdles in processing contributions quickly," Proaño said.Sen. John McCain's campaign has also had questionable donations slip through.Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's communication's director, said that "no organization can fully insulate itself from these problems. The McCain campaign has accepted contributions from fraudulent contributors like 'A for You,' 'Adorable Manabat,' 'The Gun Shop,' and 'Jesus II' and hundreds of anonymous donors."But R. Rebecca Donatelli, who handles online contributions for the McCain operation and the RNC, said security measures have been standard in the GOP nominee's fundraising efforts throughout the campaign. She said she was "flabbergasted" to learn that the Obama campaign accepts prepaid cards."Yes, a gift card would go through the same process as a regular credit card and be subject to our same back-end review," the Obama campaign said in its response to questions about the use of such cards.Campaign finance lawyers said there is a long history of debate within the FEC about how to ensure that donors use their own credit cards.Election lawyer Brett Kappel said the FEC has never grappled with the question of cash cards. "The whole system is set up for them to accept the payment, then determine whether it is legal or not. And if it's not, send it back. That's what the statute requires," he said.

This is going to end up being HUGE after the election. I guarantee that a scandal erupts over this and people will go to jail with tens of millions of dollars being forced to be repaid. But it will be after the fact, so what does his campaign care?This was one of the major reasons for public funds. No surprise that this type of activity is running rampant. Just another example of how lying doesn't matter and how rules are for other people.

 

[Neofight]

Obama Accepting Untraceable Donations

Contributions Reviewed After Deposits

By Matthew Mosk

Washington Post Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 29, 2008; A02

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is allowing donors to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity, campaign officials confirmed.

Faced with a huge influx of donations over the Internet, the campaign has also chosen not to use basic security measures to prevent potentially illegal or anonymous contributions from flowing into its accounts, aides acknowledged. Instead, the campaign is scrutinizing its books for improper donations after the money has been deposited.

The Obama organization said its extensive review has ensured that the campaign has refunded any improper contributions, and noted that Federal Election Commission rules do not require front-end screening of donations.

In recent weeks, questionable contributions have created headaches for Obama's accounting team as it has tried to explain why campaign finance filings have included itemized donations from individuals using fake names, such as Es Esh or Doodad Pro. Those revelations prompted conservative bloggers to further test Obama's finance vetting by giving money using the kind of prepaid cards that can be bought at a drugstore and cannot be traced to a donor.

The problem with such cards, campaign finance lawyers said, is that they make it impossible to tell whether foreign nationals, donors who have exceeded the limits, government contractors or others who are barred from giving to a federal campaign are making contributions.

"They have opened the floodgates to all this money coming in," said Sean Cairncross, chief counsel to the Republican National Committee. "I think they've made the determination that whatever money they have to refund on the back end doesn't outweigh the benefit of taking all this money upfront."

The Obama campaign has shattered presidential fundraising records, in part by capitalizing on the ease of online giving. Of the $150 million the senator from Illinois raised in September, nearly $100 million came in over the Internet.

Lawyers for the Obama operation said yesterday that their "extensive back-end review" has carefully scrubbed contributions to prevent illegal money from entering the operation's war chest. "I'm pretty sure if I took my error rate and matched it against any other campaign or comparable nonprofit, you'd find we're doing very well," said Robert Bauer, a lawyer for the campaign. "I have not seen the McCain compliance staff ascending to heaven on a cloud."

The Obama team's disclosures came in response to questions from The Washington Post about the case of Mary T. Biskup, a retired insurance manager from Manchester, Mo., who turned up on Obama's FEC reports as having donated $174,800 to the campaign. Contributors are limited to giving $2,300 for the general election.

Biskup, who had scores of Obama contributions attributed to her, said in an interview that she never donated to the candidate. "That's an error," she said. Moreover, she added, her credit card was never billed for the donations, meaning someone appropriated her name and made the contributions with another card.

When asked whether the campaign takes steps to verify whether a donor's name matches the name on the credit card used to make a payment, Obama's campaign replied in an e-mail: "Name-matching is not a standard check conducted or made available in the credit card processing industry. We believe Visa and MasterCard do not even have the ability to do this.

"Instead, the campaign does a rigorous comprehensive analysis of online contributions on the back end of the transaction to determine whether a contribution is legitimate."

Juan Proaño, whose technology firm handled online contributions for John Edwards's presidential primary campaign, and for John F. Kerry's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee in 2004, said it is possible to require donors' names and addresses to match those on their credit card accounts. But, he said, some campaigns are reluctant to impose that extra layer of security.

"Honestly, you want to have the least amount of hurdles in processing contributions quickly," Proaño said.

Sen. John McCain's campaign has also had questionable donations slip through.

Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's communication's director, said that "no organization can fully insulate itself from these problems. The McCain campaign has accepted contributions from fraudulent contributors like 'A for You,' 'Adorable Manabat,' 'The Gun Shop,' and 'Jesus II' and hundreds of anonymous donors."

But R. Rebecca Donatelli, who handles online contributions for the McCain operation and the RNC, said security measures have been standard in the GOP nominee's fundraising efforts throughout the campaign. She said she was "flabbergasted" to learn that the Obama campaign accepts prepaid cards.

"Yes, a gift card would go through the same process as a regular credit card and be subject to our same back-end review," the Obama campaign said in its response to questions about the use of such cards.

Campaign finance lawyers said there is a long history of debate within the FEC about how to ensure that donors use their own credit cards.

Election lawyer Brett Kappel said the FEC has never grappled with the question of cash cards. "The whole system is set up for them to accept the payment, then determine whether it is legal or not. And if it's not, send it back. That's what the statute requires," he said.

This is going to end up being HUGE after the election. I guarantee that a scandal erupts over this and people will go to jail with tens of millions of dollars being forced to be repaid. But it will be after the fact, so what does his campaign care?This was one of the major reasons for public funds. No surprise that this type of activity is running rampant. Just another example of how lying doesn't matter and how rules are for other people.

It will likely lead to a very small percentage of the overall contributions having to be returned. This means more from the Obama campaign than McCain's since they've had many more donors and contributons, but the overall amount won't be that alarming. They've already be returning some as the problem comes to light. As has McCain.

 

[Statorama]

Time to give ABC's "Pushing Daisies" 30 minutes to see if it's worth watching

 

[Statorama]

Obama Accepting Untraceable DonationsContributions Reviewed After DepositsBy Matthew MoskWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, October 29, 2008; A02Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is allowing donors to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity, campaign officials confirmed.Faced with a huge influx of donations over the Internet, the campaign has also chosen not to use basic security measures to prevent potentially illegal or anonymous contributions from flowing into its accounts, aides acknowledged. Instead, the campaign is scrutinizing its books for improper donations after the money has been deposited.The Obama organization said its extensive review has ensured that the campaign has refunded any improper contributions, and noted that Federal Election Commission rules do not require front-end screening of donations.In recent weeks, questionable contributions have created headaches for Obama's accounting team as it has tried to explain why campaign finance filings have included itemized donations from individuals using fake names, such as Es Esh or Doodad Pro. Those revelations prompted conservative bloggers to further test Obama's finance vetting by giving money using the kind of prepaid cards that can be bought at a drugstore and cannot be traced to a donor.The problem with such cards, campaign finance lawyers said, is that they make it impossible to tell whether foreign nationals, donors who have exceeded the limits, government contractors or others who are barred from giving to a federal campaign are making contributions."They have opened the floodgates to all this money coming in," said Sean Cairncross, chief counsel to the Republican National Committee. "I think they've made the determination that whatever money they have to refund on the back end doesn't outweigh the benefit of taking all this money upfront."The Obama campaign has shattered presidential fundraising records, in part by capitalizing on the ease of online giving. Of the $150 million the senator from Illinois raised in September, nearly $100 million came in over the Internet.Lawyers for the Obama operation said yesterday that their "extensive back-end review" has carefully scrubbed contributions to prevent illegal money from entering the operation's war chest. "I'm pretty sure if I took my error rate and matched it against any other campaign or comparable nonprofit, you'd find we're doing very well," said Robert Bauer, a lawyer for the campaign. "I have not seen the McCain compliance staff ascending to heaven on a cloud."The Obama team's disclosures came in response to questions from The Washington Post about the case of Mary T. Biskup, a retired insurance manager from Manchester, Mo., who turned up on Obama's FEC reports as having donated $174,800 to the campaign. Contributors are limited to giving $2,300 for the general election.Biskup, who had scores of Obama contributions attributed to her, said in an interview that she never donated to the candidate. "That's an error," she said. Moreover, she added, her credit card was never billed for the donations, meaning someone appropriated her name and made the contributions with another card.When asked whether the campaign takes steps to verify whether a donor's name matches the name on the credit card used to make a payment, Obama's campaign replied in an e-mail: "Name-matching is not a standard check conducted or made available in the credit card processing industry. We believe Visa and MasterCard do not even have the ability to do this."Instead, the campaign does a rigorous comprehensive analysis of online contributions on the back end of the transaction to determine whether a contribution is legitimate."Juan Proaño, whose technology firm handled online contributions for John Edwards's presidential primary campaign, and for John F. Kerry's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee in 2004, said it is possible to require donors' names and addresses to match those on their credit card accounts. But, he said, some campaigns are reluctant to impose that extra layer of security."Honestly, you want to have the least amount of hurdles in processing contributions quickly," Proaño said.Sen. John McCain's campaign has also had questionable donations slip through.Dan Pfeiffer, Obama's communication's director, said that "no organization can fully insulate itself from these problems. The McCain campaign has accepted contributions from fraudulent contributors like 'A for You,' 'Adorable Manabat,' 'The Gun Shop,' and 'Jesus II' and hundreds of anonymous donors."But R. Rebecca Donatelli, who handles online contributions for the McCain operation and the RNC, said security measures have been standard in the GOP nominee's fundraising efforts throughout the campaign. She said she was "flabbergasted" to learn that the Obama campaign accepts prepaid cards."Yes, a gift card would go through the same process as a regular credit card and be subject to our same back-end review," the Obama campaign said in its response to questions about the use of such cards.Campaign finance lawyers said there is a long history of debate within the FEC about how to ensure that donors use their own credit cards.Election lawyer Brett Kappel said the FEC has never grappled with the question of cash cards. "The whole system is set up for them to accept the payment, then determine whether it is legal or not. And if it's not, send it back. That's what the statute requires," he said.

This is going to end up being HUGE after the election. I guarantee that a scandal erupts over this and people will go to jail with tens of millions of dollars being forced to be repaid. But it will be after the fact, so what does his campaign care?This was one of the major reasons for public funds. No surprise that this type of activity is running rampant. Just another example of how lying doesn't matter and how rules are for other people.

There's going to be a lot of finger pointing after the fact, but with obama being able to appoint judges, nobody involved will do any time. The illegally obtained money will never have to be repaid. Obama will never have to release the names of donors under $200.Get ready to live with an "Obama is above the Law" presidency.

 

[Statorama]

 

[Statorama]

Which Obama are we going to get?

As Obama's election has seemed to become more likely in the past six weeks, a quiet but public debate has arisen among both Republicans and Democrats that wonders which Obama we might get. Will it be the prudent, moderate, pragmatic, sensible president who will apply non-ideological, centrist policies? Or will it be the Obama who sought out the company of radicals, black racists, faculty-lounge Marxists and studied the methods of Saul Alinsky?

Many hope that it is the sensible centrist who will emerge -- even though it has been his style and cautiously evasive comments, rather than his substance, that have sounded so reasonable and calm. It is that moderate tone that has led some recent Republican Obama supporters to hope that he is just lying about his views and is secretly "sensible." Although they do hope he told the truth when he said during the primary that his call for the unilateral rewriting of the North American Free Trade Agreement was merely rhetorical flourish on his part.

But of course, throughout history when dangerous, radical men have offered themselves up for leadership, their moderate supporters have rationalized their early support by hoping that the dangerous man is really a sensible man like them and doesn't believe some of those wild things he has said to his more fervent followers.

But as the campaign clock ticks down to its last days and hours, prudent people have to consider the possibility that beneath that easy manner and calming voice is the pulsating heart of a genuine man of the radical left.

For example, according to Ryan Lizza of the liberal New Republic, Obama's early mentor in the Alinsky method of social agitation was Mike Kruglik, whom Lizza paraphrased as saying: "(Obama) was a natural, the undisputed master of agitation, who could engage a room full of recruiting targets in a rapid-fire Socratic dialogue, nudging them to admit that they were not living up to their own standards. As with the panhandler, he could be aggressive and confrontational. With probing, sometimes personal questions, he would pinpoint the source of pain in their lives, tearing down their egos just enough before dangling a carrot of hope that they could make things better."

As Kyle-Anne Shiver in the American Thinker explained after quoting those words: "The agitator's job, according to Alinsky, is first to bring folks to the 'realization' that they are indeed miserable, that their misery is the fault of unresponsive governments or greedy corporations, then help them to bond together to demand what they deserve , and to make such an almighty stink that the dastardly governments and corporations will see imminent 'self-interest' in granting whatever it is that will cause the harassment to cease.

"In these methods, euphemistically labeled 'community organizing,' Obama had a four-year education, which he often says was the best education he ever got anywhere."

And now we have Obama's genuinely shocking words from a 2001 National Public Radio interview: "But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent, as radical as I think people try to characterize the Warren court, it wasn't that radical.

It didn't break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution, at least as it's been interpreted, and the Warren court interpreted it in the same way that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. ...And one of the, I think, tragedies of the civil rights movement was -- because the civil rights movement became so court-focused, I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change. ... The Constitution reflected an enormous blind spot in this culture that carries on until this day. ... The Framers had that same blind spot ... the fundamental flaw of this country."

Now, just as the left often baselessly throws around the word "racist," the right is often extravagant with its charge of Marxism. But those accurate, in context words of Obama must raise in the mind of any reasonable person the suspicion that Obama's heart and soul is dangerously close -- if not fully seized of -- a Marxist (or perhaps Marxist Christian liberation theology) view of human and economic relations.

Consider that these words came from a man who has urged his followers to "get in the face" of his opponents and has exulted recently -- in an uncharacteristic moment of lack of restraint -- that he has "a righteous wind" at his back. That is a revealing word, righteous. It suggests that a person's actions have been "judged" or "reckoned" as leading a life that is pleasing to God. A verse in the Bible's book of Psalms speaks of one being shielded by God and receiving favor because of righteousness.

We live in dangerous days. The world economy teeters on the edge of the abyss. The exiting American president is a failed thing. An envious world smells a momentarily vulnerable America. The political beneficiary of Republican failure believes our Constitution is fatally flawed. He may be a committed Marxist. And if he held the presidency for four years, it would be the longest stretch that he ever held a full-time job. God save the republic.

 

[Statorama]

Sarkozy calls Obama's stance on Iran "Utterly Immature"

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government.

Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France. But according to a senior Israeli government source, the reports reaching Israel indicate that Sarkozy views the Democratic candidate's stance on Iran as "utterly immature" and comprised of "formulations empty of all content."

Obama visited Paris in July, and the Iranian issue was at the heart of his meeting with Sarkozy. At a joint press conference afterward, Obama urged Iran to accept the West's proposal on its nuclear program, saying that Iran was creating a serious situation that endangered both Israel and the West.

According to the reports reaching Israel, Sarkozy told Obama at that meeting that if the new American president elected in November changed his country's policy toward Iran, that would be "very problematic."

Until now, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have tried to maintain a united front on Iran. But according to the senior Israeli source, Sarkozy fears that Obama might "arrogantly" ignore the other members of this front and open a direct dialogue with Iran without preconditions.

Following their July meeting, Sarkozy repeatedly expressed disappointment with Obama's positions on Iran, concluding that they were "not crystallized, and therefore many issues remain open," the Israeli source said. Advisors to the French president who held separate meetings with Obama's advisors came away with similar impressions and expressed similar disappointment.

According to the Israeli source, Sarkozy plans to begin intensive negotiations with the new American administration, regardless of whether it is headed by Obama or Republican Sen. John McCain, even before the new president takes office in January, with the goal of persuading him to continue the current policy on Iran.

But Sarkozy's pessimism does not stem only from Obama's stance; it also stems from the overall behavior of the international community toward Iran's nuclear program, and particularly its inability to agree on a fourth round of Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic. This foot-dragging will make it impossible to effect a change in Iran's nuclear policy, Sarkozy believes.

The French intelligence community believes that Iran has already obtained about 40 percent of the enriched uranium it would need for its first bomb, and that at its current rate, it will obtain the rest of the uranium it needs in the spring or summer of 2009.

However, French agencies are divided over what Iran is likely to do once it has this uranium. One view is that the Iranians will immediately make a nuclear bomb, in order to demonstrate their capability. The other is that Iran will continue enriching uranium without making a bomb - at least until it has enough enriched uranium for several bombs.

 

[Statorama]

 

[Statorama]

Will Obama bring fundamental change? Count on it

I am sincerely worried that if Obama wins, the checks and balances incorporated into our Constitution may not be enough to prevent a radical and irreversible diminution of our individual liberties because a confluence of factors has emerged to create a climate conducive to fundamental change.

These factors are: a shockingly unknown candidate, whose mysterious past and numerous shady alliances are deliberately left unexplored by a corrupt, supportive media; the candidate's charismatic qualities that inspire a cultish loyalty; his intellectual trappings that create a fascination and allure among the intellectual elite, including some hypnotized conservatives; a major financial crisis that exacerbates the people's fears and uncertainties; a largely manufactured cloud of negativity placed over America by the media and a grossly partisan Democratic Party that places its self-interest above the national interest; and an apparently discredited Republican Party and conservative movement that have been blamed for our actual and perceived problems.

All of these could lead to entrusting this man with unprecedented power, giving him a license to operate with minimum scrutiny and an opposition party effectively impotent to oppose his radical blueprint for America.

More than ever, perception is trumping reality. An unprincipled Democratic Party, aided by a morally decadent media, has demonized President Bush, the Republican Party and America itself with distortions and polarizing propaganda designed to dispirit and divide Americans on the bases of race, class and gender. Just look at the domestic and foreign policy picture they have painted the past eight years.

While we are having serious financial problems now, we had a strong economy for most of President Bush's two terms, but the media pushed the Democrats' critique that it was in perpetual recession. As for our real financial crisis, objective observers understand Democratic programs and policies primarily caused it, but Democrats have successfully blamed Republicans for it.

Similarly, despite our problems in Iraq, we are clearly winning there now, but the media are suppressing the good news, just as they have refused to credit Republicans for their wisdom on the surge and protected Democrats from their reckless opposition to it.

The only arrow left in the Democrats' Iraq quiver is to perpetuate their "big lie" that Bush led us into war with lies about WMD. Through stunning and numbing repetition broadcast by a conspiratorial media, they have succeeded in making this the majority narrative, even though anyone who lived through this period knows Democrats supported this policy as long as it was politically expedient, having had access to the exact same intelligence. They've also convinced people, contrary to the facts, that Saddam Hussein didn't have ties to and wasn't abetting our terrorist enemies. And they've completely ignored the many other compelling reasons justifying our bipartisan decision to attack Iraq, including Saddam's persistent and ongoing violations of some 17 U.N. and postwar resolutions and treaties.

Democrats and the media, instead of condemning recalcitrant European nations for not joining the coalition against Iraq despite endless diplomatic overtures by President Bush, falsely indicted the Bush administration for its "unilateral" action against Iraq.

They colluded to publish the slander that the Bush administration sponsored abuses at Abu Ghraib, created inhumane conditions at Gitmo, and routinely tortured enemy prisoners. Democratic presidential candidates Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama have all blithely and falsely accused our troops of atrocities, from systematic torture and prisoner abuse to raping Iraqi civilians to air raiding Afghan villages. They have mischaracterized our essential National Security Agency monitoring of international terrorist communications as domestic spying on little old ladies.

They have portrayed the Bush administration's phenomenal accomplishment of preventing further attacks on our soil since 9/11 not as an administration success but as proof that we no longer face a serious threat.

All of these factors could coalesce to give Obama a mandate to fundamentally move our economy toward socialism in the name of economic fairness and emasculate our war on terrorists in the name of restoring our international image.

Would Obama win if people believed he might well nationalize health care, unilaterally disarm our nuclear weapons, push the Global Poverty Act, appoint judges to the left of Ruth Bader Ginsberg, pass legislation banning handguns, greatly increase federal spending by euphemistically disguising it as a stimulus package, increase taxes on producers and expand "redistribution," impose limitations on private executive salaries, empower labor unions, further nationalize public education with the leftist indoctrination agenda of the National Education Association, further open our borders, ratify the Kyoto climate change treaty, abandon Israel, retreat and surrender in Iraq, dramatically reduce the defense budget, possibly reinstate the draft in the name of racial equity, nationalize our private 401(k) funds, abuse governmental power to target and investigate dissent from ordinary "Joes," and implement the Fairness Doctrine to shut down political dissent from his talk radio critics?

 

[fluorescent walkway]

Jesus christ.

 

[Orange Crush]

There's going to be a lot of finger pointing after the fact, but with obama being able to appoint judges, nobody involved will do any time. The illegally obtained money will never have to be repaid. Obama will never have to release the names of donors under $200.

Get ready to live with an "Obama is above the Law" presidency.

I can roll my eyes at a lot of wild and unsupported accusations, but the bolded above is an attempt to undermine our judiciary. That was the whole blow-up over the US Attorney scandal by the way. It wasn't so much that any black and white laws had been broken, but that the actions taken undermined the objectivity of the Department of Justice and delegitimized the judicial system. If people think a judge will set aside the law for partisan political advantage, or that prosecutions will be made based on what political party one belongs to, then people will stop looking to the judicial system for justice. Therefore, such statements should only be made if there is factual support to back it up, and it should be public and the illegal actors should be dealt with swiftly and harshly.Accusations of unfair judges, or of voter fraud leading to "stealing of elections", are an attempt to delegitimize our Democracy. This may seem like an over the top statement, but I don't think so. The rule of law is precious, our democratic institutions are precious. And yes, voter fraud should be investigated and prosecuted. But exaggerations, unsupported claims, and baseless accusations regarding these subjects should have no place in the political process.

 

[Statorama]

Obama supporter can't come up with one significant Obama accomplishment

H/t reader Melody. Forget "what has he done for me lately?" How about: "what has he ever done?" Columbia professor and Obama fan Jeffrey Sachs was effectively stumped when Joe Scarborough put that question to him on today's Morning Joe. Sachs is author of Common Wealth, a title that should send shivers down the spine in these days of redistributionism in the air.

It was towards the end of Sachs's appearance during the 6 AM EDT hour that Joe hit him with the "extra credit" question.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Jeffrey Sachs --

JEFFREY SACHS: This is your extra-credit question. Name the most significant thing Barack Obama has done --

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: There you go.

SCARBOROUGH: -- on the national stage. Just name one. Big one. Big thing.

SACHS: What he's done is bring the country together on a new direction.

SCARBOROUGH: No, no, no, no. That's mish-mash.

SACHS: That's the most important--that's not mish-mash. That is not mish-mash.

SCARBOROUGH: Legislatively.

SACHS: The most important thing for a senator who's been in for a few years is define a direction out of this mess, and that's what he's done. that's why he's going to win the election.

SCARBOROUGH: Not a specific, I can't get a specific. I love your hair. I can't get a specific out of him.

SACHS: The specific is that he's defined a way to achieve energy and new approaches for this country.

SCARBOROUGH: Where do I find that in the Congressional Record?

 

[Gr00vus]

You have chosen to ignore all posts from: Statorama.· View this post· Un-ignore Statorama

Hey Stat, sorry to say I'm opting out. It was fun for a while but you seem to have totally gone of the deep end today and I don't have the time for all your pointless noise.Best of luck, maybe I'll tune back in after the election is well over.

 

[HellToupee]

I think I'm officially voting for Obama. I just wish he picked a better VP candidate

 

[Green and Gold]

I hereby dedicate page page 203 of the Obama thread to Statorama. Congratz, my friend!

 

[Todd Andrews]

I am convinced Statorama has convinced more people to vote for Obama by his general dooshiness than 80 ACORN workers passing out free smokes.

:backfire:

 

[bentley]

LOOK! IT'S BILL AND BARACK TOGETHER!!!!

Did that lady just call this the "money shot?"

Suck it, Stat.

 

[Desert_Power]

Statorama, stop spamming this thread.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Statorama, stop spamming this thread.

My first-ever usage of the Report function...

 

[Bring The Stink]

Obama supporter can't come up with one significant Obama accomplishment

H/t reader Melody. Forget "what has he done for me lately?" How about: "what has he ever done?" Columbia professor and Obama fan Jeffrey Sachs was effectively stumped when Joe Scarborough put that question to him on today's Morning Joe. Sachs is author of Common Wealth, a title that should send shivers down the spine in these days of redistributionism in the air.

It was towards the end of Sachs's appearance during the 6 AM EDT hour that Joe hit him with the "extra credit" question.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Jeffrey Sachs --

JEFFREY SACHS: This is your extra-credit question. Name the most significant thing Barack Obama has done --

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: There you go.

SCARBOROUGH: -- on the national stage. Just name one. Big one. Big thing.

SACHS: What he's done is bring the country together on a new direction.

SCARBOROUGH: No, no, no, no. That's mish-mash.

SACHS: That's the most important--that's not mish-mash. That is not mish-mash.

SCARBOROUGH: Legislatively.

SACHS: The most important thing for a senator who's been in for a few years is define a direction out of this mess, and that's what he's done. that's why he's going to win the election.

SCARBOROUGH: Not a specific, I can't get a specific. I love your hair. I can't get a specific out of him.

SACHS: The specific is that he's defined a way to achieve energy and new approaches for this country.

SCARBOROUGH: Where do I find that in the Congressional Record?

wow dude...you've got some ####### issues and need to get a life.

 

[Running with scissors]

Hey Stat, sorry to say I'm opting out. It was fun for a while but you seem to have totally gone of the deep end today and I don't have the time for all your pointless noise.Best of luck, maybe I'll tune back in after the election is well over.

You have chosen to ignore all posts from: Statorama.· View this post· Un-ignore Statorama Congrats Stat. You finally made a list that only Robbie Cooper managed to make to this point. Feel honored.

 

[JZilla]

Said it before and I'll say it again... stop quoting Stratomoron

 

[Neofight]

Obama supporter can't come up with one significant Obama accomplishment

H/t reader Melody. Forget "what has he done for me lately?" How about: "what has he ever done?" Columbia professor and Obama fan Jeffrey Sachs was effectively stumped when Joe Scarborough put that question to him on today's Morning Joe. Sachs is author of Common Wealth, a title that should send shivers down the spine in these days of redistributionism in the air.

It was towards the end of Sachs's appearance during the 6 AM EDT hour that Joe hit him with the "extra credit" question.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: Jeffrey Sachs --

JEFFREY SACHS: This is your extra-credit question. Name the most significant thing Barack Obama has done --

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: There you go.

SCARBOROUGH: -- on the national stage. Just name one. Big one. Big thing.

SACHS: What he's done is bring the country together on a new direction.

SCARBOROUGH: No, no, no, no. That's mish-mash.

SACHS: That's the most important--that's not mish-mash. That is not mish-mash.

SCARBOROUGH: Legislatively.

SACHS: The most important thing for a senator who's been in for a few years is define a direction out of this mess, and that's what he's done. that's why he's going to win the election.

SCARBOROUGH: Not a specific, I can't get a specific. I love your hair. I can't get a specific out of him.

SACHS: The specific is that he's defined a way to achieve energy and new approaches for this country.

SCARBOROUGH: Where do I find that in the Congressional Record?

That's a shame, as the average Obama supporter could real off at least five legislative accomplishments Obama has achieved while working across the aisle. Hell I bet even someone like Stat could. What do you day Stat, wanna take a crack at that? He's even worked with Joe and John, not that McCain can recall it.