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FD,

There is this willful stupidity that is partly driven by the herd mentality.

I know that they have run a "poor" campaign. I remember listening to the instapundits on CNN saying how BO was painted as going to raise taxes and how that would play poorly particularly in MI and OH. My thought was this, the pundits did nothing to clarify that those taxes would be applied to those earning over 250k AND that it would affect very few people in any state. Furthermore, those funds would be used to help those already decimated by the economic woes which they are suffering from. But the pundits do NOTHING to inform their viewer, instead, they comment that he needs to emphasize this or that. Strategy for the "game" that needs to be "won". You stupid fucks, that game also affects you. Isn't integrity and pulling back the curtain on the bullshit the ENTIRE theme of journalism?

How does any monkey, who is being ground beneath the heel of the Bush policies, want to vote for "staying the course" of those policies? THAT is what I mean that they deserve it. The fear that gay wedding chapels and abortion clinics will pop up on every street corner overwhelms their decision making capacity.

It is similar to what Uber said earlier, what will happen will not affect me terribly. But the strength of the nation has suffered because it has a substantially weakened middle class. We produce next to nothing. There are few jobs that are being INshored while an overwhelming number are being OFFshored. Mine is protected for one MAIN reason. Its harder to sue a Chineese guy or Indian guy half a globe away if they mess up your medical care by "tele"-medicine. Thank you, Lawyers!

The fear that gay wedding chapels and abortion clinics will pop up on every street corner overwhelms their decision making capacity.

another high-five for the religious right!

Perhaps people value the lives of murdered unborn babies more than money.

And the lives of the already born? Did Jebus say to screw them?

Like in Iraq?

People don't support that

or in New Orleans.

I guess they don't support that either.

Like in Iraq?

People don't support that

well, they re-elected the guy that brought us there.

anyway, jules could just have easily been talking about stem cell research, contraception, capital punishment...

but keep voting on an supreme-court-upheld right that won't be overturned. tune everything else out.

Jules, you have to lay this at the feet of the Obama campaign and NOWHERE ELSE, IMO.

The people want "change", which is why Obama was spotted a double digit lead. He's managed to chase those people away.

He's run a poor campaign...ctually chasing people away who WANT to vote for him, because they still have no idea what he plans to do.

I want to vote for him and I think his tax/energy policies are sketchy at best. If you're weak on the economy and energy, what shot do you have to win this election?

If you're not weak on the economy (basically taxes) and energy, it's time to get the message out...get the specifics out.

First, McCain isn't 4 more years of Bush. He's nothing like Bush, in fact. I think people recognize he was hated by the right until a month or two ago and figure he's a nuetral kind of candidate.

Obama has all the advantages in the world (other than the blackness and party) and his party is squandering the opportunity.

I don't think it's incumbent on the person running for office to educate the people on why, specifically, they'll be a good condidate. I think Obama has potential, but I'm still waiting for the main course here.

I think Obama is blowing it and itr has nothign to do with the intelligence o the voters...it's the intelligence of the people runnign his campaign.

I don't think it's incumbent on the person running...

Should be: "I DO think..."

First, McCain isn't 4 more years of Bush. He's nothing like Bush, in fact. I think people recognize he was hated by the right until a month or two ago and figure he's a nuetral kind of candidate.

I don't think he's nothing like Bush. He's said that he would continue some of Bush's policies that have the greatest chance of tanking our country (the war, the tax cuts for the rich). He was hated by the right because he's in the center, socially.

The highest tax rate, for AGI's above 350K is 35%. Honestly, how high do people think it should be? You are arguing that 35% for the wealthy is disastrous and can sink the economy?

I don't think he's nothing like Bush. He's said that he would continue some of Bush's policies that have the greatest chance of tanking our country (the war, the tax cuts for the rich). He was hated by the right because he's in the center, socially.

Ah, but Bush is setting a timetable for troop withdrawal now and tax cuts or the rich are considered by about 50% of the economists to be good for the economy.

If those are your big beefs with McCain, one gets thrown out and the other is a question mark. Based on what I've read, the tax cuts for the rich compared increased taxation of the rich don't have a consensus on either side.

I've never been anti-McCain, but I have been pro-Obama. I just think he's dropping the ball.

I mean, does anyone think windfall profit taxing will better the economy? I don't think it will.

What about Energy? I've read Obama's energy plan and I'm not really seeing a plan in there.

Iraq is ending no matter who is elected and honestly, the one thing keeping me fro just saying "fuck it" and voting for McCain is the opportuntity I do NOT want him to have with the Supreme Court.

Come on Carter, build us a house, you lazy bum.

FD,

The plan or message of the person who is the candidate has to be disseminated by HIM/HER and their staff.

The ridiculousness of the fear appeal, eg, Obama is liked by Europe, therefore, he must suck on every count. That is the problem.

As for McCain, I think that there are numerous similarities. Bush was not embraced by the far right when he ran for office in 2000. The Republican party has now been parsed down to the party of Jebus-With-An-Edge. Gone are the days of the true conservatives who REALLY didn't want to spend money or make big government. His tax and economic plans are facsimiles of the existing ones. Never has a country gone to war and reduced taxes. Pretty absurd. The BEST thing to come out of his economic plan is the adjustment of the AMT (for those who make more than 100k per year), but that is a minority. His Iraq plan requires longer deployments with no clearly stated end point or exit strategy. We basically built all these permanent bases to abandon them? He is not an expert on the economy (#1 topic for me and numerous others). The flexible spending accounts for health care make sense IF you make enough money to begin with. Most people don't. Again, something that doesn't affect me, but many others.

In fairness to McCain, I don't hear a clearly stated end point by Obama other than he wants to get the troops home sooner.

GGB,

The point is that McCain would repeal or modify the AMT. Currently, those high wage earners are NOT able to get away with every write off because of the AMT. I think 35% is a tad high, personally. I'd like to see a fixed rate that is not subject to weak loop holes.

Thanks, Uber, for mentioning why McCain is not being viewed as the same.

Ah, but Bush is setting a timetable for troop withdrawal now and tax cuts or the rich are considered by about 50% of the economists to be good for the economy.

The al-Maliki Government TOLD Bush that the troops would have to leave. GWB wanted them there till 2015.

I can't say what is good or not economically since my knowledge does not lend itself to that. Ask me how I'd treat a liver abscess and that's a different topic. There was an article on Yahoo about how stock options paid out to CEO's allowed companies to deduct disproportionately large amounts from their taxes. For example, 9 million paid out in stock options allowed for a 352 million tax break. Are you kidding me?

How is McCain different from Bush and other Republicans on social issues, by the way?

Maybe I'm missing it, but I always felt McCain was (possibly) MORE right than Bush on social issues and the main reasons Republicans hated him is he was willign to walk across the aisle/vote on what he wanted instead of what the party wanted.

He's pro life and he's against gay marriage, for instance.

His stance on abortion is not as extreme as Bush, eg.

FD has fallen to misperception.
click here

"I mean, does anyone think windfall profit taxing will better the economy? I don't think it will."



Thank you. This is insanely retarded. If anything approaching that is close to passing everyone better shuffle every penny of their portfolio into a money market account. And that should be good for the Dow.


Demonizing Greedy Corporations is a well-rehearsed political trick and a time-honored Economy Buster.

"His stance on abortion is not as extreme as Bush, eg."

Your own link disputes that. Only difference McCain has with Bush I know of is on embryonic stem cell.

Why retarded? The cycle is not as simple as today's profits. The stronger the middle class, the largest consumer group, the better the economy will be. How is that segment grown or perserved? Something which allows them to keep their money. Ok. What does government do if nobody is paying taxes? Who keeps the electricity on? Who keeps the water clean (kinda) and running? Who fills the potholes after winter? This ain't China where you will get a bunch of guys in depends filling potholes for free or displacing others to make a new stadium so the country looks good.

We've gone over the "windfall" part before. The oil money is largely based on speculation. The current supply is stable and the demand while rising is not outstripping supply so drastically. There is a storm in the Gulf of Mexico and oil shoots up 56 cents or so/barrel. Millions of barrels per day = millions of dollars extra per day. That is bullshit. Or a pharmaceutical company patents wellbutryn (depression drub) calls it something different and re-ups its patent cuz it also helps with smoking cessation. Result, a few extra billion in the bank. Do you really think that is anything but highway robbery and gaming the system? The stupidity is that the consumer gets royally fucked ultimately. What happens if those big companies go under? Oh yeah....BAIL OUT. If the continued bullshit of a "free market" economy isn't realized then stop calling it that. Its "free market till you fail". Airline industry, Chrysler, etc.

If we are REALLY going to honor the system, then we have to realize that those failures cause serious imbalance which causes government intervention, eg Bear and Stearns/Fanny & Freddie Mae. Those guys made "windfall" profits by basically buying up mortgages that were supposedly given to quality borrowers, um yeah, and then left most people with their thumbs in their asses. If they were to have slid into the abyss, then the economy would tank. Sachman-Gold bought a bottomed out Bear and Stearns AFTER getting Government protection.

Boils down to, if regulation only kicks in for protectionism, then I am ALL against it. Regulate both ends of the market. If you rape the populace, you need to pay up. I think that if you make tens of billions in profit, a few of those won't be sorely missed.

Dino, I was being facetious since I realized my first comment was inaccurate.

I want to be perfectly clear that I'm not bashing Obama or praising McCain here, by the way.

I'm basically dying for Obama to get specific and seal my vote, which hasn't been doing.

It has absolutely nothign to do with the attack ads or the ridiculous smears...I just want him to start getting specific and realistic.

My single biggest beef with him (other than the windfall taxes) is he still seems allergic to nuclear energy and I believe that has to be the backbone of any chance to get away rom foreign energy.

As a sidenote, I just drove by Three Mile Island Sunday and I haven't been through there in some time. The size of those cooling towers amazes me every time when you're right there next to them. They just look like average smokestacks from a distance, but those things are freaking massive.

FD, I don't think you are bashing him at all. You are absolutely right that if people don't know what he's about it is HIS fault. Nobody else's. He directs his campaign and is responsible for the content of his message.

I think it is also prudent to ask him to precisely articulate what he intends to do and how he intends to accomplish it. What I get pissed at is how perception overshadows everything else. McCain = maverick. Obama = muslim.

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