McCain Responds to the Budget Proposal

Senator John McCain, speaking for Republicans because Rush Linbaugh was busy, presented his party’s fiscal year 2010 federal budget counter-proposal in words of two letters, all of them spelled “N-O.”

Palin Product Endorsement

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin may have hinted at her next career move yesterday. Responding to McCain campaign critics of her “Wardrobegate” fiasco, she announced: “I never asked for anything more than a Diet Dr Pepper once in a while.” According to anonymous sources, the photogenic Palin will replace anorexic Nicole Richie as the Diet Dr Pepper “spokesmodel.” The attractive Alaska governor has proven teleprompter skills and a loyal following.

Other rumors are flying. Reporters seek confirmation of a $40,000 RNC Diet Dr Pepper bill for October, and journalists are investigating whether Cindy McCain intervened before the GOP convention, sending Governor Palin into rehab at The Meadows in Wickenburg, Arizona for acute Diet Dr. Pepper addiction.

McCain Economic Policy, Plumbing, and Beer

Yesterday John McCain met with three “economic advisors” — two out-of-work Republican officials and a retired e-biz executive — to refine his economy policy measures. While disgraced McCain advisor Phil Gramm wasn’t there, the same old “trickle-down” economic theories were: tax cuts for the ultra-rich, corporate and capital gains tax cuts, first-year expensing of equipment purchases, and other big-business boondoggles.

Highest-Paid McCain Staffer

Amy Strozzi is the highest-paid McCain-Palin campaign staff member, earning $22,800 in the first two weeks of October.

Ms. Strozzi isn’t the McCain-Palin chief foreign policy adviser. That’s Randy Scheunemann, who got $12,500 in those two weeks. She isn’t the senior communications staff member; that’s Nicolle Wallace, who earned $12,000 in the same period.

Amy Strozzi is Sarah Palin’s make-up artist.

John McCain — From Spoiled Brat to Grumpy Old Man

Senator John McCain is running for president on his biography. With a record as a champion of financial deregulation, trickle-down economics, and the Iraq War, the Republican contender has little choice.

Senator McCain would like you to accept his version of his biography (3 words: War Hero, Maverick) but read the full account by Rolling Stone’s Tim Dickenson, “Make-Believe Maverick.” In a hurry? Start with the video “Five Myths About John McCain.”

It is not surprising that Senator McCain considers millionaires middle-class and doesn’t think it is unusual that he can’t keep track of all his houses and cars.  According to NNDB, his mother, Roberta Wright McCain, once “went on an errand to buy a new dress, and came home with a new Mercedes instead.”

Palin Pals Around With Admitted Drug Thief and Addict

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gov. Palin (right) pals around with admitted embezzler, drug thief, and addict (left).

Governor Sarah Palin, Republican Vice Presidential candidate, spent the weekend continuing to exhibit her ignorance and contempt for the law. The Governor told crowds of Colorado supporters at three separate events Saturday that Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama was “palling around with terrorists.”

Governor Palin was referring to former Vietnam War protester William Ayers, who is married to former Vietnam War protester Bernadette Dohrn. The couple’s radical activities took place when Mr. Obama was eight years old.

This “Guilt by Association” reference has another slight flaw: Dr. Ayers has never been convicted of a crime. Both members of this married couple are nationally-recognized champions of child welfare:

William C. Ayers (BA, University of Michigan; MA, Bank Street College of Education; MFA, Bennington College; M.Ed, Teachers College, Columbia; Ed.D, Teachers College, Columbia) is Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar in the Education Department of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Bernardine Dohrn (BA with honors, MA, JD, University of Chicago) is the Director and founder of the Children and Family Justice Center and Clinical Associate Professor of Law at the Northwestern University Law School.

Perhaps Professor Dohrn, the children’s law scholar, could recommend some kiddie books on law for Governor Palin (BSc, University of Hawaii at Hilo – Hawaii Pacific College – North Idaho College – University of Idaho – Matanuska-Susitna College – University of Idaho; Miss Wasilla) explaining that Americans who are not convicted of crimes are “innocent,” even if they are Democrats, and that “Guilt By Association” is a pernicious ad hominem logical fallacy excluded from our system of justice.

McCain and Palin Love Joe Six-Pack. You Betcha.

Gwen Ifill’s first question to the candidates at Thursday night’s Vice Presidential Debate concerned their thoughts about the $700 Billion Congressional rescue (or bailout) bill, which had not yet passed. Republican Governor Sarah Palin (net worth $1.2 Million; 2007 income $230,000) responded:

PALIN: One thing that Americans do at this time, also, though, is let’s commit ourselves just every day American people, Joe Six Pack, hockey moms across the nation, I think we need to band together and say never again. Never will we be exploited and taken advantage of again . . . .

The Governor’s running mate, John McCain. really loves Joe Six-Pack. Senator McCain’s wife Cindy controls the third-largest Anheuser-Busch distributorship in the country. Joe Six-Pack bought multi-millionaires John and Cindy McCain all their houses, cars, a fat investment portfolio and a private jet, 12 ounces at a time.

Of course, Anheuser-Busch doesn’t just use those profits to make Cindy McCain rich. It creates thousands of jobs — in Belgium and Brazil, for Jan- and João– Six-Pack and new multi-national corporate owner InBev.

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com.

The “A” logo is a registered trademark of Anheuser-Busch/InBev and is used here under the satire provisions of the Fair Use clause.

Veep Debate TV — Beyond Boffo!

Senator Biden and Governor Palin debate, Thursday, October 2, 2008.

70 million U.S. television viewers watched the 2008 Vice-Presidential debate last Thursday. Even PBS had 3.5 million viewers. The first Presidential debate got 34 percent fewer viewers, 52.4 million, including 2.6 million on PBS.

The Veeps reaped 45 percent of households in the top markets, said Nielsen, while the September 26th McCain-Obama presidential debate got 31.6 percent. The Veeps vied on Thursday, a popular TV-watching night, and McCain and Obama tangled on a date-night Friday, but still . . . .

No-Talk Express — Re-Doubled

Keep your mouth shut and wave the flag. Period. That is the McCain-Palin campaign in a nutshell.

John: Don’t debate Obama. No questions from reporters. Deliver the canned speech. Read it off the teleprompter.  No questions from reporters. Pose with the Legion and AmVets. Don’t remind voters that your record of financial experience is limited to membership in the Keating Five and sleeping with a millionaire, you think the poverty limit is $3 million, that Phil Gramm, the Swiss banker who pushed the finance laws that caused this world finance meltdown,  was your campaign co-chair, you have all those unforclosed houses, and you’ve been in Washington for 26 years, voting with George W. Bush over 90 percent of the time. And remember: no questions from reporters.

Fundamentals and Adjustments

  

 As markets plunge, venerable financial institutions evaporate, and bank failures continue, Republican President George W. Bush, former shady businessman, maintained:

In the short run, adjustments in the financial markets can be painful – both for the people concerned about their investments and for the employees of the affected firms,” said President Bush. “In the long run, I’m confident that our capital markets are flexible and resilient, and can deal with these adjustments.
— Voice of America, Paula Wolfson, Bush Voices Confidence in US Economy

“The fundamentals of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult times,” said Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain, spouse of a millionaire, son and nephew of admirals (we thank him for his service, so As You Were).