Super Briefly on the McCain Campaign Suspension Issue:

I could post articles on Sen. McCain suspending his campaign and then agreeing now to the debate even though there is not an agreed-upon "bailout package" but in substance, I see Sen. McCain's attempt to provide executive style leadership on this matter as a good thing and Sen. Obama's unwillingness to join with Sen. McCain and pursue a genuinely non-partisan solution to this problem to be another example of Sen. Obama not wanting to do anything that does not emphasize him personally rather than placing the common good above personal accolades.

That said, I hope Sen. McCain after showing a willingness to put the good of the economy over his own personal whims really cleans Sen. Obama's clock in tonight's debate.

Miscellaneous Musings on Threads of Interest:

Just a few bits as time allows for it...

Popular anger puts fat cat CEOs on the run (Breitbart.com)

Well let me give a hearty "amen" to that!!! I have said already in places other than this blog{1} that those who are responsible for this mess deserve not financial recompense but jail time. Moving on we come to this tidbit...

Obama campaign cracks down on misleading TV ads

Let me get this straight, the Obama campaign can dish it out but not take it??? This talk of a "Truth Squad" sounds a lot to me like the "Ministry of Truth" from Orwell's 1984. Nice to know "Chancellor Obama" susbscribes to an "all are entitled to free speech but some are more entitled to it than others" outlook. For all the talk of moonbat leftists about so-called "right wing fascism"{2} they sure love to implement such tactics themselves without concern for the blatant hypocrisy involved.

Notes:

{1} I will probably blog some of that stuff in the coming days.

{2} On the Logical Fallacy of the "Communist/Fascist" So-Called "Ideological Spectrum" (circa July 16, 2004)

Miscellaneous Musings on Threads of Interest:

To touch on a few brief bits on stuff from news stories in recent days...

McCain slams Obama 'lack of leadership' on finance, Iraq

Here is a taste...

"Whether it's a reversal in war, or an economic emergency, he reacts as a politician and not as a leader, seeking an advantage for himself instead of a solution for his country," McCain said.

I wish I could say this assessment appeared to be wrong but unfortunately I cannot. It seems to me -and in spite of problems I have with some of his views as enunciated on this weblog over the years{1}- that the only one of the two presidential candidates who is focusing on something bigger than themselves is Sen. McCain. And this next thread gives even more evidence of this -fresh off the presses as of today:

McCain Suspends Campaign To Focus on Economy; Wants Debate Delay

Here is the text of that link:

America this week faces an historic crisis in our financial system. We must pass legislation to address this crisis. If we do not, credit will dry up, with devastating consequences for our economy. People will no longer be able to buy homes and their life savings will be at stake. Businesses will not have enough money to pay their employees. If we do not act, ever corner of our country will be impacted. We cannot allow this to happen.

Last Friday, I laid out my proposal and I have since discussed my priorities and concerns with the bill the Administration has put forward. Senator Obama has expressed his priorities and concerns.This morning, I met with a group of economic advisers to talk about the proposal on the table and the steps that we should take going forward.I have also spoken with members of Congress to hear their perspective.

It has become clear that no consensus has developed to support the Administration' proposal. I do not believe that the plan on the table will pass as it currently stands, and we are running out of time.

Tomorrow morning, I will suspend my campaign and return to Washington after speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative. I have spoken to Senator Obama and informed him of my decision and have asked him to join me.

I am calling on the President to convene a meeting with the leadership from both houses of Congress, including Senator Obama and myself. It is time for both parties to come together to solve this problem.

We must meet as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans, and we must meet until this crisis is resolved.I am directing my campaign to work with the Obama campaign and the commission on presidential debates to delay Friday night's debate until we have taken action to address this crisis.

I am confident that before the markets open on Monday we can achieve consensus on legislation that will stabilize our financial markets, protect taxpayers and homeowners, and earn the confidence of the American people. All we must do to achieve this is temporarily set politics aside, and I am committed to doing so.

Following September 11th, our national leaders came together at a time of crisis. We must show that kind of patriotism now. Americans across our country lament the fact that partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges. Now is our chance to come together to prove that Washington is once again capable of leading this country.

If Sen. Obama is willing to join Sen. McCain on this then I would be willing to reassess my view of him as noted in the previous part of this thread at least somewhat. I would only hope that there are caps of some sort put on executive packages because though I am not begrudging anyone their ability to make money, those who screwed this up do not deserve to go unscathed lest they fail to learn from what happened.{2}

Moving from a presidential candidate to a vice presidential candidate story we have this one:

Did NBC Go Too Far With Todd Palin Incest Jokes

In a word, yes because not only is this beyond tasteless but because if the shoe was on the other foot, NBC would not have done this.{3} What part of leaving the families out of this do many not understand???

Biden Calls Obama Ad Attacking McCain "Terrible"

Having made our views noted on the selection of Sen. Joe Biden already{4}, it would be remiss on our part to not recognize Sen. Biden's initial (and laudable) revulsion with regards to one of the Obama campaign's ads. Or as we noted in a recent blog posting on (among other things) the subject of that ad:

McCain is a war hero. PERIOD. That war wounds prevent him due to injuries from doing some things all that well is a given but to mock that is disgusting. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa September 15, 2008)]

But then as deserving of thumbs up for that stance as Sen. Biden earned initially, he ruined it by changing his mind and proving that politics trumps conscience in his universe which is one more example of why so many people are sick of this kind of politicing.

Moving on to a much more substantive issue, there is also the subject of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac campaign contributions and an attempt by The New York Times to claim that members of Sen. McCain's campaign were receiving such contributions. As the McCain campaign has responded to these assertions, I direct you to their link below in what would appear to be a very thorough debunking{5}:

A Partisan Paper of Record (www.JohnMcCain.com)

Here is some of that response:

The New York Times charges that McCain-Palin 2008 campaign manager Rick Davis was paid by Freddie Mac until last month, contrary to previous reporting, as well as statements by this campaign and by Mr. Davis himself.

In fact, the allegation is demonstrably false. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis separated from his consulting firm, Davis Manafort, in 2006. As has been previously reported, Mr. Davis has seen no income from Davis Manafort since 2006. Zero. Mr. Davis has received no salary or compensation since 2006. Mr. Davis has received no profit or partner distributions from that firm on any basis -- weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual -- since 2006. Again, zero. Neither has Mr. Davis received any equity in the firm based on profits derived since his financial separation from Davis Manafort in 2006.

Further, and missing from the Times' reporting, Mr. Davis has never -- never -- been a lobbyist for either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Mr. Davis has not served as a registered lobbyist since 2005.

And of course The New York Times does not seem interested in telling people that Sen. Barack Obama has been the recipient of the third highest amount of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac since 1989!!! If any more evidence was needed that there is partisanship and not quality journalism taking place at The New York Times then this supplies yet another example in the long scroll of what could be noted if not for lack of time and concern for sanity on our part.

Moving on we come to a piece that I referenced part of a few days ago on the weblog{6} but with more context. For those who were unaware, Ed Morrissey, former captain of Captain's Quarters now writes for the Hot Air site since (I believe) Bryan Preston went to do producing for The Laura Ingraham Show.{7} Nonetheless, he covered something recently which I want to reference at this time; namely the position of Sen. McCain on reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and how he was on board this idea from an early point in time.{8} Here is some of a Senate speech given by Sen. McCain over two years ago:

Mr. President, this week Fannie Mae’s regulator reported that the company’s quarterly reports of profit growth over the past few years were “illusions deliberately and systematically created” by the company’s senior management, which resulted in a $10.6 billion accounting scandal.

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight’s report goes on to say that Fannie Mae employees deliberately and intentionally manipulated financial reports to hit earnings targets in order to trigger bonuses for senior executives. In the case of Franklin Raines, Fannie Mae’s former chief executive officer, OFHEO’s report shows that over half of Mr. Raines’ compensation for the 6 years through 2003 was directly tied to meeting earnings targets. The report of financial misconduct at Fannie Mae echoes the deeply troubling $5 billion profit restatement at Freddie Mac.

The OFHEO report also states that Fannie Mae used its political power to lobby Congress in an effort to interfere with the regulator’s examination of the company’s accounting problems. This report comes some weeks after Freddie Mac paid a record $3.8 million fine in a settlement with the Federal Election Commission and restated lobbying disclosure reports from 2004 to 2005. These are entities that have demonstrated over and over again that they are deeply in need of reform.

For years I have been concerned about the regulatory structure that governs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac–known as Government-sponsored entities or GSEs–and the sheer magnitude of these companies and the role they play in the housing market. OFHEO’s report this week does nothing to ease these concerns. In fact, the report does quite the contrary. OFHEO’s report solidifies my view that the GSEs need to be reformed without delay.

I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.

I urge my colleagues to support swift action on this GSE reform legislation. [Sen. John McCain (circa May 25, 2006)]

We at Rerum Novarum are unaware of any similarly pro-active attempts by Sen. Obama to do anything about this problem before the pot boiled over; ergo we wonder how anyone could somehow trust that Sen. Obama who was asleep at the switch on this issue back then can be trusted to be put in a position to try and fix the problem.

Notes:

{1} Heck, the post tag reading "John McCain" on this posting will take the reader to the ones that have been noted on this weblog.

{2} When I blog some of my comments from a previous discussion on these matters it will spell things out a bit more but the bottom line is this: country before politics as far as I am concerned.

{3} Not that a joke about Obama or his family in a similar vein would be acceptable of course. (It would not.)

{4} On Senator Barack Obama's Choice of Joseph Biden For Running Mate (circa August 30, 2008)

{5} The New York Times article is linked to in the McCain response. Since it does not appear that they did much in the way of even elementary research on their article, I do not view them as deserving the credibility of a live link directly.

{6} Points to Ponder (circa September 20, 2008)

{7} It is with regret that I announce that Bryan Preston has left the company. He has chosen to take a position as a producer with the Laura Ingraham radio show. We thank him for all the time and talent he devoted to making Hot Air a success. Please wish him all the best in his new endeavors...

We’ll be announcing an exciting new addition to Hot Air tomorrow morning. Stay tuned. [Excerpt from HotAir (circa February 24, 2008)]

{8} Not that this is the earliest point in time to which Sen. McCain can be shown to have been informed about as well as concerned about the problem of course.

Another Thread on the Upcoming Election:

This is a continuation of sorts from a series of previous threads viewable in a footnote below.{1} It constitutes an email I sent to some friends privately. My words from the note will be in dark blue font.

Obama leads from 0-6 points now depending on which poll you look at...

...probably because of the week's economic news for the most part. I do not expect that to hold. (Would be curious to know how Mason-Dixon Polling has the race but I digress.) Here are the numbers as of yesterday via Real Clear Politics:

RCP Average	09/09 - 09/19	--	47.6	45.3	Obama +2.3
Gallup Tracking	09/17 - 09/19	2756 RV	50	44	Obama +6
Rasmussen Tracking	09/17 - 09/19	3000 LV	48	47	Obama +1
Hotline/FD Tracking	09/17 - 09/19	922 RV	45	44	Obama +1
Battleground Tracking	09/11 - 09/18	800 LV	47	47	Tie
CBS News/NY Times	09/12 - 09/16	LV	49	44	Obama +5
Quinnipiac	09/11 - 09/16	987 LV	49	45	Obama +4
Pew Research	09/09 - 09/14	2307 LV	46	46	Tie
Reuters/Zogby	09/11 - 09/13	1008 LV	47	45	Obama +2

See All General Election: McCain vs. Obama Polling Data

The average of the above polls is Obama by 2.3 points which is not much. It is certainly not boding well for The One if McCain somehow pulls into a tie or slightly leads going into the first debate.

Meanwhile, the McCain camp is starting to focus on foreign policy stuff such as this ad about someone Obama would agree to "meet with no conditions." My Chavez loving [relative] would find that reassuring but I cannot imagine most Americans who are on the fence would.

But it all does not matter because if Obama loses, it is not cause of his quasi-marxism but instead we are racists guys, that has already been decreed. If that proclamation from the msm does not tell you that they are panicking in moonbatville, nothing else will.

Note:

{1} Namely, these threads:

Dialogue on Sen. Obama, Sen. McCain, Basic Economics, and the Upcoming Election With Kevin Tierney (circa September 15, 2008)

On Sen. Hillary Clinton and Her Being "On Board" for Sen. Obama (circa September 14, 2008)

Points to Ponder:

If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole. [John McCain (circa May 25, 2006)]

Miscellaneous Musings on Threads of Interest:

Briefly on some stuff of an economic and political nature...

Stubborn Ignorance (Dr. Walter E. Williams)

Some of the common stupidity of political pundits with regards to basic Constitutional budgetary matters is dealt with by Dr. Williams in his usual concise fashion.

McCain aides: Obama 'cheerleading' market crisis

Sen. Obama cannot win with good economic news much as he cannot win with the war in Iraq or Afghanistan not going badly. Things are good in Iraq, mixed in Afghanistan, and the economy has been taking some hits. But Sen. McCain's comment about the "fundamentals of the economy" being "strong" is correct. That the economy has continued to grow despite the problems of the past ten months and we have not have a quarter of negative growth yet{1} points to strong fundamentals indeed.

Furthermore, the way Sen. Obama has tried to disingenuously pin the mess solely on the last eight years shows he is unfit to be president since he does not realize where the root of this problem really lies and which administration deserves a good chunk of the blame for what we are seeing. I will relegate some brief musings I have made on this to a footnote for those who are interested{2} and that is all I will say on this at the moment.

Notes:

{1} Briefly on the Second Quarter Economic Figures and Why We Are Not Yet In A Recession (circa September 9, 2008)

Briefly on the First Quarter Economic Figures and Why We Are Not Yet In A Recession (circa May 1, 2008)

{2} Briefly on the Current Real Estate Situation (circa July 26, 2008)

Miscellaneous Musings and Threads of Interest:

Some brief comments on recent stories...

MSNBC Takes Incendiary Hosts From Anchor Seat

My view of Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann is not one and the same{1} but it suffices to say that Matthews has been so ridiculously Obama partisan (and Olbermann has been the absolute worst excuse for a "journalist" for a long time) that this demotion was long overdue.

US Government takes over mortgage giants

I hope this is not permanent. The federal government has a poor track record of trying to do anything efficiently besides equip the military and win wars. I would suggest a sunset date on this action when these mortgage giants are allowed to be privatized again and some changes made to regulations starting with the elimination of some of the really absurd programs out there that lent money to people who had no business trying to buy property.{2}

Clinton limits Palin criticism while campaigning

For reasons we discussed recently{3} no doubt!!!

One of Them and One of Us

Often have we said that Patrick Buchanan is a streaky shooter but when he is on, it is usually nothing but net and the above article is an example of what we refer to.

Notes:

{1} Matthews is usually borderline rabid but at the very least he tends to control himself however tenuously. He is a Democratic sympathizer but from what I have been able to glean over the years not the toady that others are. (He can of course also be critical of the Democrats.) Some have opined that Matthews simply had a bad day...certainly that is a possible explanation for it...

In the past four years or so, the power slippage has been even more dramatic with the arrival of the blogosphere as an entity that now must be taken seriously as a source for news and opinion on issues. And bloggers are inclined by nature to discuss what they want to discuss which can often mean the very issues that the mainstream media does not want to talk about.

To make absurdity... well.... more absurd, Matthews' MSNBC colleague Keith Oberman drank the Kool Aid to its last dregs in defending Matthews.

Olbermann is a media footlicker (to put it nicely). I would not worry too much about anything he says. [Excerpts from Rerum Novarum (circa August 24, 2004)]

{2} People are so financially illiterate these days that I believe a course in finance should be taught in high school along with a course in basic reason and logic.

{3} On Sen. Hillary Clinton and Her Being "On Board" for Sen. Obama (circa September 14, 2008)

In Remembrance of Rick Wright:

A good chunk of my adolescence was consumed by the music of Pink Floyd and thus the loss of another member from that legendary band affects me a bit. Previously it was their first chief songwriter one Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett{1} whose role was relinquished to Roger Waters of whom I have written previously.{2} But now it is Richard (Rick) Wright who has joined Barrett in passing on to the other side.

I started to write something somewhat substantial on Rick Wright but frankly what I wrote is not as good a summation as the Wikipedia entry on him so I will defer to them at this time and fill in a bit myself that they do not cover:

Richard Wright

Wright's music needs to be heard to be appreciated -he was mainly self taught which resulted in him having a quirky kind of style to his playing that was notably unconventional for a keyboard and piano player. Nonetheless, that is what an innovator does. His influences were mainly from the field of what is called "neo-classical" and also from jazz though there was also a touch of the blues as well from his early days.{3} His most significant influence from the former was the German stylist Karlheinz Stockhausen while Miles Davis was probably his primary jazz influence.

Rick did not write many lyrics mainly because Roger Waters (and Syd Barrett prior to Roger) were much better lyricists. Wright was known for his melodic flourishes and ethereal landscapes which he contributed to the earliest work of the Floyd through their work of the mid 1970's. I want to focus at this time in memory of Rick Wright on probably my favourite song of his where he wrote both the words and the music{4} and my favourite track from the 1968 Saucer of Secrets album{5} called Remember A Day. Without further ado...


Remember a day before today
A day when you were young.
Free to play alone with time
Evening never came.

Sing a song that can't be sung
Without the morning's kiss
Queen - you shall be it if you wish
Look for your king
Why can't we play today
Why can't we stay that way

Climb your favorite apple tree
Try to catch the sun
Hide from your little brother's gun
Dream yourself away

Why can't we reach the sun
Why can't we blow the years away
Blow away
Blow away
Remember
Remember

A recording of the song from YouTube can be listened to here -the late Syd Barrett incidentally played slide guitar on this track:



Rest in peace Rick and thank you for your many contributions to the soundtrack of my childhood.

Notes:

{1} I just realized I did not write on Syd's passing here though I have in other places -I will try to remember to do so on the anniversary of his birth or death -the former coming next January if memory serves.

{2} Most recently here.

{3} When an early incarnation of Pink Floyd with three of its future members (Roger Waters, Wright, and Nick Mason) played blues tunes. (That band was Sigma 6.)

{4} Well, either this one or Summer '68 but I digress.

{5} The second album by Pink Floyd.

Dialogue on Sen. Obama, Sen. McCain, Basic Economics, and the Upcoming Election:
(With Kevin Tierney)

Kevin's words will be in burgundy font with his sources italicized.

Well, it's finally happened. The One has demonstrated that he isn't really "change we can believe in." On second thought, maybe he is. He's worse than the most petty and vile of politicians. Deceitful as Bill Clinton may have been, Clinton never sacrificed his own family to advance his career. (As Obama did when he shamefully threw his infirm grandmother under the bus during the Reverend Wright scandal.) The Clintons certainly never demonstrated their prowess by insulting people with disabilities or those with debilitating injuries, as Obama has just done.

Obama stated this week "the gloves are finally coming off" for the 4th time since securing the Democratic nomination. In a recent ad, Mr. Obama mocks GOP presidential candidate John McCain for apparently being computer illiterate. The ad says the following:

"He admits he still doesn't know how to use a computer, can't send an e-mail, still doesn't understand the economy, and favors two hundred billion in new tax cuts for corporations, but almost nothing for the middle class,"

There is also the whole "still doesn't understand the economy" schtick. McCain is no economist but he understands the concept of lower taxes stimulating the economy and higher taxes stifling it. He understands the sort of dynamics that are involved in people's economic behaviour and does not naively presume as Obama and company do that raising taxes will increase revenue. It never does past a very low threshold point because people do not respond to these things statically.

Obama on the other hand when it was pointed out to him that every time the capital gains tax is raised it brings in less revenue still favours doing it on principle because the income disparities "are not right." That is the view of an ideologue and I will take McCain's frank admission that the economics are not his strong suit coupled with his familiarity with the dynamics of how an economy runs over a know-it-all like Obama who presumes to talk out of his ass a lot on a subject to which he is either ignorant or disingenuous about. And considering the Gestapo-like tactics he and his goons are involving themselves in, I do not believe I am obligated to give them the benefit of the doubt on these matters.

Obama is also claiming that McCain's campaign is the "dirtiest in history" which shows how ignorant he is. What about the 1800 election??? The 1828 election??? The 1876 election??? The 1884 election??? The 1912 election??? The 1960 election??? The 1964 election??? The 1980 election??? The 2000 election??? Every one of them an argument can be made was worse than this election and they are not the only ones. But objectively I would say the ones from 1800, 1828, 1840, 1876, 1884, 1912, 1964, and 1980 were worse than this one.

If part of dirtiness is the attempt to steal an election on the part of Democrats then we could throw 2000 and 2004 in there as well particularly the last one. I say particularly the last one cause the same people who bitched about winning the popular vote last time when the total was less than a half million nationwide difference tried to steal Ohio in 2004 despite GWB winning the nationwide popular vote by about three million. Not to mention the silence like whores in church from the Dems viz. what happened in the Washington governors race which was as I called it then "Grand Theft Election."

Heck, I just when writing this response took a minute and made a tab on my weblog on those posts and the others I could find on a quick archive search that discussed the subject of stolen elections. But that is neither here nor there as their hypocrisy knows no bounds obviously -and not just in that area.

Where do we begin? First off, Obama better hope he gets those young liberal voters. He has certainly now conceded just about every senior citizen. (Not to mention those working class individuals like my father who have never used a computer in their lives, and went on to become region directors of unions.) This in itself makes it a stupid ad. However, as Jonah Goldberg points out, this ad is not only stupid, its downright insulting:

"Well, I guess it depends on what you mean by "extraordinary." The reason he doesn't send email is that he can't use a keyboard because of the relentless beatings he received from the Viet Cong in service to our country. From the Boston Globe (March 4, 2000):

McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain's severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain's encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He's an avid fan - Ted Williams is his hero - but he can't raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball.

Bob Klaus{1} is right that Obama has most of the under 30 voters but McCain was not going to win that demographic anyway. Though if he can take about 40% instead of the more probable 30% that would basically along with the older contingent and the blue collar worker sorts like my late father who identified himself as a Democrat most of his life{2} despite almost never voting for them.{3} The younger crowd go for the charisma and the rhetorical bs. They also do not vote in large percentages whereas the largest demographic in the country is senior citizens. And if my late father (God rest his soul) was alive, he would be screaming to listen to them insult McCain in that way.

McCain is a war hero. PERIOD. That war wounds prevent him due to injuries from doing some things all that well is a given but to mock that is disgusting. I have to say though that his love of Ted Williams tells me something because 'ol Ted was a pretty interesting personality and I can see shades of the Williams persona in McCain. (Both the good and the bad.) I recommend you all read Leigh Montville's fascinating biography of Ted Williams if you really want to see the complexities of the man and get an insight into one of McCain's self-admitted influences.{4}

As Goldberg points out in his Corner post, perhaps we should condemn the governor of New York since he doesn't know how to drive, since transportation is important to the economy. Oh wait, Governor Patterson is blind. Perhaps we should have condemned FDR because the man couldn't walk beyond a few steps, because being mobile is certainly required to be a president. Oh wait, FDR was paralyzed.

Indeed. And when it comes to "dirty campaigning" how about condemning Grover Cleveland for having an affair which resulted in a child? That was a major media sensation back in 1884 when he ran for the first of his two non-consecutive terms.{5} The illegitimate child issue was huge in 1884 as was the 1828 election where the issue of President Jackson's wife was huge. More could be noted but just those two alone trump anything we are seeing this year. Oh and for what it is worth, I do not recall McCain or Obama's campaign basically saying that their opponent deserved to be in the lowest pit of hell as this famous 1840 campaign ditty opposing President Van Buren did:

Who never did a noble deed?
Who of the people took no heed?
Who is the worst of tyrant's breed?
Van Buren!

Who like the wily serpent clings,
Who like the poisonous adder stings,
Who is more base than basest Kings?
Van Buren!

Who would his friend, his country sell,
do other deeds too base to tell,
deserves the lowest place in Hell?
Van Buren!

But then again, Obama has gotten a lot of easier to verify facts wrong so why should we expect him to get the harder stuff correct???

There are two explanations for this fact. The first is that he legitimately did not know that McCain, due to his injuries in service of his country, was prevented from these things. A little while ago Obama claimed that the fact he ran such a great campaign proves he has more experience than VP nominee Sarah Palin, and was proof he is ready for President. You don't hear much about that argument in the past week, and this is more evidence why you don't. It's obvious his campaign is not as strong as he thinks it is. As Mark Hemmingway so eloquently put it, Obama can send an email, but apparently can't do a quick search on Google.

And when the msm is emphasizing how "even" this race is, that is another clue that the Dems are behind because if the situation was reversed and Obama led by 3-5 points among all voters (and 10-12 points among likely voters), they would present it as if he was "pulling away from Sen. McCain in this race" or some equivalent.

Second, Obama knew about this, but just didn't care. Then he becomes worse than even the most vile of politicians. John McCain's injuries in the service of his country are something to be praised, just as are the injuries of all veterans. Not mocked! I'll refrain from saying it is this option. If this is the case, then it says something very troubling about the kind of person Obama is, and suggests something that is beyond despicable about his nature.

Agreed.

So we are left with just being flat out stupid. That's a harsh statement, but its true. Would he like to condemn my good friend John who just came back from Iraq? John can't lift that much because of injuries he sustained fighting for this country. Would Obama like to call him less a man because he cannot lift heavy objects?

Well said Kev.

Notes:

{1} One of those on the thread. (Last name omitted barring permission from him to note it here.)

{2} His father was a Republican who only voted for one Democrat that I am aware of (Adlai Stevenson in 1952 and 1956 over Pres. Eisenhower). My father identified with President John F. Kennedy and was looking forward to voting for him in 1964 (his first presidential voting election) which never happened.

{3} His first presidential election was 1964 (for Goldwater) When I asked him about it, he only remembered voting against Johnson due to what he learned about the man when doing long haul trucking through Texas in the early sixties. In fact, except for the Nixon elections and 1992, my union man father voted for Republican candidates for president.

{4} Montville later authored a similarly solid biography on Babe Ruth which is also well worth reading but I digress.

{5} He lost in a re-election bid in the electoral college despite winning the popular vote in 1888 and then defeated President Benjamin Harrison in the 1892 contest four years after that.

On Sen. Hillary Clinton and Her Being "On Board" for Sen. Obama:

This is part of a running dialogue I am having with some friends in private -the following is my response to something sent by Kevin Tierney. Without further ado...

So much for the Clinton's being on board....

http://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2008/09/06/clinton_limits_palin_criticism_while_campaigning

Obama needs her as his attack dog against Palin, and Hillary has no desire to do so. :)

My response read as follows:

Well, if this election is about "issues" as she says, how about defining the word "change" and how it applies to the Obama campaign. Much like those who whine about "torture" and do not care to explain what they mean by the term or how it applies to the subject of the WOT, I am curious to know what goes into "change" in their minds because based on observation, it means "more of the same" if we judge their actions as opposed to their words.

Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" needs to give way to "Operation Free Falling" because with all respect to Tom Petty that is what things are on the verge of now for Obama and company if it has not already began (and I believe it has). I do not care about any polling data except one and it is "likely voters." McCain leads there by ten points last time I checked and we have barely gotten going now. There is little the msm can say about McCain now that will make Obama look preferable -if anything McCain hanging back as he did from March to June and only starting to really make a move in July. Even the [Paris] Hilton ads now look good because it set the frame of reference of Obama looking like a celebrity which implies lack of credibility as a politician. Then when Obama at the convention gave that big speech where he had a Nuremberg-like backdrop and concert-like atmosphere, it reinforced rather than detracted from the celebrity label.

Hillary has about as much interest in Obama winning in 08 as she did Kerry in 04. I predict she and Bill will find ways to subtly sabotage this candidacy going into the fall -one way is for her to not go after Palin. This is what "that boy" (cf. Jimmah Carter) is going to get for daring to derail Hillary's party coronation this year. [From and Email Circular to Kevin Tierney and Others (circa September 8, 2008)]

And since then, things not only have not improved but they have worsened -a subject that will be at least touched on in the coming days as time allows for it.

Points to Ponder:

(On Viewing Political Candidates)

I use a simple acid test. To me, the key variable is how they view the proper function of law in a just society. Any candidate that endorses a differentiation between the laws of the individual and the laws of society at large is one who inexorably endorses the plunder of one class of citizens to enrich another class is not a real conservative. And sadly, almost all who run for office under the conservative banner support legal plunder in some form or another. It then becomes a case of ascertaining whether or not their support of legal plunder is based on ignorance of what they are actually supporting or whether they are intentionally in support of it. That is admittedly not easy to determine but a safe norm to follow is to see how much they favour federal involvement or intervention. For the greater they favour those factors, the more they inexorably endorse legal plunder.[...] And no just society can countenance such an abomination and expect to avoid dissolving as a nation at some point or another - either through military conquest or revolution. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa May 24, 2004)]

Spring's economic rebound unlikely to last

You would not know that the growth of the economy in the spring quarter (3.3%) exceeded the estimates of both the government's initial estimate (1.9%) as well as the more optimistic estimate of many economists (2.7%) by reading that headline. The reason the news has been shaded that way is not hard to understand -or to quote this weblog from March of 2008:

There is nothing definite either way to say whether we are in or bound for a recession or not -though that the economy has slowed from what it was doing for the past five years is undeniable. But watch the msm try to pull the same crap they did in 1992 when -despite the fact that we had been out of a recession for about six months to a year- they continued up to the day of the election claiming we were still in a recession. No matter what happens in the coming months, I predict the msm will not deviate from the template they used in 1992. The question is, will the influence of the alternative media as a check on the msm be able to make a difference??? Only time will tell. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa March 18, 2008)]

Indeed readers can review a variety of statements we have made on the economy going back to January of 2008 where we took issue with the presumptions of a "recession" which many in the msm were uncritically parroting.{1}

We at Rerum Novarum have never bought into this notion of a "recession" and we still do not. And at this point, we would not even know until spring of 2009 at the earliest when the figures of third and fourth quarter will be in. But it is too easy for people to let the msm make them depressed over these matters. If you are one prone to being influenced by bad news{2}, find some way to alleviate this. I would suggest doing something for people who are not as fortunate as you are and there will always be such people around regardless of the condition of the economy.

It has been a while since the economy has gone through an adjustment and your host has been expecting one for some time as bull markets never go on forever without corrections. And remember folks: slower economic cycles or periods of bear markets are periods of significant opportunity if you know where to look. But there are a lot of hucksters out there too so the Gospel injunction of being "wise as serpents and guileless as doves" (cf. Matt. x,16) is as pertinent as ever.

Notes:

{1} Readers can assess these matters by considering this posting from early May where we reported on the growth of the first quarter and reminded readers that we were yet again ahead of the curve on these matters.

{2} And as the msm never seems to want to report good news very often; ergo it is wise to take anything they say in measured doses unless you have either a strong stomach for it and/or a very astute "bs detector."

Miscellaneous Musings and Threads Worth Noting:

Briefly on a variety of threads...

Palin casts herself as Washington outsider

Just a sample:

"Here's a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I'm not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I'm going to Washington to serve the people of this country."

I have nothing at the moment that discourages me from appreciating this pick for vp on the part of Sen. McCain. I may expand a bit on what I have already written about her{1} in the coming days or weeks.

Sarah Palin's speech a series of cheapshots

My combox comments on that thread suffice to give a brief take on my view of this so I will reiterate them now.

Essentially, I am surprised at the hypocrisy of those who would rake Gov. Palin over the coals for days and then when she punches back a bit, she is the one being juvenile. Sen. Biden and Sen. Obama were throwing plenty of hooks at Sen. McCain during their DNC speeches (particularly Biden) and I do not recall these same msm talking heads launching the same criticisms. Biden can go after McCain relentlessly and that is fine, the msm can slam Gov. Palin repeatedly and that is fine yet if Gov. Palin throws some shots at Obama and now that is "unacceptable"??? What a bunch of hypocrites!!!

I have never in my life seen a political candidate for president who has gotten more of an easy ride than Sen. Obama has. I really hope Sen. McCain exposes what I view as the five factors that would sink Sen. Obama's chances with anyone who is capable of being even the slightest bit objective on these matters. There is nothing in Sen. McCain's background or in positions he has taken that are comparable to them{2} and that is all I will say on the matter for the present time.

Gov. Sarah Palin's Speech

I fail to see how this speech is full of more "cheap shots" than the one delivered by Sen. Joe Biden. But enough on that for now and onto this interesting thread on Sen. Barack Obama...

Barack Obama, Aspiring Commissar

Here is just a bit more than a taste to whet the appetite for more...

This has led Kurtz, naturally, to scrutinize the relationship between Obama and one of his early political sponsors, William Ayers. Ayers, as we have previously detailed, is a confessed terrorist who, having escaped prosecution due to surveillance violations that came to light during his decade on the lam after a bombing spree, landed an influential professorship in education at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). As he has made clear several times before and after helping to launch Obama’s political career, Ayers remains defiantly proud of bombing the Pentagon, the U.S. Capitol, and other targets. He expresses regret only that he didn’t do more. Far from abandoning his radical politics, he has simply changed methods: the classroom, rather than the detonator, is now his instrument for campaigning against an America he portrays as racist and imperialist.

Obama supporters risibly complain that shining a light on the Obama/Ayers relationship is a “smear” and smacks of “guilt by association.” A presidential candidate’s choice to associate himself with an unrepentant terrorist would be highly relevant in any event — does anyone think the Obamedia would keep mum if John McCain had a long-standing relationship with David Duke or an abortion-clinic bomber?

But we are talking about more than a mere “association.”

Then there is the question of what the conservative talk radio hosts may be able to do to "stop Obama"...

Can conservative talk radio stop Obama?

I notice the article is weighed heavily on Sean Hannity whom readers of this weblog for some time probably know we have gone from "not that fond of" to "disgusted by.{3} But that point aside, we have to ask what we would do with Sen. Obama and that fascist so-called "fairness doctrine" he and his ideological allies are interested in reviving.

Notes:

{1} On Sen. McCain's Selection of Governor Sarah Palin as His Running Mate (circa August 29, 2008)

On Governor Sarah Palin, Recent Revelations, and Ethical Standards (circa September 2, 2008)

{2} Those familiar with past statements in the archives pertaining to Sen. McCain know he has done some things that have riled me to no small degree.

{3} It is probably the case that many would presume that I have been some major promoter of Sean Hannity over the years because on several subjects he and I are to a degree simpatico. But on reviewing my archive briefly, I found only nine references to Hannity in it and they were covered in this thread earlier in the week.[...] But having done those things, here is my view on Hannity and as is my wont I am consistent. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa April 3, 2008)]

Remembering a Music Legend:

As yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of blues master Freddie King{1}, I wanted to take a moment and remind readers of what I wrote on this occasion two years ago:

"Palace of the King" Dept. -A Tribute to Freddie (circa September 3, 3006)

I do not have much more to say at the moment than what was noted there though I do want to put a picture to words as well so here is Freddie in a 1973 live performance of one of his classics Have You Ever Loved A Woman. Enjoy!!!



Rest in Peace "Texas Cannonball"...

On Governor Sarah Palin, Recent Revelations, and Ethical Standards:
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)

[Update: Upon reading this post again today, the roughness of the text (drafted late last night) was evident to me so I tweaked it a bit in spots. -ISM 9/2/08 7:20pm]

The msm and the Democratic party partisans as a rule{1} are going to try and make plenty of hay in some recent revelations about Governor Sarah Palin once they cannot make the inexperience argument stick.{2} There will be for example attempts to claim a kind of hypocrisy in Gov. Palin supporting such things as "abstinence education" in schools when her own teenage daughter is now pregnant and that is something that we want to address right now in anticipation of the predictable barrage of msm talking points on the matter at hand.

Indeed somehow, certain parties will try to claim hypocrisy or otherwise chalk this up as some kind of moral or ethical failing on the part of Gov. Palin. I want to address this matter briefly and then set it aside as settled as far as I am concerned. For starters, I want to point to something my late father (God rest his soul) used to tell me when I was a kid about how "the first child can come at any time, it is the rest that take nine months." It was said tongue in cheek mostly but at the core of the statement is a general truism; namely that situations like this can happen. Nor does what happened in any way detract from the moral stances that Gov. Palin has personally taken on these matters.

For whether you agree with them or not, her position on this matter is at least consistent. Nor does Gov. Palin's stance on "abstinence education" receive any sullying from the situation of her daughter's pregnancy because her daughter made her own decision on the matter. Parents can tell their children a lot of things but believe it or not, children do not always follow their parent's advice and if they do not, it seems ridiculous to try and blame the parent as long as they have not been unduly negligent{3} in looking after their children.

To give a fair assessment, we should consider for example if Gov. Palin seeks to follow her own advice when unexpected situations present themselves to her and her family. And we can start by considering her reaction to being pregnant a fifth time. Gov. Palin after all had her fourth child at 37 and is 44 years old now. As fertility in women begins decreasing after the age of 35 (and even more rapidly after the age of 40), it stands to reason that this pregnancy was enough of a statistical long-shot to be safely called "unexpected." She espouses a pro life position and she showed via her example that she practices what she preaches. Furthermore, with regards to her child having Down Syndrome, she did not upon learning of this misfortune make an excuse to go against her principles but instead accepted the child as a gift from God.{4}

The additional subject of her pregnant teenage daughter will serve as an opportunity to point to part of why what we do at Rerum Novarum differs so significantly from what most bloggers do. We have stated many times over the years in various ways that our interest is to treat on the principles behind situations of circumstance as much as the situations themselves because if you think in principles, the capacity for utilizing reason and logic profitably increases exponentially. The principle here that needs to be focused on is the differentiation between public and private standards:

I am not about to try and make the argument that people are at all perfectly consistent in the views they espouse and those that they follow because we all know that is not the case with any of us. But should the fact that we all fall short of the mark in some form or another mean that we move the mark itself??? Or would it not be better for society as a whole if the mark stays where it is as a rule and we strive to conform ourselves to the mark???

...

[T]here seems to be a problem with people recognizing that public standards are important even if individuals do not meet them...

If instead of being recognized for what they are, violations of a recognized standard are ipso facto seen as calling into account the standard[...] rather than trying to conform themselves to the aforesaid standard, then we are in serious trouble as a society. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa April 24, 2006)]

Now Governor Palin's daughter probably went against the standards her family had with regards to sexual matters. But does that mean that Gov. Palin should endorse a lowering of the standard simply because her daughter did not meet it???

Consider also at how the fallout from the announcement has been handled: her daughter will be keeping the baby and will be marrying the father of the child. These are principles that would meet with the approval of Gov. Palin's Assembly of God Pentecostal faith so again, they are walking the walk not just talking the talk. Granted sometimes in that walking there has been some stumbling but we all stumble and fall. That should not lead to us trying to draw the standard down to us but try even if we continue to fail in meeting it ourselves{5} to promote a higher general standard for the sake of overall societal betterment.

Notes:

{1} I say "as a rule" because Senator Barack Obama has explicitly stated (to his credit) that the Palin family situation was off limits politically.

{2} The attempt to claim that Gov. Palin's limited experience cancels out that argument being used against Sen. Obama misses one key distinction between the two: executive experience. As a former mayor and current state governor, she has more experience in a role very similar albeit on smaller scales than that of the presidency. By contrast, Senator Barack Obama in his time in the US Senate and the Illinois legislature has no executive experience whatsoever.

{3} I say "unduly negligent" because it is never possible for parents to keep an eye on their children all the time. Furthermore, when it comes to child rearing because too much parental strictness can be just as dangerous as too much parental laxity. A balance needs to be struck in other words and sometimes despite the best of intentions children can turn out differently than parents might like. (Sometimes better and sometimes not.)

{4} Palin Confirms Baby Has Down Syndrome (Anchorage Daily News circa April 21, 2008)

{5} We risk in a situation such as that becoming a civilization of the least common denominator: hardly anything that could be logically viewed as either "progressive" or "enlightened" whatsoever the promoters of such a society would label it as. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa April 24, 2006)]

On Senator Barack Obama's Choice of Joseph Biden For Running Mate:

Though I wrote this text (sans the first paragraph and seventh footnote which were composed today) back on August 25th, the delay in posting was due to Senator John McCain's impending announcement of a running mate upon which I wanted to get my long-held prediction of whom it would be in under the line so to speak. Then, when my usual political prognosticating skills failed me when Sen. McCain chose the dark horse Alaska governor Sarah Palin, I wanted to put down some ultra-preliminary thoughts on that which I will probably expand upon in the coming days and weeks. (I am still stunned by the news on that front admittedly in more ways than one; ergo the brief nature of my still undigested first thoughts as expressed in that posting.) But now with those more immediate tasks being tended to, it is now time to weigh in on the choice of Sen. Joseph Biden by Sen. Barack Hussein Obama so without further ado...

There are going to be plenty of people who will write long threads on why Senator Joseph Biden should be rejected as vice president and second in line for the presidency. Some even have set up sites on the matter such as Steve Dillard and Christopher Blosser's latest Catholics Against Joe Biden. And while they will undoubtedly post a lot of material to point out Sen. Biden's views and how they are incongruent with Catholic principles, my approach to the subject of Sen. Biden is much simpler.

As I see it, if there is any more reason to question the fitness of Joe Biden to be either vice president or president of the United States, this is the reason why in a nutshell:

I strongly support Roe v. Wade. I wouldn't have a specific question but I would make sure that the people I sent to be nominated for the Supreme Court shared my values; and understood that there is a right to privacy in the United States Constitution.

And no, I am not saying that the reason he is unfit is because he supports Roe v. Wade though that is itself problematical in more ways than one as I have noted not a few times in the past.{1} The reason Sen. Biden is so unfit to be president or in any position to be president is his stance on a presumed constitutional right to privacy. And I say this as someone who personally believes such a right should exist at the federal level. Or as I noted last year when discussing the subject of presumed "constitutional rights" paraded around by not a few people advocating various agendas:

I cannot recall if I have said this on the weblog in the past or not (as I cannot find anything in a quick archive search) but I am not opposed in principle to the idea of a federal right to privacy. The problem is, there is no constitutional foundation for such a position; ergo those who want to see one should do what they can to amend the Constitution to reflect that right. Otherwise, they should have the decency to admit that they do not give a damn about the Constitution at all. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa June 29, 2007)]

The bottom line is that what is and is not "constitutional" is not a matter of personal whim but must conform itself to objective criteria. I am not saying that the constitution is a brittle document by any means but the idea that the words themselves somehow "evolve" to mean different things depending on the whims of various agenda provocateurs (regardless of whom they are{2}) does not sit well with me either. The very notion is so absurd on its face that I have sought to illustrate it via absurdity in the past but thus far no "evolving constitution" proponents have stepped up to accept my challenge.{3}

But at the same time, lest anyone think such a position of mine involves an interpretation that is too literalist, I have had a completed text on tap pertaining to how constitutional issues need to be viewed to bridge the gap between the extreme unconstitutional approaches of those who commonly consider themselves "progressives" and the extreme unworkable approaches common to many who consider themselves "conservatives." It has been mentioned probably a half-dozen times or more since the first jottings of a draft were put together earlier last year{4} and most recently mentioned in a notifications posting to this weblog.{5} But that is neither here nor there presently speaking; I merely note it there so my approach to Sen. Biden's judicial perversion{6} is properly understood in a nutshell for the time being.

Oh and as for Senator Biden's statement that "the next Republican that tells me I'm not religious I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their throat", a question comes to mind which we must put to the senior senator from Delaware; namely this:

--Does it have to be a Republican???

For though your humble servant is a longtime Independent voter{7}, we would have no problem telling Sen. Biden he is not religious and he can give it the old college try on us if he likes. Heck, we would even be willing to pose as a Republican if need be :)

Notes:

{1} Perhaps most completely in this thread:

On Fundamental Rights, Common Law Principles, and Abortion (circa February 1, 2007)

{2} No matter whom they are and I say that about those who claim that the constitution either embodies the right to an abortion or outlaws abortion: both presumptions are erroneous. And as allowing those who agree with you to engage in the same sort of constitutional manipulation as those who do not agree with you (and whom you would castigate for doing so) is both illogical as well as unethical, no more needs to be said on the matter at this time than that.

{3} The same concept has been reiterated numerous times in the past starting on this weblog with these words:

The writer of this post would like to take this opportunity to to invite anyone who believes in an evolving constitutional interpretation to email him if they are fans of Texas Hold 'Em and are interested in playing for money. For your humble servant is not only a pretty decent poker player but he also has in mind starting a game with people like you for money to illustrate by demonstration the logical absurdity of your positions: Texas Hold 'Em with "evolving rules."[...] Something tells your host that such a game would amply clarify the absurdity of the "evolving constitution" position in precise proportion to the amount of money the promoters of the "evolving constitutional interpretation" theory lost their cash in the afore-proposed card game. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa May 25, 2005)]

Oh and lest I forget to mention it, I owe some credit to Dr. Walter E. Williams for the germ of the idea expounded upon above.

{4} With the election on the horizon for 2008 and wanting to avoid for the sake of his own sanity too much focus on those issues beyond what is necessary to do, it seems appropriate to write as time allows on some of the systems and principles that shaped the outlooks of the Founding Fathers of the United States.[...] Part of the reason for this decision is because there is a significant imbalance in politics today and we want to propose a remedy for the common problems inherent in the political approaches of both major parties. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa April 17, 2007)]

{5} The long-talked about and finished[...] posting on the necessary third way in politics that is needed between the nonsense approaches of the radical conservatives and the radical liberals which are unworkable and unconstitutional respectively. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa August 2, 2008)]

As I noted in the above excerpt, the thread has been in a form requiring of a final review before it is ready for posting. (If memory serves I finished it in the final week of 2007.)

{6} I do not intend to go into the subject of judicial perversion at this time though suffice to say, it has been covered at sundry times and in divers manners at this weblog in years gone by and will be again as circumstances or my mood to discuss it again present themselves.

{7} Lest more recent readers think my disgust with the Republicans is something of recent vintage, here are some threads from newest to oldest via the archives:

As a twelve year independent voter...I have to look at the alternatives and put my "ideal candidate" mould aside. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa January 9, 2008)]

But then again, it is easy for someone such as myself who has long been independent of the two main parties to take that stance. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa September 3, 2007)]

Thank God the present writer is an Independent voter of ten years standing is all he will say about that at the present time. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa November 24, 2006)]

But one advantage to being an Independent is that I have no sense of "party betrayal" on the matter; hence I am more detached in some ways from it than loyalists are. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa October 10, 2005)]

Two years after the 1994 midterms, I divested myself of the Republican moniker and have remained an Independent voter. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa November 6, 2004)]

[F]or the record, this Independent actually has contemplated the idea that Bush needs a fight against someone like Lieberman. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa December 9, 2003)]

I identified myself as a Republican in the mid/late 1980's and the early 1990's. Since the 1996 elections, my eyes were opened and I stopped affiliating with the Republicans seeing in far too many of them a profound betrayal of classical conservative principles. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa November 6, 2002)]

On Sen. McCain's Selection of Governor Sarah Palin as His Running Mate:

Before posting the planned thread on Joe Biden, I want to take this moment to note that my usual prescience in political prognosticating went awry with Senator McCain's choice of vp this morning.{1} Susan Palin is quite unknown overall but she fits the bill of what I went over would have been preferable in a vp pick for McCain despite my view that Romney was basically in the bag as the pick. Or as I noted yesterday when referencing an early morning chat thread on the matter:

McCain has supposedly already decided the vp to be announced Friday. I think it will be Romney...

frankly a conservative vp from a state that is a tossup may be a better pick though particularly if that conservative is a woman...

I am not [saying] Romney would be a bad pick mind you, just selecting a woman from a key battleground state with solid conservative credentials would really make the Biden pick look [worse] than it is cause Biden is not change. a woman vice president has only been tried once and on a [ticket] that had no prayer of winning. and this would be a conservative woman which would be a better vp first anyway. [Excerpt from a Chat (circa August 28, 2008) as recorded in a Rerum Novarum posting (circa August 28, 2008)]

Truthfully, I did not have any particular candidate in mind when writing those words because (i) I was pretty sure the pick would have been Romney and (ii) I could not think of any conservative women who actually fit all those parameters. And Governor Susan Palin of Alaska does not fit all of them either. She is from Alaska which has 3 electoral votes which McCain was going to get anyway.

However, she is a woman and this gives Sen. McCain the chance to counter the meaningless "change" mantra of Sen. Obama with a genuine change of pace. I refer to nominating a woman as a vp running mate on a ticket that actually has a ghosts of a chance of winning{2} and as a substantive addition rather than merely trying to get attention.{3} By contrast, Governor Palin has been the governor of a state and mayor of a city: both of which are positions of executive governance. And while the msm will predictably pounce on her thin resume for governing, the fact is, she is more qualified to be president than Sen. Barack Obama is. I may supplement this posting with another from the archives which I believe was blogged last year on the issue of executive experience being important in a presidential candidate{4} but for now that is all I will say on that matter.

From a strategery standpoint, Sen. McCain added a strongly conservative woman running mate with executive experience. This will enable him to potentially attract some discouraged women voters who are angry at the way in which the Democrats and Sen. Obama disrespected Sen. Hillary Clinton{5} and will make Sen. Biden look really bad if he tries to employ his usual thuggary on her. Plus, is it wrong of me to like the idea of a conservative woman vice presidential candidate standing on stage wearing a dress instead of a pants-suit???

Excellent selection Sen. McCain: certainly better than that of Sen. Obama's pick about which I will speak of next.

Notes:

{1} And on this occasion I am very gladly be wrong with a prediction.

{2} Sen. Walter Mondale had no prayer whatsoever in 1984 as anyone who was awake at the time realized.

{3} This is basically what it was as Rep. Geraldine Ferraro had no particular standout skills for this position.

{4} I cannot remember at the moment if I blogged that thread or not.

{5} And yes, I am no fan of Sen. Clinton but she was disrespected by the DNC as well as the msm in the mania of both to proclaim the ObaMessiah.

Briefly On Senator McCain's Selection of Vice-Presidential Nominee:

I drafted a text a couple days ago on the subject of Sen. Joe Mama Biden being picked as Sen. Barack Obama's running mate but will shelve it temporarily to deal with the subject of Sen. John McCain's impending choice of running mate. It seems appropriate since it would take a lot less work to quote from some chat threads we have participated in in recent weeks to provide readers with an inside look into how we have been assessing these matters so without further ado, here are some threads from chats with Kevin Tierney{1} and some others:

Kevin: well the AP says Obama's pick is Biden

me: hmmmmm. that is better than Bayh whom some had predicted

Kevin: expect to see Biden's quote from his run in 2000 about the White House not being the place to learn experience

me: better I mean in not as strong a vp. McCain should hold off his vp selection until after the Dem convention and then make a blockbuster announcement on it. [Excerpt from a Chat (circa August 22, 2008)]

As I mentioned to another friend, I actually viewed the possibility of Obama/Bayh as being a formidable ticket:

me: I was worried when Drudge opined that it might be Obama/Bayh. I think Obama/Biden is more vulnerable.

[XXXXX]: I don't see who he'd attract with Biden.

me: precisely. Bayh on the other hand would be an asset. McCain needs a solid conservative vp to counter. [my] bet is it willbe Romney. not that he is the best out there mind you

[XXXXX]: Who would be the best (in your opinion)?

me: just that is most likely I believe at this point -Romney's business acumen would be helpful to McCain. ideally Bobby Jindal...it will not happen though.

[XXXXX]: Yeah, I was thinking Jindal except for his age.

me: Jindal is an Indian Republican prolifer Catholic: pretty untouchable there. maybe someone like JC Watts. [He is] a black former congressman who is conservative and pro life. with Obama going for an outwardly proabortion Catholic McCain needs to have a solid conservative on board: someone less controversial viz conservative credentials than Johnny Mac is but at the same time, able to reach out to non-died-in-the-wool sorts. [Excerpt from a Chat (circa August 23, 2008)]

And finally there is this thread from shortly after midnight this morning with another friend where there was no shortage of typos in it on my part due to being tired at the time:

me: McCain has supposedly already decided the vp to be announced Friday. I think it will be Romney...

me: frankly a conservative vp from a state that is a tossup may be a better pick though particularly if that conservative is a woman...

me: I am not [saying] Romney would be a bad pick mind you, just selecting a woman from a key battleground state with solid conservative credentials would really make the Biden pick look [worse] than it is cause Biden is not change. a woman vice president has only been tried once and on a [ticket] that had no prayer of winning. and this would be a conservative woman which would be a better vp first anyway. [Excerpt from a Chat (circa August 28, 2008)]

I post these threads to make it clear that I have been on the hook claiming it would be Romney for some time now{2} and though he would be a solid pick, a better one would be a conservative woman from a state with a fair number of electoral votes which has gone for the Democrats by a smidgen the past two elections. So if that candidate can be from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, or Pennsylvania,{3} that would be the best from a strategery standpoint. But in time we shall see if that is what Sen. McCain does.

Notes:

{1} Kevin is the only one who has said he does not mind his name being used when quoting chat threads. The others have not given such permission and I will almost always due to the private nature of such communiques presume anonymity of the person I am chatting with when using chat material on this blog. (As well as omitting or slightly altering to conceal anything that would hint at whom they may be.)

{2} I have a chat thread with Kevin from May of 2008 where I first mentioned Romney as the vp but decided to not post it here due to the editing it would take to post the material and not include certain other more confidential material (as well as a darkhorse prediction Kevin made at the time that I do not want to reveal without his permission to do so first).

{3} States where the margin of victory for the Democrats the past two elections was around 3% or less.

If I wrote every year on the birthdays or the passing of those in my family, close friends, figures of varying influence in my life, there would be nothing else to write about.{1} Serendipitously, I remember some of them regularly and others not so much so but for some reason, I remembered the other day that Stevie Ray Vaughan (SRV) passed on in August of 1990 at the age of 35 when a helicopter he was flying in crashed in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. I checked and noticed the date which happens to be today and decided it would be fitting therefore to remember him in some fashion. I will do so in two ways, the first of which is posting the lyrics to a song Jimmie Vaughan co-write with some of the Neville brothers in remembering his brother called Six Strings Down. Without further ado...

Alpine valley
In the middle of the night
Six strings down
On the heaven-bound flight
Got a pick, a strap, guitar on his back
Ain’t gonna cut the angels no slack
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
See the voodoo chile
Holding out his hand
I’ve been waitin’ on you brother
Welcome to the band
Good blues-stringin’
Heaven-fine singin’
Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Been lis’nin’ to your playin’
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
Lord they called
Another blues-stringer back home

Albert Collins up there
Muddy an’ Lightnin’ too
Albert King and Freddy
Playin’ the blues
T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim
Little Son Jackson and
Frankie Lee Sims
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
Lord they called
Another blues-stringer back home
Lord they called
Another blues-stringer back home
Heaven done called
Another blues-stringer back home
Lord they called...

The second way is with a video of his performing. In pondering which one to use, I decided to use this one of SRV with his childhood hero Albert King{2} playing Stevie Ray's original composition Pride and Joy circa December 1983{3} from an album I reviewed here.




May they rest in peace.

[Update: I accidentally used the code for another shorter instrumental outtake jam from Blues at Sunrise rather than the one from Pride and Joy. I apologize for that and will add the code for the latter performance to this posting as well below this text. -ISM 8/28/08 10:57pm]



Notes:

{1} I do not want to discuss this matter right now except to say that I realized the other day when talking with my mother that I had significantly underestimated both the number of familia and friends deaths the past eight and a half years but also the number of funerals I had attended in that span. I may say more some other time on that but after a while it all blurs together (unfortunately).

{2} Albert died in 1992 at the age of 69 and is also mentioned in Six Strings Down.

{3} This was not long after SRV released his debut album Texas Flood.