The Incredible Shrinking Middle Class Tax Levels… So Which Is It Barack?

As I discussed before here

I think McCain says it all right here

During a rally in Hershey, Pa., McCain told supporters the gaffe revealed the Democrats’ true tax-and-spend intentions.

“It’s interesting how their definition of ‘rich’ has a way of creeping down,” McCain said.

“Senator Obama has made a lot of promises. First, he said people making less than $250,000 would benefit from his plan.

“Then, this weekend, he announced in an ad that if you’re a family making less than $200,000 you’ll benefit – but yesterday right here in Pennsylvania, Senator Biden said tax relief should only go to ‘middle-class people’ – people making under $150,000 a year.

“At this rate, it won’t be long before Senator Obama is right back to his vote that Americans making just $42,000 a year should get a tax increase.

Then there is the Wall Street Journal’s take on the situation…

Well, will families making less than $250,000 get a tax cut under President Obama, or not? Senator Obama has been saying this for months, but on Monday Joe Biden put the tax-cut income threshold at $150,000 in an interview with a TV station in his beloved Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Biden campaign later clarified — or at least tried to clarify — the matter by saying that anyone making between $150,000 and $250,000 wouldn’t get a tax cut but also wouldn’t pay higher taxes.

We suspect what’s going on here is more than Mr. Biden’s normal gift of gaffe. As with his admission that a President Obama would quickly be tested by our enemies, the Delaware rambler was stumbling into the truth. An Obama Administration couldn’t possibly pay for a tax cut for 95% of Americans by raising taxes on a mere 5%. Those 5% don’t make enough money, or at least they won’t after they find ways to shelter more of their income when their tax rates rise.

Just as Bill Clinton promised a “middle-class tax cut” in 1992 only to raise taxes on the middle class in 1993, Mr. Obama will quickly find that his tax-revenue math doesn’t add up. Add in the demands on Capitol Hill to spend more and to offset the Alternative Minimum Tax, and our bet is that even $150,000 would soon prove to be a moving tax target. Remember when the AMT was only supposed to hit 21 millionaires? Next year, without relief, it could hit 26 million taxpayers. Tax increases always hit the middle class because that’s where the money is.

Add this slip up to the reality of the tax plan explained here where the author explains 4 different ways that the Obama tax plan will result in higher taxes for everyone making $50,000 a year… and I am none too thrilled, not only with the tax plan but the continued lies and the pass on the lies the media gives him.

As McCain has said repeatedly… Obama is very eloquent, he will lull you into a sense of security with his beautiful words, but to get the real meaning, you have to listen to what he says very carefully.

Now, Bill Richardson has pegged the number at $120k…

FoxNews

For the second time in a week, a prominent Democrat has downgraded Barack Obama’s definition of the middle class — leading Republicans to question whether he’ll stick to his promise not to raise taxes on anyone making under $250,000.

The latest hiccup in the campaign message came Friday morning on KOA-AM, when New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson pegged the middle class as those making $120,000 and under.

Click here to listen to Richardson talk about Obama’s tax plan.

“What Obama wants to do is he is basically looking at $120,000 and under among those that are in the middle class, and there is a tax cut for those,” Richardson said in the interview, according to a clip posted on YouTube.

So which is it?

Iran Threatens To Attack The US! And Obama Would Make It Worse!!!

As a person that lived through the Iranian Revolution, I can tell you that Iran has been a problem for the United States since the gross mismanagement of Middle East policy by President Carter and the subsequent religious revolution in the country. The naive manner in which Carter approached people like Ayatolla Khomeni was dangerous, and blew up in the face of the United States.

Obama is every bit as naive, and the Middle East is a much more dangerous place today than it was in 1979.

In the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, the 80′s were dotted with Iranian sponsored terrorist incidents, most notably plane hijackings, and Iran was engaged in a fierce war with the US supported Iraq. By the end of the 80′s, Iran grew tired of the 8 year war, the economy was lagging, and people wanted an end to the violence.  A ceasefire with Iraq was signed in 1988.

During the 1990′s, Iran took a step back, especially as George Bush Sr. attacked Iraq, their mortal enemy. There were hints of moderation peeking through and possibilities for re-engagement were beginning to brighten during the Clinton years, but all these hopes were dashed against the rocks when the Supreme Council removed all the moderates from the ballot during the 2005 election. It was this year that Mahmūd Ahmadinejād was installed as President.

His nationalistic and religious rhetoric has fired up the base in Iran. The days of moderation and hopes for re-engagement are long gone and Iran continues to grow more hardline. Recently, a man named Ali Larijani has been named Parlimentary Speaker. He was the secretary of Iran’s national security council and chief nuclear negotiator prior to his new appointment.

Larijani stepped up the rhetoic in his most recent speech, explicitly threatening terrorist and suicide bomb attacks against the United States:

From The Jerusalem Post

Only a few days ahead of the American presidential election, Iranian parliamentary speaker ‘Ali Larijani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah ‘Ali Khamanai have launched harsh verbal attacks against the United States.

“The US method and conduct, expressed by this aggression, will only be stopped by a clear-cut and unexpected response, whose grounds were set by the martyr Hussein Fahmida,” Larijani said during a parliamentary session on Wednesday.

Fahmida was 13 when he detonated an explosive device he carried on him, destroying an Iraqi tank during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.

As one of the architects of Iran’s nuclear ambitions and, because he is an Ahmadinejad appointee, this man is very likely to share the same religious beliefs that they are meant to bring about the end of the world, I take these statements very seriously. These are not people that joke around about things like this. This is a serious threat.

It is very likely that Jospeh Biden predicted just such a scenario when he said, “Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy…. Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.” and “Gird your loins,”

Madeline Albright agreed with Biden’s assessment and said, “it is a “statement of fact” that the election of the Democratic senator from Illinois as president will result in him being tested by a generated international crisis by America’s enemies.”

And recently, the French President explained why this is very relevant to our relations with Iran in the light of a possible Obama presidency when he said that “the Democratic candidate’s stance on Iran as ‘utterly immature’ and comprised of ‘formulations empty of all content.’”  and that  “Until now, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany have tried to maintain a united front on Iran. But according to the senior Israeli source, Sarkozy fears that Obama might ‘arrogantly’ ignore the other members of this front and open a direct dialogue with Iran without preconditions.”

This is a dire and immediate problem because in that same article it is reported that, in addition to the threats of suicide bombing, French intelligence has concluded that Iran has already obtained up to 40% of the enriched uranium it needs for a bomb, the newspaper reports, and will have obtained the rest next summer.

The reaction of an Obama presidency is a worry as well because it is bound to be completely unpredictable.  Not only is the direct dialogue an issue because it gives a direct platform for Ahmadenijad to grand stand in the face of the President of the “Great Satan” but the subsequent decision making is suspect. 

As Joseph Biden, the Vice Presidential nominee, so eloquently explained that the American people are not going to like the decisions being made and that “there are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, ‘Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don’t know about that decision.”  Apparently, as we find with Sarkozy’s comments, neither are foreign leaders, and we all know the super position the last President put us in when he did things that both the international community and the American people hated.

It turns out that even the Iraqi experts agree that Obama would make the situation with Iran much worse.  Professor Ali from the University of Baghdad and an expert on the Sumerian region said that “the Iranians believe that if Obama is elected he will not take action against them despite their nuclear ambitions. That worries me…  If the Iranians get the bomb they will become the Tarzan of the region….”  And there are many more Iraqi experts saying the same thing.

So who do we want running this country and dealing with the very real threat that Iran is posing as they rattle their sabres?

The young and untested President who, as his running mate conceeds, will invite violent attacks and even the French think is completely inadequate and arrogant when it comes to foreign policy?

or

A tried and true experience President that knows what war is like, understands strategic and tactical military planning and has worked in foreign policy and diplomatic realm for decades?

Mr. Obama, I regret to inform you of my decision.  No Deal.  Country First.

So… Which Is It? $250k, $200k or $150k?

I think McCain says it all right here

During a rally in Hershey, Pa., McCain told supporters the gaffe revealed the Democrats’ true tax-and-spend intentions.

“It’s interesting how their definition of ‘rich’ has a way of creeping down,” McCain said.

“Senator Obama has made a lot of promises. First, he said people making less than $250,000 would benefit from his plan.

“Then, this weekend, he announced in an ad that if you’re a family making less than $200,000 you’ll benefit – but yesterday right here in Pennsylvania, Senator Biden said tax relief should only go to ‘middle-class people’ – people making under $150,000 a year.

“At this rate, it won’t be long before Senator Obama is right back to his vote that Americans making just $42,000 a year should get a tax increase.

Then there is the Wall Street Journal’s take on the situation…

Well, will families making less than $250,000 get a tax cut under President Obama, or not? Senator Obama has been saying this for months, but on Monday Joe Biden put the tax-cut income threshold at $150,000 in an interview with a TV station in his beloved Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Biden campaign later clarified — or at least tried to clarify — the matter by saying that anyone making between $150,000 and $250,000 wouldn’t get a tax cut but also wouldn’t pay higher taxes.

We suspect what’s going on here is more than Mr. Biden’s normal gift of gaffe. As with his admission that a President Obama would quickly be tested by our enemies, the Delaware rambler was stumbling into the truth. An Obama Administration couldn’t possibly pay for a tax cut for 95% of Americans by raising taxes on a mere 5%. Those 5% don’t make enough money, or at least they won’t after they find ways to shelter more of their income when their tax rates rise.

Just as Bill Clinton promised a “middle-class tax cut” in 1992 only to raise taxes on the middle class in 1993, Mr. Obama will quickly find that his tax-revenue math doesn’t add up. Add in the demands on Capitol Hill to spend more and to offset the Alternative Minimum Tax, and our bet is that even $150,000 would soon prove to be a moving tax target. Remember when the AMT was only supposed to hit 21 millionaires? Next year, without relief, it could hit 26 million taxpayers. Tax increases always hit the middle class because that’s where the money is.

Add this slip up to the reality of the tax plan explained here where the author explains 4 different ways that the Obama tax plan will result in higher taxes for everyone making $50,000 a year…  and I am none too thrilled, not only with the tax plan but the continued lies and the pass on the lies the media gives him.

As McCain has said repeatedly…  Obama is very eloquent, he will lull you into a sense of security with his beautiful words, but to get the real meaning, you have to listen to what he says very carefully.

Madeline Albright Agrees With Biden: ‘It’s A FACT, If Obama Is Elected, Terrorists Will Attack’

As a follow up to my post about Biden’s comments HERE, comes confirmation from Madeline Albright, former Secy of State under Bill Clinton, that electing Obama = terrorist attacks!

Newsmax

Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, one of the most prominent Hillary Clinton supporters now in support of Barack Obama, admits it is a “statement of fact” that the election of the Democratic senator from Illinois as president will result in him being tested by a generated international crisis by America’s enemies.
Responding to last weekend’s comments by Obama’s vice presidential running mate Joe Biden — who said Obama would be tested within the first six months of his administration — Albright told CNN’’s John Roberts, “It’s just a statement of fact. In my book [“Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America’s Reputation and Leadership”], I talk about the fact that there are a lot of big issues out there, but also something unexpected. You always have to be prepared for that.”

This confirms it…  HELL NO.

I can’t wait till they spin this… elect Obama and we get a guaranteed 9/11, but he will handle it better than Bush did?

How about we elect John McCain and skip the whole terrorist incident thing?

Sounds good to me.

Also…  This is starting to sound like a bit more than foreshadowing and like they actually know something is gonna happen, and how they would know that…  well I am gonna leave that question for you to answer.

Biden And His Scary Comments – International Crisis… Gird Your Loins… Trust Us???

UPDATE:  Madeline Albright agrees with Biden…  Click HERE

 

Ok, so Joe Biden made these scary comments during a stump speech…

ABC.

“Mark my words,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. “It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy….  Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.”

“I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate,” Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. “And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you – not financially to help him – we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right.”

“Gird your loins,” Biden told the crowd….

“There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, ‘Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don’t know about that decision’,” Biden continued….

“I probably shouldn’t have said all this because it dawned on me that the press is here,” he joked.

Why does this scare the absolute bejesus out of me?  Simple.

First, Obama is young, inexperienced and naive…  the world knows it and Biden just confirmed that he knows it too. 

Not exactly the guy I want for President.

Second, because the world knows that he is young and naive, there are 5 scenarios that could explode in Obama’s face.  Biden even names them and says that any one event, and indicates that more than one, will happen…  and not because they would happen naturally, not because they were going to happen anyway, and as a corrollary would not happen with McCain as President…  they would happen BECAUSE Obama is President.

Not WHEN…  BECAUSE.

Simply electing Obama would incide one or more MAJOR international incidents?  Well why the hell would I want that?

Third, the comparison that Biden makes is to the young Kennedy.  While I greatly admire Kennedy and how he handled himself during the Cuban Missile Crisis and a few other scenarios, there were some grievous errors on his part that led us to near certain full scale nuclear war.

The Kruschev-Kennedy summit was an embarrassment.  Kennedy was completely outclassed.

The Bay of Pigs incident was a total disaster.  A trainwreck.

The escalation of the Vietnam War was not the best idea ever…  and that nearly tore the country apart.

These incidents and the image of a young, naive, and weak President led to the closes the world has ever been to all out nuclear war.  Kennedy’s initial fumbling nearly cost every single person on the earth their lives.

That said, Kennedy did some wonderful things domestically and Kennedy’s management of the Cuban Missile Crisis was superlative.  It rewrote the books on international diplomacy….  I would just prefer not to get to that point again.

Fourth, I wanna know what the hell Biden is talking about when he says to basically just trust them because ”it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right”?????

What the hell is he talking about?!?!?!  What the hell kind of decision is Obama going to make where the whole country is gonna do a “WTF?”

This mystery decision is the most ominous part of the whole thing.  Damn that is scary.

What’s it gonna be?  An invasion of Pakistan?  Backing Hamas (who is endorsing the Obama/Biden ticket) and Palestine?  Institution of a draft?  A crazy jump in taxes?  Mass nationalization of banks?

And we are supposed to suspend our own judgement and substitute it with that of Dear Leader Chairman MaObama?  Are you kidding me?

Oh hell no…  No Deal.

Now Hamas Endorses… Biden???

From WND

In an exclusive interview tonight, a senior Hamas official heaped praise on Sen. Joe Biden, calling him a “very nice” person and a “great man” whose record “speaks volumes” and who can be counted on by the terror group to engage in the “right policy” toward the Middle East.

During the interview with WND’s Aaron Klein and WABC Radio’s John Batchelor, the Hamas figure also expressed hope regarding Sen. Barack Obama’s “vision for change,” announcing Hamas will send Obama a letter of congratulation “the moment he will win the election….”

“His record speaks volumes. I do believe Mr. Biden is a great man. And we do count on him also as a good partner with Mr. Obama to put the right policy regarding how to handle the problems in the region.”

Speaking about Obama, Yousef commented that it’s “good for America to have a new administration with someone like Mr. Obama and his vision for a change.”

“I do believe actually with this administration, with the Bush administration we don’t have luck (ending Hamas’ isolation). …We as Palestinians are thinking that we might have better luck with a new administration, maybe, if Obama wins the election. I do believe he will change the American foreign policy … in the way they are handling the Middle East,” Yousef said….

Biden’s 14 Lies

From JohnMcCain.com

Joe Biden’s 14 Lies

1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY.

2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it.

3. OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, “Drill we must.” But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.”

4. TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it’s passage.

5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he’s always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.

6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.

7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people’s health insurance coverage — they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false

8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska — she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it’s not a windfall profits tax.

9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.

10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation — he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.

11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq”, because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.

12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn’t see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.

13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.”

14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won’t pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan.

The Bailout – A Clairifcation Of My Position

Ok, now that President Bush has signed the “Bailout/Rescue” Bill, I feel the need to clarify my thoughts on the bill.

Do I oppose the passage of the bill as it appeared in both the House and the Senate? Absolutely.

Do I oppose the basic principle of the bill? No.

Unfortunately, and as much as I hated it, the bill was necessary.  Period.  No if’s, and’s or but’s.

Who was at fault?

In a word…  everyone…  from the banks, to the politicians on both sides of the aisle, to the public.  This is AMERICA’s fault.

Why Did/Do I support the basic principle of the bill?

Well, the large amount of unstable and insolvent debt the banks owned caused an immense amount of fear and distrust within the financial markets to such an extent that the banks stopped loaning each other money, much less loaning money to corporations and businesses.

While I agree that the “bailout” of stupid decisions is less than ideal, the consequences of doing nothing were so dire that it had to be done.

Coming on the heels of a general economic downturn, and the YTD loss of more than 750,000 jobs, the credit crisis becomes all the more dangerous.  The credit markets were completely frozen this week.  At the highest levels, money stopped.  Dead.  Literally.

This could not happen any longer.  If it did, it is entirely possible that by the end of next week, the economy would come to a screeching halt and we would be completely dead in the water, plunging into a horrendously bad depression…  potentially even worse than what we saw in 1929.  Really.

Companies would not be able to get short term credit (usually overnight borrowing) to meet payrolls, businesses would see the lines of credit they use for inventory purchasing and general operations shut down, and good luck getting a car loan or a mortgage.

By purchasing the questionable mortgages and mortgage backed securities, this allieviates much of the balance sheet strain on the financial institutions, making them much more stable, freeing up cash so that they become able to lend and also so that other banks are willing to lend to them.

So why did I object so strongly to the bill if I think it was necessary?

In a word…  Pork.  This bill got so overloaded with “sweeteners” and pork that it is unreal.

I am very, very upset over this.

Am I against everything that got added to the bill?

No, absolutely not.  I support many of the things that were added.  Many.

For instance…  the tax credits encouraging green energy and energy efficiency are fantastic.  I whole heartedly support those provisions.  Also, the mental health parity provision is one that has been a long time coming.

They do not belong in this bill though.  They deserve thier own.

Was everything that got added total crap?

No.  As a matter of fact, there were a couple things that were added that were very smart.

The temporary increase in FDIC insurance to prevent withdrawal of funds from banks was an intelligent and necessary move that retains a lot of liquidity in the banks.  In addition, the provisions on executive compensation were good…  not ideal, but at least they were there.

So what got added that was crap?

Tax breaks and earmarks got added for Hollywood, NASCAR, Puerto Rican Rum Producers, Virgin Island Rum Producers, the makers of wooden arrow shafts that boy scouts use, fisherman, businesses in American Somoa and all sorts of other little goodies.

Why does this make me so upset?

The reason this makes me so upset is that while working on the most sweeping and important piece of legislation that most of the people in Congress, House or Senate, will probably ever work on in their entire careers…  these selfish, greedy, pandering, blame shifting, irresponsible (ARRRRGGGGHHH) politicians decided that they would spend some of their time thinking about and fighting for other things, and some of those things as insignificant and friggin wooden arrow shafts!!!

Raise the price of the arrows by 2 cents!  I don’t give a crap!!!

Pay attention to the potential bankruptcy of the United States and the precipice of a world wide depression the likes we have never DREAMED of.

Jesus…  stop thinking about yourselves!!!!!  Keep your eye on the god damned ball!!!

Is there more coming or are we close to the end?

I hope we are close to the end, but I don’t think we are.  This was a necessary first step.

So far, the mortgage meltdown and credit crunch has been like a really angry Bull Mastiff sitting in the corner impatiently waiting to take us down.

When the derivatives market and CDS’s start unravelling…  then we will see a really pissed off gorilla of a problem charge into the room.  Hopefully the “Rescue” has put a bit of a leash on this bad boy, but who knows?

I will be discussing the derivatives and debt/default credit swaps in coming posts, so stay tuned…  it’s going to get really interesting, but I will leave you with this little tidbit…

Warren Buffett said that he stay away from the derivatives market because he didn’t really have a good understanding of how it worked….

If Warren Buffett was afraid of the market and essentially said it was nonsensical, can you imagine the mess that sector is in?

What effect has this had on my political stance?

Now, more than ever before, this process has solidified my feet in the McCain/Palin camp.

Washington needs to be reformed.  The culture of pork and earmarks has to stop because it is exactly this sort of selfish shortsightedness that got us into the damned problem in the first place!!!

Only one person on either ticket had the judgement and foresight to predict this crisis…  John McCain.

Only one person has a career long record fighting against earmarks and pork…  John McCain.

Only two people have a reputation of fighting corruption in both the other party as well as their own…  John McCain and Sarah Palin.

Only two people have lived the words “Country First”…  John McCain and Sarah Palin.

McCain/Palin.  Country First.

The Reviews Are In: Palin Did Very Well – A Success!

An example from the Weekly Standard

The moment when Sarah Palin knew she was winning last night’s debate with her vice presidential opponent Joe Biden came after the subject had turned to nuclear weapons. Palin had talked about nukes as a deterrent and said it was important to keep them out of the hands of dictators who are enemies of America. Then she turned to moderator Gwen Ifill and asked, “Can we talk about Afghanistan real quick?”….

by that point in the debate–two-thirds the way through–Palin was brimming with self-confidence. She knew she could handle any issue likely to be thrown at her by Ifill. She knew Biden would not outmatch her. So she purposely tackled an issue on which he was expected to have an advantage.  He didn’t….

If that episode didn’t demoralize Biden, a senator from Delaware for 35 years, it should have.  For it showed she had passed the biggest test any vice presidential candidate faces–a test the media was ready to declare she’d failed. Was she capable of being vice president? Based on her debate performance, the answer was yes.

Not that she came close to matching Biden’s experience or extensive knowledge of issues, especially foreign policy issues. But she was conversant with every issue, domestic and foreign, that came up in the 90-minute debate and talked with seeming confidence about them….

For sure, she did one remarkable thing aside from handling Biden with ease. She undid the negative impression that had been created by her avoidance of most of the media and hardened when the two TV interviews went poorly.

Please be sure to read the rest of the article….  The point is…  that she did well.

And From WSJ

She killed. She had him at “Nice to meet you. Hey, can I call you Joe?” She was the star. He was the second male lead, the good-natured best friend of the leading man. She was not petrified but peppy.

The whole debate was about Sarah Palin. She is not a person of thought but of action. Interviews are about thinking, about reflecting, marshaling data and integrating it into an answer. Debates are more active, more propelled—they are thrust and parry. They are for campaigners. She is a campaigner. Her syntax did not hold, but her magnetism did. At one point she literally winked at the nation.

As far as Mrs. Palin was concerned, Gwen Ifill was not there, and Joe Biden was not there. Sarah and the camera were there. This was classic “talk over the heads of the media straight to the people,” and it is a long time since I’ve seen it done so well, though so transparently. There were moments when she seemed to be doing an infomercial pitch for charm in politics. But it was an effective infomercial.

Joe Biden seems to have walked in thinking that she was an idiot and that he only had to patiently wait for this fact to reveal itself. This was a miscalculation. He showed great forbearance. Too much forbearance. She said of his intentions on Iraq, “Your plan is a white flag of surrender.” This deserved an indignant response, or at least a small bop on the head, from Mr. Biden, who has been for five years righter on Iraq than the Republican administration. He was instead mild….

My Thoughts On The VP Debate

The strategy and goal for Biden was to tie McCain to the status quo and all of the issues that engenders as well as tearing down John McCain.

The strategy and goal for Palin was to repair her image and re-assert her strong personality.

Biden was the consumate statesman, an elder Washington insider…  and yet a bit annoyed and angry at times.

Palin, on the other hand, came off very competent, knowledgeable and down to earth…  a breath of fresh air.

Biden did an ok job accomplishing his goal, not super though…  he got a bit stale and wonky at times…  lost the connection.  Biden’s best moment was at the end when he was talking about his kids.  That was THE connection moment.

Palin did a very good job accomplishing her goal.  Very good.  She pointed out that she was an outsider, and that she didn’t understand all the Washington doublespeak, was approachable and folksy, and all the while knew the names, places and policies.  Her best moment is when she was talking about talking to the American public without the filter of the mainstream media.  This was an essential statement because it brings into question all of the pundits opinions and the framing of all her interviews.  Great line.

In my opinion, this is a Palin win.  And a big one.

New McCain Ad: Barackbook.com

http://www.barackbook.com is an actual website featured in the video…  it’s hilarious!

VP Debate Moderator An Obot Author Releasing A Book On Obama???

It has been disclosed that Gwen Ifill, the moderator at the upcoming VP debate, is going to be releasing a book that is EXTREMELY pro-Obama on January 20, 2009…  Inaguration Day.

She has been a strong Obama supporter for a long time and has been more than highly critical of Palin.

How is this even fair?  How can they seriously allow someone so obviously and completely biased moderate a debate???

I am truly disgusted.

Updates galore to come.

Michelle Malkin has all the updates….  Click Here

.

As a side note, I have to say that I have never in my life seen anything as disgusting as the media this election cycle.  They are no longer reporting the news, they are chosing the news and have become direct partisan players.

I am repulsed.

I will no longer be supporting PBS until Gwen Ifill is no longer an employee. I am sorry, but my tax dollars pay her salary too and I want her unhired.

People make the excuse that the Debate board did not vett her properly and that is a poor excuse.  She should have informed them upfront and avoided even the appearance of impropriety.

Every Lawyer I know is REVOLTED.

More Proof Of Anti-Hillary Bias In The Media – Biden Gets A Pass… Twice

Fox News

When Hillary Clinton told a tall tale about “landing under sniper fire” in Bosnia, she was accused of “inflating her war experience” by rival Democrat Barack Obama’s campaign.

But the campaign has been silent about Obama’s running mate, Joe Biden, telling his own questionable story about being “shot at” in Iraq.

“Let’s start telling the truth,” Biden said during a presidential primary debate sponsored by YouTube last year. “Number one, you take all the troops out – you better have helicopters ready to take those 3,000 civilians inside the Green Zone, where I have been seven times and shot at. You better make sure you have protection for them, or let them die.”

But when questioned about the episode afterward by the Hill newspaper, Biden backpedaled from his claim of being “shot at” and instead allowed: “I was near where a shot landed.”

The senior senator from Delaware went on to say that some sort of projectile “landed” outside a building in the Green Zone where he and another senator had spent the night during a visit in December 2005. The lawmakers were shaving in the morning when they felt the building shake, Biden said.

“No one got up and ran from the room-it wasn’t that kind of thing,” he told the Hill. “It’s not like I had someone holding a gun to my head.”

-SNIP-

Meanwhile, the gaffe-prone Biden has again raised eyebrows with another story about his exploits in war zones – this time in Afghanistan. Biden said he will grill Republican rival Sarah Palin in Thursday’s vice presidential debate about “the superhighway of terror between Pakistan and Afghanistan where my helicopter was forced down.”

“If you want to know where Al Qaeda lives, you want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me,” Biden bragged to the National Guard Association. “Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down, with a three-star general and three senators at 10,500 feet in the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are.”

But it turns out that inclement weather, not terrorists, prompted the chopper to land in an open field during Biden’s visit to Afghanistan in February. Fighter jets kept watch overhead while a convoy of security vehicles was dispatched to retrieve Biden and fellow Senators Chuck Hagel and John Kerry.

“We were going to send Biden out to fight the Taliban with snowballs, but we didn’t have to,” joked Kerry, a Democrat, to the AP. “Other than getting a little cold, it was fine.”

Hillary was nailed to the friggin wall for weeks and her story was more truthful than presented in the media, but not a peep when Biden does it…  Twice.

It just proves that the media has chosen Obama and is perfectly willing to do what it can to make sure he gets elected.

McCain/Palin Reframe The Campaigns

McCain/Palin = Change

Obama/Biden = Same

What do you think…  effective?

I Have To Give Thanks To The Political Gods….

I just want to take a moment to make a few observations as an American.

I know that everyone is deep in the trenches right now, and partisanship is kicking in, but this election is amazing and I could not be more thrilled.

America is making history right now.

• The first woman to win a party primary.
• A woman that set the record for the most primary votes of all time…  male or female
• The second African American to win a party primary
• The first African American to win a party nomination
• The second woman to be nominated as a Vice Presidential candidate
• The first woman to be nominated as a Republican Vice Presidential candidate

Add on top of all these firsts and seconds the diversity of the people they represent…  never before have we had such a cross section of Americana….  An African American, A War Hero, A Woman and A Working Class Hero.

These people ARE America.  And I am proud.

Gallup Poll – Obama/Biden Convention Bounce Slipping – 48/42

It seems the bounce that the Democrats were hoping for at the end of the Convention in Denver failed to meet expectations and is now slipping away entirely.

The Democrats were hoping for a 15pt bounce out of the announcement of Biden as the VP pick, as well as the “Unity Week” in Denver.  The bounce peaked out at 8 pts mid-Convention week but has now slipped to a 6pt lead.

4 things have contributed to this…

1.  The unexciting choice of Biden as VP

2.  The passing over of Clinton as VP and the continuing disunity in the party

3.  The Russia/Georgia conflict

4.  The naming of Sarah Palin as McCain’s VP which both reaches out to disaffected Clinton supporters and to the Conservative base.

And the Democrats should be worried.  The Republicans are heading into their Convention week, and for the next week…  it’s gonna be all about McCain/Palin.

Obama Gets 5pt Bounce Thanks To Bill and Hill

GALLUP

Hillary and Bill’s speeches of unity and support for Obama have given him a 5 point bounce.  It was bound to happen, and he will probably get another bounce after his speech at Invesco…  perhaps another 5-7 points, but that should be short lived because the Republican Convention is coming up and so is John McCain’s VP choice.

This choice is very important for McCain.  It is almost a make or break.  I just wonder who he is going to pick…  If he picks Romney, it is a safe choice and solidifies his base, but I don’t think he should really worry about that no matter what his polling numbers tell him.

McCain is doing much better than Obama when comparing support among their respective bases.  And I don’t think that his base is really going to go anywhere else in big numbers.  They may not be voting FOR McCain, but I have a feeling they are going to turn out in droves to vote AGAINST Obama.

If McCain is smart, he will make a choice that appeals to independents and can take on Biden head to head in a debate…  and I would be willing to bet he is smart.

You Know How Most Candidates Get A Bounce…

You know how most candidates get a bounce after they name their VP and during their convention…

Apparently that is not working out so well for Barack…

The newest Gallup daily tracking poll has it at McCain 46, Obama 44.

Not good news.

Ok, So Now That We Know Who Obama’s Pick Is… What About McCain?

So, now that Obama has had his cards inadvertantly shown before he could “text” all his little obots the news first so they could be cool and involved and insiders…  the next question is “Who is McCain going to pick?”

There is certainly going to be outrage in the Democratic party that it was not Hillary.  Half her supporters are already saying they aren’t voting for Obama…  now, maybe the other half won’t either as reports leak out that the Obama campaign didn’t even bother to vett her…  at all!!!

The pundits are trying to push the meme that the next few days are going to be all about Biden…  they’re wrong.  The next few days are going to be ALL ABOUT Hillary…  why she was snubbed and why she wasn’t chosen.

How do you not pick the person that was only 49 delegates behind you?  I can tell you this, it’s a surefire way to piss them off and have a rumble at the Convention.

So, now that we know that Obama is an idiot who chooses to continue to split the party and insult the Clintons, we turn our attention to McCain.

McCain has 2 options…  go with the standard conservative white male OR he could very well go for the shocker…

option 1 – conservative white male

romney…  and that’s about it.

option 2 – the shocker, and here is where it gets interesting…

A.  Lieberman – great way to solidify the middle, he reaches into the Democratic Party, would probably sew up New Hampshire, it reaches out to Indys big time…  and offers an olive branch to the pro-choice community, not to mention the extremely influential and donation heavy Jewish community.

B.  Palin – the Governor of Alaska.  Female.  A McCain style fiscal conservative (spending controls are key), great on the environment, great on energy, very intelligent, charming, quick witted, and a clinger to guns and religion.  Also a former Miss Alaska, and still a very attractive woman (which does not hurt.)  She is the closest person to McCain policy wise that I can think of.  This is also a HUGE reachout to the disaffected Clintonistas, and would pose none of the problems with the rnc base that someone like Lieberman would.

I know he is probably going to pick Romney…  But I am certainly hoping for Palin, I must admit.

While Lieberman would be a big middle finger to the DNC (especially since they tried to get McCain to crossover in 2004), it would really stick in Obama’s craw if McCain picked Palin.  And I would find that much more satisfying.

It’s Official: CNN Reports Joe Biden Is VP Choice.

I LOVE BIDEN….

BUT

Horrible choice.  Bad, bad, bad, bad.