Maine Owl

PBS News Hour & NPR have strange notion of "balance"


Short collection of McCain tempering his brown-shirted lunatics

It's about time McCain stepped in and squashed all the crazy notions about Obama that run wild at his rallies, spew forth from Limbaugh & ilk, and generally infect the population of wingnuttia. Josh Marshall sees the moment as, "Weird, sad, surreal."

Yes. Unfortunately I believe Marshall is correct to suggest the most likely explanation for McCain getting uneasy with his mob is political. "I think it would [be] naive to conclude that McCain did this for any other reason but that the attacks appeared to be backfiring," Marshall wrote.

I have not much more to say on the issue beyond what I have written HERE, HERE, and HERE, except the following: I can't believe how in mainstream reporting, fanning of flames of out-of-control wingnut hatred (until now) by McCain and especially (still) by Palin has been "balanced" by Obama statements that McCain is "erratic." This was a meme on public broadcasting last night:

Kwame Holman, PBS News Hour: The tone of the presidential campaign became increasingly personal this week--Obama questioned John McCain's temperament, calling his response to the economic crisis "erratic." McCain and his campaign repeatedly focused on Obama's association with a former 1960s radical, William Ayers, with whom Obama served on a charitable foundation board ... [Audience member at McCain rally shouts "I'm mad!!!!"] ... audience members showed anger toward the Democratic nominee ...

The insufferable Robert Siegel on NPR's All Things Considered framed the story in similar "balance," McCain is erratic = Obama is a terrorist sympathizer, but for some reason I'm not finding that particular audio on the web page for the Friday Oct. 10 show. THIS Scott Horsley report soft-peddles the loonies, but otherwise isn't all that bad.

Update: NPR Check with good arguments is less charitable about the Horsley piece. See HERE.

Update 2: "Palpable hate." Wow, check out THIS, H/T NPR Check, from above post.

Still going


Fall pepper


Typha: Seed case opening

So many good shots today. I really liked the cattail, sorry about the high bandwidth, hope you think it's worth it. How much longer can those peppers go? We brought in two nice ones a couple of days ago. There are actually good cucumbers out there too.

"They don't call him President Bush in Venezuela anymore."

Obviously people try to build and protect financial assets in our society. Is it time to rethink how we do that? Is paper wealth enough? With the challenges very apparently facing 21st century global civilization, maybe it's time to re-balance provision of human needs with provision of financial power through electronic-numerical computation. Our ride on THIS beast should be enough to convince us that great change way beyond anything Obama has yet described is becoming necessary sooner rather than later.

Ms. Owl: Is McCain sure he wants to go there? If we start looking into his associates we're liable to find Al Capone.

Hypocritical Republicans 100% on negative meter


"Playing to the rally": Rachel Maddow with Lawrence O'Donnell, Thursday October 9 show.

Those are scary, angry people. More, link from a friend ...

Anger Is Crowd's Overarching Emotion at McCain Rally
By Michael D. Shear and Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, October 10, 2008; Page A04

WAUKESHA, Wis., Oct. 9 -- There were shouts of "Nobama" and "Socialist" at the mention of the Democratic presidential nominee. There were boos, middle fingers turned up and thumbs turned down as a media caravan moved through the crowd Thursday for a midday town hall gathering featuring John McCain and Sarah Palin. ...

[Wisconsin wingnut radio talker James T. Harris]: "We have the good Reverend Wright. We have [the Rev. Michael L.] Pfleger. We have all of these shady characters that have surrounded him," Harris bellowed. "We have corruption here in Wisconsin and voting across the nation. I am begging you, sir. I am begging you. Take it to him."

The crowd of thousands roared its approval.

But often those who cast stones live in glass houses. It is quite shocking to do the kind of looking into McCain and Palin pals that Ms. Owl suggests. Alaska anti-government secessionists provide fertile ground for harvesting Palin hypocrisies.

The Palins' un-American activities
Imagine if the Obamas had hooked up with a violently anti-American group in league with the government of Iran. - By David Talbot, Salon.com

Oct. 7, 2008 | "My government is my worst enemy. I'm going to fight them with any means at hand."

This was former revolutionary terrorist Bill Ayers back in his old Weather Underground days, right? Imagine what Sarah Palin is going to do with this incendiary quote as she tears into Barack Obama this week.

Only one problem. The quote is from Joe Vogler, the raging anti-American who founded the Alaska Independence Party. Inconveniently for Palin, that’s the very same secessionist party that her husband, Todd, belonged to for seven years and that she sent a shout-out to as Alaska governor earlier this year. ("Keep up the good work," Palin told AIP members. "And God bless you.")

And there is this from Max Bleumanthal and Dave Neiwert:

Meet Sarah Palin's radical right-wing pals
Extremists Mark Chryson and Steve Stoll helped launch Palin's political career in Alaska, and in return had influence over policy. "Her door was open," says Chryson — and still is.

So long as Alaska remained under the boot of the federal government, said Chryson, the AIP [Alaska Independence Party] had to stand on guard to stymie a New World Order. He invited a Salon reporter to see a few items inside his pickup truck that were intended for his personal protection. "This here is my attack dog," he said with a chuckle, handing the reporter an exuberant 8-pound papillon from his passenger seat. "Her name is Suzy." Then he pulled a 9-millimeter Makarov PM pistol — once the standard-issue sidearm for Soviet cops — out of his glove compartment. "I’ve got enough weaponry to raise a small army in my basement," he said, clutching the gun in his palm. "Then again, so do most Alaskans." But Chryson added a message of reassurance to residents of that faraway place some Alaskans call "the 48." "We want to go our separate ways," he said, "but we are not going to kill you."

It seems to me that Palin's association with gun-toting lunatics in Alaska secessionist militias are a lot more current and a lot more vital than ties to the 1960s Weathermen that Obama the child never had.

Pure quality voters



"When did you first hear of ACORN?"

"Today."

"So you think he's a terrorist?"

"Yes."

"He's a one-man sleeper cell."

"He's got the bloodlines."

"Look at his name."

And on and on. Pure quality know-nothingism.

Volatile.

He "is uncontrollable ... he does not think before he acts."

"This is hostility toward other human beings."

"Do I trust him with the button? No."

Back in February, Alexander Cockburn wrote about "The Mushrooming Clouds That Hang Over McCain,"

... John McCain's political handlers had been complacently sketching out their basic strategy: to portray Obama as a mere novice in statecraft, devoid of those powers of mature wisdom and sober judgment with which the seasoned McCain is so richly endowed.

The problem here for McCain is that he's a dunderhead in statecraft, devoid of self control, capricious in moral standards and an imbecile in his lack of political judgment.

I've certainly had my doubts about Obama. But it's obviously clear that whatever Obama's faults, we just can't afford to have a hothead like McCain inherit the Bush/Cheney unitary executive of absolute power. Obama would seem to be the only way in the election to take a step toward getting our country back.

Dvorak: "You can't make this stuff up."

That darn liberal media is at it again! FOX sets 'em straight. For GOD SAKES, you can't burst the myth of Sarah! How embarrassing!

John C. Dvorak has the video of the indignant FOXies posted at his excellent blog.

The Newsweek story on Palin itself is pretty interesting.

The Palin Problem
Yes, she won the debate by not imploding. But governing requires knowledge, and mindless populism is just that—mindless.

A key argument for Palin, in essence, is this: Washington and Wall Street are serving their own interests rather than those of the broad whole of the country, and the moment requires a vice president who will, Cincinnatus-like, help a new president come to the rescue. The problem with the argument is that Cincinnatus knew things. Palin sometimes seems an odd combination of Chauncey Gardiner from "Being There" and Marge from "Fargo."

Is this an elitist point of view? Perhaps, though it seems only reasonable and patriotic to hold candidates for high office to high standards. Elitism in this sense is not about educational or class credentials, not about where you went to school or whether you use "summer" as a verb. It is, rather, about the pursuit of excellence no matter where you started out in life. Jackson, Lincoln, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and Clinton were born to ordinary families, but they spent their lives doing extraordinary things, demonstrating an interest in, and a curiosity about, the world around them. This is much less evident in Palin's case.

This does summarize something that really hits a nerve for me: I despise know-nothingism. It's not anti-elitist country sensibility--or even a love of guns and hunting--that bothers me. For heaven sake, I've spent enough years living in rural areas and I certainly support the legal right to hunt responsibly for game animals.

But ignoring all reality and buying the disingenuous myths of Palinism is not a true part of that sensibility.

Candidate proposes direct mortgage buyout

If it were true that he would do THIS--which I doubt--it's a pretty good idea.

Why do I doubt he's serious? Because he also said,

McCain: We obviously have to stop this spending spree that's going on in Washington. Do you know that we've laid a $10 trillion debt on these young Americans who are here with us tonight, $500 billion of it we owe to China?

That's pretty much meat for conservatives, who love that verbiage. But McCain can't be serious. Mortgage buyouts + military + entitlements + keep the Bush tax structure means ENORMOUS deficits. Contradiction!

I'm beginning to trust Obama on this. He at least does mention that some spending and some increased tax rates on income above $250,000 are on the table. That's a much, much more serious proposal. Obama's line about how both he and McCain can afford to pay was a great one.

It's panic time when something must be passed--afterward, when the markets keep melting down, the cure is "not going to happen overnight" and it's time for things to be "well thought out"


Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) Wed. Oct. 1, bailout bill debate

Sherman: Many of us were told, in private conversations, that if we voted against this bill on Monday [Sept. 29], the sky would fall, the market would drop two or three thousand points the first day, and another couple thousand the second day, and a few members were even told there would be martial law in America if we voted no.

Avedon, Simbaud, and Boing Boing linked to this clip. I actually recorded the whole October 1 presentation by the "Skeptics Caucus"--Rep. Sherman, Rep. Kucinich, and Rep. Kaptur among others. Apart from Rachel Maddow, Amy Goodman, and Laura Flanders, the skeptical approach to this bailout has gone right over the collective media head.

We'll see, but I think after the last few days' events (Dow about -1000, that's -10%, since the bill passed), it looks like we can agree that the root cause of the panic was not cured by whatever medicine was supposed to be in there.

Here is an indication of how confusing the situation has become: U.S. Treasury bills and notes are taking a hit as the Fed massively injects "liquidity" into commercial banking under "emergency" conditions:

Treasuries Decline as Fed Agrees to Purchase Commercial Paper
By Dakin Campbell and Daniel Kruger - Bloomberg

Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Treasuries fell, snapping the longest rally in a month, after the Federal Reserve announced a plan to buy commercial paper in an effort to thaw short-term lending markets, sapping demand for the haven of government debt.

Two-year notes fell for the first time in five days as the Fed invoked emergency powers to support the financing needs of corporations. ...

The full article is very confusing. Is it a "good" thing that the Fed is riding into these markets on a white horse? Or does it portend the breakdown of U.S. Treasuries as the haven of safety? Whatever the case, the market moves are violent in response, "A measure of volatility in the Treasury market reached an all-time high yesterday. Merrill Lynch & Co.'s MOVE index, an options-based gauge of changes in prices for Treasuries, surged to 217.3, the highest since its creation in 1988." Hmmm. After all this borrowing, who's beginning to think that the weight is at least weakening the legs of the empire itself?

That's how Rome fell, right? They couldn't pay the bills for all their far-flung armies and their decadence. Their marker became no good in places they needed it to be. As their forces hollowed, others no longer were as afraid of them.

Meanwhile, here's Bush (at some office products company).

President Bush: It's going to take time for these actions that I've described to you in the bill to have full effect. You want to make sure that when we move, we move effectively. You want to make sure that the plan is well thought-out and well delivered. Thawing the freeze in the financial system is not going to happen overnight, but it will be a process that unfolds over several stages. And obviously the first stage began last Friday, when I signed the rescue package into law.

Say what? First stage?? I thought the panic last week was only fixable--instantly so--by oh great Bailout Bill. Now we're told that we just have to wait for the smart, deliberate Bush process.

As Dennis Kucinich said, this smells. We're in a lot of trouble now.

Tantamount to a call for Obama's assassination at a McCain/Palin rally:

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience.

H/T TPM.

Fall is sneaking up


Maple leaf near Veazie Dam

Seems I was just down by the dam a few days ago and everything was still green.

Notes on the bombing of innocents

The "Bill Ayers issue" against Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is now out in full bloom. Here was Republican veep candidate Palin yesterday:

Gov. Palin: There's been a lot of interest in what I read lately. Well, I was reading my copy of today's New York Times, and I was really interested to read about Barack's friends from Chicago. Turns out, one of his earliest supporters is a man who, according to the New York Times, was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol.' These are the same guys who think patriotism is paying higher taxes. ...

[Barack Obama] is not a man who sees America as you and I do -- as the greatest force for good in the world.

So, guilt by association will be the McCain-Palin Hail Mary. Can't say I find that surprising.

But I believe there is a lot more to look at about this than its nature as a political attack. Especially ripe would be an examination of American use of war as an instrument of policy.

An old friend of Maine Owl put it like this:

In a televised interview last spring, Senator John McCain asked, "How can you countenance someone who was engaged in bombings that could have or did kill innocent people?"

What branch of the military did Mr McCain serve in??? WHAT DID THEY DO EVERY DAY DURING THE VIETNAM WAR? "ENGAGE IN BOMBINGS THAT COULD HAVE OR DID KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE." What does our air force currently do,well, we don't really know how often now, do we? Weekly? daily? hourly? "ENGAGE IN BOMBINGS THAT COULD HAVE OR DID KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE."

Whew, had to get that out. At least Bill Ayers has gone on to become an education prof and a powerful advocate in defense of children ...

Military bomber pilots often have caring post-war careers too, like serve in public office and run for president. Well, we respect their service, don't we. So, at some level, there is a moral milieu in which bombing innocent people under justifying euphemisms like "collateral damage" is regarded as a "force for good," the true-blooded American thing to do.

Here's my take. First, a quote:

Here is one of them, LCMDR John Sidney McCain, service number 624787 ... USS Oriskany, speaking of the treatment he has been receiving. (Male voice with American accent) I was a U.S. airman engaged in the crimes against the Vietnamese country and people. I had bombed their cities, towns, and villages and caused more injury even death for the people of Vietnam. After I was captured I was taken from a hospital in (?Da Nang) where I received very good medical treatment. ..."

That's from a Pentagon transcription of broadcast, Radio Hanoi, June 2, 1969.

Did I just hear Rahm Emanuel on CNN tell Wolf Blitzer that all the pork in the bailout bill was the fault of those members of the House of Representatives who voted against the bill?

Mike held fast. Tom Allen again voted--this time along with Susan Collins--to punt the taxpayers. This would have been a great chance for Tom Allen to demand a progressive alternative to the Collins-Bush bailout. Squandered.