Re: Louise @ August 23 at 10:23 am Part I

•  “Actually I guess it’s fair to say I tried to bait him, and much to my surprise he took the bait! …Oh naughty me ... [can you see me sitting here, grinning from ear to ear?)”

Yep, I *can* see you grinning from ear to ear, and I am too!

At second read, I can see that you’ve clearly administered the bait, and he hasn’t been back.

Thanks to you and MackTN for the recent conversation. I’ve appreciated it. On this whole corptocracy thing, (and the uninformed among us) I’m still pushing the latest book from Sheldon Wolin, which was reviewed here on TD by Chalmers Johnson some months back.

He explains this now Siamese twin relationship (my words, not his) between the state and the corporations, in a way that makes it very clear for nearly anyone. I sure wish I’d had this information in this format some years ago, since it took me nearly that long to come to the same understanding/comprehension on my own.

Anyway, here it is again, “Democracy Inc.: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism, Sheldon S. Wolin, Princeton Press, 2008

From the jacket,

“…Wolin portrays a country where citizens are politically uninterested and submissive – and where elites are eager to keep them that way. At best the nation has become a ‘managed democracy’ where the public is shepherded, not sovereign. At worst it is a place where corporate power no longer answers to state controls..”

He also gives an explanation on the terminology in the preface, wanting to be clear that “today’s America is is in now way morally or politically comparable to totalitarian states like Nazi Germany..” (I’m not so sure).

So he explains the ‘inverted version’ as such:

•  “…Inverted totalitarianism, in contrast, while exploiting the authority and resources of the state, gains its dynamic by combining with other forms of power, such as evangelical religions, and most notably by encouraging a symbiotic relationship between traditional government and the system of ‘private’ governance represented by the modern business corporation. The result is not a system of codetermination by equal partners who retain their distinctive identities, but rather a system that represents the political coming-of-age of corporate power…”

Part II

Just one seemingly unrelated example of this, (seemingly so for anyone who might not be involved in this particulare corporate-state power dynamic) is an issue that has recently come to a head in fuel loads on commercial aircraft flights. The amount of fuel required for any given flight is an operational co-decision between the captain and the dispatcher. From what I’ve been able to gather, corporate management has been using intimidation via inappropriate discipline to insist on the bare federal minimum fuel loads, despite the operational requirements as determined by those who are responsible for the safe operation of the flights.

Here’s an excerpt:

“The captain and the dispatcher share responsibility under the federal aviation regulations for deciding how much fuel to carry for a given flight. Their decision can be influenced by a wide range of actors, including the forecast for en-route and destination weather. For example, thunderstorms along the route could result in a more circuitous flight path, while severe weather at the destination would increase the odds of a flight having to hold or ultimately divert.
Both scenarios would result in a higher fuel burn rate. Turbulence could dictate a lower altitude, which would also result in higher fuel consumption.

  “We are concerned about what appears to be a drive toward minimum standards by our airline and others,” Hill said. “Until now, AAL has never been an airline that has been satisfied with meeting only federally mandated minimums.”

  Hill pointed out that one consequence of carrying less fuel would be an increased number of flights that are diverted from their intended destination when unexpected delays occur.”

Article at the link

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS187112+13-Aug-2008+BW20080813

In short language, the corp is protecting their bottom line, (and irresponsibly so) but at the same time able to cite the MINIMUM ‘federal mandates’ in order to do that.

And, based on some measure of previous experience, the piece leads me to believe that dispatchers (who actually determine these fuel loads in conjunction with the pay load and all of the other factors noted) are now being disciplined for planning more than the bare minimum as mandated by federal regulations.

Here again, this seems to me at least, to be just one more example of how the state and the corps protect the interests of the corps, and generally at the expense of the public.

There are obviously a few billion others.

Yes, Louise—

There has to be a way to allow voters a chance to ask candidates questions directly or in a way that can’t be tampered with.  But even this is inadequate.

Presidential politics is important in that it sets a tone and direction for the country.  But local politics is where lives are decided.

There are too many local elections with council persons, mayors, etc. getting elected with less that 1% of registered voters! 

People complain about traffic, urban sprawl, crowded schools, etc., but do absolutely nothing about it. A vote would be better than nothing.

We are in danger of losing our democracy.  It is becoming a corporatocracy and we are the peons.

mackTN;

“... people in huge numbers have voted against their interests in magnificently uninformed ways (they’ll complain about drug prices but then vote against price controls!!).”

“One method slaveholders used to keep slaves in check was to deny them an education, to keep them ignorant.  A stupid slave is a happy slave.  And it’s true—slavery has nothing to do with race but all to do with ignorance and passivity and apathy.”

~~~

Words of wisdom. Perhaps we could begin a massive lobby effort directed at the tired old men who will be “handling” the debates.

Maybe it’s time we let them know they have become irrelevant. And their ancient out-dated perceptions will only serve to drive us even further from mainstreammedia. Of course they have become very good at ignoring the voice of the people and focusing instead on the will of the corporation, so that may not work.

How about this instead. A suggestion to the Obama website that they open a link for supporters to suggest questions. That’s no guarantee the tired old men will take them, but it gives supporters the opportunity to let the candidate know what we want answers to.

You can bet on behalf of that other tired old man there’s already something like this in place.

And we can predict what their “important” questions will be about. Abortion, gay marriage, the “Cold War” and re-writing the Constitution naming Christianity the “official” religion of the United States.

If in fact that proves to be the case, I’ll only be watching one debate. Better things to do with my time.

Besides, if I really get desperate I’ve got Matthews and Olbermann to fill me in if anything actually important comes up.

Not many people truly know how this government works, how political campaigns work, how public opinion is managed.  Long ago, voters abdicated their responsibilities to be well informed and to research issues on their own.  It’s so much easier to be left or right, red or blue, dem or repub, and leave the driving to them.

As I age, I become increasingly independent.  I do know that right know all of us are being subjected to a massive, grotesguely financed spin machine, cranked up to burst now that the OFFICE is at stake.

McCain and Obama now become the property of the parties—or their leaders—as each scramble to dominate the media ground for its votes.  And us posters, most of whom will never get a chance to ask the candidates doodly-squat, will be corralled and doggied to the appropriate candidate’s frontiers until the final day.

If voters are to have any power—that is, any say—in these things, we absolutely must force these candidates to focus on the issues instead of each other.  I want to know how Obama is going to deal with the Goliath pharmaceutical operations that manage to write legislation that protects their profits and their patents from birth to Medicare?  I want to know why we are so unconcerned about illegal immigration, especially after 9/11 when a bunch of them were able to enter and exit the country freely, on revoked visas, & hijack airplanes and bring us down? Why have homeland security but encourage illegal immigration, too?  Why allow consumers to be ripped off with usurious credit card rates, unprotected from deceptive practices by unregulated corporations…and then deny victims of these cons a right to declare bankruptcy at least once in their lives and get out of peonage?

As long as we’re talking about McCain’s shoes or Barack’s African costumes or the ads they’re producing or Hillary’s fictitious moping 18million voters, the people who post here can post until doomsday…or post from their debtors’ prisons, or whatever. 

I’m all for Barack/Biden, an easy call at this stage.  McCain/Bush is a nightmare.  But in election after election, people in huge numbers have voted against their interests in magnificently uninformed ways (they’ll complain about drug prices but then vote against price controls!!).

One method slaveholders used to keep slaves in check was to deny them an education, to keep them ignorant.  A stupid slave is a happy slave.  And it’s true—slavery has nothing to do with race but all to do with ignorance and passivity and apathy.

Thanks cyrena.

Don’t worry, I’m not even slightly ruffled by Rus ... my comments are for anyone who happens to want to follow along. The last thing in the world I think I can accomplish is change his views.

Especially when he has so much trouble identifying them himself.

Actually I guess it’s fair to say I tried to bait him, and much to my surprise he took the bait!
Oh naughty me ... [can you see me sitting here, grinning from ear to ear? ]

Rus7355:

“He said she said”, or vice versa. One of the primary reasons prosecutors are reluctant to take a case into court without hard evidence.  All the same, even though the insular wall is probably far too thick, I’ll give it a shot.

You said;
“Obama has zero (0) on his resume that qualifies him to be the President of the United States. And, as the national polls clearly indicate, people simply don’t yet know him.”

And I said;
“Lets be honest Rus7355. What Obama doesn’t have on his resume is “WHITE” and that is the ONLY thing missing. And that is the only reason “people simply don’t yet know him.” His color isn’t the correct reflection, so the simple minded fruitcakes never take a second look.”

OK, I’ll amend and add, “And he isn’t a veteran.” That does work in your favor, but you even missed that!

Sorry sir, but when you make an absurd observation that Obama has (0) qualifications, the obvious jumps out. Because Obama does not have ZERO on his resume to qualify him to be president. In fact, reducing to comparative words highlights the two candidates similarities. That could be a problem for the simple minded, or people who don’t want to bother getting to know either candidate, leading to confusion and possibly voting for the “wrong” candidate. So there has to be a clear and easily seen distinction. Especially a distinction that can be observed, but doesn’t need to be verbally stated. Especially for people with judgment altering hang-ups!

I don’t want to blather on like a political analyst, so I’ll reduce this to simple observations, easily understood by the simplest of minds. The difference between the two candidates is 1) age, 2) years in the Senate, 3) McCain is a veteran.

Oh, and McCain is white. There ya go, the clear and easily seen distinction, for those with judgment altering hang-ups.

So, if you were being honest in what you really feel deep inside, you would have said something like, Obama is to young, Obama has not had enough Senate experience, Obama is not a veteran, etc. Or you could have simply said, “I don’t like the guy!” That’s acceptable.

Instead you opted for the “zero.” Would that be because a zero can comfortably replace a word better left unsaid?

Or perhaps it was a Freudian slip.

I liked Obama the first time I heard him speechify. And my fondness and respect has only grown. That has nothing to do with color, and everything to do with who and what he is, and that’s beneath the face and color. Sorry if you cant understand that, and since you want to turn me into a race baiter, I guess it’s safe to say, you cant.

Perhaps as I said, you need to do some deep soul-searching.

Louise,

Take this for whatever it’s worth, (or not worth) because I only offer it out of a sense of having failed to provide the same for Shenonymous, before she got sucked in by another troll…

DON’T TAKE THE RUS BAIT. We’re talking poison here.

He’s already gone through the recycle with Aegrus on demanding to know what Obama’s qualifications are. We went through this same shit with rus some months back, when he pulled the IDENTICAL thing. And for every single thing that was produced for him, he had a bullshit specious retort.

I asked him to provide some criteria for the shrubs qualifications for the job before he got it, and of course he never responded.

But he LOVES to pounce on the obvious problem that HE has, (Obama’s race) and accuse everyone else of making the election ‘about race’.

The slime doesn’t get much thicker than rus7355 here, who is the internet equivalent of the full blown AIDS virus.

So…I’m just saying…

Did John McCain in the year 1999 while he was running against Bush for President, did he ever bring up Bush’s qualificatione to being Commander in Chief?????????????

Mac shows clear signs of mental deficits, His confusion, inconsistencies and short term memeory loss.Can’t remember how many houses- Ok he’s that rich.But can’t remember What LIEberman corrected him on the day before (Who’s being trained by the Iranians?).Can’t remember the old Czech. has been gone for 15 yrs?In fact uses ‘I don’t recall saying that’ to a point it should be the new title of his Bus!These are clear indication Mac has suffered from the after effects of POW imprisonment or is suffering from Alzheimers or Strokes ( his double arm movements are Rehab techniques to compensate for loss of control & strength in one arm)
His own campaign has admitted Mac ‘Does not speak for the Campaign’. Isn’t that a confession that Mac is only a ‘yes man’ On a very short leash!That he is only being propped up there as a cardboard cut out for put a ‘Face’ on the behind the scenes Puppet masters. Isn’t everytime he says ‘you’ll have to ask my staff’ and admission he has no idea what his handlers want him to say?
In his own book he admits the only reason he has wanted to be Pres is ‘Ambition’, not to set a grand agenda, vision or direction for the country.Is his time at the academy and the grades and conduct sound very much like the overinduldged W’s experience earlier in life?Why has he always been the “media’s friend, golden boy’? Attention, self promotion, EGO!
Cheney & Feinds have got themselves another ‘Frontman’,And he even brings with him a great story about being a POW.
For the corporationists who hide behind the Republican party’s Red banner…They got themselves the Real Manchurian candidate- too confused to have or retain personal convictions & opinions & too Self centered to Care.

“…By Aegrus, August 22 at 9:39 am #
•  “Rus, why do you readily admit you know nothing about Barack Obama, and then claim to know he hasn’t done anything with his life? Isn’t that a little misleading?”

I think it’s far more nefarious than ‘misleading’ Aegrus. It would be more clearly stated as lying ass propaganda, which is the entire reason for rus’ perfidious presence on these blogs. Every time he posts something, it resounds like a stink bomb.
But thanks for pointing it out so diplomatically.

Same thing here.
•  “..Also, why do you say you don’t take much stock in polls, and then cite polls as your main data for proving your point? Isn’t that contradictory?”

Contradictory is a much nicer sounding term for treacherous duplicity. You and Obama have these very enviable characteristics of diplomacy. I just see a lying ass troll with zero originality. (rus indulges in plagiarism and mimicry on a routine basis).
Anway, it’s good to hear from you again. I’m glad you and Louise are here to “deal with” rus. If he was a literal instead of a virtual deadly virus, this site would have disintegrated, and that would be a shame, since there is so much wisdom and information to be gained from so many others here.

Rus7355,

Excuse me sir, but I do not make this election about race. I simply point out the obvious. Something everyone else skates around but hasn’t the courage to say.

(o) is so benign, and much easier. But make no mistake, we all know what you mean.

The thing is, Obama is a different color than the other candidate. He just is, no need to be afraid to say it. The other thing is, that doesn’t keep his words from resonating truth to an increasingly alarmed populace. You see, it doesn’t matter what he looks like. What matters is who he is. And if you, in your heart of hearts were really focused on comparing qualifications, McCain versus Obama, your qualifying resume would be replete with facts, not one zero.

Like I said, I simply point out the obvious. If you find that offensive perhaps you need to do a little soul-searching.

golly gee willikers! watched local city planning board with no civilians just planning board with man telling of a plan that comes from country that comes from state that comes from Fed that we all have to be a “team” to; each state is segmented off; trying hard to keep them seperate & not letting folks know what is going on in the “real” world; like in NYC where i witness as seen on http://www.democracynow.org states that all camera & videos MUST have the RIGHT TIME on it as “authority” figures such as police dept ares “gasp how can it be” are following Fed procedures in LYING under oath, & FABRICATING stories by CUTTING tapes (videos) to make it APPEAR to be something it is NOT. ACLU very actively involved; huge number of folks got off due to “uncovered” evidence of REALITY videos showing what REALLY happened at WHAT time; Heads up alert! in case you MISSED it as 1 state Congressman said: we are not citizen run any more; interestingly enough, they CUT OFF when a person tries to say something or the “voice” is NOT in sync with the videos “supposedly” being played out;

Rus7355:

“Bush was right about Saddam Hussein, N. Korea, Afghanistan, Iran, Social Security, Stem cell research, Kyoto ...”

~~~

Interesting choice of “rights’ here.

Saddam Hussein didn’t have WMD. OK Bush missed on that one.

North Korea doesn’t have a viable nuclear warhead capable of being a threat to our shores, but they sure ramped up the effort to get one after Bush’s irresponsible name-calling. OK Bush missed on that one.

Afghanistan allegedly housed bin-Laden who allegedly pulled off 9/11, but Afghanistan is a greater threat to the US now than it was eight years ago, [the increased drug production alone proves that] and bin-Laden is nowhere to be found. OK, Bush missed on that one too.

Iran is no more a threat to the US today than it was eight years ago, and does not have nuclear weapons, and may turn out to be the only nation that finally steps up to help rebuild the one [Iraq] that we destroyed. Ooops! Another miss, Mr. Bush.

Social Security ... Bush tells us it’s broke. Thank God we never let him fix it, ‘cause it’s still working!

Stem cell research ... freezing progress in place is not doing anything, except doing nothing. OK, I’ll concede doing nothing technically is not quite the same thing as doing something wrong. But I don’t think it deserves bragging rights.

Kyoto ... that’s plain dumb.

Bush defense, [how’s THAT for a misnomer] aside, you need to re-read my comment. Or maybe I need to re-write it. Blaming our current problems on Bush getting things wrong is misleading. And it also provides him with a measure of sympathy, [poor boy he’s trying] and gives mainstreammedia, Congress and politicians an excuse to do nothing, except blabber on ad nauseum. What we need to do is recognize INSANITY when we see it! Because sooner or later, insanity ALWAYS gets things wrong!

You DON’T leave an insane person holding a loaded gun in a roomful of quarreling people! Duh ... And that is the biggest single reason why we CAN’T have another republican president! Not unless or until they clean house! And I figure that’s going to take a whole new generation.

~~~

“... if memory serves you believe 9/11 was an “inside job”. If I’m wrong on that you can tell me ...”

~~~

I have never said “9/11 was an inside job.” That statement is to ambiguous. What after all does “inside job” mean?

What I have said is the official story is a pack of lies. And that is not a “belief” that is a fact! Lies which can easily be proved mathematically, scientifically, by eye-witness accounts, numerous peripheral connections, hundreds of incredible coincidences, and then doing what so many have so much trouble doing ... thinking!

Once the lies are identified, there is only one obvious conclusion. It did not happen as we are told, by the persons we are told to blame, for the reasons we are given. Because otherwise there would be no need for ONE lie, let alone hundreds! So yes, I will identify 9/11 as the Mother of all Conspiracy’s! And that’s not a theory, that’s a fact! The question is ... who do we give the credit? I didn’t do it, did you?

And finally, regarding your comment to Aegrus, August 22 at 8:04 am,

“Obama has zero (0) on his resume that qualifies him to be the President of the United States. And, as the national polls clearly indicate, people simply don’t yet know him.”

~~~

Lets be honest Rus7355. What Obama doesn’t have on his resume is “WHITE” and that is the ONLY thing missing. And that is the only reason “people simply don’t yet know him.” His color isn’t the correct reflection, so the simple minded fruitcakes never take a second look.

And why should they? They have McCain. And just like Bush before him, the nonsensical and improbable and contradictory and simply whacky holds great appeal to nincompoops in general.

“don’t pay such strict attention to what McCain says because he doesn’t speak officially for his own campaign.”

So, whenever Flip McCain hits the stump, they are concerned that Flop McCain will take over that wrinkled old body and say something maverickish…

Remember the remote control attachment we saw on Bush during his 2004 debates? When they first showed the photos of that lump on his back, my first thought was “reimported viagra” but after watching the replays, it was clear W was listening to Rove via some sort of receiver.

We need to watch Mccain carefully when those debates ovvur in the upcoming weeks, for similar bulges, something akin to an electroshock device that jolts him with a few thousand volts every time Flip starts taking over the candidate’s body.

And am I imagining it, or are McCain’s pupils habitually dilated? Seriously, I do not mean this as snark, either Flip or Flop has been getting into Cindy’s stash of syntehtic morphine, he’s looks looped a lot.  Go look at the video replays of the Saddleback-Gate event, and watch his eyes, and you can see what I mean.

Rus, I wish I had some idea which attributes I mentioned are inaccurate. The way you say

“The man has never accomplished a thing. He has never been an executive of any kind. He has no resume as a leader of any kind. He has never produced meaningful legislation.” Leads me to believe you don’t know Obama, and are willing to say things that are inaccurate. These quoted statements are inaccurate.

Also, “I have little use for daily polls” might lead one to believe you don’t believe them as very accurate or important, and then citing “This is not my opinion. It’s displayed in the data in the polls.” would lead one to believe the contrary is true.

Maybe this was mischaracterized, but it seems right to me. Is there something wrong with these conclusions? Is there something else? It’s not my intention to twist words.

Rus, I only know what you wrote. If it wasn’t intended the way you wrote it, how am I to interpret the context of the words? Please, clarify anything I may have misrepresented.

Rus, I don’t often post links, but the Associated Press published a semi-brief biography about Obama today, and , since Barack is unknown to you, perhaps you might like to take a look? It’s your choice, of course.

Obama: From unknown to nominee, a meteoric rise

Rus, why do you readily admit you know nothing about Barack Obama, and then claim to know he hasn’t done anything with his life? Isn’t that a little misleading?

Also, why do you say you don’t take much stock in polls, and then cite polls as your main data for proving your point? Isn’t that contradictory?

Can you name one piece of legislation McCain has sponsored other than McCain-Feingold (which John now opposes)? People know the name McCain and ‘Straight Talk Express’. He’s been incorporated into popular culture like Saturday Night Live. I think it is inaccurate to say people to know the Man McCain, and are just overburdened with information about his legislative accomplishments (which are few).

Seeing how Obama has sponsored and co-written legislation about campaign finance reform, death penalty reform and even co-sponsored a bill with John McCain about ethics reform, I think he has experience getting things done. He votes about 85%-90% the way I like. John McCain follows the party platform.

It is nice of you to concede Obama’s lack of experience is purely an opinion, though.

Rus, it’s not John McCain the person Americans are unaware of. People know McCain the person, which is the only reason he won the Republican primary.

Do you think any president in modern times is really well-known by Americans? I’d argue Americans know Barack Obama now as much as they’ve known any other presidential candidate. Isn’t it just spin to say Obama is unknown when people didn’t really know Bush either? Voted for him because of his father, and his father because he was VP to Reagan? Saying a politician is unknown is always fact to some extent.

It’s just a spin. Like saying John McCain is a Maverick. He’s voted with Bush 95% of the time, but because he made himself a media darling for opposing one or two pieces of legislation out of spite for having the nomination stolen from him he’s a “maverick.” Might be somewhat true, but it isn’t really different than any other Congressional Representative. Don’t you think?

Far to many folks are aware of what is going on & has been for quite a long time; from farmers (genetic seeds) to health folks (deliberate poisoning escalated to the nth degree; formaldehyde put in all, including asparteme); to gun folks: to truckers, to all avenues of life; the older folks know; far to much scrutiny; whenever a Gov deliberately HARMS VETS: they touch a GREAT DEAL of Americans; From Congress; to Govs, & state Congress; to counties, to cities: THIS is the order: they deliberately started the LIE all military personnel have mental problems; (Gov of USA); quickly followed by the Corp’s who RULE the country stating: we will not hire them: followed by Boeing looking for military contracts badmouthing vets; followed by folks in St Congress (Oregon) saying this anti vet movement has to stop (email sent saying they are going to right place YOU started it) followed by aircraft contract sent to France: because me & other Americans said make our day: if you give it to Boeing be prepared for Civil war right here right now today. Which ever candidate gets it; the plan folks has been decided upon for years; http://www.prisonplanet.com gives info; along with many others. Some have known for 20 years, many far more than that.

Missing in the debate:

McCain is precisely what the loyal repub conservative will vote for. And it has nothing to do with his qualifications and everything to do with “he makes no sense.” After all, who does he have to emulate?

No matter how wrong every decision Bush has made has turned out to be, they still cheer him. From the old farts who fondly remember their “glorious” war experiences, to the housewife who sees her shrinking budget as a challenge to prove strong faith in God, in the face of adversity.

We have walked on the edge of insanity for almost eight years. We have questioned their sanity and our own. We have wasted countless hours telling ourselves what’s wrong with them in anticipation of them or someone righting the tipped over ship of state. But nothing changes.

When people hang around insanity strange things happen. The insane eventually define the plan for the day. And if a sane person steps up and tries to point out a better way they are greeted with rage. Now those trapped in a situation that almost always requires compliance, no matter how stupid the demands, have two choices. They can accept that, that’s the way it is and train themselves to obedience to the insanity, to avoid the rage. Or they can leave. It really is that simple.

Except it’s not.

Whether by vote or by fraud, the insane are leading the nation. And whether by ignorance or habit the people follow the insane.
We have watched while the insanity has grown and acquired even more support. Scratching our heads and wondering about why this happens. After all we are pretty smart, right?

Folks that’s NOT the problem!

Mainstreammedia and the Congress know what happens when wrong decisions lead to even more problems, which end up leading to more wrong decisions. We have lived through it for eight years! Yet they make excuses, justify, rationalize ... and accept. But nobody, NOBODY in mainstreammedia, or Congress has the guts to call it what it is.

Insanity!

McCain is clearly as crazy as Bush, if not more so. And we watch again while the media and Congress make excuses, justify, rationalize ... and accept.

If I could have one wish granted this day, it would be that the media, all of them, throw their respective hands up in the air and say in one voice, “This is insane! McCain’s houses or flip-flopping or experience or attacks on Obama, or POW experience is just noise! Has NO value, proves NOTHING! Except that WE are twits! The world is burning around our heads and we actually think our endless interviews of “experts” who “understand” is doing any good at all!”

Well it’s not doing any good at all. We just want the facts that matter! If that’s to much to ask from mainstreammedia and politicians, then just SHUT UP!

And please ... don’t dump this off on the people, dismissing them as an ignorant electorate! If that were true, no-one would dare question, publicly or in private the wisdom of our leader! The truth is we know what we want, we want SANITY restored to the governance of this nation. And that will never happen until reporters and editors and politicians grow balls and return to a level of sanity themselves. Then accepts we don’t want presidential candidate blather 24/7. All that serves to do is create a smoke screen that will serve as the cover when the totally insane repubs steal the election again!

~~~

“It’s true that John McCain has been around a long time. But do we really know what he’d do as president? Do we really know who he is?”

~~~

Yeh, we know. He is a wealthy [because he married money] old man who is appropriately bonkers, therefore the perfect fit for a Bush replacement! Which tells us EXACTLY what he’d do as president!

Rus, why do you state opinion as fact? What evidence do you have displaying Americans don’t know who Obama is? Why do you think the “surge” is good judgment? Moreover, why would you think McCain is good for our Military when he has voted against almost every veterans bill in the Senate?

I think there is a fundamental misunderstanding of who John McCain really is because he is so unpredictable. I never know what position he’ll take next as he has countered his own statements time and time again.

I have read the blogs, heard the candidates, observed the media coverage (distinctly and thoroughly biased towards McCain), and can only conclude that Obama has blown an opportunity which, after McCain is elected, will probably not occur again in my lifetime. McCain may be rich fluff, but he knows how to get votes from an ignorant electorate which doesn’t care who he is.