Who but another crook to prove the truism: It takes one to know one.” A big hand for Anthony Scotto (born 1934), a New York mobster and labor union racketeer in the Gambino crime family who eventually became the head of the Brooklyn waterfront.

Words cannot begin to express how I now feel about Sen. McCain.  His sudden pronouncement to suspend his campaign and return ASAP to Washington to solve the problem of the economy, at first glance appears to be an unselfish, patriotic act. Then on second reading, and hearing what the timeline was between his call to Sen. Obama to the photo op announcement of his magnanimous gesture to the American people...smacks of a cynicism that up Sen. McCain hasty retreat to DC included a stopover in NYC to talk with Katy Couric about what he was going to do when he became President.  Sen. Obama wants to have this discussion in public debate.  That’s where it has to be. No deal cutting, no smoke filled room monopolized by faceless “advisors” (banking industry lobbyists) that up to now was the exclusive domain of the Bushites.  Sen. McCain’s behavior is that of a 1st Class Coward. It was not a courageous act. Sen. Obama was “sandbagged.” To paraphrase The Godfather, “it’s business, it’s just about business.” That’s true, but it’s not about the Business of the American People.  The McCain Gesture has nothing to do about fixing the economy. The “fix” was already in, and he’s just trying to go along to get along.

The bank bailouts made the front page of the Atlanta Journal Constitution today, as I suspect it did on everyone’s home town newspaper, even in Wasilla(?). What I noticed was a)Mr. Bush and the Group of Four didn’t name any names, real people who led the organizations in this conspiracy to rob Peter to pay Paul, or Dick or Tom or Harry.  Whatever.  In addition b) if true reform and assurances were supposed to be conveyed by this speech by the President on the steps of I guess the Whitehouse, the Mauraeno Clan didn’t hear any. Georgia has the highest foreclosure rate in the County. In the year 2001, then Governor Roy Barnes, got passed the toughest predatory lending controls legislation in the country. When the Republicans took over the State house, one of the first things Governor Sonny Perdue had this legislation not only rescinded, he proposed nothing to replace it. (he also got a voter ID law passed, claiming voter fraud was rampant in the state, but he couldn’t when asked provide any proof that it was), The housing industry in Georgia is now a disaster zone.  Instead of declaring disasters just in
Texas and Florida why not extend or expand the disaster area zone to include Georgia?  I don know. The bunch that should be identified will probably get multimillion dollar golden parachutes to disappear, if they haven’t done so already. They’ll make the profiteers that made billions off the Iraq War look like pikers if they were called on to account for themselves. 

Go Falcons!

Sabagio Mauraeno on a gray day in DeKalb County Georgia, soon to vote by absentee ballot tomorrow morning at
8am.

America almost always elects the most self-righteous candidate. Forget the issues, or their voting history, or McCain’s commitment to privatizing social security or his soon-forgotten allegiance to the land sharks of Wall St. For get his involvement with the S*L scandal.

He is denouncing the land sharks in no uncertain terms. (and they may be writing his lines, for all we know) Promising (gasp!) firings! He is really sounding like he cares. He doesn’t, of course, and will probably drag us all further down into the quagmire(s) that Bush led us to, but that won’t matter a bit.

I doubt that the details of our current difficulties will be much discussed. Don’t want to BORE the voters, or make them think you’re too intelligent to be the president, do you?

To see what will REALLY happen, study Palin closely. If McCain is elected, we will have a president Palin soon enough.

In fact, if I were President McCain, I’d hire a food taster.

Just when you think that candidates cannot get worst than Bush/Cheney the republicans go through a strange de-evolution where they actually find McCain/Palin.

He’s a protege of the disgraced leader we already have and he’s going to save us? What a fraud.

Long ago scandalously punched out of the global ring, like a rope-a-dope boxer, Bush is trotted out by his handlers.

He is the free world’s champion, in name only, but that carries the obligation of appearing at critical times. What is more critical than the economic well being of the United States, albeit the world?

Never mind that his profligate reign, intentionally shrouded by a messianic facade, helped lead to the global economic turmoil, he must stagger out in front of a disinterested public, speaking like a brain-addled boxer.

Bush and Congress are like bystanders as Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve Chairman and Henry Paulson, Bush’s Secretary of Treasury plot a critical rescue course.

Unlike a majority of Bush’s appointments to important federal posts, two of Bush’s appointments, Paulson and Bernanke, have so far proven to be competent enough to handle the crisis.

No praise is warranted for un-impeached, disgraced president who always put politics, an autocratic ideology, and raw power above everything else.

Counting on the success of the Paulson and Bernanke plan, one can only hope that it will engineer some sanity with the triumph of what appears to be responsible and intelligent leadership in Obama, and the rejection of cynical and negative Bush policy adherents: Bush’s Mini-Me, Sarah Palin, and a cynical protégé neocon successor, John McCain.

Why should John McCain bother about fixing the economy? Yesterday, September 19, 2008, the fix was in,and the rules of crisis capitalism, panic capitalism, ...disaster capitalism, whatever, were applied. The race is on to pass massive legislation, without reading , discussing or debating, so as to get the money out there before the boats of the financial industry don’t sink and the captains of industry don’t have to go down with their ships of state or income statements. The shining example and historical example, THe Silver Lining of what this is all about is close to Mr Bush’s Family Album or Gallery of Family Matters:Jeb’s brother Neil Bush.  He cost American taxpayers $1 billion after some shady loans he made caused the Silverado Savings and Loan to go under in 1988.  Now he’s making millions selling software to Florida schools.  I guess this clan or coven is the only one around who DOES remember “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Have a Nice Day.

Sabagio Mauraeno, home alone with a sick dog and reminded that it “tain’t no use worrying, nothin’s gonna turn out all right.”

The time for true capitalism is now!
Deregulate everything, and let the market take over.
Lets see if the repug wet dream can come true.

Oh, wait, that’s what has been going on for about 15 years now.
Jesus! I would have though that the mighty US economy would have taken at least 25-30 years to collapse under the weight of it’s dept.
But no, it may be upon us all ready. And there will be no stopping it. Oh, we may be able to slow it down a bit, put a speedbump of regulation in the way, borrow some more money from ourselves to keep going for just a little longer. Maybe we can borrow our way into economic prosperity!
Wait, we tried that in the 1980’s, and 1990’s. We were able to create false prosperity.
Any economic boom that would save us would have to be in an unpresidented scale! Trillions of extra tax revenue would have to be created in a relativley short time. That’s trillions folks!

Imagine if you will, having no public services, federal, state or local, no military, no infrastucture repair. Nothing, but tax collection.
It would take nearly four years to pay back the national dept! Not counting accumulated interest, of course.
All this assumes that this nation could survive without, well, everything.

Yup, we’re screwed!

is there ANY one in the USA in the public section who KNOWS how to add? WHY is the Gov & States claiming they are “broke” yet have all these fancy new police cars? And brand new low income apartment complexs for illegals? and giving them $ (for the land that WAS stolen from them from Corps after head of countries bribed by Pres & others from THIS country); that’s right folks: they want the land & water rights for every country in the hand of the Corps running the USA; they say: we have gotten away with it in the USA for years! do it OUR way! The problem is NOT the immigrants who will keep coming as we keep STEALING their land in every single country: but the folks PAYING for it will be the taxpayers: not the corps; & our men/women pay with their lives; and the vets get NOTHING cuz our Gov is “broke”; not adding up folks: not adding up;

Any surprise that the bloated “invisible hand” of Karl Rove would push his way back into the Repug campaign?  Despite his earlier comments re: the tactics of his party’s candidate, looks like McSame has taken the advice and turned to this sloth as a way to get off the mat.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/19/new-mccain-at tacks-echo-r_n_127767.html

Sabagio Mauraeno is right. We need to remember McCain’s link with the Keating Five but more than that we have to somehow get people to think about the last time these Supply Side greed swelled people came to power under Reagan. They did exactly what W did, tax cuts to the rich which didn’t trickle down to anything other than unemployment and the Savings and Loan debacle. At that time the banks and Wall Street were regulated so they only thing they could play roulette with were Saving and Loans. Well after the “Mavrick” helped his buddies out of that mess he spent the next 26 years deregulating everything he could. The article quotes him saying he is always on the side of deregulation. It was tough as long as democrates controlled the congress but after the 1994 “Contract with America” they had free reign and deregulate they did. Then the “election” of W kind of set it all in motion. With little or no regulation and rich people with more money then they know what to do with we set a course for disaster. I think it is time we void the Contract with America and get bact to what is right for all Americans. Supply Side economics as practiced by the Capitalits party of America is not good for a nation and has led to disaster whenever it has been practiced i.e. the 1920’s; the 1980’s; and the last 4 years.

There is not going to be a fix of Wall Steet.

Instead, you are witnessing the demise of Wall Street and our financial system.

Why, because unless the selling of derviatives are made illegal, this financial collapse will deepen and continue. Giving Wall Street a face lift will not help.

But that’s the problem isn’t it America, only has it’s debt to sell now, that’s our number one product.

And my friend what will happen if after pouring another 300 billion into the market, or even 3 trillion, what will happen to this country, when the collpase accelerates?

@ Sabagio Mauraeno;

Sage and delightful comments; I couldn’t agree more.

But, you also must recognize to whom you speak!

The Keating Five! Remember? Ronald Reagan’s best example of minimal government and deregulation? John McCain’s education on the dismal science of economics began here. And ended here.  He is a man locked in a time warp, who daily violates an admonition that should be etched in stone with all the known languages in print:

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
George Santayana. 1863-1952

Then again, Sen. McCain is 73, and remembering does become more and more selective at that age. “Old men and comets have been reverenced for the same reason; their long beards, and pretences to foretell events.”
Jonathan Swift. 1667-1745.

Sabagio Mauraeno, home alone in Decatur Georgia, canceling my subscription to The Economist, and being reminded every waking hour: “Wounds of the whip, whether physical or social, do not heal if they are masked or unacknowledged. If we do not remember the past, we cannot forgive the past and work towards the future.” from Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner

Okay, lets call it how it is: McCain is having “senior” moments.  His 72, is too old to be president; there I said it!  And it’s true.  Forget all of this PC crap; McCain is too old and Palin?  Oh, please!  At best she’s a bad caricature of a competent woman candidate!  Hello?