Know your Candidate

[hotzester]

I'm a political junky. I love it. While everyone else seems to be getting sick of it, I'm fascinated by the process.

That said, I don't care who you vote for. I'd hope you all DO vote, but even then, who am I to try to tell you what to do?

But if you do vote, I'd hope you're making informed, educated decisions based not on campaign ads and news reports. Sure, Fox slants right. But guess what, CNN slants left. Watch both. See both sides. Then go out and read for yourself.

FactCheck.org is an awesome site, and they've got some great posts about myths regarding Sarah Palin AND Barack Obama. (I might point out that Palin is the ticket's #2, and as such, is really kind of irrelevant, but Obama seems to not know this.)

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/...obama.html

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/...ccain.html

http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/...palin.html

I'm not posting this to enter into a huge debate. If you disagree, by all means, post something contradicting it. I'm just putting it out there for all who are interested to read.

[plungerhand]

Jack Wheeler is a brilliant man who was the author of Reagan's strategy to break the back of the Soviet Union with the star wars race and expose their inner weakness. For years he wrote a weekly intelligence update that was extremely interesting and well structured and informative. He consults(ed) with several mega corporations on global trends and the future, etc. He is in semi-retirement now. He is a true patriot with a no-nonsense approach to everything. He is also a somewhat well-known mountain climber and adventurer.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Written by Dr. Jack Wheeler

The O-man, Barack Hussein Obama, is an eloquently tailored empty suit. No resume, no accomplishments, no experience, no original ideas, no understanding of how the economy works, no understanding of how the world works, no balls, nothing but abstract, empty rhetoric devoid of real substance.
He has no real identity. He is half-white, which he rejects. The rest of him is mostly Arab, which he hides but is disclosed by his non-African Arabic surname and his Arabic first and middle names as a way to triply proclaim his Arabic parentage to people in Kenya . Only a small part of him is African Black from his Luo grandmother, which he pretends he is exclusively.
What he isn't, not a genetic drop of, is 'African-American,' the descendant of enslaved Africans brought to America chained in slave ships. He hasn't a single ancestor who was a slave. Instead, his Arab ancestors were slave owners. Slave-trading was the main Arab business in East Africa for centuries until the British ended it.
Let that sink in: Obama is not the descendant of slaves, he is the descendant of slave owners. Thus he makes the perfect Liberal Messiah. It's something Hillary doesn't understand - how some complete neophyte came out of the blue and stole the Dem nomination from her. Obamamania is beyond politics and reason. It is a true religious cult, whose adherents reject Christianity yet still believe in Original Sin, transferring it from the evil of being human to the evil of being white.
Thus Obama has become the white liberals' Christ, offering absolution from the Sin of Being White. There is no reason or logic behind it, no faults or flaws of his can diminish it, no arguments Hillary could make of any kind can be effective against it. The absurdity of Hypocrisy Clothed In Human Flesh being their Savior is all the more cause for liberals to worship him: Credo quia absurdum, I believe it because it is absurd.
Thank heavens that the voting majority of Americans remain Christian and are in no desperate need of a phony savior.
His candidacy is ridiculous and should not be taken seriously by any thinking American

[Queenie]

Here is a quick look into 3 former Fannie Mae executives who have brought down Wall Street.

Franklin Raines was a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fannie Mae. Raines was forced to retire from his position with Fannie Mae when auditing discovered severe irregularities in Fannie Mae's accounting activities. At the time of his departure The Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com noted, "Raines, who long defended the company's accounting despite mounting evidence that it wasn't proper, issued a statement late Tuesday conceding that "mistakes were made" and saying he would assume responsibility as he had earlier promised. News reports indicate the company was under growing pressure from regulators to shake up its management in the wake of findings that the company's books ran afoul of generally accepted accounting principles for four years." Fannie Mae had to reduce its surplus by $9 billion.

Raines left with a golden parachute valued at $240 Million in benefits. The Government filed suit against Raines when the depth of the accounting scandal became clear. http://housingdoom.com/2006/12/18/fannie-charges.

The Government noted, "The 101 charges reveal how the individuals improperly manipulated earnings to maximize their bonuses, while knowingly neglecting accounting systems and internal controls, misapplying over twenty accounting principles and misleading the regulator and the public. The Notice explains how they submitted six years of misleading and inaccurate accounting statements and inaccurate capital reports that enabled them to grow Fannie Mae in an unsafe and unsound manner." These charges were made in 2006. The Court ordered Raines to return $50 Million Dollars he received in bonuses based on the miss-stated Fannie Mae profits.

Tim Howard was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae. Howard "was a strong internal proponent of using accounting strategies that would ensure a "stable pattern of earnings" at Fannie. In everyday English - he was cooking the books. The Government Investigation determined that, "Chief Financial Officer, Tim Howard, failed to provide adequate oversight to key control and reporting functions within Fannie Mae,"

On June 16, 2006, Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., asked the Justice Department to investigate his allegations that two former Fannie Mae executives lied to Congress in October 2004 when they denied manipulating the mortgage-finance giant's income statement to achieve management pay bonuses. Investigations by federal regulators and the company's board of directors since concluded that management did manipulate 1998 earnings to trigger bonuses. Raines and Howard resigned under pressure in late 2004. Howard's Golden Parachute was estimated at $20 Million!

Jim Johnson - A former executive at Lehman Brothers and who was later forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO. A look at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's May 2006 report http://www.ofheo.gov/media/pdf/FNMSPECIALEXAM.PDF on mismanagement and corruption inside Fannie Mae, and you'll see some interesting things about Johnson. Investigators found that Fannie Mae had hidden a substantial amount of Johnson's 1998 compensation from the public, reporting that it was between $6 million and $7 million when it fact it was $21 million." Johnson is currently under investigation for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while serving as CEO of Fannie Mae.

Johnson's Golden Parachute was estimated at $28 Million.

Where are they now?

Franklin Raines works for the Obama Campaign as Chief Economic Advisor.

Tim Howard is also a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama.

Jim Johnson hired as a Senior Obama Finance Advisor and was selected to run Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee.

IF OBAMA PLANS ON CLEANING UP THE MESS - HIS ADVISORS HAVE THE EXPERTISE - THEY MADE THE MESS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Would you trust the men who tore Wall Street down to build the New Wall Street? AND keep in mind that OBAMA received the second highest amount of donations from Fannie and Freddie.

[Queenie]

New York Times - Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, waved to the crowd gathered at the Victory Column at Tiergarten Park in Berlin on Thursday. An estimated 200,000 Germans gathered to watch Mr. Obama's speech.

[paul harvey drop]and now, the rest of the story[/paul harvey drop]

How do you attract 200,000 Germans to an American presidential candidate's campaign rally in Berlin?
1. With the charisma and reputation of the candidate?
2. With a compelling political message?
3. With lots of advance advertising?
4. With the top two rock bands in Germany giving a free concert with the American candidate coming out for a short speech between the bands?

The answer is #4 of course. What the American media, following and fawning over Obama, failed to mention about his Berlin speech was why the crowds were really there. 95% of them could care less about Obama or American politics. They came to see a free concert with the German equivalents of Willie Nelson and Madonna headlining. Obama was an unwelcome and boring interruption giving a political speech in a foreign language between the acts - which is why the crowd only gave lame applause a couple of times - after all, how many of them spoke English or cared less? Obama didn't care about the crowd either. His speech was really for the American media and the crowd was a backdrop for the photo ops. And the American media bit on it hook line and sinker and just sorta, kinda forgot to mention the rock bands that really drew the crowds.

[fistor!@#]

Here is a quick look into 3 former Fannie Mae executives who have brought down Wall Street.

Franklin Raines was a Chairman....

[SNIP]

Completely false.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/fanniemae.asp

[hotzester]

To be clear, the McCain ad which brought this up was referring to a July 16, 2008 Washington Post article which said that Raines had:

"taken calls from Barack Obama's presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters."

Also, an August 27, 2008 editorial stated:

"Two members of Mr. Obama's political circle, James A. Johnson and Franklin D. Raines, are former chief executives of Fannie Mae."

McCain was referencing an article which the Washington Post redacted, AFTER McCain's campaign started using their words against Obama.

[speedbump]

To be clear, the McCain ad which brought this up was referring to a July 16, 2008 Washington Post article which said that Raines had:

"taken calls from Barack Obama's presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters."

Also, an August 27, 2008 editorial stated:

"Two members of Mr. Obama's political circle, James A. Johnson and Franklin D. Raines, are former chief executives of Fannie Mae."

McCain was referencing an article which the Washington Post redacted, AFTER McCain's campaign started using their words against Obama.

Exchanging calls is not the same as "chief economic adviser"

[speedbump]

New York Times - Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, waved to the crowd gathered at the Victory Column at Tiergarten Park in Berlin on Thursday. An estimated 200,000 Germans gathered to watch Mr. Obama's speech.

[paul harvey drop]and now, the rest of the story[/paul harvey drop]

How do you attract 200,000 Germans to an American presidential candidate's campaign rally in Berlin?
1. With the charisma and reputation of the candidate?
2. With a compelling political message?
3. With lots of advance advertising?
4. With the top two rock bands in Germany giving a free concert with the American candidate coming out for a short speech between the bands?

The answer is #4 of course. What the American media, following and fawning over Obama, failed to mention about his Berlin speech was why the crowds were really there. 95% of them could care less about Obama or American politics. They came to see a free concert with the German equivalents of Willie Nelson and Madonna headlining. Obama was an unwelcome and boring interruption giving a political speech in a foreign language between the acts - which is why the crowd only gave lame applause a couple of times - after all, how many of them spoke English or cared less? Obama didn't care about the crowd either. His speech was really for the American media and the crowd was a backdrop for the photo ops. And the American media bit on it hook line and sinker and just sorta, kinda forgot to mention the rock bands that really drew the crowds.

Could you link me the article? Or AT LEAST where you got this from?

I'm not finding it.

[Queenie]

Could you link me the article? Or AT LEAST where you got this from?

I'm not finding it.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm...6361&rfi=8

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/07/27/...k-concert/

[speedbump]

Could you link me the article? Or AT LEAST where you got this from?

I'm not finding it.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm...6361&rfi=8

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/07/27/...k-concert/

I'll give you that the bands helped MORE people show up, but they didn't all leave after the bands played. They all stuck around, and cheered during the speech. I can't help but think Germans would love him, he's been compared to Kennedy, and they loved Kennedy.

[Biff]

That's purely speculative. Just as it's purely speculative for me to say that maybe they stuck around just to see the guy who could possibly be the next POTUS.

[plungerhand]

The only comparison to Kennedy I've heard, is that if he takes office, he'll meet the same demise.

That's just what I heard....

I know there's no racism and prejudice in GR, but trust me when I say it runs rampant in other parts of this country...

[agentsmith]

Plunger, there are people in west michigan who think we are the new south. I live out in the country, and there are crazy hillbillys with giant trucks with confederate flags in the pickup. Racism is rampant out in the sticks. I've heard people go as far as calling barrac Obama the anti-christ.

[plungerhand]

Plunger, there are people in west michigan who think we are the new south. I live out in the country, and there are crazy hillbillys with giant trucks with confederate flags in the pickup. Racism is rampant out in the sticks. I've heard people go as far as calling barrac Obama the anti-christ.

dude, that was sarcasm, I saw your video....

[Queenie]

[agentsmith]

Oh. I tend to hear sarcasm. I can't 'hear' sarcasm well in text.

...so you are telling me there isn't racism in nashville?

[plungerhand]

Oh. I tend to hear sarcasm. I can't 'hear' sarcasm well in text.

...so you are telling me there isn't racism in nashville?

oh, it's here alright. white's are minorities in public schools. I lived in West Nash for 15 years and have seen some crazy S. I moved to the country when my eldest started middle school. Wanna be gansta's ( white,black,latino) are everywhere.

[plungerhand]

That's purely speculative. Just as it's purely speculative for me to say that maybe they stuck around just to see the guy who could possibly be the next POTUS.

A co-worker had a picture made with Obama after the debate Tues in Nashville, and his comment was similar."That's the closest I am ever going to get to having a picture with possibly the next POTUS."

[beckyp]

i reckon southerner's ain't familiar wit that there website http://www.rednecksforobama.net

i laughed when i came across this.

[Queenie]

[plungerhand]

What did Walter do to you? I'd surely vote for him. WHo's going to run with him? Peanut, Achmed or Bubba J

[Allyson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5p3OB6roAg

[Queenie]

I have friends (both democrat & republican) who appreciate staying informed and appreciate receiving information on both candidates and... I have friends (both democrat & republican) who don't want to hear any thing negative about their candidate and appreciate having their heads in the sand. It is not my intention to be offensive to anyone in sending this message.



This is NOT a pro Republican Message. It is a PRO Values Message. And, during this political race, let's all try to extend grace to one another.



This is an editorial by pianist Huntley Brown, a man of God and a black man, who explains his perspective on Obama. And, if you are considering Obama as your next president, Huntley Brown gives you some great points to ponder such as whose value system should be placed on our nation?



Take the 3 minutes to read this... It is very well written and thought provoking. This has already been verified by Snopes.com.



Here is the link: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/huntleybrown.asp




Consider it, dismiss it, delete it, or pass it along yourself - your choice

[fistor!@#]

Now we're going to get into a highly sensitive issue, but I still feel it's important to retort. I respect you, Queenie, so please don't think I'm attacking you, and I will do my best to not sound as if I'm doing so.

I read as far down as his comments about how he feels Obama is all for partial birth abortion, and then he went into detail of what actually constitutes a partial birth abortion. Then I had to stop reading a piece that is obviously trying to mislead the reader.

Obama voted against bills that tried to ban partial birth abortion because there was no provision in these bills to protect the health of the mother, which he felt was important to have added.

On an issue like partial birth abortion, I strongly believe that the state can properly restrict late-term abortions. I have said so repeatedly. All I've said is we should have a provision to protect the health of the mother, and many of the bills that came before me didn't have that.

Part of the reason they didn't have it was purposeful, because those who are opposed to abortion have a moral calling to try to oppose what they think is immoral. Oftentimes what they were trying to do was to polarize the debate and make it more difficult for people, so that they could try to bring an end to abortions overall.

As president, my goal is to bring people together, to listen to them, and I don't think that's any Republican out there who I've worked with who would say that I don't listen to them, I don't respect their ideas, I don't understand their perspective. And my goal is to get us out of this polarizing debate where we're always trying to score cheap political points and actually get things done.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2008_Fox_News_Sunday.htm

In my opinion, what he's saying by it's "purposeful" is those who present these bills intentionally leave out provisions for the mother, thereby forcing Democrats to vote against it. Then they can trot out the Dems voting record in the future to make them look like monsters.

Clearly Obama isn't some ogre who does everything he can to make sure partial birth abortions continue forever. He thinks the states should restrict it. Yes, it's a cop-out, but so is McCain's view on Roe v. Wade. He said he would not repeal it and he would rather have it be made irrelevant. So would we all, through abstinence and monogamy, but that's not going to happen. But it's a nice middle of the road answer on the hottest of hot button topics. All politicians try to be as middle of the road as possible on abortion by using fancy rhetoric that appeals to their particular party.

I do think, however, that Republicans have a tendency to use abortion as a political football and aren't terribly concerned with having it actually repealed. Just my opinion. While legalized abortion is still around, they can continue to make Democrats look like blood-thirsty homicidal maniacs who don't value human life. If it were repealed, they'd lose a key stump issue, so there is interest in keeping it around.

And for the record, I'm against abortion, but I agree it's an extremely sensitive issue.

[Queenie]

Fistor, I do respect your opinions. Opinions are made by people with the information that they have personal knowledge of. Some opinions can be correct, slightly incorrect, or blatantly incorrect, depending upon the knowledge that they have available to them. I do not now, nor will I ever, profess to be an authority on political science. I am just trying to get all the "facts" that I can so I can vote in a responsible manner. Am I a Republican? No, I am a Democrat, but only because I was born into a democratic family. Did I vote for Bush? No. Will I vote for McCain? Probably. Am I finished with this argument? No, but I have work to do. I

[motorboatking]

The term "health" of the mother is being used to mean anything. basically leaving a loophole with the right doctor. Notice it wasn't" life " of the mother. Either term doesn't really apply to late term partial birth anyway,since your already basically delivering the child and killing them before you pull them totallly through the birth canal. I mean your 9.9 out of 10 of the way there, how's that help the health of the Mother?

[fistor!@#]

The term "health" of the mother is being used to mean anything. basically leaving a loophole with the right doctor. Notice it wasn't" life " of the mother. Either term doesn't really apply to late term partial birth anyway,since your already basically delivering the child and killing them before you pull them totallly through the birth canal. I mean your 9.9 out of 10 of the way there, how's that help the health of the Mother?

I honestly don't know - I'd have to hear his interpretation of what he means by health of the mother, or see what he would want added to the rhetoric of the bill.

[sunshyne]

As far as "knowing your Candidate" i really get annoyed that even though there are probably seven people running for president, only the two big dogs get attention. Granted they are the ones with the money and the party support, but if this country really wanted to make a change, obviously the two party system has screwed things up, why must I choose A or B? C - G might be a great president, but the majority of the nation probably won't know a thing about candidate C - G untill they go to vote and breifly see their name on the ballot.
As this thread was started as a "know your Candidate" would somebody maybe give some info on people other than McCain and Obama?

[Howie Feltersnatch]

As far as "knowing your Candidate" i really get annoyed that even though there are probably seven people running for president, only the two big dogs get attention. Granted they are the ones with the money and the party support, but if this country really wanted to make a change, obviously the two party system has screwed things up, why must I choose A or B? C - G might be a great president, but the majority of the nation probably won't know a thing about candidate C - G untill they go to vote and breifly see their name on the ballot.
As this thread was started as a "know your Candidate" would somebody maybe give some info on people other than McCain and Obama?

8-)

[wcwchris]

That's all I had left after 8 years of Bush. I need a little more change so I can afford to eat... lol

[hotzester]

That's all I had left after 8 years of Bush. I need a little more change so I can afford to eat... lol

How unfortunate you are that you made too much money to receive a stimulus check and also made too much money to not benefit from the Bush tax cuts.

[sunshyne]

umm, yeah do you know realize that the "stimulus check" is basically an advance on your next year's tax return, and you'll have to pay.. you guessed it.. taxes on the damn money. I got the stimulus check and spent it on bills, a lot of good that did all the businesses I didn't stimulate. I have a pretty good job and make pretty good money, but between having to rent a house because I can't get a loan as a first time homebuyer, and health insurance and taxes, I can't save any money to get a loan to buy a house, rents are therefore skyrocketing because people know that the people who can't get loans have to live somewhere. I could blame bush, but it won't do any good, and both the Republican and Democratic candidates are going to screw things up just as well if not worse. At least I haven't heard any plans that sound any good. Obama wants to turn the country Socialist, its bad enough we're basically Capitalist like McCain wants to keep it. We're just a few steps away from Communism.

[hotzester]

umm, yeah do you know realize that the "stimulus check" is basically an advance on your next year's tax return, and you'll have to pay.. you guessed it.. taxes on the damn money. I got the stimulus check and spent it on bills, a lot of good that did all the businesses I didn't stimulate. I have a pretty good job and make pretty good money, but between having to rent a house because I can't get a loan as a first time homebuyer, and health insurance and taxes, I can't save any money to get a loan to buy a house, rents are therefore skyrocketing because people know that the people who can't get loans have to live somewhere. I could blame bush, but it won't do any good, and both the Republican and Democratic candidates are going to screw things up just as well if not worse. At least I haven't heard any plans that sound any good. Obama wants to turn the country Socialist, its bad enough we're basically Capitalist like McCain wants to keep it. We're just a few steps away from Communism.

Your optimsim is contagious.

And by the way, you spending money to pay bills IS stimulating the economy.

[td1619]

What was that web site that they talked about on the show where you are asked questions about your views and based on that it tells you what candidate's view closest matches yours. It is a non-partisan site.

[td1619]

what is the non partisan web site they talked about on the show that asks questions on your views the matches you up with the candate you shopuld vote for?

[Biff]

what is the non partisan web site they talked about on the show that asks questions on your views the matches you up with the candate you shopuld vote for?

http://www.factcheck.org/

[hotzester]

www.procon.org

[fistor!@#]

www.procon.org

http://2008election.procon.org/viewresou...rceID=1646

Looks like McCain is on both sides of the fence regarding abortion.

How mavericky of him.

[scooterfanatic]

Plunger, there are people in west michigan who think we are the new south. I live out in the country, and there are crazy hillbillys with giant trucks with confederate flags in the pickup. Racism is rampant out in the sticks. I've heard people go as far as calling barrac Obama the anti-christ.

My boss is one of those people. Seriously, anybody that gets their information from anonymous e-mail forwards should have their voter registrations revoked.