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September 13, 2008 03:08 PM UTC

Weekend Open Thread

  • 107 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“What is the use of straining after an amiable view of things, when a cynical view is most likely to be the true one?”

–George Bernard Shaw

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107 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”

  1. at about 4:30 MDT. Lost power 2AM and cellular service right after, but the land lines are still operating!

    A couple of more hours and it will be over.  For them.  

      1. An area called Kingwood near Boosh Intl Airport.

        We discussed evacuation but especially after the Rita evacuation disaster when she was 8.99 months pregnant it didn’t seem so good.

        Their house is brick and has a new roof. We did some figuring of elevation, nearest drainage ditches, and figured that rising water would not be of concern.  

    2. We have family that left and stayed in Spring.  But, as of Sunday PM, we cannot get through on land lines or cell. Family, we presume, is  okay. We don’t know about property.  Hope all is well with you and yours..

      1. Sorry to hear that you can’t communicate. My daugher never lost the land line. Some other relatives in Baytown never lost the cellular, but lost the land line!  The word is that FEMA has shut off a lot of cellular service to keep it open for emergency crews.  

        Where is Spring?  And where is their home?  

        1. Glad that your daughter has communication.  Hurricane on a full moon..I thought for sure we would be passing out congratulations to you as a new “grandpop” by now! Glad all is well.

          Spring is about thirty miles directly north of Houston..right off the Interstate.  Their house, however, is in Houston, not too far from the stadium or downtown, so we are anxious to hear.  

          That is important to know about FEMA and cell phones….makes sense.

          1. (“Is the Boy Scout marching song”… old Tom Leher comedy)

            In my prep research I found that there is a satellite phone rental a mile from home! I don’t recall the weekly rate but it is very reasonable.  However, about $1.50 per minute use.

            A friend’s mother was in Port Charlotte to the south when CAT 4 Charley went through a few years ago.  He lives in Tallahassee.  The first word he got from her was several days later via satellite phone.  Guess someone was letting people use one.  

            A lot of disaster and suffering can be alleviated by following the old Boy Scout motto.

    1. Trolls diet is made up of animal waste

      Nancy Baldwin is a troll

      Can we guess what she had for breakfast

      Trolls go to hell

      Trolls are unable to learn

      Or to engage in meaningful human behavior

      Trolls conversations are entirely false

      Trolls go to hell

        2. the one without the period.

          You, the one that said a woman was not complete until she had an abotion.

          You, the one that wants to get rid of the military.

        3. the question is whose identity did YOU steal?

          Fess up “Nancy” you’re a sockpuppet and a very poor one at that.

          Regretfully, Nancy L (no period) Baldwin is an idiot.

  3. OK, I don’t mean to be disrespectful but I have a question and I haven’t seen it addressed anywhere. The tragic accident that killed the little boy in the ice cream shop and two women in a truck is being blamed on the driver who hit the truck. I understand that guy was driving drunk, wasn’t licensed, had a long record of arrests (don’t know whether he has any convictions), and seems to be a bad guy. However, wasn’t the truck turning left in front of him? Didn’t he have the right of way? Wasn’t the accident really the fault of the turning truck? Or have I missed something?

    And I do think it’s crass to tweet for publication from a funeral, but don’t know that I would find it as crass if it were called “frequent updates” or something other than “tweet.”

    1. I don’t like the law.  IMO it violates traditional presumptions.  As structured you are better off running from the scene of an accident if you are drunk.  I think traffic laws should be structured to encourage people to stop and render aid.

    2. The exact geometry of the crash isn’t apparent from the news articles.  It may be that the truck was waiting in the left turn lane rather than crossing traffic.  Or, he may have run a red light that was protecting the turning truck.  It’s just not clear.  Although, as Danny points out, the drunk driving laws may override other considerations of fault.

  4. I’m new to this site, so as introduction, allow me to say that, as a woman, I believe Sarah Palin was a nice political choice. Women are impressed by a seemingly independent, good looking, successful woman. For every female vote McCain pulls from the electorate, someone deserves a dollar……Rove?

    Also, as way of further introduction, I abhor lying, thieving, hypocritical, America hating Republicans!  

    2. This site does not like independent women who think outside of the party line.  Welcome to Colorado Pols – Otherwise known as a digital temple to “The One” – Barak Obama.

      So far I can tell you the people on here believe that Obama is the second coming and women who don’t toe the party line are ridiculed.

      But stay tough.  Be strong and eventually in November they will see that they should never have taken independent women for granted.

      1. This site is a great place to engage in a conversation as to who should be elected in the upcoming elections.  All points of view are respected, as long as the posts are respectful to others.  

        Individuals who attempt to manipulate and falsely portrait themselves to others on the site – are not treated as well.  

  5. Yes, The Palin “Hockey Mom” story may intriguing to women that have multiple kids, take care of a household and hold down a 9 – 5.

    But the question becomes, are hockey moms prepared to be the VP of the USA?  

    Are they ready to understand the complexities of war theory and strategy?  Are they ready to understand the history of the Cold War and stare down Puttin? (Puttin is not to be taken lightly) Are they ready to discuss the intricate details of America’s financial system and the collapse of our mortgage industry?

    My mom is clear that she is not ready for the Office of VPOTUS.  And how many of you want your mom in that position?

    The discussions on the opinion pages of America’s top newspapers are in agreement that Palin did not handle her first interview very well.  Her basic understanding of world affairs is basic at best.  One opinion was concerned that after weeks of perperation she has no real concept of the basic policies that shape the world, including the most basic “doctrine” of her own party.

    She is clearly a light weight and do we want a light weight in a position to be POTUS?  

    Barack Obama, Joe Biden and even John McCain have the education, experience or training to at least be able to ask the correct questions.  Palin is so far out of her league, she doesn’t even know what to focus on or what to ask.

    Reporters on the BBC were actually laughing at the Palin interview.

    Hockey Mom for VPOTUS – you may all want to really think about that and what it means to your safety if the world and our potential enemies think America to be weak and untrustworthy.

    1. have become the Governor of a state?  You set up a straw man argument here, and it doesn’t really fly.  Poor little Sarah, she’s in over her head!  She has shown at least as much gravitas as Obama has in this campaign.  I’m not going to vote against John McCain because Sarah Palin might not be able to stand up to Putin, that will be his job and I think he is more than up to it.  I don’t think Barack Obama is however.

      2. First off, Sarah Palin is clearly an accomplished politician and smart. For all the talk of Alaska being the sticks, it’s still a very competitive politicial environment and she aced it. So yes, she does have some talent and the moms that relate to her will see that skill.

        At the same time, they will also discount her mom skills as having any bearing on the job because they know their mom skills don’t touch on that. So they will probably take the most clear-headed look at the skills of Palin’s that are relevant to the job.

        And the bottom line, in my opinion, is that a neophyte who is on the fast track up and has a lot of skill, is still a neophyte and is totally unprepared for this job. If she becomes president the white house will be run by her advisors because she has no prep for running a system so large and unwieldy.

        1. .

          I just changed who I’m voting for,

          based on an unsolicited gift that was graciously accepted,

          instead of being thrown on the floor and stomped on,

          as proper decorum calls for.

          .

  6. He has played on this level for awhile now, hell he has been running for President about as long as she has been a gov.  Palin, yes, she is a Gov. But her education is lacking and the state that she is gov of has very few issues.

    Please don’t pull me into the argument of small states vs. big states, but you have to agree, if a hockey mom with her qualifications was going to be elected gov from any state, Alaska would be it.  She would not be gov of Cali, Texas or even Delaware.

    I do not expect you to vote for Obama, just as you are not going to convince me to vote for McCain.  However, you have to think about what you are doing with Palin in the number two position, should she have to lead this world. She is in way over her head and our safety is at risk.  America can not be thought of as weak.

    The opinion pieces in most major newspapers are raising this issue.

    1. .

      She would not be gov of Cali, Texas or even Delaware.

      In a recent election, a porn star was a serious contender for California Gov.  She was beaten by a guy whose main accomplishment was to not kill hisself while injecting his body with all sorts of drugs over decades to turn that body into a cartoon caricature of physical fitness.  

      Not that long ago, the Governor of Texas was a guy whose only real accomplishment was to be born the grandson of a powerful former politician and Nazi collaborator.  His Dad’s own star had not yet risen at that point.  

      A while back, a guy got elected to a high federal office mainly because 42% of voters admired the fact that he thumbed his nose at society’s mores about smoking Mary J, dodging the draft and philandering (admittedly, at the time, we thought history was over, and that there was no further need for national leadership.)  

      Remember ol’ Adlai Stevenson, the egghead ?  American voters don’t take no likin’ to intellectuals.  

      The current Prez has an IQ in the 145 ballpark, but plays the West Texas hick for that exact reason.  

      Really, who’s gonna vote for someone as President who is just going to turn around and look down on us ?  

      .

  7. when you have to defend the authoritarian and extremist actions of your VP nominee…

    GOP defends inquiry into banning books

    The McCain campaign is defending Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s much-criticized inquiry into banning books at her hometown library, saying her questions were only hypothetical.

    Shortly after taking office in 1996 as mayor of Wasilla, a city of about 7,000 people, Palin asked the city’s head librarian about banning books. Later, the librarian was notified by Palin that she was being fired, although Palin backed off under pressure.

    Taylor Griffin, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, said Thursday that Palin asked the head librarian on three occasions how she would react to attempts at banning books. He said the questions were hypothetical and appropriate.

    What’s next, hypothetical questions about invading Russia… of wait she did that too.  

    1. there is no defense of this

      Even in a small town, Palin’s actions shocked the conscious.

      It wasn’t hypothetical anymore than the attempt to fire the librarian was “hypothetical.”

      Palin only failed in her attempt to ban books because even folks in a small town can recognize creeping fascism and an attack on the 1st ammendment.

    2. No books were ever banned.  Palin asked about what the policies are when people want to ban books.  That got twisted by the idiots on the blogs into Palin banning books.

      1. If a candidate asked if it would be ok to have sex with animals – but didn’t actually do it, are you saying that’s of no interest?

        People ask about things they are considering. Otherwise there’s no reason to raise the subject.

  8. http://www.gallup.com/poll/110…

    Gallup’s tracking is coming around to show that it turns out senator McCain’s bounce was, in fact, a bounce in the same way senator Obama’s was.  His five point lead from last week is now down to two, and given that its a three-day composite, it’s likely that senator Obama’s momentum will continue it to a tie.

    Now is when it gets interesting for the McCain-Palin ticket.  The shock is wearing off, and the realization will set in that her biography and complaints of sexism alone won’t make it through the next month and a half.  Now is senator McCain and governor Palin’s chance to prove not just that they’re an interesting combination, but that they are going to take America in a better direction than senators Obama and Biden.  Choosing governor Palin was enough to breathe new life into senator McCain’s campaign, but it wasn’t enough to win the election.  It still remains to be seen how he will go about attempting to do that.  

    1. from the Dems and the GOP regarding a blowout, are starting to fade. Every day since the end of the RNC, McCain’s lead on Gallup has shrunk by one point.

      It’s right in line with how the race between the two candidates has played out since early March: I count at least 13 individual lead changes according the Gallup daily graph from that time.

    2. Florida may be falling from Obama’s grasp

      Florida has moved from a toss-up state to one that clearly leans toward John McCain, fueling speculation about how much longer the Democratic nominee will continue investing so heavily in the state.

      And it gets better…


      He is farther behind in the state than John Kerry was at this point in 2004, even though McCain began buying Florida TV ads only last week. By this time in 2004, the Bush-Cheney campaign had spent $13-million on Florida TV. In the rolling average of Florida polls compiled by the Web site RealClearPolitics.com, Obama has never taken the lead over McCain in Florida, and the latest average shows him behind by 5 percentage points. They were tied in early August.

      Without Florida, it’s over.

      1. the map is not the same as it was in 2004.A lot more is in play this year than before, not to mention Obama is running one hell of a ground game.

        Obama can still win Florida despite the polling gains McCain has made since naming Sarah Palin his running mate, and there is no sign Obama is pulling back in Florida yet. Far from it. Obama allies say he has about 350 paid staffers in the state and about 50 field offices, including in places not known as fertile ground for Democrats, such as Sun City Center, Lake City and Sebring.

        And it gets better. Since we know the republicans have been lying their way through this campaign, the Democrats keep their focus on the end-goal.

        “Look, except for a little bounce after the Republican convention this race has basically been anywhere from a dead heat to a two- or three-point race all along,” said Steve Schale, Obama’s Florida campaign manager.

        “Our job is to stay focused and continue building the largest and most comprehensive campaign organization this state has ever had. Compared to what McCain has on the ground at this point, our operation is far superior,” he said.

        Poor John McCain had to pick an unqualified running mate to “shake things up” instead of someone he could benefit from while governing, while the Dems have been building a machine to put two well qualified men into office.

            1. all they got is lies and more lies.  McShameful hasn’t stated one thing he would do differently than Bush, has filled his campaign with lobbyists, and only runs sleaze (and lying) ads, nothing positive, nothing about what he would do.

              He is a shameful disgrace.  How anyone would vote for someone who has abandoned all integrity to win a prize is beyond me.  

              We all know about cheaters and liars.  After all, we’ve had one in the White House for 8 years.

                  1. I have much better things to do with my time.

                    Come up with some substance to debate instead of just finding dumb names to call politicians.

                    Or don’t .  I don’t care.  It just gets boring, and you’ve had some awesome posts in the past.

          1. That’s now coming to earth.  I’m not saying its going to happen, I’m just saying that taking polls that happened last week in the midst of the McCain bounce is far from a neutral “trend.”  I generally agree on Florida, but the idea that “without Florida, its over” is wishful thinking indeed.

      3. but they’ve got the analysis down on this one I think. Obama shouldn’t be worried, if he holds all of Kerry’s states and adds Iowa, New Mexico, and Colorado (woo-hoo home state!). And he’s seems to be preforming very well in those 3. McCain take the big states Ohio, Florida, Viriginia and still lose. But Wonkette puts in cleverer than I ever could:

        http://wonkette.com/402658/pat…

  9. Palin is still holding onto at least $73 Million in Pork from the Bridge to Nowhere funding she helped Alaska receive.

    aska Gov. Sarah Palin has portrayed herself as a foe of pork-barrel spending, pointing in particular to her role in killing the $398 million “Bridge to Nowhere” between Ketchikan (pop. 7,400) and its airport on Gravina Island (pop. 50). I “told the Congress, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,'” she said in her speech accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination. “If our state wanted to build a bridge, we were going to build it ourselves.”

    But Gov. Palin’s administration acknowledges that it is still pursuing a project that would link Ketchikan to its airport — with the help of as much as $73 million in federal funds earmarked by Congress for the original project.

    “What the media isn’t reporting is that the project isn’t dead,” Roger Wetherell, spokesman for Alaska’s Department of Transportation, said. In a process begun this past winter, the state’s DOT is currently considering (PDF) a number of alternative solutions (five other possible bridges or three different ferry routes) to link Ketchikan and Gravina Island.

    She’s clearly an ear mark reforming Maverick.  

  10. Here’s a bit of cool news I ran across the other day.  A rancher from the endangered Pinon Canyon region, Cathy Mullins, has donated an acre of land on her historic ranch to help raise funds to keep fighting the threatened expansion of the Army’s Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site. If you don’t recall the details on this horrible plan, no worries. Just click through HERE and browse through the tabs that explain what’s at stake.

    Then go buy your square inch of land, a bargain at only $10!  Hey, maybe you will get one near mine!

      1. Shows McCain’s anger, but he is not swearing. What it is is clever bleeping with the subtitles that make it look like he’s swearing.

        That said, I think he was just frustrated. But it is not appropriate behavior to storm out of an open committee hearing–no matter what the person testifying is saying.

        1. .

          I’ve reviewed it a couple times, and you appear to be right.

          Look particularly at 35 seconds in.  

          His lip movements sure don’t seem to support the supposed offensive language.

          POLS, please remove this apparently falsified video.

          .  

          1. Candidate to candidate ads usually aren’t quite this harsh.  State party and 527 ads do tend to be a bit more aggressive.

            Also, DFL-ers seem to benefit from having a feisty mean streak.  It’s part of the reason Sen. Amy Klobuchar won 2 years while Mike Hatch, the nominee for Gov, lost.

    1. don’t mess with the First Dude.

      OK, I’m kidding. You’re right though.  I haven’t seen any comments either.  I was sure Go Blue or someone would have worked up a diatribe against him…

    2. This race is Obama vs McCain and if we’re talking about Sarah Palin and/or her husband then we’re off the issues and McCain has a chance.

      Let troopergate run it’s course and when something new pops up, mention it and then get back to Obama vs McCain.

      1. …since when do you focus on what’s important?  It’s hard to swing a dead cat around here without hitting some random post you’ve made or “promoted.”  But if you’ve finally found some restraint, I’m all for it.

        1. I am not for it.  I am all for the old David – lets get back to comparing Obama to Palin.  

          1.  Palin has more experience then Obama.

          2.  Palin is not an elitist like Obama.

          3.  Obama walks in the shadow of Gov. Sarah Palin.

          Lets get back to what this blog has been dedicated to for so long.  That is inuendo, talking points and calling women stupid.

          PS The “invesitgation” is being conducted by 3 Democratic senators who are known supporters of Obama.  

  13. Mr. Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, asked that any “inappropriate windfall payments” to the chief executives and senior managers of those agencies be voided, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the new regulator for Fannie and Freddie.

    Together, Daniel H. Mudd of Fannie Mae and Richard F. Syron of Freddie Mac are eligible for as much as $24 million in severance, retirement benefits and deferred compensation.

    “Under no circumstances should the executives of these institutions earn a windfall at a time when the U.S. Treasury has taken unprecedented steps to rescue these companies with taxpayer resources,” Mr. Obama wrote.

    This is a snae and responsible position….where is the McCain/Palin outrage?

    1. That’s from an Obama ad.  I don’t have further proof, but BO hasn’t stray far from the truth.  

      That alone should scare the bejeesus out of any average American.

    1. cloak its leanings with this statement up top:

      We are not backing any of these initiatives. Nor are we members of any group opposing any of them.

      and then goes on to say:

      Our economic future depends on the defeat of 47, 49, 53, 54, 55, 56, & 57.

      and

      Our future economic success requires the passage of 58 & 59.

      I prefer “independent analysis” that doesn’t pretend to be nonbiased before revealing it is, in fact, quite biased. The Blue Book is a great reference. This site has a definite interest for some measures and against others.

      1. I’m not a member of any of the groups in favor or opposed to any of the initiatives although I am talking to a lot of the groups.

        I meant a member by the term “backing” but I’ll agree that it has an ambiguous meaning. I do want to keep the conclusions but make it clear that I’m not a member of any of the various interest groups.

        ??? – thanks – dave

        1. I’m not questioning your motives, just the clarity of your presentation. “Here’s a decidedly biased but strictly independent view of the ballot initiatives.” As it is, up top I felt I was in for a Blue Book style, even-handed appraisal, and it’s definitely not that.  

    3. The Broncos got lucky twice today. First when the instant replay system failed and then when Cutler’s fumble was called dead before the Chargers recovered it. But I’ll take it since a W is a W.  

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