[Rhodes22-list] HOW TO SAVE MILLIONS (Political)

Wed Aug 6 10:26:00 EDT 2008

Can only hope that the Clinton campaign comes out of "suspend" mode...

I thought the fat lady sang at the opera.

Dave

On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 3:58 AM, Brad Haslett <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:
> Chris,
>
> "Church ain't out 'till the fat lady sings!"  I'm not convinced that
> Chocolate Baby Jesus will prevail in Denver.  If the Hillary supporters get
> their way and a roll call, O'baby will get dumped.  It appears the bloom is
> off that rose.
>
> Brad
>
> ----------------
>
> Pundits Begin to Worry About Obama
>
> August 6, 2008 - by Jennifer Rubin
>
> In the aftermath of Barack Obama's overseas trip, the liberal punditocracy
> has begun to [1]
> fret.<http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=0e0dbc4f-000d-4d75-9f23-614ae8d06494>Certainly
> there is reason for concern. Obama's poll numbers are within the
> [2] margin of error <http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls> in a year in
> which a generic Democrat would be beating a generic Republican by double
> digits. And the storylines which dominated the news since the trip have been
> ones unfavorable to their chosen candidate: his [3]
> ego<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mopkn0lPzM8>,
> the snub of [4] wounded German
> soldiers<http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2008/07/24/obama-snubs-injured-soldiers-workout-will-media-care>,
> a potential flip-flop on [5] offshore
> drilling<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/01/AR2008080103199.html>and
> a poorly received attempt to play the [6] race
> card. <http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/08/01/1240112.aspx>
>
> [7] Richard Cohen<http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/what_has_obama_accomplished.html>was
> one liberal pundit who emerged from the fog of Obama-mania. Cohen
> threw
> cold water on the notion that a liberal Senate candidate from Hyde Park
> showed political courage by opposing the Iraq war, and then recited chapter
> and verse on the flip-flop orgy:
>
> He has been for and against gun control, against and for the recent domestic
> surveillance legislation and, in almost a single day, for a united Jerusalem
> under Israeli control and then, when apprised of U.S. policy and Palestinian
> chagrin, against it. He is an accomplished pol — a statement of both
> admiration and a bit of regret.
>
> But what really irked Cohen was Obama's "tissue thin" record and the nagging
> sense that despite Obama's attractive packaging Cohen was "still not sure,
> though, what's in it."
>
> But Cohen wasn't alone. [8] Ruth
> Marcus<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/31/AR2008073102804.html>,
> no conservative cheerleader either, also was not pleased. For her, the issue
> was one that Obama critics had long dwelled on: [9] what's he
> done<http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/18511>
> ?
>
> After reviewing the *[10] New York
> Times'<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/us/politics/30law.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin>
> * examination of Obama's career as a law lecturer, Marcus mused that it was
> "a reminder of Obama's essential elusiveness, and how little we understand
> about how the candidate himself would resolve these thorny problems." What
> nagged her was the sense that "in the hardest cases, I'm not always sure
> where Professor Obama, or President Obama for that matter, comes down."
>
> Over at *Huffington Post *[11] a prominent liberal
> voice<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-kaplan/on-having-your-political_b_116059.html>fretted
> that maybe the Left's faith in Obama was overblown and as misplaced
> as the belief (before the blue dress) that Bill Clinton had not had an
> inappropriate relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
>
> And of course all this followed the rage from the [12]
> Left<http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/06/21/obama>over the
> appalling (to them) reversal on FISA and the [13]
> disgust <http://community.washingtonpost.com/ver1.0/Direct/Process> over
> Obama's decision to renege on his public financing pledge (which was then
> followed by his ludicrous effort to blame the Republicans for *his*mendacity).
>
> But [14] Dana Millbank<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902068.html>really
> opened the floodgates with a devastating column on Obama's enormous
> ego and arrogance. Dubbing Obama the "presumptuous nominee," Millbank
> described Obama's visit to Capitol Hill:
>
> Along the way, he traveled in a bubble more insulating than the actual
> president's. Traffic was shut down for him as he zoomed about town in a
> long, presidential-style motorcade, while the public and most of the press
> were kept in the dark about his activities, which included a fundraiser at
> the Mayflower where donors paid $10,000 or more to have photos taken with
> him. . . Some say the supremely confident Obama — nearly 100 days from the
> election, he pronounces that "the odds of us winning are very good" — has
> become a president-in-waiting. But in truth, he doesn't need to wait: He has
> already amassed the trappings of the office, without those pesky decisions.
> . . "I think this can be an incredible election," Obama said later. "I look
> forward to collaborating with everybody here to win the election." Win the
> election? Didn't he do that already?
>
> For those who had been following Obama's [15]
> arrogant<http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/14811>utterances
> and embarrassing show of presumptuous this was nothing new. But
> coming from the pen of the acerbic columnist (whose vitriol is usually
> reserved for conservatives), Millbank's column was a shocker.
>
> Over at [16] Slate<http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/xxfactor/archive/2008/08/02/obama-sells-out-on-offshore-drilling.aspx>,
> Melinda Henneberger on the XX Factor blog was irate that Obama was "selling
> out on offshore drilling." And just as when he reneged on public campaign
> financing, his excuse was the worst part. Henneberger wrote:
>
> "The Republicans and the oil companies have been really beating the drums on
> drilling," Obama said in the interview. Which might give voters the
> impression that anyone who beats the drums loud enough and long enough will
> get this same "Alright already!" response out of him. And it might give
> those young voters he is counting on the idea that he's not only not as
> different as they thought…but maybe, just not different enough."
>
> And then others chimed in. The *[17] New
> Republic<http://tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=0e0dbc4f-000d-4d75-9f23-614ae8d06494>
> * editors worried that somehow Obama's economic message isn't working and
> Obama isn't making the most of his chances. They write:
>
> "Yet, somehow, despite all this, McCain remains in the game. This is not
> easy to explain — and it should cause a great deal of introspection at Obama
> headquarters. For all the many ways that the stars have aligned for Obama,
> he has yet to take full advantage of what historically has been a great
> opportunity."
>
> The bottom line: liberal pundits — following months of analysis by their
> conservative counterparts — had figured out that despite the best possible
> terrain for the Democrats to recapture the White House, the Democrats (with
> a whole lot of cheerleading from the mainstream media) have chosen a thinly
> experienced, irresolute, underachieving and obnoxious standard bearer. And
> his excuse-mongering just makes it all the more irritating.
>
> It is not clear what provoked the soul-searching or why reality didn't dawn
> on the pundits sooner. After all, they knew all along that he had virtually
> no experience and that he often sounded [18] bizarrely
> confident<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/obama-exclusive-audio-on_b_96333.html>about
> his nonexistent credentials.
>
> Some might conclude that they were so [19]
> blinded<http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/4651>by
> their bias against Hillary Clinton and eagerness to shove the Clintons
> off the national stage that they ignored any signs that The Chosen One was
> deeply flawed. And, indeed, many of the faults that are potentially so
> dangerous in Obama — his [20] predilection to
> lie<http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/18841>when
> the heat is on and his lack of core principles — were even greater
> liabilities for Clinton in the media's eyes.
>
> It is also true that the McCain camp has shamed the media into recognizing
> their infatuation with Obama. By [21]
> mocking<http://blog.washingtonpost.com/channel-08/2008/07/mccain_mocks_medias_crush_on_o.html>the
> press, the McCain camp has made the argument in convincing fashion
> that
> the mainstream media has been in the tank for Obama. The McCain camp's
> message: "Your boosterism has become painfully obvious." So it's not
> surprising that there might be some course correction and recognition that
> they've gone too far in building up The Ego and concealing his flaws.
>
> But Obama has done his share to lift the veil from the pundits' eyes.
> Sometimes the accumulated evidence is too much even for the mainstream media
> to ignore. And it is ironic (but [22] not altogether
> surprising<http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/media-misses-big-story-of-obama-trip>)
> that the tipping point may have been the Berlin rally — an explosion of ego
> and meaningless rhetoric which attained the level of self-parody.
>
> Moreover, there is nothing that irritates the media more than a hypocrite.
> So the temptation is great to point out that the New Politics looks an awful
> lot like the Old Politics of flip-flopping, broken promises, lack of
> accountability, and [23]
> fudging<http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/rubin/18841>the
> facts.
>
> It remains an open question whether the punditocracy has really begun a
> course correction in assessing Obama or is simply evidencing a mild bout of
> remorse for its own excesses.
>
> But the question of whether Obama could forever retain his Teflon coating
> and stifle concerns about serious weaknesses in his record and character has
> been answered. The answer we have learned, from liberal pundits no less, is
> a resounding "no."
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 12:00 AM, Chris Geankoplis <napoli68 at charter.net>wrote:
>
>> Great Idea,
>>  but what if McCain croaks during his presidency (he is a pretty old
>> Geezer), why a state funueral would cost a lot more than OBama's pension;
>> therefore voting for O
>> Bama might make more economic sense.
>>
>> Chris G
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Hank" <hnw555 at gmail.com>
>> To: "The Rhodes 22 Email List" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>> Sent: Monday, August 04, 2008 2:23 PM
>> Subject: [Rhodes22-list] HOW TO SAVE MILLIONS (Political)
>>
>>
>> > This makes economic sense to me!
>> >
>> > Hank
>> >
>> > *HOW TO SAVE MILLIONS** !*
>> >
>> >  *We should be into saving money** !*
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > *A president's pension currently is $191,300 per year**.*
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > *Assuming the next president lives **to age 80** -*
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > *Sen McCain would receive ZERO pension** as he would reach 80 at the end
>> of
>> > two terms as president.*
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > *Sen Obama **would be retired for 26 years after two terms and **would
>> > receive $4,973,800 in pension**.*
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > *Therefore it would certainly make economic sense to elect McCain in
>> > November** !*
>> >
>> > *How's that for non partisan thinking???*
>> >
>> >
>> >  ------------------------------
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-- 
David Bradley
+1.206.234.3977
dwbrad at gmail.com