Hillary’s Voice

Which of These Two Mama’s Boys Are You Going to Vote For? (by Jake Tapper at Political Punch, ABC News)Writing in the Wall Street Journal [Wednesday], Sue Shellenbarger quotes Doug Wead, author of two books on presidential families, noting that both Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., fit a certain presidential pattern of “Mama’s boys with absent fathers who were perceived by the sons as high achievers.” Obama’s tale is more complicated, because in addition to being abandoned by his father, Barack Obama Sr., at the age of two, his mother also left Obama Jr. in the care of her parents while she went off gallivanting around the world… Do you need to have grown up in a dysfunctional home, without the love of two parents, in order to become a successful presidential candidate?Come to think of it, the current President Bush is also a mama’s boy with an absent father.—CaroObama lead on McCain grows to 12 points (Reuters)WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrat Barack Obama’s lead over Republican rival John McCain has grown to 12 points in the U.S. presidential race, with crucial independent and women voters increasingly moving to his side, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Thursday.AP poll: McCain, Obama all even in homestretch (Baltimore Sun)Race has tightened since third debate, poll suggests, with McCain gaining among whites, people earnings less than $50,000 The presidential race tightened after the final debate, with John McCain gaining among whites and people earning less than $50,000, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll that shows McCain and Barack Obama essentially running even among likely voters in the election.So which is it? Is Obama ahead by 12 points, or is the race even? Zogby is in the tank for Obama and the AP has given a lot of help to McCain, so we can’t know for sure what’s really happening.—CaroObama Tells Virginia Supporters of ‘Righteous Wind At Our Backs’ (by Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller at Political Punch, ABC News)LEESBURG, VA — “I cant imagine a more beautiful setting for us to be thinking about the last 13 days,” said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., this evening in Northern Virginia… “If you’ll stand with me, then I know that we can win Virginia and we can win this election and we can finally bring the change we need to Washington,” Obama told the estimated crowd of 35,000. “I feel like we got a righteous wind at our backs here.”So are we to assume that McCain is not righteous? Or Sarah Palin? I HATE this kind of talk. It can lead to people being killed over stupid religious differences.—CaroPalin Shopping Spree Legal? Yes, but Barely (ABC News)When news broke that Gov. Sarah Palin and her family managed to spend $150,000 of other people’s money on clothes after joining the McCain ticket, many scratched their heads. Is that legal? Thanks to a loophole in federal law the answer, experts say, is yes. Handily, the loophole was codified into law by the landmark campaign finance law passed by her ticketmate, Sen. John McCain. It would be illegal for the McCain-Palin campaign to buy a new wardrobe for Palin and her husband, say campaign finance lawyers contacted by ABCNews.com. But the law is silent on whether such purchases can be made by the Republican National Committee (RNC).“Barely” legal? Is there such a term? Isn’t there only legal or illegal? Can you be “barely” pregnant or “barely” dead? Honestly, these attempts to sabotage candidates in supposed news articles are just astounding. And notice the blame attributed to McCain through his sponsorship of the campaign finance reform law. As if McCain planned to buy a wardrobe for a future running mate and purposely wrote that ability into the law. As Calculated Risk used to ask, why, oh why, don’t we have a better press corps?—CaroCommentary: If Palin didn’t look good, we’d criticize (by Merlene Davis, Lexington Herald-Leader)I think Palin looks quite good in her clothing, and her hair and makeup are spot-on all the time. So the investment seems to be paying off. Plus — let’s speak frankly, ladies — if Palin appeared at stump location after stump location wearing some of those outfits she was pictured wearing in Alaska, some of us would be talking more about that than about the words coming out of her mouth. You know that.Click here for more political and media news headlines.Carolyn KayMakeThemAccountable.com

Presenting: the 23/6 cheap-ass Halloween costume (23/6)Stuck for a costume idea this Halloween? Worry no longer. All you need is a pair of scissors, a piece of string, and an overweening disregard for evolution and birth control. It’s the official23/6 Scary Mask, and it’s available for download, absolutely free! Click [here] to download a PDF, suitable for wearing, framing or setting on fire.Provided as a public service, since the Halloween mask makers weren’t able to get Sarah masks out in time. But honestly, she’s less scary to me than Barack.—Caro

Matt Davies

Racist GOP mailing depicts Obama surrounded by KFC, watermelon, and food stamps. (Think Progress)A local California GOP women’s organization’s most recent newsletter claims that if Obama is elected, his face will appear on food stamps, rather than dollar bills like other presidents. The group then included a picture of “Obama Bucks” — a phony $10 bill with Obama surrounded by racist imagery:

DISTURBING MUSIC RAP VIDEO (by Lynette Long)I have thought long and hard about posting this video because it is so disturbing. The blatant disrespect it shows toward women, not just Republican women, is alarming. It saddens me that not only are women not outraged by this video but participate in this. Again I feel frustrated by the silence that envelopes the womens groups that are supposed to protect all women not just Democratic women. The task for equality seems impossible at times. Stand tall women. Stand with me.Dr. Long’s video link is broken. See below.—CaroDrill Baby Drill (video)

Third-party candidates to debate on Sunday (McClatchy)WASHINGTON — Third-party presidential candidates finally will have their own debate: at 8 p.m. Sunday at Columbia University in New York.For REAL change.—CaroGaming A New Platform For Political Ads; Obama Ad Shows Up On Xbox (Paid Content)

“Let me make it clear at the outset that I have no intention of following instructions.” – Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, thanks to Economist’s ViewDitto. It’s the story of my life, and my ongoing commitment to myself and to you, my readers. I absolutely will not follow instructions.—CaroU.S. Investing $250 Billion in Banks (New York Times)The Treasury Department, in its boldest move yet, is expected to announce a plan on Tuesday to invest up to $250 billion in banks… The United States is also expected to guarantee new debt issued by banks for three years — a measure meant to encourage the banks to resume lending to one another and to customers… And the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will offer an unlimited guarantee on bank deposits in accounts that do not bear interest — typically those of businesses.

Wrapped in the Flag

Prime Minister Proposes $500 Billion European Bank Bailout (Wall Street Journal)U.K. to Rescue RBS, HBOS, as Germany Plans Up to €400 Billion to Aid its Institutions; U.S. Is Considering Similar MovesDow jumps 400 as government pledges bank aid (AP)NEW YORK - The Dow Jones industrial average surged more than 400 points in early trading today as investors rushed into stocks after eight sessions of devastating losses, hoping that the stock market is finding some footing following pledges by governments to further aid the banking sector, including plans by the Treasury to buy U.S. bank stocks.There are two UPI headlines from the weekend that I think you’ll be interested in: Bush: ‘Confident’ G7 will unite on crisis, followed by G7 fails to agree on bank nationalization. There was something of an agreement, as you can see from the Wall Street Journal article quoted above. But I wouldn’t doubt that none of the G7 members wanted George Bush to get any credit whatsoever, so they said there was not agreement.—CaroDaring to utter the ‘L’ word: Obama on track to a landslide (McClatchy)WASHINGTON — Barring a dramatic change in the political landscape over the next three weeks, Democrats appear headed toward a decisive victory on Election Day that would give them broad power over the federal government.Kerry’s Landslide (Political Wire)Inside the Bubble takes you into Sen. John Kerry’s campaign war room four years ago where you can see his closest advisers privately celebrate what they thought we be a certain victory — one some even called a “landslide.” It wasn’t until well after midnight that they knew they were wrong. You can view the must-see film for free here.Gallup Daily: Obama-McCain Gap NarrowsBarack Obama continues to hold a lead over John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily tracking, 50% to 43%, among registered voters. Obama’s lead has narrowed slightly after being in double-digits several days last week. Two Gallup likely voter estimates show the race slightly closer.Click here for more political and media news headlines.Carolyn KayMakeThemAccountable.com

Matt Davies

From the debate: A ‘look’ at the candidates’ words (On Politics, USA Today)Courtesy of Janet Harris at Upstream Analysis, here are tag clouds that take the words used by the candidates at last night’s debate in Nashville and “show” which ones they emphasized most:

Why does MSNBC call Bill Ayers “Willie”? (County Fair, Media Matters for America)Earlier today, MSNBC ran this chyron:

Amazon.com

McCain’s Anger (Political Wire)
David Nather reports on Sen. Barack Obama’s attempt [Wednesday] night to greet Sen. John McCain on the Senate floor by offering his hand. “McCain shook it, but with a ‘go away’ look that no one could miss. He tried his best not to even look at Obama. Finally, with a tight smile, McCain managed a greeting: ‘Good to see you.’”
Yes, we should really be outraged about that! Obama has NEVER been rude to anybody on the Senate floor.—Caro

Candidates spar on energy, taxes, war (AP)
Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joe Biden sparred over taxes, energy policy and the Iraq war in a high-profile debate in which Palin sought to reclaim her identity as a feisty reformer and Biden tried to undercut the maverick image of GOP presidential hopeful John McCain.
Click here to read the debate transcript.—Caro

VP Debate: Biden - “How Different Is John McCain’s Policy Going To Be Than George Bush’s?” (by Logan Murphy at Crooks and Liars)
[Last night’s] debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah “Main Street, Wasilla” Palin yielded few fireworks, but Biden did a good job of keeping the focus where it should be — on John McCain, his miserable voting record and the fact that a McCain presidency would look a lot like the disaster we’ve seen from George Bush.
How would an Obama presidency be different from the George Bush disaster? Obama thinks the Republican party is the party of ideas for the last 10-15 years. Or at least that’s what he has said (video). But he changes his mind from day to day, so there’s no telling what the line is now. And how about this shocker, below?—Caro

Open Thread (by bluegal at Crooks and Liars)

This is your liberal blogosphere at work, my friends. Any woman who dares to run for high office is SCARY, SCARY, SCARY. The so-called progressives are PROUD of the fact that they’ve made Sarah Palin such an object of scorn that her approval rating has plummeted and her disapproval rating has skyrocketed. How many times have we fought George Bush for pushing the fear buttons of our citizens with his lies? So why, in goddess’ name, would we want to BECOME George Bush? And don’t try to tell me Obama isn’t responsible for some of the trashing of Sarah Palin.—Caro

Is Palin the New Evita? (by Susie at Suburban Guerilla)
Naomi Wolf believes it. She says Palin has been picked as the titular head of the new police state… Me, I’m way past the point where I ascribe benign motives to these people: “Under the Palin-Rove police state, citizens will be targeted with state cyberterrorism. Bruce Fein of the American Freedom Agenda, a former Reagan official, warned me three years ago that the Bush team went after a Republican who had crossed them through cyberstalking: they messed with his email, messed with his phones and I believe messed with his bank account — he became a cyber-pariah, unemployable and haunted.”
Why can’t we just disagree with the woman on the issues, and refuse to make her an object of derision? Why do we insist on helping to destroy any respect for anyone of our gender who runs for national office? But if we’re going to talk about coercive tactics, we’d better be equal opportunity talkers. See below.—Caro

Now THAT’s bipartisanship:
New York Times (click through to see the map and the roll call list)

House members who voted ‘yes’ on bailout received 54 percent more from banks/securities firms. (Think Progress)
According to research produced by MAPLight.org, House members who voted yes on the proposed bailout package received 54 percent more money from banks and securities than members who voted no… Democrats who voted yes received “an average of $212,700 each, about twice as much as those voting No, $107,993.” Republicans who voted yes “received an average of $273,181 each, 50% more than those voting No, $181,688.”

We want a FAIR DEAL, not a Wall St. bailout! (Progressive Democrats of America petition—click through to sign)
For the good of all Americans, Congress must put our shared national economic interest first. A Wall Street bailout is beyond irresponsible, we need a fair deal for Main St. and the middle class. Congress should vote no on the bailout, if the following terms are not met:
• Reform Bankruptcy Laws
• Provide a Stimulus for Main Street -Aid to the Real Economy
• Make Wall Street Speculators Pay for the Bailout -No More Debt
• Shut down the Casino: Rein in the Unregulated Financial Sector
• Provide limits on CEO pay and Prohibitions on Profiteering from the Bailout