Last week, in the wake of the Seattle Times’ endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president, I wrote:
Big deal. Next week they’ll also endorse Sen. John McCain on the Republican side. If the Times really embraces the kind of change they believe Obama represents, they wouldn’t endorse anybody for the Republican nomination, least of all a warmonger whose idea of straight talk is promising crowds “there will be other wars.“
Today, the Times endorsed Sen. John McCain.
No, I’m not a psychic. But the Times’ endorsements have become nearly as predictable as they are utterly dismissive of the intelligence of their readers. Take this beauty for example:
For all his supportive votes and rhetoric on Iraq, he would have the easiest time of any candidate to engineer a reversal of policy.
McCain the Annapolis graduate, McCain the naval aviator, McCain the prisoner of war does not carry the burden of heavily footnoted, nuanced stances on national security and defense policy. He opposes the use of torture by Americans and would close the prison at Guantánamo. Against years of grotesque double-talk from administration hacks, McCain does not equivocate.
For him to announce a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq would carry an imprimatur others cannot produce.
Jesus… talk about “grotesque double-talk.” So, let me get this right… “for all his supportive votes and rhetoric on Iraq,” and despite the fact that he is out on the trail telling voters that there will be more wars, and that we’ll be in Iraq for another 100 years, straight-talking McCain, who “does not equivocate” and who does not take “nuanced stances” … “would have the easiest time of any candidate” getting us out of Iraq? Uh-huh.
Yeah, sure, I get their point. If McCain decided to pull us out of Iraq, he would bring unmatched authority to the decision. The problem is, his support for the war has been… well… entirely unnuanced and unequivocal. “For him to announce a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq” sure would “carry an imprimatur others cannot produce,” but it would also be utterly inconsistent with everything he has said for the past five years. The Times lauds McCain for his “capacity… to move in new directions,” but on this, the most important issue in the 2008 election, there is absolutely no indication that he would.
Touting McCain as the Republican most likely to get us out of the war in Iraq is like touting chocolate iced glazed as the variety of donut least likely to make you fat. So don’t be fooled by editorial sophistry; if you want to end this war and bring our troops home, your only choice next November is the Democratic nominee, whoever that might eventually be.
In politics, after the “black love child” and everything else during the reign of Chimp George the Terrible, McCain reaches his “breaking point”:
http://tinyurl.com/2xygxo
gee Seattle times – you mean that his straight talk – such as his statement yesterday that he would never wave the white flag on Iraq means that he will pull out of Iraq.
I guess no new taxes means taxes, and budget deficits mean budget supluses now, too.
Why Health Insurance Premiums Are Going Up
Premera
2002 Profit: $7.5 million
2006 Profit: $103.1 million
Regence
2002 Profit: $10.4 million
2006 Profit: $105.4 million
Yep — it’s all because of trial lawyers! If we pass “tort reform” we’ll have affordable health insurance for all!
(The above data came from a newsletter sent out by my state representative.)
Now that we’re going through another banking crisis, this is a good time to remind everyone that McCain was one of the “Keating Five”:
“McCain’s upwards political trajectory was jolted when he became enmeshed in the Keating Five scandal of the 1980s.
” … Charles Keating, Jr.’s Lincoln Savings and Loan Association … was insolvent due to … bad loans … to regain solvency, Lincoln sold investment in a real estate venture as a FDIC insured savings account. This caught the eye of federal regulators ….
“It is alleged that Keating contacted five senators to whom he made contributions. McCain was one of those senators and he met at least twice in 1987 with Ed Gray, chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, seeking to prevent the government’s seizure of Lincoln.
“Between 1982 and 1987, McCain received approximately $112,000 in political contributions from Keating and his associates. In addition, McCain’s wife and her father had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators.
“McCain, his family and baby-sitter made at least nine trips at Keating’s expense, sometimes aboard [Keating’s] jet. After learning Keating was in trouble over Lincoln, McCain paid for the air trips ….
“Eventually the real estate venture failed …. Federal regulators ultimately filed a $1.1 billion civil racketeering and fraud suit against Keating, accusing him of siphoning Lincoln’s deposits to his family and into political campaigns.
“The five senators came under investigation for attempting to influence the regulators. In the end, … McCain was rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising ‘poor judgment’ for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating. …
“McCain survived the … scandal by … becoming friendly with the … press; … he became a frequent guest on television news shows … [and] … the Keating Five affair did not dominate discussion.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.....ating_Five
@3,4: for profit insurance companies simply don’t work. there is no free market and our helath care should not be for sale to the highest bidder.
Obscene profits while the rates keep going up and the drug companies get sweetheart deals.
Remember – GWB says we have the best health care system in the world – even if we actually rated near slovenia and our infant mortality rates are some of the lowest in the Western world – yet we spend twice as much per person as everybody else and still have 45 million uninsured.
you’re mixing apps and oranges
the anti trial lawyer rhetoric is that by suing corporations and making them pay for what they did, this increases insurance premium rates for the insurance that corporations buy. or by suing doctors it raises their medical malpractice rates.
nothing to do with regence, premera or health insurance
[a rare bit of non sequitur logic by the Rabbit.]
@7: Actually – the rational is that tiral lwyers will sure insurance companies and make them less profitable – so the insurance companies will charge higher rates.
But it seems the insurance companies are making plenty of money as is (in fact, obscene profits) – and still charging higher rates to consumers.
@8: that would be trial lawyers
McCain/Huckabee will be a formidable tag team against the D’s in the Fall. The hate machine will be at full power for this one
knowing the SeaTimes they will probably endorse the R’s ticket in the Fall
gawd, how I despise the Blethens…
goldy…you know perfectly well what mccain meant for cripes sakes! would you believe anyone that stated that there weren’t EVER going to be other wars?
get a grip….he’s just stating the truth of humanity…there will be other wars. period.
is this all you have?
and, not to be mean or anything…but, if you are a psychic then why didn’t you see unemployment heading your way? hmmmm?
One of McCain’s political rivals over the years was Evan Mecham (a Republican who ran against McCain as an independent in the 1992 Senate election), whose political career demonstrates why voters shouldn’t elect dilletantes to governorships:
“Evan Mecham … was the 19th Governor of Arizona. … Mecham earned his living as an automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher. Periodic runs for political office earned him a reputation as a perennial candidate along with the nickname of ‘The Harold Stassen of Arizona’ before he was elected governor, under the Republican banner.
” … Mecham … nd became the first U.S. governor to simultaneously face removal from office through impeachment, a scheduled recall election, and a felony indictment.
“Mecham served one term as a state senator before beginning a string of unsuccessful runs for public office. His victory during the 1986 election began with a surprise win of the Republican nomination, followed by a split of the Democratic party during the general election, resulting in a 3-way race.
“While governor, Mecham became known for statements and actions that were widely perceived as insensitive to minorities. Among these actions were the cancellation of the state’s Martin Luther King Day, attributing high divorce rates to working women, and his defense of the word ‘pickaninny.’ In reaction … a boycott of Arizona was organized, damaging the state’s tourism industry …. A rift between the governor and fellow Republicans in the Arizona Legislature developed after a series of questionable political appointments prompted accusations of cronyism against the governor.
” … Mecham was removed from office following conviction in his impeachment trial of charges of the obstruction of justice and the misuse of government funds.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Mecham
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Now, I’m not saying Dino Rossi is an Evan Mecham just because Rossi, like Mecham, was a one-term state senator or became he’s the Harold Stassen of Washington politics. After all, there are significant dissimilarities between the two men. For example, Rossi isn’t a car dealer; he’s a greasy little real estate salesman. And Rossi would have no idea what to do with a newspaper let alone publish one. All I’m sayin’ is, experience counts and when voters are dumb enough to elect a gadfly as governor, they get what they paid for.
calling lee, calling lee….i do believe roger is off topic AGAIN. and we wouldn’t want you to fall down on your deleting job……….
heh heh heh
i mean…you wouldn’t want to appear biased or unfair or anything like that, would you?
see, lee, i always have your back. you just never know what’s in my hand,that’s all.
credulona “a rare bit of non sequitur logic by the Rabbit.”
You must be new here.
He has these every day. Search his recent rant last week on Haiti.
ChristmasGhost: Lee is an empty suit, a paper tiger when it comes to Pelletizer and pellet thread pollution.
3,4,7,8,9
Ohhhh, the poor widdle corporations being so picked on by the big bad lawyers….what a crock of shit.
@14 fyi the topic of this blog is
REPUBLICANS SUCK
and I’m posting on that topic … so where’s the beef?
puddy…….i think it’s worse than that. i don’t think lee even owns a suit. LOL.
roger FYI……the title of this blog is actually “how many time a day can roger shoot himself in the foot?”
@7 The whole Republican meme that trial lawyers are responsible for high health care costs is a crock of shit. Lawsuits account for less than 1% of health care sending. By contrast, insurance companies take 25 cents of every health care dollar — but deliver no health care, and add no value to the health care system. In the government-run Medicare program, A & O (administrative and overhead) accounts for 1/2 of 1% of total spending. Why is the private sector’s A & O expense 50 times as much? Does that represent economic efficiency, or a good deal for the health care consumer?
Health care providers already are able to pass through the costs of malpractice insurance and negligence settlements to consumers. So why are they complaining?
Why should patients bear the financial loss of a doctor’s or a hospital’s mistakes?
Wouldn’t giving doctors and hospitals legal immunity against negligence claims encourage sloppy practice and lead to more unnecessary injuries and deaths?
So-called “tort reform” would allow bad doctors and careless hospitals to continue harming patients while making the innocent victims of their mistakes pay.
Typical Republican bullshit.
spending
@20 When have I ever “shot myself in the foot”? Everything I post here comes from reputable sources. Unlike you wingnuts, I don’t make shit up. I don’t have to; the truth speaks with a roar. Wingnuts are on the wrong side of every issue. You were born with your heads up your asses and never pulled them out. That’s why all you see is darkness.
@16, 19, 20 — Poooor baaaaa beeeees!!! You came on a liberal blog and you’re getting picked on!! Whowuddathunk?!!!
roger@21..you, as usual, are just pulling “facts” out of your ass. it’s not just the actual money cost of health care that lawyers have destroyed with their shenanigans, it’s the quality of health care. we now have doctors that won’t take patients that are sick because it might bump their insurance rates and put them at risk. try being a woman with a high risk pregnancy for instance. it’s the “perceived destruction” that lawyers bring on too, and that is what is really destroying health care. when lawyers were reined in properly, we didn’t have these problems. now doctors are doing most deliveries cesarean because it’s “safer”….for them.
lawyers are always more trouble than they are worth rog,and you know it.
rog…..when have you not shot yourself in the foot? that’s the better question……..
hey goldy……i just went and looked at the KIRO site and they have changed everything,true…but where is the death of “live and local”?? the guy who is on weekends now was born in tacoma, and he’s still in washington, in seattle to be exact. he’s more local than you are ……..
they didn’t kill the live and local…they went conservative.
i thought you said they were just going to reruns?
ChristmasGhost @ 27
I didn’t see any KIRO-710 radio shows for Saturday and Sunday evenings in the 7pm to 10pm time slot. Just the absence of Goldy from the website lineup.
So I guess you will either praise KIRO radio for “going conservative”, or criticize the station’s owner, depending upon your mood.
richard……..7-10. yup, didn’t see that. were they always loaded up with conservatives? didn’t think so……..
it was short trip for you to turn democrat, wasn’t it?
ChristmasGhost @ 29
I still don’t see anything for Saturday and Sunday evenings in the 7pm to 10pm time slot on KIRO 710. Am I having browser problems — i.e. unable to load the latest version of their page? This is what I have been looking at:
http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=134
And I wouldn’t say that KIRO 710 has been “always loaded up with conservatives”. Their two anchor hosts — Dave Ross, a self-confessed moderate liberal Democrat, and Dori Monson, who personally resists labelling, but is best labelled as a moderate conservative Republican. And their evening and late night talk show hosts seem to have always included both left and right, folks with much stronger ideological biases one way or the other than Ross or Monson.
Pelletizer@23: You mean your worthless posts on Haiti and Sarkozy?
Yeah, you post worthless pellets everywhere!
The Tacoma paper went Obama, McCain as well.
Mixing endorsements and health care to stay on topic… ;0
Hillary says today on This Week with George that she’ll garnish wages of folks who *can afford it* but don’t buy into her mandates.
Her mandates force you to purchase for profit insurance coverage. And she’ll garnish your wages if you don’t!
The Mass plan that she modeled hers after stops subsidizing at 31,000/yr. So you make 32,000 and refuse to buy 10,000 worth of insurance and she’ll slap your wages.
Good grief.
@30: Dori Monson moved from “moderate” conservative to right wing idealogue a while ago. He is anti-tax, anti-light rail and anti-actual thought.
There basically is no more such thing as a “moderate conservative”. John McCay was a moderate conservative – look what the Bush criminals did to him.
Can you find one moderate Republican anymore? The republican politicians in this state have moved the party to the far right and they have paid the price – Washington has a Democratic governor, and 6/8 Democratic congressional representative and two Democratic Senators (and Gore and Kerry won the state in the Presidential elections).
Keep up the good work Republicans – keep:
1. Opposing any environmental legislation – supporting clearcutting and flooding
2. supporting torture
3. supporting bush/cheney and the Iraq War
4. Supporting corruption: Abramoff, FDA, EPA and now HUD
5. Eating your own: firing any honest Republicans like McCay
6. Giving tax breaks to the rich republican “friends”
7. giving special treatment to oil companies and keeping us on an energy policy designed to gouge the consumers and give Exxon record profits (enron too – if they hadn’t gone under)
thanks!
I hate to break it to you but no matter who gets elected:
a.) The war in Iraq really is over.
b.) Our all-volunteer army is not leaving Iraq. (It’s like Japan or Germany after WWII. It’s like South Korea. Get over it.)
If anything, we need candidates who support more responsible energy and environmental policies.
And who would that be?