The GOP’s Empty Throne

How bad are things in the Republican Party? In a new USA Today poll, 52 percent of respondents, when asked to name “the main person” who speaks for the GOP, couldn’t come up with an answer. For those who could answer, Rush Limbaugh was the first choice with 13 percent, followed by Dick Cheney, John McCain, Newt Gingrich, and George W. Bush. Does that mean a Limbaugh-Cheney ticket in 2012?

Weird

Levi Johnston’s Sister Tattoos His Name on her Wrist…Sweet or Strange?

John McCain does have a brain!!!!!

Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain said recently that votes he garnered last year were “mostly” votes for Sarah Palin. But he still is not ready to unequivocally back his former running mate for a 2012 White House bid should she choose to pursue one.
“I’d like to see her compete,” McCain said Sunday when asked by NBC’s David Gregory whether he would like to see the Alaska governor become president.

“I think we’ve got some very good candidates,” McCain said noting Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty – all Republicans. “There’s a lot of good, fresh talent out there.”

McCain hedged a direct question on whether he would support Palin.

“I’d have to see who the candidates are and what the situation is at the time,” he said. “But have no doubt of my respect, admiration and love for Sarah and her family.”

Bristol Palin

Star Magazine is reporting that Bristol has called off the engagement with her baby daddy, Levi… for being white trash

1. Star Magazine is reporting this. Really believable

2. Isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black… Hey, I’m just sayin’!

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My Predictions for 11-04-08

Let’s see how close I can get – here’s what I think is going to happen tomorrow.

Winner: Obama
Electoral College: Obama 349 McCain 189
Senate Seats: 58 Democrats 42 Republicans
House Seats: 261 Democrats 174 Republicans

The Economist Endorses Obama

The Economist does not have a vote, but if it did, it would cast it for Mr Obama. We do so wholeheartedly: the Democratic candidate has clearly shown that he offers the better chance of restoring America’s self-confidence. But we acknowledge it is a gamble. Given Mr Obama’s inexperience, the lack of clarity about some of his beliefs and the prospect of a stridently Democratic Congress, voting for him is a risk. Yet it is one America should take, given the steep road ahead.

Frickin’ HILARIOUS

News Orgs Investigate Possibly Fatal ’64 Car Crash Involving John McCain

From Huffington Post…

For the past two months, a major American magazine and an allied news service have been engaged in a legal battle with the United States Navy over records that they believe show that John McCain once was involved in an automobile accident that injured or, perhaps, killed another individual.

Vanity Fair magazine and the National Security News Service claim to have knowledge “developed from first-hand sources” of a car crash that involved then-Lt. McCain at the main gate of a Virginia naval base in 1964, according to legal filings. The incident has been largely, if not entirely, kept from the public. And in documents suing the Navy to release pertinent information, lawyers for the NS News Service allege that a cover-up may be at play.

“Plaintiffs have also obtained documents showing that law enforcement officers were ordered back to the accident scene to retrieve personal physical effects. The Navy has never publicly acknowledged this information,” one document reads. “This request involves federal government activity, as it addresses what may be an attempt by the Navy to protect by concealment the involvement of a former Navy officer, sitting Senator and Presidential candidate in a serious incident involving the injury or death of another human being.”

The first request for information concerning duty assignment logs to Portsmouth Naval Hospital — where McCain was allegedly brought after the accident — came in the form of a Freedom of Information Act request on August 28, 2008. The Navy acknowledged receipt of the request and advised that it had located the relevant information a few weeks later, only to deny the FOIA on grounds that it didn’t prove an “imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual” or satisfy the criteria of “a breaking news story of general public interest.”

“The patient admission record logs that you seek are exempt from release,” wrote G.E. Lattin, Deputy Assistant Judge Advocate General, “as information in personnel and medical files, as well as similar personal information in other files, that if disclosed to a requestor, other than the actual person in which the information is pertaining to or next of kin, would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

NS News Service and Vanity Fair appealed the decision and asked for expedited treatment of the case, as the end of the presidential election loomed. But the Navy denied that request as well.

“It appears to be a deliberate refusal to provide clearly releasable information concerning assignments to Portsmouth Naval Hospital,” wrote legal representatives for the two news organizations. “Allowing the Navy to extend its time to respond beyond a date when the documentary facts of this matter would be available for public consideration prior to the national election on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 would violate the spirit, as well as the provisions of the FOIA.”

Staff for National Security News Service and the company’s lawyer both refused to discuss the proceedings. And there are only parcels of information concerning the story that can be gleamed from the court documents.

At a minimum it seems clear that Vanity Fair and NS News Service have launched an investigation “disclosing first-hand witnesses’ recollection of an automobile accident in which then Lt. John S. McCain III was involved. Those witnesses specifically recall McCain’s assignment to that [hospital] facility with the other person involved in the accident.” This episode in McCain’s life has, it seems, not been made public, and the plaintiffs suggest that the Navy may be attempting to actively restrict information about the incident.

“The subject matter of the documents is a matter of current exigency to the American public,” reads a document filed by legal representatives for the news service, “because the requester is preparing a current news report addressing whether the Navy continues to conceal the involvement of a Navy officer in a serious automobile accident in July 1964.”

Props to These People for Having an Open Mind

This is what democracy is supposed to be. These people actually listened, considered and were open to the possibility of change. They didn’t support a candidate. They actually chose one. And while I’m happy this year they are voting for “my team,” they also inspired me to be more open in my own political life.

I thought we were making an ad campaign about Obama. But I think we ended up making an ad campaign about the essential ingredient that makes democracy work: an open mind. We don’t belong to our political parties. Our political parties belong to us.

McCain Can Kiss These States Good Bye

An Article for all our Conservative…er…Fans

I’m Bob the Banker, and I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. If Barack Obama wins, he’s going to take my hard-earned money and hand it over to a bunch of deadbeats and losers. He’s going to turn the greatest country on earth into a socialist hell. Nothing less than our free-enterprise system is threatened. I’m angry! I’m really, really angry! And when you hear exactly how deeply Obama’s far-left tax scheme is going to reach into my pocket, you’ll be even angrier.

First of all, I’d like to give a big shout-out to my little brother Sam — or “Joe,” as he seems to be calling himself now. If it weren’t for Joe, America might never have realized that it was on the verge of installing Karl Marx II in the White House. As you probably know, Joe told Obama he was “getting ready to buy a company that makes $250,000 to $280,000 a year.” Then he asked, “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?” That’s when V.I., I mean Barack, Obama said, “When you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody.”

Hello, Mr. Engels! These true-believing pinkos can only hide their true colors for so long. Sooner or later, they’re gonna slip up and reveal their plan to declare class war. It’s in their (Red) blood. Thank goodness that John McCain picked up on Obama’s fatal mistake and is making it the centerpiece of his campaign. The best and brightest Republican pundits agree: Obama’s colossal boo-boo could turn this whole race around.

I know, I know. The “elite” liberal media have been beating up on Joe, saying he isn’t a plumber, isn’t named Joe and isn’t really going to buy any business. But you know what? Real Americans, not snooty liberals who swank around at Georgetown cocktail parties, don’t care. They know that the point is that Joe wants to buy that plumbing business, and no Harvard-educated pinko should raise his taxes if he does. The American dream is aspirational!

Besides, Joe’s story is irrelevant anyway. Because it just so happens that I make exactly the same amount of money as that plumbing business that Joe hopes to buy someday. Obama’s tax plan will hit me right in the wallet.

I kept telling the McCain people this. I explained to them that I really am a small businessman who is angry that his taxes will go up under Obama. I told them they should make me their poster child, not Joe. I told them I wasn’t on some kind of ego trip, I just wanted to help save America from socialism. But for some reason they didn’t seem interested. They kept saying something about how they really needed someone who was named “Joe the Plumber.” Go figure.

Anyway, let’s get back to my story. I’m a typical middle-class American. I run a small family bank in Ohio. I’m no Master of the Universe, no hedge-fund manipulator. I have a couple of dozen employees. I work hard. I obey the laws. I have a family. But if Barack Trotsky Obama wins, I can kiss it all goodbye. I’ve done well for myself, but $280,000 a year doesn’t go as far as it used to, even here in Akron.

The numbers don’t lie. So here they are.*

So, as I said, I make $280,000 annually after business expenses. I’m married and filing jointly. Under Obama, my itemized deductions would actually increase slightly — I’d get $49,420 in itemized deductions, while under McCain I’d get $48,975. But my personal exemptions would increase slightly under McCain — he’d give me $6,911, whereas I’d only get $6,132 from Obama.

That leaves my taxable income at $213, 766 under Obama, $213,433 under McCain. Now we have to factor in the bracket cutoff, which for 2009 is $208,850. Anything below that figure for married couples filing jointly is taxed at the fourth tier, 28 percent. Any income above it, until you get up to near $400,000, is taxed at the fifth tier. And this is where the raving income-redistribution scheme of Barack Robespierre Obama kicks in.

As you can see, my taxable income is about $5,000 higher than the cutoff. McCain is going to tax that $5,000 at the current rate, which is 33 percent. But Obama’s crazed plan calls for raising that rate to — get ready for it — 35 percent.

And here’s what this means. Under McCain, my total tax bill would be $48,254. Under Obama, it would be $48,511.

That’s a difference of $257. I’ll say it again: Two hundred and fifty-seven dollars.

That’s not two hundred and fifty-seven dollars I, or America, can afford.

For the Web Designers who are Still Undecided Voters

Brooke Marshall, web designer extraordinaire writes…

In these shaky economic and political times, it’s important to put aside our conservative-versus-liberal differences, to shun petty political squabbling and come together in perfect bipartisan agreement about an important issue facing this election: Web design.

I don’t care who you are, whether you’re a staunch conservative or a hardcore liberal, a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent — we can all agree that Barack Obama’s Website is freaking gorgeous. And that makes John McCain’s already mediocre site seem all the more lame. I mean, I know the guy doesn’t know how to use the Internet, but that’s no excuse for some of the design sins committed on his site.

Sure, this may seem like a paltry issue in light of the crisis on Wall Street, the government’s high-stakes bailout, astronomical gas prices, the broken health care system, the… well, you get the point. But with the polls split almost evenly, and 73 toss-up electoral votes slated to decide this election, the candidates owe it to themselves and their parties to put their best possible face forward, particularly on a medium as important as the Internet. September saw a huge spike in the number of visitors to McCain and Obama’s Websites, according to Web information site Alexa.com, and if their growth over the past few months is any indication, the sites are due for a lot more in the weeks ahead.

Now, I’m not just writing this for the distinct pleasure I get from putting McCain’s mediocre Web design in its place. (For the record, I’m a 22-year-old liberal/hippie with an Obama ’08 sticker affixed to the bumper of my Honda Civic.) I’m also impressed with the amount of pertinent information these two very different Websites have to teach us about the principles of sound design — what to do, what to avoid, what looks great, what looks cheesy, etc. So I examined the design and functionality of the sites, looking at aspects like quality, organization, use of current design trends, ease and pleasure of navigation, provisions for alternative users (the disabled, non-English speakers, etc.), and whether the site achieves its purpose.

And all I can say is that if quality of Web design decided the election, Obama would win in a landslide.

Despite a few minor flubs, Barack Obama’s site is a shining example of the amazing things that can be achieved through the art of Web design. Even so, it doesn’t have that much to teach us, except maybe to pay attention to detail. No, the true lessons lie in John McCain’s attempt.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying you shouldn’t vote for McCain because of shoddy Web design. Clearly the man has a lot to offer the American public — experience, intelligence, an impressive record of service, all that good stuff.

But what if McCain wasn’t running for president? What if he was running a small business instead? If that were the case, a lot fewer people would tolerate the mistakes he made on his Website. And that’s the lesson to take from this. McCain’s Website commits two grievous errors: Trying too hard and not trying hard enough. Instead of wasting time with McCainSpace — a doomed enterprise if ever there was one — he should have concentrated on picking color more wisely. Instead of trying to impress his visitors with hackneyed animations, he should have checked his site for errors. Instead of creating a mediocre site plagued by the same basic design mistakes people have been making since the days of animated GIFs and embedded MIDI players, he should have done his homework on current design trends.

In a way, his site almost mirrors his politics. The self-proclaimed maverick who votes with the current administration the vast majority of the time has created a blasé site that fails to step outside the safe boundaries of Web design, and even repeats a few obvious mistakes. Meanwhile, Obama’s site is poised at the frontier of innovative design, incorporating relevant trends with solid principles and a spirit for experimentation and evolution, all while keeping in mind the most important aspect of any Website — the user.

As far as I’m concerned, that’s the change we need.

McCain’s Funny Faces

what the HELL is with McCain and his tongue?! I don’t even want to think about it, seriously, but c’mon, he is gross!

poor Johnny…looks like he’s going to cry

Why is John McCain so freakin’ awkward!?!

Congratulations You’re RICH!

Ok I don’t know why anyone else isn’t talking about this, but it really disturbed me last night when John McCain addressed Joe the Plumber and said “Congratulations, you’re rich!” as if he was on some game show or something. It weirded me out and I didn’t understand the point. John McCain freaks me out with all his weird gestures and facial expressions and grimaces, but some of the stupid things that come out of his mouth just really throw me for a loop. They leave me cocking my head to the side and saying “huuuuh?” like Scooby Doo. What about you?

If It Looks Like a Duck, Swims Like a Duck, and Quacks Like a Duck, Chances Are….

You Decide!

John McCain’s Anger Management Problem

John McCain’s BEST Can’t Hold a Candle to Barack Obama’s Worst

Enough said….

Sarah Palin Doesn’t Know JACK: Part 1,694

The campaign of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said the Alaska governor was unaware of a visit by Russian energy officials to Anchorage on Monday.

Eight high-level officials from Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy conglomerate, traveled to Anchorage earlier this week to meet with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the chief executive of ConocoPhillips to discuss energy projects and the possibility of expanding into new markets.

The meeting on Alaskan soil comes at a time of chilly relations between Russia and the United States following Russia’s invasion of Georgia in August. Both Palin and John McCain have been critical of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the campaign trail, and Palin raised eyebrows last month in an interview by saying that Putin “rears his head” by dispatching Russian jets into Alaska’s airspace.

Palin has argued that her state’s proximity to Russia, as well as trade missions between Alaska and Russia, have helped give her the foreign policy experience necessary to be Vice President. But the campaign said the governor did not know that the Gazprom delegation was meeting with the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, who is a Palin appointee.