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Tuesday Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 10:58:17 AM EST
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We'll be live blogging the debate tonight, I assume with all hands (J, TLKid, TChris and me.) In the meantime, here is an Open Thread.

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    Tuesday Open Thread | 22 comments (22 topical)

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    Great news (5.00 / 0) (#2)
    by lilburro on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:21:01 AM EST
    from SUSA

    Pennsylvania Whites Switch Horses, and Suddenly Obama is 15 Furlongs Ahead: In an election for President of the United States in Pennsylvania today, 10/07/08, four weeks to the vote, Democrat Barack Obama defeats Republican John McCain 55% to 40%, according to a SurveyUSA tracking poll conducted exclusively for WCAU-TV Philadelphia, KDKA-TV Pittsburgh, WNEP-TV Scranton, WHTM-TV Harrisburg, and WJAC-TV Johnstown. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released twelve days ago, Obama is up 5 points; McCain is down 4.

    Only 2% undecided.  

    Thanks for pointing that out (5.00 / 0) (#3)
    by andgarden on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:23:06 AM EST
    Somehow you got it first!

    Yup, I told you McCain's on ice in PA.

    Parent

    I know, I can't believe (none / 0) (#5)
    by lilburro on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:26:37 AM EST
    I'm the first person to post this.  BTW, the Prop 8 poll below it is not as promising.  :(

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    Already seen that one (none / 0) (#6)
    by andgarden on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:26:59 AM EST
    worrying. . .

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    What is PA's Prop 8? (none / 0) (#10)
    by oculus on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:11:56 PM EST


    Parent
    I think they're referring to CA (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by CST on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:13:13 PM EST
    Which is the gay marriage ban

    Parent
    If so, I have some anecdotal (none / 0) (#12)
    by oculus on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:24:11 PM EST
    evidence.  I was rather surprised to see several equal rights yard signs in my suburban neighborhood.

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    I'd like to think (none / 0) (#13)
    by CST on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:28:46 PM EST
    The success of MA has cooled off some of the opposition.  I know it certainly has in this state, they were no longer able to get the required signatures for the legislature to review the law.  You know, the fact that the sky hasn't fallen in yet and all that.  It's actually become a bit of a tourism generator here.  Lots of couples from NY/NJ come here and throw lavish weddings.

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    I drove past a church (UCC I think) (none / 0) (#14)
    by oculus on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:32:24 PM EST
    displaying a huge banner announcing the church performs same sex weddings for anyone who asks.  Don't need to be a member of the church or any church.  

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    Anybody getting scared of McCain rhetoric? (5.00 / 0) (#4)
    by WS on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:25:27 AM EST
    There's been reports of a Republican/McCain supporter shouting "Terrorist" when McCain asked "who is the real Obama" in NM and the TL post about someone shouting "Kill Him" during the Palin rally.  Then there's the McCain supporter who said "sit down, boy" to a an African American sound person.  

    In what world is that acceptable?

    Thank you BTD (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:03:34 PM EST
    for your morning blogging the past few weeks.  I'm drowning in tax preparation calculations, trying to get everything to the accountant in the next few days.

    The TL kid and I will both join you for the live-blog, I'm pretty sure TChris will too.

    BTD, can you send (none / 0) (#1)
    by jeffinalabama on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:11:21 AM EST
    Auburn a Tebow-like quarterback to help us with our "no calorie spread" offense?

    AIG Hearing (none / 0) (#7)
    by santarita on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 11:58:29 AM EST
    There was a good Waxman committee hearing with a former SEC chief of the Accounting Division and the head of the NY State Insurance Commission.  Interestingly in both yesterday's hearing and today's hearing the number of Democrats present were significantly higher than the Republicans present.  And the Republicans are very upset that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aren't yet the subject of committee hearings.  It's clear that they intend to blame Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (and by extension, the Democrats) for the current crisis.  Most of the Republicans seem more interested in pointing fingers than in trying to figure out what happened and to fix it.  Dennis Kucinich did not cover himself in glory in this hearing.  He obviously wanted to establish that Paulson has an inherent conflict because of his past Goldman Sachs relationship and wouldn't let these two very good witnesses answer the questions.

    The hearing will undoubtedly be replayed and it is quite good in explaining the relationship of mortgage lending and credit default swaps and the failure of internal controls and external regulation.

    They had the former CEO.... (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by kdog on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:56:46 PM EST
    of Lehman Bros on the Hill yesterday, Fuld or Fool or Mudd or something like that.

    I tell ya...not a bad deal, 200-500 million and all you gotta do is get heckled by an angry mob on your way in and out the door, and get scolded by Congressional school-marms for a few hours.  Not a bad deal at all....I'd do it for a fraction...if I wasn't burdened by this damn conscience:)  

    Parent

    AP has an article including (none / 0) (#8)
    by oculus on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 12:03:10 PM EST
    information AIG hid problmes from its own auditors.  

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    LAT editorial on Obama/Ayers (none / 0) (#16)
    by oculus on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 01:31:37 PM EST
    relationship and Palin's comments:

    LAT

    Seems a fair assessment to me.

    It's certainly fair to say (none / 0) (#19)
    by Cream City on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 03:05:10 PM EST
    that they are not "political soul mates."  I cannot imagine, from such descriptions as we have of him as a student, that Obama was the sort who would "pal around" with us in my SDS chapter in the '60s, get tear-gassed marching against the war, etc.  He's too cautious for that, so he certainly would have avoided radicals and anarchists.

    However, it is frustrating to again see the media be so dismissive of the important influence that Ayers has had on Obama, as they are philosophical soul mates on educational issues.  And that ought to matter to Dems, as we time and time again talk about electing "education presidents."  So Obama's philosophies of education -- after a decade on many (not just one) major foundation boards that fund experiments in education -- ought to be more discussed.  Some of those ideas, including some of Ayers' ideas, were disastrous.

    Obama hasn't let on much about his philosophy,  but the implications are evident in interviews and meetings with ed boards, as in my city.  It was a revealing ed board discussion -- but of course, we the people got so much more swept up in horseracing aka polls than in what a pol would do.

    It's another part of his future, based on his past, that is fascinating.  After all, it was a major part of how Obama got into politics -- as an "education legislator" who had chaired, among other boards, the Chicago board that implemented the massive challenge grant that Ayers got.  Has anyone in the media even discussed the results of that challenge that Ayers got and Obama chaired?

    The foundation folded now, but its final report is online in full.  I've read it, but I have yet to find that anyone in the media or on the blogs did.  Instead, it's "look over there!  a bright, shiny poll! a chance to mock Palin!  a chance to talk about the war on terror!"  How about a chance the battlefield for our future as a country, our schools -- and a discussion of Obama's education philosophy, the area where Obama says Ayers did have influence on him?

    Parent

    Here's to the free market! (none / 0) (#17)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 02:31:27 PM EST
    An American Carol finished in 9th place at the box office this weekend.  

    Of course, the freepers are crying foul and talking of plots by 16 y.o. ticket takers to keep people from seeing it.  

    There's just no way it bombed because it is a giant, flaming ball o' crap.

    Kinda interested in seeing it myself.... (none / 0) (#18)
    by kdog on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 02:48:08 PM EST
    not in the theater, this one can definitely wait for DVD...which shouldn't be too long since it's a bomb.

    It's good to poke some fun at your own side of the ideological divide once in awhile...not that I am sure what I believe in anymore:)

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    They couldn't pay me to watch... (none / 0) (#20)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 03:16:08 PM EST
    ...this, not even on DVD in the comfort of my own home.  90 minutes of "Michael Moore is fat" jokes?  No thanks...

    It is sad to think that this is what has become of the man who brought us Airplane.  

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    Shirley, you can't be serious!! (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by kdog on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 03:36:57 PM EST
    Timmy...Do you like movies about Gladiators?..:)

    Maybe I'm more easily amused...if I do get around to checking it out, I'll be sure to tell you how awful it really was my brother.

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    Hey home, I can dig it. (none / 0) (#22)
    by MileHi Hawkeye on Tue Oct 07, 2008 at 03:51:32 PM EST
    I'm guessing it is about a 5 joint kind of flick to find teh funny though.  

    That's a pretty steep price to pay in this economy.

    Parent

    Tuesday Open Thread | 22 comments (22 topical)

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