Posts by Hines Brian

There's been endless post-game discussion about who won last night's presidential debate, most of it meaningless. Wow, no big surprise. Republican spinmeisters claim that McCain kicked Obama's butt, while their Democratic counterparts spin the opposite way. Much more persuasive is what polls and focus groups say. Almost universally, Obama won. And on McCain's home field, foreign policy – which was the focus of the debate.Daily Kos has a good summary of polling results. Conclusion: The focus groups picked up soft, but important data on the debate, and the snap polls show an Obama win. Focus groups pick up the "likeability"…

Having just watched some interviews on CNN about what went on in the White House "summit" meeting this afternoon, it seems clear that John McCain has screwed things up big-time with his political grandstanding. Hopefully voters will remember this come November. Once again, McCain showed that he's a Me First, Country Second guy. Rather than letting negotiations over the financial bailout plan proceed without interjection of presidential politics, McCain swooped into Washington at the last minute in an obvious attempt to save his campaign – not the national economy. This morning, lawmakers seemed to be near a deal on the…

I can balance our checkbook. And that's how I like it: balanced. Where I know how much money we have, and that amount isn't less than the checks we've written. Pretty simple. But somehow all those geniuses on Wall Street and in government can't figure out how to do the same thing. They're used to spending more than they have. Under George Bush, we've had massive federal budget deficits. Not surprisingly, this charge it attitude has been reflected in the financial markets, where "take the money today and don't worry about tomorrow" has been the watchword. This week's TIME magazine…

Dear President Bush, I've been reading about how you want Congress to bail out financial firms that made some wrong choices. This is wonderful news. Because I assume you'll also be open to bailing me out of some stupid things I've done in my life. Next week you want Congress to fork over $700 billion or so of taxpayer dollars to "buy up toxic mortgage-related securities." I'm pleased to inform you that for only a pittance more you can buy up some additional toxic monetary decisions. This would do a lot to get an important sector of the economy back…

I'm for Obama and Biden. So is my wife. As is my daughter. Along with just about everybody else I know. So it's difficult for me to understand how the other side thinks. Being a warm and fuzzy progressive, I thought I'd reach out in this post and try to touch some McCain – Palin supporters. What leads you to believe that the Republican ticket is best for the United States? Which policies favored by McCain, and not by Obama, would get this country back on track? Please, be reality-based. Your opinions need to be backed up by facts. For…

It's a sad turn of events. John McCain used to be all about honor and country. Now he's all about me, me, me – having demonstrated that he's willing to lie his way to gain the presidency. I've lost all respect for the guy. As should the voters. Fortunately, people are starting to wake up from the dream of "McCain, independent maverick." Alarm clocks are buzzing all over the place."McCain Barbs Stirring Outcry as Distortions" The New York Times nails him:Harsh advertisements and negative attacks are a staple of presidential campaigns, but Senator John McCain has drawn an avalanche of criticism this…

It's been kind of a dispiriting week for progressives, having to watch the polls move in McCain's direction. But here's some good news: a new Daily Kos-sponsored tracking poll that has Obama ahead 47% to 45%. Indeed, it feels like the post convention McCain momentum is running down. After all, you can only lie for so long until the bad karma catches up. And the non-critical national media are starting to wake up, thankfully. It'll be interesting to see how Sarah Palin performs when she isn't simply reading her stump speech over and over. Pretty amazing, really. Here's this supposed…

Today I was planning to rant about McCain's Sarah Palin lies – since she was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it – but realized that actually I'm more pissed off at Obama. So this rant's for you, Barack. First off, you're my man. That's why it hurts so much to see you acting like a weenie. It killed me to watch you interviewed on MSNBC yesterday, whiffing the softball questions Keith Olbermann threw at you. Such as: OLBERMANN:  And Governor Palin hired a lobbyist to get earmarks to the tune of $27 million for a 6,000-person…

Hey, I just spent $3.49 on a copy of the September 15 National Enquirer so you don't have to. I was curious if the print story had more details about Sarah Palin's alleged affair. Here's what it says on this subject (leaving out other salacious gossip about her daughter's pregnancy and such): Sarah Palin is hoping to unite America as John McCain's vice president, but her own family is divided in a vicious war that is exposing her darkest secrets and threatens to destroy her political career. One of the incredible charges that has emerged from the family feud is…

The Palin soap opera continues to unfold. Did she or didn't she have an affair? New facts (and guesses) came out today. The National Enquirer hasn't gone beyond its teasing that Palin had some sort of affair. And almost certainly it won't, until the print edition is on newsstands (they're in the fine capitalist business of making money, after all). So the identity of Palin's purported lover is still a mystery. However, an Alaskan blogger says that Sarah Palin had a relationship with her husband's business partner. My sources in Alaska say the incident occurred in mid 1990s, right around…

Ooh, ooh! Please let it be true! National Enquirer cover: "Sarah Palin's DARK SECRETS! Affair that nearly ruined her career" Well, it won't be nearly, if this turns out to be true. The Enquirer had the goods on John Edwards way before anyone else did. Naturally the McCain campaign is calling the story a "vicious lie." That's always the first response, so I don't give the denial much credence. I like the National Enquirer's response: "The National Enquirer's coverage of a vicious war within Sarah Palin's extended family includes several newsworthy revelations, including the resulting incredible charge of an affair…

Ah, just the thing to liven up a Labor Day. The blogosphere is buzzing with the notion that Sarah Palin's recently born child isn't really hers. This possibility took a hit when it was announced that her 17 year old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant – since some speculated that the baby was Bristol's. Portland blogger Jack Bogdanski is on the story. His first post today was "Another web page connected to the Sarah Palin scandal disappears." This is curious. If there's nothing to the not-Sarah's-baby speculation, why would photos of her pregnancy and the baby's birth be disappearing? Bogdanski's follow…

It's too bad that Republican V.P. candidate Sarah Palin is wrong for America on so many issues. Creationism: favors teaching it. Global climate change: denies humans are a cause.Abortion: rejects it even in cases of rape or incest.Polar bears: who cares? Because…she's hot! (To my 59 year old eyes, she's a youthful 44 year old babe.) And she's been right on a few things -- like her admitted use of marijuana, including inhaling, when pot was legal in Alaska. If Joe Biden's brain could be put in her body, that'd make for a much more attractive Obama administration. Unfortunately, this…

Once you contribute to the Obama campaign, you've got a daily email friend. Sometimes I find the requests for additional donations off-putting. Not today. They wanted me to max out our pre-nomination giving (deadline is midnight tonight). At first I wasn't sure whether we could afford it. But then I thought of watching Obama's historic nomination by acclamation yesterday. Many black delegates to the convention were moved to tears. How far this country has come, they told a CNN reporter. Oh, yes. For sure. Laurel and I were talking last night about the civil rights movement in the '60s, which,…

Waiting for Hillary Clinton's big moment at the Democratic convention tonight, I'm trying to get my head around this question: how could any of her supporters be for McCain (or not vote) rather than be for Obama? It's crazy, just the thought that someone who is for a woman's right to choose and universal health care (to name a few of Clinton's progressive positions) would cast their lot with a pro-Bush Republican who vows to stack the Supreme Court with justices who will undo Roe v. Wade and pursue a half-assed market-based health policy. Yet today the New York Times…

OK, go ahead and call me a flip-flopper. I call it "changing my mind." Joe Biden looks good to me now as a V.P. pick, after I trashed him in a one-liner a few days ago. That smile will take down the ticket. Talks too much. Yawn. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. At least, based on what I saw of Biden at his big introduction in Illinois today. I liked what he said; I liked how he said it; I liked the energy he brought to the Obama campaign. Regarding his smile and loquaciousness, I read in a David Brooks column:…