Copyright 2005 - Steal what you wantWed, 16 Jul 2008 10:15:13 GMTWed, 16 Jul 2008 10:15:13 GMTDaily Kos Daily Kos This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.
Media Matters took note of the fact that on Monday GOP strategist Andrea Tantaros again referred to Barack Obama as a "fancy lad" on the July 14 edition of America's Newsroom on Fox News. The first time she did this was July 7 on MSNBC:
Tantaros was discussing the possibility of Obama's speaking in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and called the proposition "risky," adding that "Obama needs some gravitas, and so that's why they're sending him there. He's a fancy lad. He likes fancy language with fancy backdrops. And that's exactly why they're putting him there." On neither MSNBC nor Fox News was her remark challenged by the anchors of the shows. On MSNBC, Democratic strategist David Goodfriend responded to Tantaros by saying: "Well, first of all, just in response to what Andrea said, there isn't a single Ivy League fancy guy on that ticket."
Here's the tubular version.
At Pandagon, Pam Spaulding links to a definition and writes that a "fancy lad" is a "guy who is very 'girly'":
What is it with the GOP and the insistence on gay-baiting? This is the party of closeted, tortured men trolling for sex in airport bathrooms, park restrooms and assaulting fellow Republicans in their sleep with oral sex attacks, yet they persist in trying to tar Dems with the gay label. The taunts are so high school at this point.
Just goes to show how twisted these slugs are with their view that "Muslim" is a smear and "gay" is a smear. Something had to replace "Red," I suppose. It and "your mama wears combat boots" just don't have the punch they used to.
What else will they conjure with the conventions still weeks away?
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The Overnight News Digest has been posted and includes a story on how Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party may be banned by the Constitutional Court on charges of undermining secularism.
This evening's Rescue Rangers are Yashua, Avila, jennyjem, grog, YatPundit and joyful, with Patriot Daily as editor.
dengre offers a fascinating glimpse into Thomas Frank's forthcoming The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule. Prepare to be outraged all over again by Understanding how Conservatives Govern.... (Avila)
Jfriday explains how one teacher's efforts to help "at risk" students caused her suspension in Patriotism and insubordination. (sunspark says)
Dotted Timeline details our Slow death by strangulation, part 2: A shocking account of rising college funds, the struggling middle class, and welfare for the wealthy. (a synthetic cubist)
Brother J provides an extraordinary compendium of health care and human rights news that you won't want to miss in Project Awakening Volume 1, Issue 3. (Avila)
A Siegel introduces us to an environmentally sound candidate for the Senate in Energy Smart Jeff. Read and then send him some money so he can fight the good fight. (jennyjem)
Avenging Angel reviews a "new" book by a presidential contender: "How to Win Wars for Dummies" by John McCain. While the book might be satirical, the quotes seem written for the target audience. (drbcladd)
BenGoshi calls BS on the "Surge is working" meme by pointing out that we're paying insurgents not to kill our troops in Bush: Appeasement, Capitulation, Cowardice. (jennyjem)
AdmiralNaismith presents #23 in his ongoing series exploring the 50-state strategy in Focus On...NEBRASKA!! (sunspark says)
fishbowlAMERICA offers a lovely salute to his grandfather in I Miss You, Granddaddy. (YatPundit)
Ed Tracey celebrates the love and sensitivity he received growing up in An ode to my dear GOP parents. (sunspark says)
First-time diarist Luthien Tinuviel reminds us of Darfur and an unfulfilled promise made during the massacre in Rwanda in Never Again: The Darfur Conflict. (Avila)
Because I know you're still out there, a note to people who think the mortgage crisis is a personal responsibility issue:
On a recent week, the Douglas County Public Trustee received six new filings for $1 million-plus homes entering the foreclosure process.
And it's not just homes.
Senior centers, office buildings and even churches have been forced to deal with the threat of losing their million- dollar real estate to the lenders, forcing them to scramble to escape foreclosure auctions.
For example, the biggest health club in the metro area, the Lakeshore Athletic Club - Flatiron, was in foreclosure for about six months last year, before the $19 million foreclosure was withdrawn, according to public records. - Rocky Mountain News
Nationally, RealtyTrac shows 261,255 properties received foreclosure notices during May -- a 7 percent increase from the previous month and a 48 percent boost from May 2007.
The report also states one in every 483 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing during the month, the highest monthly foreclosure rate since RealtyTrac began issuing the report in January 2005. - mlive.com
To convince any reasonable person this is a personal responsibility issue, you're going to have to come up with a reason why all of a sudden, in the United States, rich people and poor people and people in between and churches and senior centers and health clubs just all spontaneously became really irresponsible, on a historic level. Was it in the air, or the water?
Or was it in the lending practices? New rules approved by the Fed offer a few reminders of shady practices widespread enough to be worth banning:
For all mortgages, prime and subprime, the new rules will:
— Prohibit seven misleading advertising practices, including representing that a rate or payment is "fixed" if it will change over the course of the loan.
— Prohibit advertising in which different loans are compared unless all payments and rates are also disclosed.
— Prohibit foreign-language mortgage ads in which required disclosures are presented in English.
— Prohibit a lender from encouraging or coercing an appraiser to misrepresent a home's assessed value.
Misleading advertising, bullshit appraisals...all things mortgage-holders did to themselves, no doubt.
Want to have fun with polls? This is a great one to play with.
Start with Marc Ambinder earlier today (referring to the Q-poll with Obama up by 9):
Note: be wary of likely voter screens at this early stage; registered voters are usually a bit more palatable.
That's exellent advice, which you can see on display tonight with the the ABC/WaPo poll.
Using the preferred standard of Registered Voters:
7/13/08 (6/08), +/-3
Obama 50 (49) McCain 42 (45)
Of course, if you just look at all adults (less preferred):
7/13/08 (6/08), +/-3
Obama 51 (48) McCain 39 (42)
It's not in the WaPo data, but ABC World News also chose to present likely voters, whio showed a much narrower 3 point lead for Obama. The problem with that is that no one really knows what a likely voter is. ABC (Stephanopolous) purported to show a dropping enthusiasm gap compared to a few months ago, but the WaPo numbers show a steady 75% certain to vote for Obama and 68% for McCain. By, the way, it's a 10 point RV lead for Obama if you include Nader and Barr.
Oh, and George W. Bush is at 28%, lowest ever for this poll.
Under Bush, do you think America's image in the rest of the world has gotten better or gotten worse?
In fact, ABC and the other networks are right that there's a 'close the deal' aspect to these numbers, especially in regard to foreign affairs. However, the dominant issue, as noted this am, is the economy, the consensus 'most important' issue; on that, Obama leads McCain 54-35, and is the poll's key number, along woth the albatross known as George W Bush.
Poll recipients would like Obama to specify more about what 'change' means, and on the whole
The overall political climate still bodes poorly for Republicans this fall, but the presidential race is relatively close in part because of persistent doubts about both candidates. Nearly three-quarters said some things about McCain worry them and nearly two-thirds said so of Obama.
It's only July, and it ain't over. But McCain is getting killed on the economy, and Bush's press conference performancve today isn't going to help.
And take note; for all the doubts about Obama there are more about McCain. Someone should tell ABC News.
