Monday, September 22, 2008

Wall Street Crisis Gives Preview of 'President McCain' Under Pressure. Not a Pretty Picture


Last week was not a good week for Sen. John McCain. It began on Monday, amid a 500+ point stock market drop and news of Lehman Brothers' and Merrill Lynch's bankruptcies, when the curmudgeonly 72-year-old Republican presidential nominee incredibly declared that "the fundamentals of the economy are strong." "

Exactly one week later, on NBC's "Today" show, McCain said, "We are in the most serious crisis since World War II."

What happened in-between was the McCain camp's realization that, in a time of great national crisis, their candidate demonstrated a glaring and embarrassing lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation, and an inexcusable disconnect with the financial pain and suffering of Mr. and Mrs. Average American (an interesting side note is the Newsweek report issued Monday that the McCains own a total of 13 cars--two of which are foreign--while "the elitist" Sen. Barack Obama owns just one...a Ford hybrid).

The meltdown on Wall Street last week was not the only one. We got a glimpse of "President McCain" under fire, and man, it wasn't pretty. What came into question was McCain's temperament, judgement and resolve, and what effect he could or would have on the American people in times of crisis. In his first real test, he failed miserably. In various press conferences and campaign speeches, he came off testy, agitated and confused. He was quick to point fingers and assign blame, first calling for the baseless firing of SEC Chairman Chris Cox, and then in another angry, befuddled moment saying the head if the "FEC" (Federal Election Commission) should be canned. Hey Gramps, why stop there? Let's also dump the head of the EEC (European Economic Community), the CEC (Council for Exceptional Children) and the OEC (Oregon Environmental Council). I hate to say it, but are we starting to see what it means to be a 72-year-old politician in the line of fire? Is this a scary foreshadowing of things to come should McCain win in November and become the oldest president in U.S. history? I'm sorry, but I want my president lucid.

The last thing a U.S. president should do when tragedy or crisis strikes is to play the blame game. It does nothing to solve the problem, it heightens the tension and fans the flames, fails to reassure and calm a worried public, and is anything but presidential. And that's exactly what we got from "President McCain."

Additionally, there was the endless barrage of lies and deception coming from the GOP hopeful. His repeated attempts to attribute Wall Street's mess to Obama was counter-productive and disingenuous. Mind you, this is the same Obama who's been accused by McCain of being unfit for office because he's got little Washington experience, yet who's apparently been around D.C. long enough to be responsible for single-handedly causing the financial crisis.

Poor McCain. When he's not putting his own foot in his mouth he's forced to ingest the smelly appendages of others...like his former disgraced economic surrogates Phil Gramm and Carly Fiorina. Gramm came under fire months ago for accusing Americans of "whining" about the "mental recession" they've been imagining in their overreacting heads. Then last week Fiorina, the former embattled Hewlett-Packard CEO, informed the media that her boss wasn't qualified to run a major U.S. corporation like HP. His choice of teammates certainly doesn't demonstrate the kind of sound judgement we'd expect from someone who could be assembling a presidential cabinet in just a few short months.

McCain's words and actions last week were those of a panicked, desperate warrior who's recklessly spraying his last rounds of ammo in every direction hoping he'll take out a bunch of enemy fighters and somehow find himself the victor. It was, and continues to be, painful to watch. His body tenses stiffly, his neck drops into his shoulders like a turtle, he snarls and completely loses his humor. He becomes the temperamental John McCain that, to many, is legendary in Washington, even among his Republican peers.

John McCain is an angry man, and we got to see that last week. It was also evident the prior week during what was his toughest interview to-date, which came from the fiery ladies of ABC's The View. The tag-team of Barbara Walters and Joy Behar had the crusty candidate on the ropes several times, and he appeared literally seconds away from snapping.

Now in this same week, Obama appeared very presidential. He was a calming, assuring presence in a sea of economic madness. He was poised, confident and never lost his cool. And while McCain's been getting his advice from controversial buffoon's like Gramm and Fiorina, Obama's surrounded himself with highly-respected financial gurus like former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker and former Treasury Secretaries Robert Rubin and Lawrence Summers. He's a brilliant strategist who thinks the issues through and has an appreciation for the details and nuances of each.

To be sure, America needs a president who provides leadership, inspiration and a steady hand under pressure. America does not need another cocky, arrogant, petulant, impulsive, derisive, insecure, shoot-first-ask-questions-later president with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove.


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39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paul Volcker and Robert Rubin are part of the problem, not the solution.

Anonymous said...

Joe Biden has a 'sniper' moment!

Joe Biden has repeatedly been telling anyone who will listen that his helicopter was "forced down" in Afghanistan.

"If you want to know where Al Qaeda lives, you want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me," Biden said. "Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down, with a three-star general and three senators at 10,500 feet in the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are."

Biden implies that his helicoptor was 'forced down' by Al Qaeda, but in reality it was 'forced down' by snow!

Stay tuned to Biden. Next week he plans on telling us about the time he faced down the Russians ... and drank a shot of vodka.

Anonymous said...

Democrat Chris Dodd has spent more than 27 years in the Senate, preceded by six years in the House. He has been a member of the Senate Banking Committee for 26 years, and chairman of that committee for the last two years.

In 2003, Countrywide Financial, the nation's largest home mortgage lender, provided the senator more than $780,000 in favorable-rate mortgage loans on his Washington and Connecticut homes.

"To suggest somehow that [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] are in trouble is simply not accurate," said Dodd on CNN July 13, 2008.

This month Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's weak condition and their importance obliged the U.S. government to agree to infuse up to $100 billion of taxpayer money in each, as part of a takeover and rescue.

Dodd was the top recipient of Fannie and Freddie campaign contributions from 1988 to 2008, followed by Democratic U.S. Sens. John Kerry, BARACK OBAMA, and Hillary Clinton.

What did Barack Obama know about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and when did he know it ?

Anonymous said...

Joe Biden calls Obama's attack ads against John McCain 'terrible'

Most people know that John McCain cannot use computer keyboards due to his POW torture injuries. Either Barack Obama doesn't care or he didn't take the time to investigate the claims of his attack ads.

"I thought that was terrible, by the way," Biden said.

Asked why it was done, he said: "I didn't know we did it and if I had anything to do with it, we'd have never done it."

Anonymous said...

Hey Andy and crew..dont you just love the way Republican skunks love to change the subject? You talk about McCain's lack of knowledge and they repeat some half truth they heard on the Rush Limbaugh comedy hour! Note the first two posters
These arrogant, ignorant hateful people and their poster boy for national ignorance, George Bush, started by stealing the election of 2000, then allowed the worst terrorist attack in history to occur on our soil,led us into a war for no good reason and now, thanks to their deregulation of the banking industry. have again brought about a crisis that they want to saddle on the backs of middle America! Yup they deregulate and we pay for their reckless speculation!
Now they are putting words in Bidens mouth.. The bottom line is these people are fascists at heart and any means including lies, hate mongering, cronyism, outing secret agents, racism, sexism, fake outrage, politicizing the Justice Department, nominating a joke for a VP or whatever is okay with them as long as it advances their cause and they can get the dumb downed crowd cheering "USA USA" with Sean Hannity waving the baton!
And one final note. Just because John McCain was a POW doesnt mean he is qualified to be President but at least he is given more respect by Democrats than Repubs gave Max Cleland or John Kerry.

Anonymous said...

If Bush "...allowed the worst terrorist attack in history to occur on our soil" in the first 8 months of his first term, then the Democrat-led Congress is at fault for allowing the financial crisis during their 2 year control of both Houses.

Show me one bill vetoed by Bush from the Democrat-led Congress that would have prevented the current financial crisis. YOU CANT!

In fact 2 months ago Democrat Chris Dodd (Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee) told us:

"To suggest somehow that [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] are in trouble is simply not accurate," said Dodd on CNN July 13, 2008.

Thanks for calling conservatives "fascists". It shows that you have already lost the argument.

Anonymous said...

Both parties are rotten and both are full of crooks, liars and cheats. We can't trust the Democrats or the Republicans because both parties are to blame. THey're all either stupid or mean or traitors. Lowering credit requirements started with Clinton by the way. And of course the Repulicnas are guilty, too. Obama cannot be trusted not to cave,as he's alreaady done, to the Repulicans or even other countries. So as a very cynical American, I'm going to gamble on McCain.

Anonymous said...

"Now they are putting words in Bidens mouth."

Actually all the quotes from Biden in this thread are right out of Biden's mouth, are in-context, and have reputable sources.

Anonymous said...

The Republicans have been in control of the House, Senate and White House for 6 of the last 8 years. The Dems are barely in control. They need 60 votes to overide a veto. The Repubs in the Senate filibuster everything and are the ones to blame.

McCain's economic advisor Phil Gramm wrote the deregulation laws.

And we now see that Americans rightly blame the Republicans for this grave financial mess we are in.

How anyone could vote for the old geezer and the bimbo is beyond me.

Only old white folks support McCain. The rest of the country wants to move on and forward.

Wake up old white folks!!!!

Anonymous said...

If Bush is responsible for 9/11 because it happened on his watch during the first 8 months of his administration, even though the Clinton Administration did nothing against Al Qaeda in 8 years, then the Democrats are responsible for the financial crisis happening on their watch. They have had control of both houses for 2 years and did nothing.

You claim that the Republicans blocked all the Democrats measures - show some proof! YOU CAN'T!

Just two months ago, Democrat Chris Dodd said, "To suggest somehow that [Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] are in trouble is simply not accurate," said Dodd on CNN July 13, 2008.

Chris Dodd is head of the Senate Banking Committee. He is also the number one recipient of Fannie Mae and Fannie Mac campaign donations. Barack Obama was the number 3 recipient of Fannie Mae and Fannie Mac campaign Donations (Kerry & Hillary Clinton are numbers 2 & 4, respectively).

Joe Biden voted in support of the Phil Gramm legislation

In 2005 John McCain warned, "I join as a cosponsor of the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, S. 190, to underscore my support for quick passage of GSE regulatory reform legislation. If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole."

Anonymous said...

Joe Biden Puts Franklin Roosevelt on TELEVISION and in the White House during the Great Depression!!

Joe Biden is just making this too easy. Barack Obama wants to put THIS GUY ??? a heartbeat away from Commander-In-Chief ??

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed," Biden told Couric. "He said, 'Look, here's what happened.'"

Anonymous said...

Furthermore, Hank Paulson made the authority of the trillion dollar bailout transferrable to the next administration. That would certainly put all of our money in Phil Gramm's grimy mitts.

Anonymous said...

Under Bush's watch 4 life changing events:

9/11
Iraq
Katrina
Financial Mess

McCain voted 90% of the time with Bush.

How could anyone in their right mind vote for McCain and his very unqualified vp Palin?

Anonymous said...

So just how do you measure the percentage of times that McCain is voting "with" the president?

Perhaps you could measure the number of times that a Senator votes with the Republican members.

Ahhh ... but remember: most Senate votes are unanimous or close to unanimous. This would mean that the only way not to "vote with the president" would be not to vote at all.

Below is a series of important issues on which Bush and McCain did not agree:

* McCain fought for campaign finance reform — McCain-Feingold — that Bush resisted and ultimately signed because he had no choice.

* McCain led the battle to restrict interrogation techniques of terror suspects and to ban torture.

* McCain went with Joe Lieberman on a tough measure to curb climate change, something Bush denies is going on.

* McCain opposed the Bush tax cuts when they passed.

* McCain urged the Iraq surge, a posture Bush rejected for years before conceding its wisdom.

* McCain favors FDA regulation of tobacco and sponsored legislation to that effect, a position all but a handful of Republican senators oppose.

* McCain's energy bill, also with Lieberman, is a virtual blueprint for energy independence and development of alternate sources.

* After the Enron scandal, McCain introduced sweeping reforms in corporate governance and legislation to guarantee pensions and prohibit golden parachutes for executives. Bush opposed McCain's changes and the watered-down Sarbanes-Oxley bill eventuated.

* McCain has been harshly critical of congressional overspending, particularly of budgetary earmarks, a position Bush only lately adopted (after the Democrats took over Congress).

Using the same methodology you would probably find that most Democrat senators also voted with Bush 90% of the time.

Anonymous said...

in regards to biden...the posters are correct...during the couric interview, he stuck his foot in his mouth repeatedly...and this is why i was against his nomination from the start...the guy cant help it

Anonymous said...

btw, the line that mccain cannot use a computer because of his injuries is bs

if he can walk around a stage holding a mic, he can use a keyboard and a mouse

as for mccain fighting bush...i believe that you people will see that he has reversed his stance on almost everything

oh, and the surge never worked...if it did, why are there still 4 million iraqis who refuse to return home?

Anonymous said...

"if he can walk around a stage holding a mic, he can use a keyboard and a mouse"

Walking and holding a round object require completely different hand/body positions from typing on a keyboard and using a mouse.

"oh, and the surge never worked"

You are delusional. Even Obama has said the surge of U.S. troops has "succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."

Anonymous said...

Obama voted with Bush on spying, church involved with the state, drilling and killing the innocent (just a different group of innocents). Obama broke all those promises he made during the primary. He is a liar and a closet Republican.

Anonymous said...

12:51 You are what's wrong with Obama's supporters who probably support his core beliefs. You're smug, arrogant, a racist, a misogynist and ageist. You hate old white people and women of any age probably of any color. That's why Obama won't win. There aren't enough such mean-spirted people in our country.

Anonymous said...

All with normal intelligence know there were no TV's during FDR's presidency. Biden may have early onset Alzheimer's. Do we want to risk his being President?

Sidney Condorcet said...

Yeah, 4:07 PM, Republicans are 100% cheerful, optimistic, kind people. Not a mean-spirited person among them.

The lack of intellectual seriousness exhibited by your post is an example of the average Bush voter (to be just as partisan and just as intellectually dishonest as you were...)

Anonymous said...

Then, Obama has experience that McCain doesn't have with crooks like Rezko, prick.

Anonymous said...

The Keating 5 Senators

Alan Cranston (D-CA)
Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ)
Donald W. Riegle (D-MI)

John Glenn (D-OH) - CLEARED
John McCain (R-AZ) - CLEARED

Sidney Condorcet said...

Palin is fucking retarded and has yet (what's it been, a month?) to give an actual press conference.

She is Bush in a skirt. Devoid of intellectual curiosity. A "decider" who doesn't really dig "thinking". A censor of books. An abuser of power (cheney redux?). A christianist who wishes creationism taught in science class. knows jack squat about foreign policy. An empty vessel to be used by neoconservatives. And she's a serial liar.

Sure, Biden is gaffe prone. But he's big league. Palin's primary qualifications are: 1) she's a woman; 2) she's an uber-christian; 3) she's a "regular person", hockey mom, etc...; 4) Like Bush, she'll be easily manipulated by much smarter people...

So yeah, 4:12pm, the possibility of Biden becoming President should terrify us, while Palin is comforting. I've always thought that America needed a hockey-mom president who can hunt. That'll solve everything...

Anonymous said...

Yay! Sidney is back to trash a female. It's been a few days Sidney, were you having misogyny-withdrawal ?

Anonymous said...

No one was even talking about Palin, except for Sidney the misogynist.

Sidney Condorcet said...

Why don't you quit posting as "anonymous", douche? Come out into the sunshine for awhile. Oh yeah, you can't, what with the authorities looking for you due to the various molestation charges...

Anonymous said...

Sidney is not a mysogonist...People were demeaning Biden so he returned the favor...relax people..

Sidney Condorcet said...

Who's mysoginist? Oh yeah, McCain is...remember that Chelsea Clinton joke that also ridiculed Janet Reno? Remember him calling his wife a c*nt in front of reporters?

Oh yeah and McCain and Palin both do not think women have the right to make fundamental reproductive choices on their own. TALK ABOUT MYSOGONY! Palin is against choice EVEN IN CASES OF RAPE OR INCEST! Wow, McCain and Palin really hate women or at least think so little of them.

Mr. Anonymous is a Mysogonist himself b/c he apparently believes that women are so brittle and in need of protection that any criticism of a women is tantamount to "women bashing." Anonymous has a very, very low opinion of women it seems, which is quite sad. Luckily, Anonymous will never find a women foolish enough to date and marry him.

Anonymous said...

Palin is a mysogonist and Obama is a racist

Anonymous said...

Just do a google search against the ostroyreport.blogspot.com site and sidney's name. You will see that almost all of his posts are attacking females:

1. Hillary Clinton
2. Lynn Forester de Rothschild
3. Governor Palin

Instead of attacking their politics, he calls them "retards" and other ugly names.

Anonymous said...

This has become ridiculous so I must say something.

I've read this blog for about a year.

And I've seen Sidney's posts wax and wane over time.
I don't approve of his childish language.

But I don't think he's "attacked" females in the way the anonymous repeatedly, and annoyingly, suggests. I've never read a sexist remark at all. He was certainly an Obama supporter, but that doesn't mean he's sexist, right? Anonymous seems to suggest that if one doesnt support the woman candidate, then that person is sexist. Anonymous clearly has no clue what sexism and mysogony actually is. It's quite embarassing.

I've read many Sidney posts, in fact, that have absolutely nothing to do with females. So I disagree with Anonymous saying "almost all of his posts are attacking females"...I imagine that if Sidney was going to challenge something that Senator Boxer or Feinstein said, this little obnoxious anonymous would say Sidney was "attacking a female". Anonymous is out of his mind. Women can't handle being challenged. Women aren't in need of protecting from any and all criticism. Go back to the 17th century, Anonymous 5:13pm.

Anonymous said...

Andy,

When, oh when are you going to write detailed reasons why people should vote for Obama? Reasons that do not include the name Bush or refer to the GOP? All you do is trash McCain and Palin (and Bush who is not running).

What are the reasons to vote Obama? What is the case for Obama? Is there one?

Anonymous said...

I have seen that picture all over of McCain gnashing his teeth like he is angry. Does anybody know the context of when it was taken? I can't imagine him making that face unless it were in jest.

Anonymous said...

6:29 Another trick of Sidney's is to write another post under another name. You are undoubtedly Sidney, doing this trick. For one thing misogyny is not spelled correctly in either of your posts. If you were another poster surely one of you would know how to spell the word which is the topic of dispute,

Sidney does not "challenge" women he demeans them. Just as blacks are not "challenged" when called "uppity", "boy" or any number of other words; women are not "challenged" when they're called "c'nt"; "bitch", "bimbo"
"ho" and when their appearance or laugh are made fun of.

And there is more than one "anonymous" who objects to his sexism.

Anonymous said...

Someone suggested on TV that Obama may dump Biden and get Hillary to run as vp. That would be the end of Obama's chance for President as it would reflect extremely poor judgment and principle; and it would ruin Hillary's chances in 2012 if she "caved" after her humiliation and mistreatment by Obama. She would be like a "battered wife" returning to the abuser.

Sidney Condorcet said...

"women are not "challenged" when they're called "c'nt"; "bitch", "bimbo"
"ho" and when their appearance or laugh are made fun of."
--Anonymous, 9:57pm

Finally, I get from you a description of what is improper "bashing" of women, of what is misogyny. Now, please indicate when and how many times I've called either Sen. Clinton, Gov. Palin, de Rothschild or any other female politician, pundit, or activist, a "bimbo" or "b*tch or "ho" or "c*nt". Exactly, you cannot do such a thing because i've never written any such demeaning quality. I have challenged Sen. Clinton as to certain statements she's made or her electability or the legacy of the 90's, etc.. and I've challenged Palin on her credentials, intellectual capabilities, various lies etc., as I've done with John McCain. No misogyny there, sonny. By your own definition, I do not meet the standards.

Thank you, come again.

Sidney Condorcet said...

Haha, the case is closed? Usually a case is closed once a side presents evidence...

It is true that I called Palin a "fucking retard." But your constant, nagging criticism of me has to do with gender bias. Now, my mocking of Palin's intelligence is based on exactly that...intelligence. Just as I've made the same comment about George W. Bush.

Also, never made the blanket statement that Palin, as a woman, should "stay home and take care of her children" as you put it. I questioned whether it's really a good idea for a parent (this goes for men, too) with a NEWBORN CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS to take on a job that would require 18 hour days, constant traveling, etc.

By your very own definition, I do not stand guilty of misogyny. So, the case is now indeed closed. You have failed to make a persuasive argument. And you have repeatedly wasted my time and distracted readers of this blog from focusing on the pressing issues of the day.

Now, return from the hole you crawled out of.

Anonymous said...

I can actually feel the hate spewing from Sidney's comments.What a shame