The Republican Jihad

In the light of Home Depot founder and former CEO announcing that those who oppose Republicans should be shot, here is a fantastic look at how mainstream personalities are inciting hatred.  It’s really good, but I will warn that it takes about 60 seconds to ramp up. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGn9F1Jw24U&NR=1

More Republican Implosion

More implosion from the Republicans. 

 This is what Home Depot’s founder Bernie Marcus said on a conference call on November 18, 2008:

If a retailer has not gotten involved with this, if he has not spent money on this election, if he has not sent money to Norm Coleman and these other guys,” Mr. Marcus said, apparently referring to Republican senators facing tough re-election fights, then those retailers “should be shot; should be thrown out of their goddamn jobs.

That’s right – Disagree with the Republicans, the call goes out from the powerful that your life should be ended.  (Go to the wrong church and the powerful preach that your soul will be banished to hell). 

Enjoy shopping at Home Depot. 

 This is NOT the only call for violence against those opposing the Republicans. It’s been sent from the Bush white house and carried out by the people in the movie below who, on mainstream media outlets, call for violence against non-Republicans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGn9F1Jw24U&NR=1 
And in churches from the great white north to ole south (Alaska to NC), leaders in mainstream churches are preaching damnation from the pulpit.  These aren’t fringe churches with services in someone’s basement.  Of the two that come to mind for preaching damnation to non-Republicans, the first church is the fastest growing demonination in the US (Pentecostal) and the second church is the largest demonination in the US. 
 
The 2nd largest terrorist attack on US soil was carried out in 1995 by American conservative extremists who believed the ‘liberal’ federal government was taking away their 2nd ammendment rights. 

In July of 2008 a man opened fire in a church during a children’s performance saying “all liberals should be killed.”

It’s Time to Give Voters the Liberalism They Want
Don’t believe pundits who say there’s a centrist mandate

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122705706314639537.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
http://openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=10025

Chrysler…tsk tsk

If the company executives have done such a piss-poor job of running the company that it is now going bankrupt, then by definition they should not be receiving “bonuses”.  In fact, if a bailout is given – the first requirement should be termination of top management.  Any bonuses that were promised are now cancelled (should be cancelled), just like they cancel pensions, shifts, and careers of those below them.  Chrysler Execs, you are pathetic – shoving Chrysler’s money in their own pocket with one hand and then trying to reach into the tax-payer’s pocket with their other hand. 

As for our tax dollars being used to replaced millions of undeserved bonuses??  F Chrysler.  Any bailout money intended to go there should be directed to people working at Chrysler in the form of training/education reimbursement, relocation reimbursement, or welfare/healthcare extension. 

We cannot allow businesses to run themselves poorly and then turn to the tax-payer to rescue them. 

Chrysler is asking the government for a bailout. It’s laying off employees and cutting salaries. It’s a company in trouble.

Oh yeah, it’s also paying $30 million in bonuses to dozens of top executives.

That’s the end result of a poorly-timed plan to keep Chrysler together as it was being sold. The company didn’t want top executives to leave during the transition, so it promised big money for people who stuck around. Now, Chrysler is asking the government for billions of dollars in aid while it writes million-dollar bonus checks out to A-list employees. How’s that for awkward?

Sarah Palin – what a mistake

Successful campaigns are what one team did right, combined with what the other side did wrong.  As I mentioned, I think the Palin choice was the biggest mistake.  Here’s what Julian Zelizer has to say:

Team McCain ran a campaign that ranks on the bottom of this list. This was an aimless and chaotic operation made worse by poor choices at key moments.

Their first mistake was picking Gov. Sarah Palin. Though in the first week following her selection, Palin energized the conservative base of the GOP, she became a serious drag on the ticket.

This turned into one of the worst picks since McGovern selected Thomas Eagleton, a Missouri senator who withdrew after revealing that he had gone through electroshock therapy and suffered from “nervous exhaustion.” By picking Palin, McCain simultaneously eliminated his own best argument against Senator Obama—the limited experience of his opponent—while compounding his own most negative image, that of someone who was erratic and out of control. The pick also fueled the feeling that grew throughout September and October that the Republican candidate was willing to take any step necessary to win the campaign. The Palin pick made every decision that followed seem purely political.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/167561

4 Days that Killed the McCain Campaign

Daniel Gross of Slate writes about 3 days that he says killed McCain’s campaign in an excellent and to-the-point essay last night.  I think he’s exactly right – but I think he left out one very important date that crippled the campaign: August 29th.

On August 29th, John McCain announced his first “presidential” decision – the choice of a running mate.  While the shiny new wrapper was impressive for a couple of weeks, it did not last.  As Gross says of September 15th, this date was also a twin killer.  First, the thought of the uninformed, power-abusing, bible-thumping, ultra-right-winger as the President of the USA hurt the campaign.  Because this decision was John’s, and John’s alone, it also reflects very poorly on his judgement and decision makig process. 

His other 3 dates were also disasterous: Proclaiming the economy is still strong, halting his campaign but accomplishing nothing, and using the 3rd debate to regail voters with the economic insight of Joe Wurzelbacher. 

September 24, 2008
The Day John McCain Lost the Election
http://www.slate.com/id/2203763/?GT1=38001

Obama, the President!

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