Here is a pic of my campaign bag...My Campaign Bag

The debate last night went well. I especially liked the look of frustration + on McCain's face while Barack remained calm and composed as John McCain went after him. The other thing I want to post is from yesterday's New York Times...excerpts from "Poll Says McCain Hurts His Bid by Using Attacks.

 "The McCain campaign's recent angry tone and sharply personal attacks on Senator Barack Obama appear to have backfired and tarnished Senator John McCain mor than their intended target, the latest New York Times/CBS News poll has found.

After several weeks in which the McCain campaign unleashed a series of strong political attacks on Mr. Obama, trying to tie him to a former 1960's radical, among other things, the poll found that more voters see Mr. McCain as waging a negative campaign than Mr. Obama. Six in 10 voters surveyed said that Mr. McCain had spent moare time attacking Mr. Obama than explaining what he would do as president; by about the same number, voters said Mr. Obama was spending more of his time explaining than attacking.

Over all, the poll found that if the election were held today, 53% of those determined to be probable voters said they would vote for Mr. Obama and 39% said they would vote for Mr. McCain.

 ......

Voters who said their opinions of Mr. Obama had changed recently were twice as likely to say they had grown nore favorable as to say they had worsened. And voters who said that their views of Mr. McCain had changed were three times more likely to say that they had worsened than to say they had improved.

The top reasons cited by those who said they thought less of Mr. McCain were his recent attacks and his choice of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate....With the election unfolding against the backdrop of an extraordinary economic crisis, a lack of confidence in government, and two wars, the survey described a very inhospitiable environment for any Republican to run for office. More than 8 in 10 Americans do not trust the government to do what is right, the highest ever recorded in a Times/CBS News poll. And Mr. McCain is trying to keep the White House in Republican hands at a time when President Bush's job approval rating is at 24%, hovering near its historic low.

 ...

After several weeks in which the McCain campaign sought to tie Mr. Obama to William Ayers, a founder of the Weather Underground terrorism group, 64% of voters said that they had either read or heard something about the subject. But a marority said they were not bothered by Mr. Obama's background or past associations. Serveral people said in follow-up interviews that they felt that Mr. McCain's attacks on Mr. Obama were too rooted in the past, or too unconnected to the nation's major problems.

What bothers me is that McCain initially talked about running a campaign on issues and I want to hear him talk about the issues," said Flavio Lorenzoni, a 59-year-old independent from Manalapan, N.J. "But we're being contantly bombarded with attacks that aren't relevant to making a decision about what direction McCain would take the country. McCain hasn't addressed the real issues. He's only touched on them very narrowly. This is a time when we need to address issues much more clearly than they ever have been in the past."

 ...

...roughly 7 in 10 voters said Mr. Obama had the right kind of temperament and personality to be president; just over half said the same of Mr. McCain.

Mr. Obama's supporters continued to be more enthusiastic about him than Mr. McCain's supporters, the poll found, and more of those surveyed said they had confidence in Mr. Obama than in Mr. McCain to make the right decisions about the economy and health care. And while mor than 6 in 10 said Mr. Obama understood the needs and problems of people like them, more than half sanid Mr. McCain did not.

Motivation is very important, and thus my simple religion is love, respect for others, honesty: teachings that cover not only religion but also the fields of politics, economics, business, science, law, medicine-everywhere. With proper motivation these can help humanity…

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama

QUEEN’S COMMENTS ON MY FAVORITE ECONOMIST, DEAN BAKER
Well, I’ve spent this entire day writing and posting almost exclusively  put-downs of Sarah Palin, John McCain and their campaign–all true and verifiable facts, but nasty nonetheless.  This is necessary because we must match their attacks 3 to 1 to keep the propaganda under control and their BS to zero effectiveness.  It does matter what goes out into the blogosphere.  But now as it nears my bed time, I’ll make my last post a more cheerful one and on a topic that I like–economics and Dean Baker whose opinions I most often agree with.

                             **********************************************************

Dean Baker is the co-director of The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).  He is the author of “The Conservative Nanny State:  How the Wealthy Use the Government to Stay Rich and Get Richer”   www.conservativenannystate.org .  He also has a blog,  ”Beat the Press” , on American Prospect where he discusses the media coverage of economic issues.

NOTE:  IF YOU GO TO DEAN’S CONSERVATIVE NANNY SITE YOU CAN DOWN LOAD A PDF VERSION OF HIS BOOK–worth the read and it is definitely an exception to the rule that “nothing is free”  –as long as you don’t print it out and waste paper.

Here is the link to Dean’s blog:  http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/beat_the_press

Now about that article which I just read in Truthout:
http://www.truthout.org/100608B

 QUEEN’S COMMENTS on:  “If the shoe fits, wear it.”

I continue to get validation for my homilies about the Republican newspeak strategy again and again:  Look to what they are claiming that others are doing and you can rest assured that the shoe most likely does not fit their opponent nearly as neatly as it fits them.

Amazing, isn’t it the nerve (stupidity?) of Sarah Palin to try to make Obama into a terrorist because of the remote connection between Barack Obama and terrorist from the ‘60’s? (William Ayers is a man who committed his crime when Obama was 8 years old, a man who had lived a life of 30 years as a decent citizen before Obama ever met him.) Yet, Sarah Palin has much closer connections to a terrorist organization.

For you see, Joe Vogler, the founder of the group of which Todd Palin was a member from 1995 to 2002, had planned to appear before the United Nations to denounce United States “tyranny” before the entire world and to demand Alaska’s freedom. The Alaska secessionist had persuaded the government of Iran to sponsor his anti-American harangue. Yes, Iran.

Here is the interesting story regarding Sarah Palin’s involvement with this terrorist group. It was written by David Talbot and recently appeared in Salon. It is legitimate and easily verifiable by many sources. It might explain why Ms Palin decided to pull back on her attacks of Obama and his association with William Ayers.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/10/07/palins_unamerican/

The Queen has also posted a few items on this topic as well. Here is one link:

Forget the kitchen sink and throw the bathroom toilet at them:

http://iflizwerequeen.com/?p=629

Last night in the debate Obama mentioned that McCain's would tax Americans for their healthcare.  Tonight on Olbermann, Bob Herbert on the New York Times was on the show talking about this same issue and both were expressing surprise that more people were not hollering about it.  The Queen also wonders the same thing.  Two days ago on Oct 6, I posted the following on my website.  [I swear, sometimes I think that some of the pundits actually read my website.  Tonight Herbert actually even used by $12,000 figure that I used an example for insurance for a family of four.  I know it's probably just a coincidence. . . ]

 http://iflizwerequeen.com/?p=622

QUEEN’S COMMENTS

There are two cynical and “more of the same” points to John McCain’s heathcare plan.

1.  McCain would tax health benefits for the first time in the history of our nation.  Right now, if you get health benefits from your company, those benefits are not taxed.  With McCain’s plan, those benefits would be taxed.  In other words, whatever value the corporation you work for wants to attach to your health benefits, it can and will.  So, if you make $60,000 and your company says that your health benefits for you and your family are worth $12,000 (family of four), then voila!  The income that you are taxed on becomes not $60,000 but rather $72,000!

2. McCain’s plan would dismantle state-based regulations and tie the hands of people who are involved in consumer protection.

More of the same looking the other way while corporate America robs Americans blind.  If you think that the gymnastics performed by healthcare insurance companies to deny claims now are bad, then you better hang onto your St. Christopher medal if McCain is elected.  The only “rights” that consumers will have under McCain’s Republican leadership will be the right to make insurance companies richer than they already are.

Happy Birthday to our favorite Congressman

Today, October 8th, is Congressman Dennis Kucinich's birthday, and all of us in the campaign are pausing for just a moment to say "Happy Birthday, Dennis. Thank you for all that you've done over the years and all that you continue to do."

If you'd like to say "Thank You" too, consider supporting his campaign as a way to do that.

There won't be any big, lavish parties today. No champagne corks popping. No fireworks and no glitz. Not his style. Not ours. And most likely, not yours either.

Instead, it’s a day filled with the joy of knowing him, the smiles and laughter that come from sharing priceless stories about his younger years, and the gratitude we have for his service to our nation and his commitment to our people. Plus, a chance to offer our best wishes for MANY more years.

So, on this special occasion, please consider showing your appreciation for Dennis Kucinich and his work in Congress by making a contribution to his campaign so we can keep him right where he belongs - in Washington. D.C. - representing, defending, and fighting for Americans here in Ohio and all across the nation.

If you would like to wish him well in person and you plan to be in the Cleveland area, consider attending one of these upcoming events:

Sunday, Oct 12, join us at Dennis' Annual Supporter Appreciation Picnic with Deidre Hall. Free of charge, but please make reservations now.

Wednesday, Oct. 22, "An Evening with Melissa Etheridge." Reservations required.

We'd love to see you, and so would Dennis and Elizabeth!

The entire campaign staff.

http://iflizwerequeen.com

QUEEN’S COMMENTS ON PRIVATE HEALTHCARE INSURERS

And what is your reason again why we should support or even trust private healthcare insurance companies instead of a non-profit healthcare insurance company?  We know that it is NOT because they are trustworthy, that’s for sure.  You betcha.

Aetna,located in Hartford, Connecticut has $1.831 billion profits in 2007. In 2007 Aetna applauded itself for its low “medical loss ratio”—the percentage of revenue it loses to paying for healthcare. In the fourth quarter of 2007 that ratio was 79%. What that translates is the Aetna spends less than 80% on healthcare by avoiding unhealthy enrollees and keeping a lid on services. [Get it? As long as a healthcare organization is privately held, the customers who submit claims or who apply for membership will always be in competition with the shareholders and the company’s CEO’s. And guess what ordinary Americans, you will lose every time. Your odds of winning are better in Las Vegas.]

Every time McCain starts blathering about earmarks, I am reminded of an experience that a friend and I had in a small town in Arizona a few years ago.  We were traveling with her husband and a friend of mine cross-country from Albuquerque to Santa Monica along the old Route 66 highway.  We had stopped for gas and while “the men” were checking the cars fluids, my friend and I went inside the store to horse around.  Most of the merchandise in it looked to have long expired its shelf life.  At the back of the store was a plastic tub with pigs ears.  We each took a pair and were dancing around in the back of the store with our “earmarks”.  It wasn’t long before we were asked to leave. [I've been thrown out of much classier places than that store--believe you me.]

I was thinking today:  perhaps I could send Senator McCain a pair of pigs ears and he could do a little angry dance for added emphasis whenever he goes into another of his self-righteous tirades against earmarks.

BACK TO THE REAL TOPIC OF POLITICS:  McCain continues to make an issue out of earmarks, which are only a teeny tiny part of the overall federal budget. The big ticket items are entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, and defense spending, which together represent much of the federal budget; earmarks are just $16 billion out of a more than a $2 trillion budget.

Another way to put it:  Why focus on the ears when they are such a very small part of the hog?

The other day I posted my concerns regarding how the audience will be chosen tonight.  I'm especially concerned since Gallup, a GOP biased polling company is in charge of the audience selection.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT ASSURANCES ARE BEING MADE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AUDIENCE IS 50/50 AND NOT A SET UP LIKE THOSE TOWN HALLS THAT THE MCCAIN CAMPAIGN TRIED TO SET UP IN JUNE?

I am concerned.

http://www.democrats.org/page/community/post/elizabethberry/CGQ7

In a previous post I provided a link to Pinocchio Politics.  Even if you don't order a nose, it still is a great site to find the latest news about the latest lies, and God knows, it's not that easy to keep up with them all.  Remember, if you get a smear email, it is your duty as a citizen to respond with the truth.  If you can't reply to the sender, then write a rebuttal and send it on to your friends warning them about the piece of trash going around. [BUT DON'T SEND THE ORIGINAL.  That just clogs up the bandwidth, and gives the liars press that they don't deserve.]

http://www.pinocchiopolitics.org/

Here is a picture of a Pinocchio Posse in action.  This is a group of New Yorkers outside the United Nations the day that the Republican nominee for VP was there meeting several foreign dignitaries.  (She took time off from her Foreign Policy World tour at Epcot Center in Florida to meet them a few of these foreign dignitaries such as one of the Queen's favorites [not] Alvaro Uribe.)

http://iflizwerequeen.com

QUEEN’S COMMENTS ON DeConcini’s Remarks

DeConcini, who himself was one of the Keating Five, reported to Evan Brown of PolitickerAZ.com that Keating Five is “fair game” as an issue in the presidential contest.

The big issue according to DeConcini is that McCain should not have been at that meeting with the regulators that first time because he had a conflict of interest. McCain had taken three trips with his family that had been paid for by Keating  AND McCain didn’t report that his wife has $350,00 invested with Keating.

SOURCE:  http://politickeraz.com/evanbrown/2437/deconcini-says-keating-five-fair-game

Keeping in mind that DeConcini (a Democrat) is a man who has his own axe to grind.  .  . after checking out the facts in the WIKI on the Keating Five, the Queen is inclined to agree with DeConcini. The WIKI source certainly seems to substantiate all of DeConcini’s accusations and more:

DeConcini is correct. McCain was the only one of the five who had close social and personal ties to Keating.  In addition, McCain’s wife and her father had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators.  McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating’s expense, sometimes aboard Keating’s jet.  Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating’s opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay.  McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln.  In 1989 Phoenix New Times writer Tom Fitzpatrick opined that McCain was the  “most reprehensible” of the five senators.

Here is the link to that 1989 story if you are interested.  The Queen found it quite interesting and well-written, not to mention funny and entertaining as well.

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1989-11-29/news/mccain-the-most-reprehensible-of-the-keating-five/

QUEEN’S BLESSING: “bless their hearts” they keep trying, “gosh darn it!”

KEEP THIS REPONSE IN CASE YOU HAVE REPUBLICAN FRIENDS WHO SEND YOU CLAPTRAP EMAILS ABOUT OBAMA AND FRANK RAINES--THEIR LASTEST DESPERATE ATTEMPT.

I just got an email from a friend expaining how the current financial meltdown is entirely the fault of the Democrats and Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae and Barack Obama “whose chief financial advisor is Franklin Raines. . .”  [Franklin Raines not only is not Obama’s chief financial advisor, he has never been a member of Obama’s campaign staff. Barack estimates that he and Raines have talked for maybe five minutes in their lives, and Frank Raines himself even released a statement saying that he is not an advisor to Barack Obama “nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic mattters.  The non-partisan fact-check website Snopes.com looked into these smears and the conclusions about Barack and the Fannie Mae executives should not be surprising:  “None of them has (or apparently ever had) ongoing roles with the campaign as chief economic advisors.”

Republicans wish.  However this is 2008, not 2000 or even 2004.  That was then and this is now. Democrats are slinging the Republicans filthy mud right back at them before it even barely touches the wall.  You can tell how desperate the Republicans are by how often they change the pile of crap they are throwing.  Ayers only lasted about 24 hours.  Then they figured out  THAT wad ended up in a dead-end alley, now they have turned to the topic of Freddy Mac and Fanny Mae and Frank Raines.