The test is not who gave money but what the recipients then did .

You can't run without $s so the dems take contributions. Would we be better off if they refused? We'd certainly have fewer dishonest democratic legislators. In fact we'd probably have none of any degree of honesty whatsoever.

Certainly the DLC position is too credulous about the market. And the repeal of Glass Steagal was passed under Clinton. But Senator Gramm's amendment on the last day of 2000 prohibiting any regulation of futures trading must rank near the top of the list of legislation fostering the current financial crisis.

And don't get me started on Wendy Gramm's period as Chair of the CFTC. The Times managed to run an an analysis of Senator Gramm's position as idealogical godfather of the deregulation fiasco without ever mentioning her, or her sponsorship of the so-called Enron Amendment, after which she joined the Enron board- and , wait for it, its Audit Committee.

Posted at October 7, 2008 8:53 PM in response to Corrupt on Both Sides

Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Kommunist.
Als sie die Sozialdemokraten einsperrten,
habe ich geschwiegen;
ich war ja kein Sozialdemokrat

Let him post.

Posted at October 6, 2008 7:30 PM in response to Public Service: Ban Robert Hewson, please!

Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.

Who won a lot a games.

Obama must respond to McCain's use of Ayers by using Keating. It happens to be useful that Keating can be linked to McCain's economic views. But if that weren't true he should have done it anyway.

As for Mr. Seaton. We'd welcome his vote. But if the price is letting Sarah throw mooseburgers from a priviledged sanctuary, that's too high.

Been there. Done that. Show me a good loser etd.

Posted at October 6, 2008 7:04 PM in response to Hold on to your hats... here we go.

I assume you're part of Obama's campaign with the assignment of making
his detractors seem as unappealing as possible.

I hope I haven't blown your cover but I did want to congratulate you on a job well done.

Posted at October 6, 2008 11:38 AM in response to For Obama, the Truth is a Smear Campaign!

I vote no. I defend the right of people to say things with which I disagree.

Posted at October 6, 2008 11:28 AM in response to Public Service: Ban Robert Hewson, please!

I can imagine pure nervousness causing her to choke. Possibly another indication that she's not ready to be president.

It's off the thread but Kerry was enough of hero to justify his attempting to use that in his campaign. The guys from his boat wouldn't have stuck by him as they did if that weren't true. And the swiftboaters claim that he had not rescued another officer under fire in the water was confirmed by the guy himself - a Republican who had intended to remain silent but surfaced to rebut the lies.

I've always assumed that Kerry's use of that part of his history was an attempt to head off the expected attacks on his War Resistor period. "Not Fonda Kerry".

And of course the fact that he first volunteered for service and then volunteered for Vietnam is in pretty stark contrast to ,say, Hank Paulson
whose service to his country was as an assistant to Ehrlichman.

And I'll amend that to say "only service" since I deeply resent his being praised for trying to manage of the recovery from a crisis which he could have,but failed to , prevent.

Posted at October 4, 2008 10:25 PM in response to Sarah Is Hot, You Betcha

Hang in there.

When Hillary ran in 2000 I had at least two and probably three lawn signs vandalized .Put up another one, went to the police and complained and this one was left alone. I wondered what sort of reception my complaint would receive assuming that the police probably supported her opponent- particularly since I live on Long Island which he represented as a populur local congressman.

But I was treated correctly.

Assuming you have at least reasonable confidence in your local police I'd suggest telling them , citing the "broken window" theory which Guiliani invoked in getting rid of the obnoxious but harmless "window cleaners" at NYC traffic lights.

Kids who get away with something that's minor are then tempted to go one step further. Then another.Sadly that was true of me at that age.

You'd actually be doing them a favor if you could get the police to send them a message to knock it off. Chances are the one or another of the cops has a kid who knows those kids and that route could be used.

I'm sorry you were subjected to that. It must be upsetting.

Posted at October 4, 2008 10:11 PM in response to Just got called a N***** lover. Have I arrived?

Thanks, I don't think I've seen that idea elsewhere. Maybe you're right. I'd like to think so.

OTH for someone who is struggling with a racist perspective Ayers and Rezko may be the feather on the scale tipping them towards McCain . Or just a self deluding alibi letting them indulge their racists beliefs without admitting to themselves what they're doing.

We'll see.

I remain terrified about the "Bradley effect". A little less so as the campaign continues and Barak continues to maintain a "statemanlike" pose which many here would like him to abandon.

Posted at October 4, 2008 9:54 PM in response to Sarah Is Hot, You Betcha

Not sure that today's market was doing anything
more arcane than "Buy on the rumor , sell on the news." Monday's market will be a better test.

Posted at October 3, 2008 5:00 PM in response to Stock Market Closes Below Monday Low: Come On Let's Have Some Hysteria!

This may seem outrageeous but let me personlize the discussion.

Goldman Sachs was one of the major beneficiaries of the rescue of AIG. Could that have influenced Paulson? In two words "of course".

I can personally attest to an occasion when a Chairman of the SEC called the CEO of a company about to do a financing and requested that his- the SEC Chair's - former bank be made co-manager.

Which was then done.

The event was widely known , surprised no one on the Street, and never reported.

You go to the Street because you want to make a lot of money.Not just have a comfortable life- much more than that-the homes in the Hampton and Vail, a yacht in the Caribbean or the Med, travel almost exclusively by private jet.

You quickly find that there are a myriad of dishonest ways to achieve that- insider trading is only the easiest to describe. And no honest way.I consider it highly unlikely that anyone, repeat anyone-including well known liberals-, can reach Paulson's level of authority of income without having behaving in ways that are least immoral and often illegal.

Either Paulson, or whoever succeeds him as Secretary of Treasury , needs to have every one of his decisions examined in advance. We'd be doing him a favor by saving him from himself.

Posted at October 3, 2008 11:46 AM in response to Letting the Bank Robber Fix the Bank's Books