Today's Political Cartoons

A New Era for America By E. J. Dionne Jr.

"A New Era for America" By E. J. Dionne Jr.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Yes, it is time to hope again.

Time to hope that the era of racial backlash and wedge politics is over. Time to imagine that the patriotism of dissenters will no longer be questioned and that the world will no longer be divided between "values voters" and those with no moral compass. Time to expect that an ideological label will no longer be enough to disqualify a politician.

Above all, it is time to celebrate the country's wholehearted embrace of democracy, reflected in the intense engagement of Americans in this campaign and the outpouring to the polls all over the nation. For years, we have spoken of bringing free elections to the rest of the world even as we cynically mocked our own ways of conducting politics. Yesterday, we chose to practice what we have been preaching.

Barack Obama's sweeping electoral victory cannot be dismissed merely as a popular reaction to an economic crisis or as a verdict on an unpopular president, though the judgment rendered on President Bush is important.

In choosing Obama and a strongly Democratic Congress, the country put a definitive end to a conservative era rooted in three myths: that a party could govern successfully while constantly denigrating government's role; that Americans were divided in an irrepressible moral conflict pitting a "real America" against some pale imitation; and that market capitalism could succeed without an active government regulating it in the public interest and modestly redistributing income to temper inequalities.

John McCain believed he could win by attacking Obama as a "socialist" who had said he would "spread the wealth around." But a substantial majority rather likes spreading the wealth if doing so means health coverage, pensions and college opportunities for all, or asking the wealthy to bear a slightly larger share of the tax burden.

"John McCain calls this socialism," Obama said at a Pittsburgh rally last week. "I call it opportunity." So did the voters.

Right to the end, McCain and Sarah Palin thought ideological name-calling would work yet again. On the eve of the election, McCain attacked Obama for being in "the far left lane of American politics" while Palin warned of a victory for "the far left wing of the Democrat Party." This year, those epithets didn't hunt.

After 1980, Democrats often chose to accommodate themselves to conservative assumptions. Obama exploded the old framework. He explicitly rejected the idea that Americans were choosing between "more" or "less" government, "big" or "small" government.

He cast the choice differently. "Our government should work for us, not against us," he would say. "It should help us, not hurt us." Obama ran as a progressive, not a conservative, but also as a pragmatist, not an ideologue. That combination will define his presidency.

Since the Nixon era, conservatives have claimed to speak for the "silent majority." Obama represents the future majority. It is the majority of a dynamic country increasingly at ease with its diversity. It reflects the forward-looking optimism of the young. It draws in new suburban and exurban voters whose priorities are resolutely practical -- jobs, schools and transportation -- and who dislike angry quarrels about gay marriage, abortion and religious orthodoxy.

It is the majority of a culturally moderate nation that warmed to Obama's talk of the importance of active fathers, strong families and personal responsibility. He emphasized reducing abortion, not banning it. He honored faith's role in public life but rejected the marginalization of religious minorities and nonbelievers. For large parts of the world, his middle name will be an icon, proof of America's commitment to religious pluralism.

And Obama not only broke the ultimate racial barrier, he also spoke about race as no other politician ever has. He was uniquely able to see the question from both sides of the color line even as he embraced his black identity. He is not post-racial. He is multiracial. The word defines him as a person. It also describes the broad coalition that he built and the country he will lead.

And the majority Obama built wants the country to be strong but also respected, and prudent in its use of power. Iraq was on the ballot after all: Pew's final survey found that those who thought the decision to go to war in Iraq was wrong backed Obama by better than 5 to 1; those who thought it right supported McCain by a nearly identical margin.

Obama inherits challenges that could overwhelm any leader and faces constraints that will tax even his exceptional political skills. But the crisis affords him an opportunity granted few presidents to reshape the country's assumptions, change the terms of debate and transform our politics. The way he campaigned and the way he won suggest that he intends to do just that.

McCain Delivers Gracious, Classy Speech

Where is Joe the Plumber?

Support the Walkout Against McCain's Slime Calls

40 Americall call center workers in Hobart, IN walked off the job on Monday, October 27 rather than read a script attacking Obama for supposedly “coddling criminals” and voting against “protecting children from danger.”

For this act of conscience they lost their wages for the day. Let’s stand with them, and against slimy campaigning.

$9 will cover an hours wages — an hour they won’t be making slimy attack calls against Obama. $2,880 will cover the full day’s wages for all the workers who walked out. Nobody’s credit card will be charged till we reach our total goal.

Please give $9 (or more) to Support the Walk Out against Slime Calls. If we receive more than $2,880, we will make the funds available as a kind of “virtual strike fund” for any other walk outs that occur before Nov 4. You can donate here or by clicking on the "badge" in the upper right of my blog.

See full story here.

Candorville Runs Funny Series on John McCain Campaign

This series of comic strips on Candorville has been quite amusing:

Alaska's largest newspaper endorses Obama

Alaska's largest newspaper endorses Obama
USA Today

ANCHORAGE (AP) — The Anchorage Daily News, Alaska's largest newspaper, has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president.
The newspaper said Sunday the Democrat "brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand."

The Daily News said since the economic crisis has emerged, Republican presidential candidate John McCain has "stumbled and fumbled badly" in dealing with it.

"Of the two candidates, Sen. Obama better understands the mortgage meltdown's root causes and has the judgment and intelligence to shape a solution, as well as the leadership to rally the country behind it," the paper said.

The Daily News said Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has shown the country why she is a success as governor. But the paper said few would argue that Palin is truly ready to step into the job of being president despite her passion, charisma and strong work ethic.

"Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency — but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation," the paper said.

"Like picking Sen. McCain for president, putting her one 72-year-old heartbeat from the leadership of the free world is just too risky at this time," the paper concluded.

"The Choice" - A Terrific Video from Frontline

A terrific video titled "The Choice" from Frontline.
It tells the compelling story of both candidates in the presidential campaign.
The video is 1 hour and 56 minutes long.

McCain’s Plan to Build a Green Economy: Drill, Baby, Drill

When it comes to the environment, John McCain only has the interests of Big Oil at heart. That’s why he has over 22 Big Oil lobbyists advising him. That’s why he favored lifting the moratorium on off-shore drilling — a move that prompted Big Oil to donate over $1 million to his campaign. And thanks to the League of Conservation Voters, we’ve got the proof!

McCain and Palin Incite Hate on the Campaign Trail

McCain is 90% Bush

Bad Reporter by Don Asmussen - Funniest Comic Going

Bad Reporter by Don Asmussen is one of the funniest comics going today. This one is a riot (as usual).

McCain Campaigns Lack of Focus on Issues

McCain Campaign In Complete Dissaray

Senator Lindsey Graham, right, in an interview discussed a tax plan by Senator John McCain that his campaign later disavowed.
No New Economic Proposal Expected From McCain
By JACKIE CALMES, NY Times
Published: October 12, 2008

WASHINGTON — Despite signals that Senator John McCain would have new prescriptions for the economic crisis after a weekend of meetings, his campaign said Sunday that Mr. McCain, the Republican presidential nominee, would not have any more proposals this week unless developments call for some.

The signs of internal confusion came as the campaign was under pressure from state party leaders to sharpen his message on the economy and at least blunt the advantage that Democrats traditionally have on the issue in hard times. Republicans have grown fretful as Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee, has edged ahead in polls three weeks before the election, while Mr. McCain has veered between ill-received economic plans and attacks on Mr. Obama’s character.

Mr. McCain took a break Sunday from filming campaign advertisements and practicing for a final debate with Mr. Obama on Wednesday to cheer volunteers at a phone bank near his Northern Virginia headquarters. Mr. McCain told them he planned to “whip his you-know-what in this debate.” The group erupted with laughter and applause.

On Saturday, his advisers were considering a range of economic ideas, one indicated. On Sunday, on the CBS News program “Face the Nation,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a confidant of Mr. McCain, confirmed a report on Politico.com that Mr. McCain was weighing proposals to cut taxes on investors’ capital gains and dividends. “It will be a very comprehensive approach to jump-start the economy,” Mr. Graham said, “by allowing capital to be formed easier in America by lowering taxes.”

But McCain advisers later said they did not know why Mr. Graham said that. One noted that Mr. McCain’s economic plan already would cut capital gains and dividend tax rates, by extending President Bush’s 2003 tax cuts. At the phone bank, Mr. McCain declined to answer a question from a reporter about what he was considering.

“We do not have any immediate plans to announce any policy proposals outside of the proposals that John McCain has announced, and the certain proposals that would result as economic news continues to come our way,” said a campaign spokesman, Tucker Bounds. Mr. McCain’s policy adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, said, “I have no comment on anything, to anybody.”

Rarely have presidential campaigns had to react so close to an election to so serious a crisis as the global economic panic. Both candidates are struggling to look like leaders, without impeding the efforts of those in charge. By nearly all accounts and in recent polls, Mr. Obama has received higher marks for projecting calm and consistency while Mr. McCain has been criticized as flailing.

“At this point I don’t think McCain can say anything on the economy that will sound credible,” said Bruce Bartlett, a former economic adviser to President Ronald Reagan and President George Bush.

Mr. McCain continued to draw criticism for his announcement last week that, as president, he would have the Treasury buy troubled mortgages at face value and give qualified homeowners instead government-guaranteed, low-interest mortgages based on their residences’ reduced value. After first saying lenders would pay the difference, the next day the McCain campaign said taxpayers would.

On the ABC News program “This Week” on Sunday, the second-ranking House Republican leader, Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, suggested, as the Obama campaign has, that the McCain mortgage proposal was unnecessary because the concept was “essentially in several pieces of law already” and wrong to leave taxpayers with the cost.

“Somebody needs to take the loss here, and it needs to be the person that had the bad judgment of making that loan, of buying those poorly put-together mortgage-backed securities,” Mr. Blunt said. “It shouldn’t be loss borne by the taxpayer.”

Both Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama plan speeches Monday on the economy. Mr. Obama, at a rally in Toledo, Ohio, will suggest ways to build on the government’s plan to inject capital into banks to ease the credit crisis, an adviser said.

Mr. McCain will be in North Carolina and Virginia, states that Republicans can normally count on but where Mr. Obama is showing strength. In his visit with volunteers on Sunday, Mr. McCain acknowledged that “the economy has hurt us a little bit in the last week or two” and that he was “a couple points down” in national polls.

But he said he would rebound because voters “want knowledge and they want vision.”

Elisabeth Bumiller and Jeff Zeleny contributed reporting.

MSNBC Video on the Keating Documentary

The McCain / Palin Campaign is beginning to show the desperation that comes from a team that knows that they are LOSING!

Why McCain is Clueless About the Economy

This video shows why John McCain is clueless about the economy AND has flip-flopped on regulation.

2000 George Bush vs 2008 John McCain. Are they MCSAME? Daily Show

As usual, John Stewart and the Daily Show are both right on and hysterical!

McCain Tells Rape Joke & Other Bad Jokes

McCain makes a rape joke and his campaign admit it is an example of the "authentic" McCain.

McCain Attacks to Distract from the Economy

McCain Shows His True Colors in Presidential Debate

Thanks goodness that Barack Obama is so calm and imperturbable. Otherwise, he might have launched back a similar personal attack to counter this rude and petulant statement by John "I Am Losing And Therefore Desperate" McCain.