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Jay Bookman

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So this is how Wall Street thanks us?

By Jay Bookman | Wednesday, September 17, 2008, 04:35 PM

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

So the feds step into save AIG with $85 billion, and the market STILL tanks by almost 450 points?

And I see the news ticker on CNBC — muted in my office — reporting that the price of gold rose today by the highest dollar amount in history.

But of course, the fundamentals of the economy are sound … if by fundamentals you mean the American worker, right John?

Unfortunately, we have fewer of those “fundamentals” at work here in Georgia than we should have. The state unemployment rate last month jumped to 6.3 percent, the highest in 15 years and above the national average of 6.1 percent.

Also, market analyst Barry Ritholz, at his always useful Big Picture blog, offers this explanation for the difference between Lehman, Bear Stearns and AIG:

“— Lehman Brothers was like the little kid pulling the tail of a dog. You know the kid is going to get hurt eventually, and so no one is surprised when the dog turns around and bites the kid. But the kid only hurts himself, so no one really cares that much.

— Bear Stearns is the little pyro — the kid who was always playing with matches. He could harm not only himself, but burns his own house down, and indeed, he could have burnt down the entire neighborhood. The Fed stepped in not to protect him, but the rest of the block.

— AIG is the kid who accidentally stumbled into a bio-tech warfare lab … finds all these unlabeled vials, and heads out to the playground with a handful of them jammed into his pockets.”

Permalink | Comments (119) | Post your comment |

Comments

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this

Will Obama give the 396 large campaign contributions back to the kid?

Or will he continue to tell us what he’d do if he were only thee King?

By Truth

September 17, 2008 4:52 PM | Link to this

It is Senator McCain to you Jay!

By getalife

September 17, 2008 4:55 PM | Link to this

“A new poll of economists finds Sen. Barack Obama is overwhelmingly preferred over Sen. John McCain by a 66% to 28% margin. The survey consisted of 523 economists who are both U.S. citizens and members of the American Economic Association.”

Go figure.

Did Andy cut and run?

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this

Look at Kookman taking down my Jag Cafferty American Racist post on the other thread, no kidding, people call me “masturbator” no problem, it’s still up days later.

By Bud Wiser

September 17, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this

Since the government is banned by the Constitution from dipping into the private enterprise sector, a challenge may be forthcoming on AIG from somewhere. I hope>

Of course Congress started all this crap to begin with when they got into the politics of “saving” businesses from collapse, and pumped in temporary loans. How much of those loans have we the taxpayers seen or been told about since Lee Iacocca/Chrysler, etc? How many have been repaid, or even paid upon?

Congress skirted the constitutional ban by making them “loans”. What a joke. They cannot balance their own budget. They have never operated at a profit, yes, and that includes all of you Clintonistas still living in the past. Congress has never seen a spending bill they can’t modify. They have never seen a tax they do not like. They never repeal a tax, only add more.

And Jay, all of your cutesy little ‘kids’ do have one thing in common; they have parents (overseers, oversight committees, etc.) who were not watching, or would hope that their children’s bad behavior would just ‘go away’. Those of us who are parents know that bad behavior does not just ‘go away’. Discipline is required. The banks showed none. Congress doesn’t even know what it is. And we who have any money left get stuck with the bill.

I have never in my lifetime seen a more desirable situation or time for a limited line item veto for the President, but Congress has already shown it will revoke it because they don’t want to lose their power, and money is power.

Higher taxes is certain death for the economy.

Obama/Biden ‘08 - making it easy to be stupid

By Dusty

September 17, 2008 5:07 PM | Link to this

err Jay Bookman,

Is that the best analogy you could find? Little kids burning down houses, test tubes, etcetera. Oh well, it is a long day. But…keep searching…that one didn’t even mention McCain. You are slipping.

By jeff

September 17, 2008 5:09 PM | Link to this

could your unemployment rate be tied to the recent increase in the minimum wage?

By JAY BOOKMAN

September 17, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this

That’s right, Management, you don’t get to call people who disagree with you “filthy maggots.”

And if you’re offended by something somebody else said, let me know and I’ll take a look.

By JAY BOOKMAN

September 17, 2008 5:14 PM | Link to this

Oh, and for the record, I share your distaste for Cafferty.

Back when Bush was riding high in the polls, Cafferty was lovin’ him up and was just as haughty and dismissive toward Bush’s critics as he is today toward Bush supporters.

He loves to be at the head of any parade.

By Herman

September 17, 2008 5:21 PM | Link to this

Hey, you should lighten up on these guys. I just had a Manager from Lehman Brothers clean my windshield for a quarter.

By Paul

September 17, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this

Jay,

[[So this is how Wall Street thanks us?]]

Acronym time. BOHICA. Bo (long O)-hee-kuh. Accent on second syllable.

Bend Over. Here It Comes Again.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 5:29 PM | Link to this

You got to be kidding me, right?

This guy calls the people that live in my country racists and I cannot call him a “filthy maggot?”

What is this, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood?

Or should I say Mr. Roger’s Hood?

The subject had been broached already by el disgusto, you ignored all that-

By Frederick Douglass September 17, 2008 3:32 PM Other critical issues: 1. He�s black, 2. He�s blacker, 3. He�s the blackest.

And check this out, how immature and childish is this argument your side is raising in the first place, where is our column on that?

I didn’t vote for Clinton either time, does this make me a racist too?

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 5:33 PM | Link to this

Are we just leap frogging posts every time it gets mentioned in the comments that the Bush administration proposed a much more stringent oversight in 2003, McCain warned of Fannie and Freddie in 2005 and pushed for a bill for more and better oversight? In 2005 Barack was still in his 143 dats of Senate duty before he moved on. What did he have to say about Fannie and Freddie?

Probably not much since two of his top economic advisers are Jim Johnson and Frank Raines. Both made many millions of dollars in bonuses all the while cooking the books to keep those bonuses coming. Those two should be in a Justice Department investigation rather than on Hopeandchange’s staff.

Oh and let’s not forget just which party was raking in campaign cash by the boatload from the financial markets. Probably both, but I don’t think the Republicans would be opposed to seeing the published list.

So to recap, we have one candidate that really is for change and one that takes his his teleprompter to the family dinner table.

By Ray

September 17, 2008 5:38 PM | Link to this

Accountability is a word seldom used by a lot of people who are held in the people’s trust. We expect our Congressional Representatives and our Senators to do the oversite job to which they have been elected. Barnie Frank is a joke. So is Christopher Dodd. So are all of those fine and upstanding people in the securities industry who try to peddle a product at the expense of the US taxpayer. Greed, disregard for the investor, all of those people who have AIG stock in their retirement plan which closed below a dollar today….. worthless securities, CEOs with millions in parachute money…. and we wonder why the American people distrust anyone in authority. The more the government gets into it, the more it will be fu**ed up but those in the private sector have done a pretty good job of that by themselves. Where are we to turn?

By @@

September 17, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this

Where are we to turn?

JAY’S mattress?

By JAY BOOKMAN

September 17, 2008 5:59 PM | Link to this

I’ve been looking into that myself, RW, trying to figure out how that reform effort died. I don’t see any sign of McCain as a major player in that bill.

I’m finding that the reform effort was killed because of a standoff between Congress and the White House. Both wanted tougher regulation; the White House wanted that regulation from inside Treasury; Congress wanted a more independent regulator. They couldn’t agree, no deal got done.

Here’s an excerpt from a Washington Post story from Oct. 8, ‘03 laying out the standoff:

By Kathleen Day, Washington Post Staff Writer

The Bush administration is at odds with the Republican-controlled House Financial Services Committee over legislation to impose tougher oversight over the nation’s two largest funders of home loans,

The dispute dims prospects for quick passage of a bill at a time when recent accounting scandals at Freddie Mac have focused attention on the need for better policing of the two financial giants, government and industry officials said yesterday.

A senior Treasury Department official called the legislation a weak effort that preserves the status quo. The comments threw into question compromises carefully crafted over the past week. A committee meeting scheduled for today to make final changes before sending it to the floor of the House was postponed yesterday evening.

“There is the need for a new regulatory system,” said Assistant Treasury Secretary Wayne A. Abernathy. “This is not a credible bill; it’s not real reform.”

Rep. Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, did not return telephone calls. Rep. Richard H. Baker (R-La.), who heads the Financial Services Committee’s subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the two companies, had no comment.

The administration objects to two of the bill’s key provisions. One would make the new regulator of the companies an independent unit of Treasury, much like financial regulators housed in the agency that oversee banks and thrifts. Another would give the Department of Housing and Urban Development oversight over the companies’ business activities.

The independence provision has broad support from committee Democrats and Republicans. The HUD provision was pushed mostly by Democrats but had been accepted by Oxley and Baker as a compromise needed to move the bill forward.

Treasury wants more control over the new regulator, including the ability to oversee its budget and its testimony to Congress. And it wants the authority to review the companies’ business activities to ensure that they do not “stray” beyond their intended purpose of buying home loans from banks and other mortgage lenders, Abernathy said.

“It does not make sense to move this regulator to Treasury if Treasury does not have the tools to make it effective,” said Treasury spokesman Rob Nichols. Both he and Abernathy fell short of saying Treasury would recommend that President Bush veto the bill in its current form.

Two key Democrats, Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Paul E. Kanjorski of Pennsylvania, said they will oppose any attempt to make the regulator less independent from Treasury or to move business oversight out of HUD. Kanjorski said he was surprised by the White House position, given that the bill as it stands has wide bipartisan support on the committee.

“At some point it’s better we don’t mess with this than do a bad job,” Kanjorski said.

By @@

September 17, 2008 6:01 PM | Link to this

Paul:

Just for fun, read your 5:26 then go downstairs and read my Good grief! post.

JAY:

Watch out for Paul.

(ISH) to you both.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 6:15 PM | Link to this

Jay B,

Would his speech to the Senate help?

Apparently the bill died in committee, .but I’m talking about the McCain effort with respect to the 2005 bill and from the date stamp on your cut and paste that must be about the 2003 effort the White House wanted. The 2003 bill is the one where Barney Frank indignantly told us it was all BS and their were no problems with or ahead for Fannie and Freddie.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 6:21 PM | Link to this

Dang I really need to work on theres and theirs….

By JAY BOOKMAN

September 17, 2008 6:26 PM | Link to this

Thanks RW, I’m checking ‘05 now, not much in our database of major newspapers using McCain and Fannie Mae as search terms. Only thing of any relevance is a congressional wrapup story from the Chicago Tribune, dated Oct. 30, stating:

“The Senate, for example, overwhelmingly approved an amendment by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to prohibit the U.S. government’s use of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment for enemy detainees and to establish the Army Field Manual as the standard for interrogation of those detainees.

And last week, the House ignored vehement White House objections and passed legislation to restructure the regulation and oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored housing enterprises. The vote was 331-90.

“I can’t remember the last time the Bush administration policy was so repudiated,” said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), noting that White House power has dropped off precipitously this year.”

That’s all it picks up.

By @@

September 17, 2008 6:27 PM | Link to this

Yup! S.B. 190 of the 109th Congress. Sponsored by: Sen. Charles Hagel, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, Sen. John McCain, and Sen. John Sununu; Republicans all who saw the writing on the wall.

By Paul

September 17, 2008 6:30 PM | Link to this

N-GA

The movie could get a bit tedious in parts. But if you can last to the scene of the planet Magrathea, the planet where planets are made, it’s worth it.

I could never understand how people who did what you described slept at night. I knew a guy involved in similar actions. I can only describe him as severely compartmentalized, with a tremendous disconnect of self from reality. And a complete ability to avoid any introspection whatsoever.

Hey, age is mind over matter.

If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.

RW-(the original) 6:21

There, there. Theirs are over there. There’s more here, but most are there. They’re doing well, there.

By sunshine and thunder

September 17, 2008 6:31 PM | Link to this

It was Bawney Frank who insisted that there was no crisis with Fannie and Freddie. He also blocked all efforts to put caps on the size of the mortgage loan portfolios in the two companies. THAT’s why he wanted someone independent of Treasury to regulate them.

The Wall Street Journal had been warning since the beginning of this decade that there were problems at the GSE’s.

But, according to Barney Frank, there was no government guarantee. Suuuuure there wasn’t. We’ve just been telling the world that there IS a guarantee since the 1970’s.

The seizure of these two outfits is BY FAR a greater fiasco than anything Enron did.

So who’s going to be prosecuted? I suggest Jamie Gorelick for 1. abetting in running Fan and Fred into the ground and 2. negligence resulting in the attack of 9/11.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 6:46 PM | Link to this

By getalife September 17, 2008 4:55 PM �A new poll of economists finds Sen. Barack Obama is overwhelmingly preferred over Sen. John McCain by a 66% to 28% margin. The survey consisted of 523 economists who are both U.S. citizens and members of the American Economic Association.�

al-Gitmo: You mean the same economists in charge of Lehman and AIG?

~~~~~

AIG is the kid who accidentally stumbled into a bio-tech warfare lab � finds all these unlabeled vials, and heads out to the playground with a handful of them jammed into his pockets.�

I’m just curious, why is it that when al-Gore makes millions off of the hysteria and lies of “global warming,” or he sells carbon credits to himself for a few more million or check this out, he takes gasp, money from investment bankers to dabble in carbon offsetting with, there is never any dismay in the pinko nation?:

We do know that Goldman Sachs has commissioned the World Resources Institute (affiliated with CCX), Resources for the Future, and the Woods Hole Research Center to research policy options for U.S. regulation of greenhouse gases. In 2006, Goldman Sachs provided research grants in this area totaling $2.3 million. The firm also has committed $1 billion to carbon-assets projects, a fancy term for projects that generate energy from sources other than oil and gas. In October 2006, Morgan Stanley committed to invest $3 billion in carbon-assets projects. Citigroup entered the emissions-trading market in May, and Bank of America got in on the action in June.

Some environmentalist groups disparage Gore and his investment banker friends.

Huh?

By sunshine and thunder

September 17, 2008 6:50 PM | Link to this

BTW, Jay

There are a lot of little old ladies who live off of annuity payments from AIG. Also, there are a lot of people who depend on a wage earner who’s life is insured by AIG.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 6:52 PM | Link to this

Jay B,

I’m assuming you have Lexis/Nexis so imagine that, the major newspapers ignoring the story.

Color me shocked…/sarc

Here’s the fannie/freddie contribution list

Apparently Obama’s knack for fund raising is wide spread.

By the way, if the Congressional record is right McCain made that speech in May 2006 so just in case anybody was wondering, the committee the bill died in was Democrat control.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 7:08 PM | Link to this

Oops My bad, the committee would still have been in Republican control in 2006.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 7:17 PM | Link to this

I don’t know why this doesn’t want to go through as a combo so let me try it as a single:

Dudes, check this out:

Modernized Financial Services Laws. In 1993, the laws that governed America’s financial service sector were antiquated and anti-competitive. The Clinton-Gore Administration fought to modernize those laws to increase competition in traditional banking, insurance, and securities industries and give consumers and small businesses more choices and lower costs. In 1994, the Clinton-Gore Administration broke another decades-old logjam by allowing banks to branch across state lines in the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994. President Clinton fought for and won financial modernization legislation, signing the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act in November 1999.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 7:18 PM | Link to this

Change???

Indeed. Either lobbyists are a problem or they�re not. If inactive lobbyists are so detrimental that Obama feels the need to point them out in McCain�s campaign, then an active lobbyist in Biden�s campaign represents the same problems. If Obama has no problem with an active lobbyist working for his running mate, then that strongly suggests that Obama has been a hypocrite all along on lobbyists

This is just too rich, especially Team Dunce’s response.

By Tell It Like It Is

September 17, 2008 7:27 PM | Link to this

RW-(the original),

Whether you are McCain and the conservatives, Obama and the liberals , Barr and the libertarians, or Paul/Nader and the independents, we are all prisoners to capitalism, greed and campaign donations. As long as the majority of we Americans remain dupes to the system, we will worship women wearing lipstick and designer glasses and expect them to reform it.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 7:29 PM | Link to this

Alright, it is the second part that won’t go through, here is a 1993 banking committee meeting:

Another concern reflected in the President’s investment proposal is the need to increase community development credit availability and lending. That is a top priority of this committee.

That hearing will focus on improving enforcement of fair lending laws to make sure that banks and other lenders are striving to properly meet the credit needs of communities in which they now do business, but which in many cases are credit-starved or redlined or otherwise discriminated against in ways that have led to their decline.

Calling banks and lending institutions racists.

Blackmail, plain and simple.

Look what it has led to.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 7:35 PM | Link to this

Tell It Like It Is,

Don’t stop there my man, put some bones on that proposal.

By getalife

September 17, 2008 7:57 PM | Link to this

Its pretty simple on regulations. The gop would block it or w veto it. Ever watch C-Span. Hello.

Anyhoo, anybody want to read Palin’s emails? They are all over these tubes now.

Reverse FISA, if you will.

wingnut outrage in 3,2,1…….

By seabiscuit

September 17, 2008 8:04 PM | Link to this

RW- sean hannity talking points and propaganda do not and can never pass for intellectual discussion or truth. stop listening to the radio.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 8:06 PM | Link to this

McCain-Palin 2008 Campaign Manager Rick Davis: ‘This is a shocking invasion of the Governor’s privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these emails will destroy them. We will have no further comment’

I guess the pinko nation’s concerns for privacy only extend to al Qaeda terrorists.

So telling.

By getalife

September 17, 2008 8:09 PM | Link to this

Who is next?

WaMu, Detroit, airlines?

Uncharted territories but one word I still do not hear is accountability.

How do you fix a problem not knowing who caused the problem?

Was it McCain and Gramm the deregulation leaders, w and cheney asleep, Congress?

Grover drowning it in a bath tub, using the China model, WTF?

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 8:11 PM | Link to this

Thanks for broaching the subject for me, al-Gitmo, I was concerned with breaking on of the “Andy rules,” but now I am free to respond to you:

In the latest of a series of invasions into Sarah Palin�s personal life, hackers have broken into the Republican vice presidential candidate�s private e-mail account, and a widely read Web site has published screen grabs from it.

The Palin family was subjected to intense scrutiny after she was selected as John McCain�s running mate on Aug. 29. Reporters descended on her home town of Wasilla, Alaska, as the media focused on her unwed teenage daughter�s pregnancy.

Jackals. (I checked, <—-this is not an obscenity!!)

By ByteMe

September 17, 2008 8:14 PM | Link to this

AJC/DNC: She’s a potential terrorist and as a country, we should be able to wiretap, read her mail, check into the library books she’s checked out. All we need is a slightly credible accusation and I’m making it here and now. She’s a well-armed potential terrorist. Your buddy Bush made this all possible, thank you very much, and I approve this message.

So, getalife, anything good?

By getalife

September 17, 2008 8:16 PM | Link to this

There are more than screen grabs but I will not post them here and get back on topic before I get banned.

Again,

Who is accountable for this new socialism?

By getalife

September 17, 2008 8:19 PM | Link to this

ByteMe,

Yes.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 8:20 PM | Link to this

And by the way, believe me on this one, if there was an email that said “fire my trooper brother in law” it would have been plastered all over PMSNBC by now.

bwa

Instead, we get to find out that Hot Sarah really is a Christian, not just some fake, conveniency worshiper like Fake Temple Pilot is.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 8:29 PM | Link to this

Hacking e-mail is a federal crime. A TV anchor who broke into his colleague�s e-mail account recently pleaded guilty and faces a maximum five years in prison.

Gee, I wonder how many years they will tack on considering that she is under protection of the Secret Service.

I certainly wouldn’t be proudly displaying evidence right now, haha.

Dimwits. (I checked, <—-this is not an obscenity!!)

By Tell It Like It Is

September 17, 2008 8:35 PM | Link to this

I just heard that Morgan Stanley is now in trouble. If you add Washington Mutual and Wachovia to the mix, are we headed for a serious recession or depression?. Does anyone know why Bank America is not in trouble?

Based on what McCain said this week in regards to the economy, is there any doubt as to why we do not need Obama and more regulations? The lady with lip stick and designer glasses is not the answer. Maybe God has caused this to happen now before we elect the wrong people to the White House.

By @@

September 17, 2008 8:37 PM | Link to this

JAY:

I don’t know about the legalities, but you may want to remove this:

By Midori

September 17, 2008 2:24 PM | Link to this

Where there�s a will, there�s a way: Sarah palin�s personal email hacked

from your $85,000,000,000 thread for purely ethical reasons.

The hacked e-mails are their for public viewing.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 8:41 PM | Link to this

Disseminating information that was knowingly obtained illegally is also a crime, but don’t let that stop you guys.

Do you have any idea what the bounce is going to look like from this latest tactic. I doubt Barrry has anything to do with this and he’s going to have to put out some strong objection to it, but every time you do something like it makes his denunciations look less credible. He’s bumbling enough on his own without you taking him right down the drain with you.

There’s a link that Midori left to these emails on an earlier post. Has JB whacked that yet?

By @@

September 17, 2008 8:44 PM | Link to this

Phoo! RWs contagious.

The hacked e-mails are there for public viewing.

Their now…..

By getalife

September 17, 2008 8:50 PM | Link to this

RW,

It was a hacker.

Back to the topic, is it called nationalism, socialism, corporatism, or just plain robbing the taxpayer and treasury?

Surely ,there is some white collar crimes committed in this debacle but who will prosecute?

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 8:53 PM | Link to this

I see that Midori’s post hasn’t been whacked, but it’s only been 6 and a half hours. Maybe we have to make sure everybody gets a good look before doing the right thing.

SoThey’re @@….Oops (ISH)

By getalife

September 17, 2008 8:54 PM | Link to this

RW,

He voted for FISA so I doubt he will say anything about the hacking.

By @@

September 17, 2008 8:56 PM | Link to this

And I would just like to mention that these tactics are being used by those who constantly whine about THEIR privacy being invaded.

Mmmmm….mmm…m…m…mmm

Shameful and disgusting!

By Midori

September 17, 2008 8:58 PM | Link to this

RW,

Why would my post be “whacked”???

You people sure have a selective sense of outrage, don’t you?

This coming from someone who looked up my IP address and blabbed it all over the Luckovich blog.

Go jump in a lake.

Dry off.

And jump back in again.

Getalife: good luck with that. These guys have more red herrings than the Atlantic ocean.

@@ sure loves her some Midori. I can’t seem to shake her humping on my leg.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 8:59 PM | Link to this

getalife,

I would say that Jim Johnson and Franklin Raines are two really good targets to look into for prosecution. There doesn’t seem to be much difference between what they did and what Enron and Worldcom did.

Maybe they’re teaching The Dunce how to cook the books on his campaign funding so he can walk away with a hundred million or so.

By Midori

September 17, 2008 9:03 PM | Link to this

Getalife: a very funny video. watch Tweety go off on Cantor and the GOP

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 9:03 PM | Link to this

Midori,

I have never once given out your IP address you worthless liar.

By Midori

September 17, 2008 9:07 PM | Link to this

you’re the liar, pig.

you didn’t give out the “address” - you just gave out the organization.

made you feel like a real man, didn’t it?

worthless lying pig.

put some lipstick on.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 9:09 PM | Link to this

To all of the blog: I agree that RW never gave out I r o diM’s IP address, nor do I remember it even being mentioned.

Jay, the “database?”

By Midori

September 17, 2008 9:09 PM | Link to this

you’re the liar, pig.

you didn’t give out the “address” - you just gave out the organization.

made you feel like a real man, didn’t it?

worthless lying pig.

put some lipstick on.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 9:13 PM | Link to this

Midori,

Since I’m paying your salary I would hope I was getting my money’s worth and I had no way of knowing it was you visiting from there until you confirmed it. I still hadn’t decided which one of you, PNAC being the other, was a state leach or a federal leach. Neither one of you worthless government workers doing what we pay you for though.

How’s your brother?

By JMT

September 17, 2008 9:17 PM | Link to this

On September 15 Palin’s explanation for why she fired Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan is that he had gone over her head in seeking federal money for an initiative to combat sexual assault crimes, before she had approved the program.

But it now appears that the program in question is one that most elected officials would be wary of admitting they hadn’t strongly backed. According to Peggy Brown, who heads the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Monegan wanted to use the federal money to hire retired troopers and law enforcement officials, and assign them to investigate the most egregious cases of sexual assault — including those against children.

In other words, if Palin’s new story is true, she fired Monegan for being too aggressive in going after child molesters.

Although Alaska leads the nation in reported rapes per capita, Palin hasn’t made the issue a priority as governor.

Monegan, however, appeared eager to change that. And Palin was having none of it.

So that makes both halves of the GOP ticket pro-child molester! McCain, of course, went after Obama for trying to protect kindergartners from abusers.

Put that in an ad and its game, set, match.

By @@

September 17, 2008 9:17 PM | Link to this

@@ sure loves her some Midori. I can�t seem to shake her humping on my leg.

Just takin’ the high road Midori. Thought Jay might want to stand up to be counted for his ethics in journalism.

I’ll leave the gutter Gawking to you.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 9:26 PM | Link to this

AJC/DNC-M,

Although I never gave out the IP address in question, I guess it should be clarified that it wasn’t Midori’s anyway. The IP address in question belongs to us, the American taxpayers.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 9:27 PM | Link to this

By JMT September 17, 2008 9:17 PM In other words, if Palin�s new story is true, she fired Monegan for being too aggressive in going after child molesters.

You lying little POS.

I don’t care if this gets censored or not, you scumbag liberals are the bottom of the barrel.

She had her OWN REQUEST into the federal government and he circumvented it.

Watch me get censored and the filthy lying garbage remain right where it is at.

By getalife

September 17, 2008 9:27 PM | Link to this

Saw that Midori.

Tweety finally woke up to their lies.

Was this the link you posted?

I wrote this

And they stopped calling me a troll.

By getalife

September 17, 2008 9:40 PM | Link to this

Andy,

It has legs and she lawyered up.

The story changed three times, she said she would testify and now they are pulling a w to prolong until after the election.

She should testify if she is innocent. It stinks Andy and you know it.

By Melissa

September 17, 2008 9:43 PM | Link to this

Oh poor Non-Management,

is him/her/what all upset and angry?

Well, pooh! Bless your wittle heart, you can dish it out but you just can’t take it, can you?

Run to mommy, so she can give you big ole hug. Maybe if you go night-night with your blankie and put Mr. Thumb in your mouth, go to sleepy town, and you’ll feel all better in the morning.

By JAY BOOKMAN

September 17, 2008 9:48 PM | Link to this

Midori, @@, etc., I’m not sure what all is going on here, but … whatever it is, stop.

By sunshine and thunder

September 17, 2008 9:51 PM | Link to this

Forty lawyers dropped into Alaska to dig up dirt. Failure to take public funds after pledging to do so. Hacking into Palin’s e mail.

This is the change you weirdos want?

I think the Obama campaign is quickly turning into the dirtiest endeavor ever seen in politics.

By T

September 17, 2008 9:52 PM | Link to this

Damn. Corpral, told us earlier to invest in gold. I’m an idiot.

By Mike

September 17, 2008 9:52 PM | Link to this

Jay,

The government can’t just spend all of it’s time giving tax money to those who pay no taxes.

Every once in a while, they have to throw a bone to someone who DOES pay taxes.

By AJC/DNC Management

September 17, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this

Flopping Aces has some details based mostly on online sources. According to that site, it turns out that (1) the investigation into Wooten started before Palin even started her run for governor, (2) there were two people who heard the death threat by Wooten, (3) there were substantive reasons given by Palin for her removing Moneghan and offering him another job in her adnministration, and (4) the investigation found that Wooten had behaved improperly:

“The record clearly indicates a serious and concentrated pattern of unacceptable, and at times, illegal activity occurring over a lengthy period, which establishes a course of conduct totally at odds with the ethics of our profession,� Col. Julia Grimes, then head of Alaska State Troopers, wrote in [a] March 1, 2006, letter suspending Wooten for 10 days.

Who’s whining?

By Bud Wiser

September 17, 2008 9:58 PM | Link to this

So now it appears that a 1996 Clinton appointee, Franklin Raines, who now works for Obama as an ‘economic adviser’ was named to run Fannie Mae. Clinton encouraged Raines to loosen the rules to allow previous non-qualifying low income and minority ‘familys’ to now be eligible for low interest loans. We see how that has worked out.

Rumors are he pocketed over $90 MILLION in salary and bonuses for 1999-2000. On December 21, 2004 Raines accepted what he called “early retirement” from his position as CEO while U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigators continued to investigate alleged accounting irregularities. He is accused by The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), the regulating body of Fannie Mae, of abetting widespread accounting errors, which included the shifting of losses so senior executives, such as himself, could earn large bonuses.

This corporate criminal and one of the chief architects of Fannie Mae’s current crisis is Obama’s chief economic adviser?

If you don’t believe me

Obama/Biden ‘08 - making it easy to be stupid, and easier yet to be a crook

By Hillbilly Deluxe

September 17, 2008 9:58 PM | Link to this

I went into town today. Noticed a building on the square for lease. A small business that didn’t make it. Guess they weren’t big enough to be bailed out.

None of the Above/08

By @@

September 17, 2008 9:59 PM | Link to this

Midori, @@, etc., I�m not sure what all is going on here, but � whatever it is, stop.

Nothin’ going on with me JAY. A little play on words is all. Midori’s link to the hacked “personal” e-mails takes you to a site called “The Gawker.”

Stop what?

By T

September 17, 2008 10:00 PM | Link to this

By Mike

Hey, did you know that most of the military Oh i’ll say E-7 and down by your standards does not pay taxes. how about through them a bone. Or hey, decrease their taxes. they are fighting your battles, right. Enjoy those rights.

By Bud Wiser

September 17, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this

Another Clinton era-related criminal, Franklin Raines.

Who says now that character shouldn’t count?

Obama/Biden �08 - making it easy to be stupid, and easier yet to be a crook

By Hillbilly Deluxe

September 17, 2008 10:02 PM | Link to this

Hey, by the way, since we’ve turned Wall Street and our economy into a giant poker game why don’t we put Doyle Brunson in charge of things. At least he knows how to make money playing poker.

By RW-(the original)

September 17, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this

Jay B,

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or even a liberal blogger to see what’s going on.

You let Midori post a link to illegally obtained private information on your last post and the link has been up for over seven hours. The link was reposted by getalife a half hour ago here and remains.

Please be sure to delete and reprimand publicly any post Andy makes that uses a colorful name though.

By Dusty

September 17, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this

Well, I am surprised that the Democrats resally have gone that low. I mean…I really did not think they would sink that far. (Is there any doubt that this is true?)

First—to get into Palin’s private computer mail is plainly criminal. I hope they find who did it and everybody that used and repeated it. That is not only illegal. It is SICK.

Second-To act like Palin was lax on child molestors with a big lie is more pure hate.

If this degradation of Palin by pure lies and criminal activity continues, Democrats including Obama should protest loudly. If they don’t, there will be big doubts about their integrity and honor. I believe there is a majority of liberals who would not approve of going THAT FAR.

Maybe I am wrong but I think there is a rotten group perpetuating this putrid endeavor. They don’t seem to realize they make ALL Democrats look like scum. That in itself is sad.

Anybody posting from work should expect to get “caught” sooner or later by their employers if not someone else. Many companies “review” the computer output of their workers. I know that Bell South at one time had fired workers who posted “improper” material on company computers. Don’t know whether that is still enforced by AT&T. Don’t know whether it works on laptops either.

By Lewis

September 17, 2008 10:08 PM | Link to this

Was just watching Sarah Palin being interviewed by Hannity. Her solution to the financial crisis problem: �stop greed on Wall Street�. Hmmmmmm�is it just me or is that really STUPID? That�s like saying the solution to bridge collapses is “reversing the law of gravity”. McPain is just throwing empty phrases at the problem and praying it goes away. �Let�s form a blue ribbon committee and study it for a while!�.

By GaLiberal

September 17, 2008 10:14 PM | Link to this

Jay: Let’s not blame Wall St too much for the financial meltdown in progress. Let’s put the blame where it belongs - on the Rethuglicons. Starting in the 80’s, the Rethuglicons wanted to get rid those pesky Depression-era laws that separated speculation investment banks from personal/commercial banks and insurance companies. This was all because the banks want a slice of the pie and pumped billions into stock market. Insurance companies wanted in on the action, too. So during Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton, the Rethuglicons eroded the lines between investment, banking, and insurance companies so they all were able to ‘cash in’ on the stock market runup. When borrowing money became really cheap, all three saw new ways to profit. Take 3% money and loan it out at 5% or 6%. Where better but real estate. So mortgage companies, funded by cheap money, made loans to people that would not have otherwise qualified by reduced rates, no or low down, and lower income requirements. This was great because banks and home builders posted record profits causing their stocks to rise. This was proof positive the Rethuglicons were right to kill all those pesky Depression-era banking laws. It was a house of cards and now the house is collapsing. So what do the Rethuglicons do? They blame the greedy people on Wall Street. They blame the greedy people who bought too much house. They blame everyone but themselves.

The effect of all this will be tighter credit requirements. You’ll have to have pristine credit to get a mortgage. You’ll have to put 20% down. Otherwise you’ll be paying higher rates. Same with credit cards. Miss a payment and your credit score will tank. Your insurance rates will go up. Maybe your mortgage company will have a ‘credit score surcharge’ or demand more money or simply call your mortgage. The future does not look bright with the Rethuglicons running things. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. I’ll remember in November. Will you?

When you vote Rethuglicon, you vote against your own best interests. And the market meltdown is living proof.

By Dusty

September 17, 2008 10:17 PM | Link to this

awww…I really do know how to spell *really, Really I do..

By @@

September 17, 2008 10:19 PM | Link to this

Well I guess Jay’s gonna leave things as they are.

Ethics in journalism sho ‘nuff ain’t what it used to be.

The public is right to be suspicious of the media.

Goodnight jay bookman.

By getalife

September 17, 2008 10:24 PM | Link to this

Odd how these wingnuts show up at the same time.

Need some of that IP detective work Jay.

Anyhoo, it was a hacker and Obama had nothing to do with it.

Probably a kid.

Lewis,

Deregulation killed the McPalin ticket.

Toast.

By T

September 17, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this

Sorry everyone. * T’s caretaker has just taken T’s bottle of vodka away.I snatched the keyboard away. ( t wants to thank you for learning the younger folk) *LET GO… *Ok.. have taken the key board away. Anywho, this lunatic, for some reason, has grown to believe that political parties are looking out for the American citizen. So, when T wakes up from the vodka coma be gentle. T actually thinks that the great divide is that of the Republicans and Democrats working together, Meeting a mutual ground in the pursuit of American prosperity and happiness. Don’t let T loose faith in the American People. *Put the VODKA DOWN

By Chris

September 17, 2008 10:52 PM | Link to this

Since you had to mention Mccain, what about your candidate Obama’s economic advisor Frank Raines, the former Fannie CEO who was forced to resign as their accounting misdeeds were coming to light? Much of the mess we’re in started at Fannie Mae, while this guy walked away with mega millions. Interesting economic advisor pick, Obama.

By T

September 17, 2008 11:09 PM | Link to this

WELL, HEY, what about this guy? What about this moment in history? What about the repubdemocraticsorrybast$^^$ that has F@#%^%#$ us? Lets talk about that. Lets see how we can trump the other party. Both are full of DOGGY DOO DOO. The other party has Cindy MCwho? OMG? Really? Hey!@!!!!!! How about someone out there with all the wisdom and intellegence, are you ready to take control?

By redstate guy

September 17, 2008 11:30 PM | Link to this

Okay. So, who do you reckon is responsible for this financial event? You reckon any entrenched, can’t make an honest living, no working, pocket lined, D.C. bureaucrats and politicians might have led us down this path? You reckon capitalism will steadfastly continue beyond these selfish idiots?

By Chris

September 17, 2008 11:34 PM | Link to this

Bud Wiser, right on! Hopefully voters will become educated about this.

By Tall

September 18, 2008 12:04 AM | Link to this

Can you offer some proof? Rome is the Anti-Christ. Why do you suppose only the Roman Catholics on the Supreme Court voted to appoint Hitler’s banker, Prescott Bush’s homosexual draft-dodging grandson to the presidency to go on and commit 9-11 for Vatican-banker Rockefeller and Roman Cathoic BIG OIL? Did you not know the Bushes have fronted for the Rockefellers, who built Standard Oil on unredressed murder and arson, for five generations?

Wikipedia doesn’t cut it. The Bush family was involved in JFK’s murder?
I need to see the cards on that one as well.

The Rockefellers murdered their competition? They didn’t need to. Rockefeller was a superior businessman and would be in today’s business arena as well. If John D. Rockefeller was truly as evil as you say, wouldn’t someone have tried to take him out? He wasn’t much of a target.

By Tall

September 18, 2008 12:27 AM | Link to this

Capitalism works fine if you let it. The ongoing carnage is a result of grave risk management errors by these victims - MER, AIG, BSC, LEH. However, they made these decisions because ultimately they thought they could put this junk back to you know who….the taxpayers. RW..kudos for some excellent research. This is a classic example of what happens when government “implies” a guarantee. We would be better off with LESS regulation. I know…I worked in the securities industry for 20 years. It’s actually very simple. The consumer will figure who can be trusted…and they will send their business thay way.

I am dead against a bailout of AIG, but we - the taxpayers- may have gotten a good deal here. The stock is trading well below book value. They do have numerous business units that could easily be sold to competitors. AIG has a large world wide underwriting presence in numerous lines of business that are not easily replicated. If you look at the terms of the deal, the government played hardball with AIG - as they should.

Jay Bookman - you’re in over your head. Take Pulitzer prize winner Cynthia Tucker with you.

By AL

September 18, 2008 4:11 AM | Link to this

Hey I’ve got a great idea!! Lets put Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reed in charge. Wiat a minute they are in charge. WELL that explains it.