(barbara says: LeftyMN and I go back and forth sometimes about the whichness of what in this country. He is not optimistic about righting our economy, especially in the hands of the beverage drinkers whose names cannot be spoken. On the heels of an e-conversation about the economy mostly, he had this to say:)
I laughed when I saw Ron Paul was taking over that committee (the Financial Services subcommittee on domestic monetary policy and technology)….
Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a longtime Fed critic who has called for auditing the central bank’s books, is in line to take over the Financial Services subcommittee on domestic monetary policy and technology, which has jurisdiction over the Fed.
“I will approach that committee like no one has ever approached it because we’re living in times like no one has ever seen,” Paul vowed in a recent interview with CNBC.
(barbara note: Gaaa! There's a savage shot across the bow that kind of sizzles the gizzard, eh?) Keep reading.
What follows is an edited version of Brian Lambert’s piece, “Branding the Mind of the Independent’ Voter,” posted with his permission. It originally appeared on the blog, “The Same Rowdy Crowd.” Here’s the link.
Lambert has an interesting take on who independents really are, and I think he’s spot on. He cites credible sources (including Pew Research Center and Quinnipiac University). Lambert’s well-informed perspective and colorful (!) prose make this a very good read. So after you check out the portion that follows below, read the whole thing, please and thank you.
Branding the Mind of the “Independent” Voter
Posted on November 9, 2010 by Brian Lambert
…some time in late summer Obama was on the campaign trail…He seemed amused by criticism from the GOP opposition machine — the best of its kind this planet has ever seen — that his administration hadn’t done a single goddamn thing.
(snip)
“Well, what am I supposed to do?,” Obama asked with a big smile and tone of mock derision, “Plaster my picture all over every project funded by stimulus money?”
The crowd laughed….Except that kind of branding is exactly what he should have done and will have to start doing throughout the next two years if he wants to penetrate the curious consciousness of the mythical “independent voter”….You don’t walk by a fresh flower bed in that town (Chicago) without reading a sign that says something to the effect, “These lovely flowers planted here and watered by order of your Mayor, Richard J. Daley….”
Among many ironies of election 2010 is that Obama dragged down Democrats because of what he actually accomplished legislatively, not what he didn’t do, or royally screwed up….The winning first draft of recent history was that everything he touched was all a colossal, money-wasting, “job-killing” botch. An epic screw-up Read more....
Fox News. Fair and balanced? Fox News journalism? No. Just no. Fox News, poster organization for oxymoronic labels and pitbull tactics.
As you probably know by now, Heidi Collins totally went off on Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie in a so-called interview about the recount process. Once again, I remind you that barbara does not watch television in general, and Fox News in particular. So I missed this wretched interrogation.
The first person to tell me about this was a conservative friend who actually watches this newscast, but I like him anyway. And here's what my friend did.
This is not an issue that matters much to high rollers -- though there are some Dem elites who seem to care in principle. Which is good. Take, for example, Mark Dayton....
For the rest of us -- and our numbers are legion -- Social Security is not a frou-frou add-on. It is near and dear to our bank accounts. And guess what? We didn't plan our lives intending to need SS to eke out an after-age-62-existence. But stuff happens. Illness. Injury. Divorce, Death. Job loss. Home foreclosure.
Ever try to find work in the post-Bush economic wasteland? The job market is not a pretty place, particularly for cash-strapped Read more.
One week. Then we have an essential job to do. We will go to the polls to choose important legislators and leaders.
It’s a particularly ugly election climate this year with outside groups spending four times more than they did in 2006. Much of the money goes to TV ads and flyers. And most of the messages are nasty and filled with untruths or hyperbole, i.e., inflated claims.
This is the truth:
- The economy is coming back, despite Republicans claims.
- The Dow is at 11,200 points—its highest level since spring. It was at 6,500 early in the Obama administration.
- Profits for most companies are up, with Minnesota companies Read more.
