Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : THE WHITE HOUSE -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pompsander who wrote (21306)	8/21/2008 3:47:15 PM
From: PROLIFE	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25737

just because you are outed, you seem to be unable to come to grips with your own lifestyle choices by throwing the blame elsewhere. I feel sure you and Buddy will be happy, hallmark even has cards for you now. The nation's largest greeting card company is rolling out homosexual wedding cards -- featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside. "Two hearts. One promise," one says. Hallmark added the cards after California joined Massachusetts as the only U.S. states with legal homosexual marriage.

To: pompsander who wrote (21306)	8/23/2008 10:30:26 AM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Respond to of 25737

McCain goes for the mud Clarence Page August 24, 2008 chicagotribune.com I once heard of a man so rich he didn't know his kids were in college. The story was a joke. But Sen. John McCain, Republican presidential nominee-to-be, brought it back to mind when he forgot how many houses he owns. Asked during an interview with Politico.com how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own, McCain hesitated, then muttered, "I'll have my staff get to you." You know you're doing pretty good in life when you have to ask your staff how many houses you own. McCain's embarrassment was compounded when his staff, caught off guard, also sounded uncertain at first as to how many houses McCain and his wife owned. News reports eventually counted at least seven houses and condominiums in five cities, including La Jolla, Calif., Arlington, Va. and Hidden Valley, Ariz. Obama and his campaign pounced. In a new TV ad and at a speech in Virginia last week, Obama took on McCain for calling the economy "fundamentally strong" while failing to keep track of his family's properties. "If you don't know how many houses you have," Obama said, "then it's not surprising that you might think the economy was fundamentally strong." After weeks of being criticized by McCain's campaign as a "celebrity" who, contradictorily, is not known well enough, Obama seemed to be raising a new argument: Americans don't know enough about the McCains. That view is backed by a recent Pew Research Center poll. It found that 48 percent of Americans felt they were "hearing too much" about Obama. About half that—26 percent—felt they had heard too much about McCain, while almost 40 percent said they have been hearing too little about the Arizona senator. The McCain campaign appears to be counting on the continued ignorance of some voters. What else would explain responding to Obama with an ad that brings up Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a scandal-shrouded Obama fundraiser who brings up memories of Arizona savings and loan financier Charles Keating, a scandal-connected fundraiser for McCain? Rezko "helped [Obama] buy his million-dollar mansion" and "got political favors including $14 million from taxpayers," says a McCain ad. It doesn't mention that Obama bought the mansion with his book royalties. Obama only bought a small strip of an adjacent side lot from Rezko's wife. The ad also omits how Obama wrote letters supporting a Rezko bid to build senior citizen housing, but that Obama was not the decision-maker on the deal. "Now he's [Rezko] a convicted felon, facing jail," the ad concludes. "That's a housing problem." The ad does not mention that Rezko hadn't been charged when Obama purchased the strip of land, although it was widely known that Rezko was under investigation. Although Obama has not been accused of wrongdoing, the appearance of impropriety caused him to call his Rezko association a "boneheaded" mistake. McCain calls his association with Keating "the worst mistake" of his life. McCain, by comparison, was investigated along with four other senators for meeting with Keating and later with bank regulators. Keating was trying to persuade the government to ease up on his industry at the time. He was later convicted of defrauding thousands of investors, most of them elderly, out of their life savings. McCain got off with a criticism from the Senate Ethics Committee for his "poor judgment." Nevertheless, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said he didn't think Obama really wants to "get into a debate about houses." I don't think McCain does either. What's in a house? Or seven? The real issue here is not how rich the candidates happen to be. Finalists in the presidential race are by their very nature "elites," having risen to the top through education, wealth, connections or foxlike cunning. The real issue is whether they are elitists. In other words, are they in touch with your deeply felt values and urgent concerns, dear voter? Or do they think they're better than you? And do they show it? Instead of responding to such questions in a straightforward manner, McCain disappoints us by escalating into a mudslinging battle. Obama is no more eager to talk about Rezko than McCain is eager to talk about Keating. Yet McCain invites memories of his old "mistake " by bringing up Obama's in a sad sign of desperation. In politics, old mistakes never die. They keep coming back in attack ads. Clarence Page is a member of the Tribune's editorial board. E-mail: cptime@aol.com