Republican Delusions

McCain’s done some pretty nutty things in this campaign. Okay, he’s done a lot of nutty things. But this idea that people don’t want to spread the wealth around is probably the nuttiest. We just appropriated $700 billion to shore up our financial system. And Republicans are upset that poor people are going to get a little cash to keep their lights on. Formerly middle class people are losing their jobs and their homes in record numbers, and all John McCain can talk about is giving people a break on their non-existent capital gains taxes. It’s crazy.

Most of the people that are listening to McCain and Palin scream about ‘spreading the wealth around’ are more inclined to vote for Obama after they hear it. It’s like they’re campaigning for the opponents and they don’t even know it. What’s next? ‘They want to give you health care and college education for your kids!!”

Do they really think you have to make $3 million a year to be rich and that 50% of the people in this country make over $250,000 a year? They certainly behave as though they do believe those things. And that is one more reason why Republicans’ behavior cannot be predicted by observing discernible facts. I guess they’ve hoodwinked working folks for so long that they can’t believe that their bullshit isn’t selling anymore.

The fundamentals of the economy are not strong, and it amazes me that McCain could travel the country for eighteen months talking to average American people and still not realize that simple fact. Come Tuesday, the GOP will get a cold dose of reality and have a chance to learn what time it really is. I just don’t know if they are capable of processing the information.

14 Comments

BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Earthquake:

(CNN) — Former Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Friday he intends to vote for Democrat Barack Obama this Tuesday.

Duberstein said he was influenced by another prominent Reagan official – Colin Powell – in his decision.

“Well let’s put it this way – I think Colin Powell’s decision is in fact the good housekeeping seal of approval on Barack Obama.”

robertdsc on October 31, 2008 at 2:57 pm

Mike Malloy was talking about this the other day on his radio show. He played a clip of McCain and Palin speaking at a rally and then decried the shouts of support from the crowd because the crowd would have been the beneficiaries of the wealth “redistribution.”

It’s like the world has gone fucking crazy or something.

The Voice In The Wilderness on October 31, 2008 at 7:01 pm

Those crowds are living in the ’70s. They think “spread the wealth” means tax working people and spend it on welfare. They think they’re voting for Richard Nixon. Or George Wallace, more likely.

Brendan Skwire on October 31, 2008 at 3:06 pm

ya know, my dad and I were just having the same conversation. mcCain must think he’s getting some mileage with this, cus he keeps saying it, just like the Joe the Plumber thing: so who’s buying?

I think the situation is like this: David Brooks was correct a few weeks ago when he wrote the GOP has drummed out of the party anyone with any intellectual substance. the only people remaining are hacks and rubes.

And I am sorry to say it, but the rubes are REALLY dumb. I know one. He doesn’t get that the Obama tax cut, if enacted, will help him. Even if I use terms my 4-year-old understand, he just. doesn’t. get. it.

Same with the socialism thing: he calls obama a socialist, but waves off Bush’s decision to nationalize the banks as necessary, and refuses to even utter the word “socialism” in the context.

Nor does he get that people WANT to spread the wealth around, because they WANT some of that wealth. I know I do! My friend is not a wealthy man, by any definition.

I’ve given up on him, he’s a nice guy but utterly hopelessly lost.

BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 3:19 pm

Best comedy ever.
- ask on October 31, 2008 at 4:35 pm
  
  Well worth reading for hilarity.
- ask on October 31, 2008 at 4:41 pm
  
  BTW – what does this mean for the pollsters’ Likely Voter models?
  Seems to me that such a poor ground game will significantly depress R turnout compared to traditional models. If he can’t GOTV, then 11/4 will be a very happy day. Probably also down ticket.
  - BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 4:48 pm
    
    it’s worth a couple points, for sure.
liberaljournal on October 31, 2008 at 3:19 pm

The people that I know that are like that either watch Fixed Noise and like to listen to rightwing radio blowhards all the time OR have their closest friends and family who do. At that point, it’s as if you aren’t competing on a rational level, you are just being drowned out by misinformation I.e. the repetitive use of verbatim slogans and talking points from people they ‘trust.’

So, if you, brendan, and I are right, then, everyone else they know must be wrong–and that can’t be. Besides, we’re on the sides of libruls, blacks, and Teh Gay.

Andrew Longman on October 31, 2008 at 3:18 pm

There are plenty of buttheads in Marion Co. IN who just hate the idea of blacks getting some of their wealth

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115753

BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 3:24 pm

See? I wasn’t off the mark when I made up the Why’d He ‘Whitey Tape’. Heh.

SFHawkguy on October 31, 2008 at 3:30 pm

Yeah, the GOP fiscal policy is pretty nutty.

But it’s also pretty nutty to think giving $700 billion (it’s actually more like $2 Trillion plus and counting) in welfare to criminal bankers and corporate crooks is going to “shore up the financial system”.

So it goes to prove that this supply-side voodoo economics foolishness has infected not only the GOP but also heavily infected the Democrats.

The Democrats are not the working man’s friend either. Slightly less hostile, that’s for sure, but not friends.

granitestater on October 31, 2008 at 3:35 pm

There’s a ridiculous discrepency between what McCain says, what the reality is, and what McCain and Palin do. This is all too familiar to those on this site, but for fun:

McCain proposes a huge guvmint program to buy back mortgages from distressed homeowners.
Palin’s Alaska redistributes tax revenue paid by big oil to residents.
Obama proposes middle-class tax cuts.

So:
4. McCain calls Obama a socialist/Marxist/leftist.

idredit on October 31, 2008 at 5:28 pm

Every time McCain attacks Obama as Spread-the-Wealth-in-Chief, these homeowners will say, “I’ll take it – how soon can we elect Obama”

In 43 states, One in five homeowners with mortgages under water

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Nearly one in five U.S. mortgage borrowers owe more to lenders than their homes are worth, and the rate may soon approach one in four as housing prices fall and the economy weakens, a report on Friday shows.

About 7.63 million properties, or 18 percent, had negative equity in September, and another 2.1 million will follow if home prices fall another 5 percent, according to a report by First American CoreLogic.

The data, covering 43 states and Washington, D.C., includes borrowers nationwide, even those who took out mortgages before housing prices began to soar early this decade.

Seven hard-hit states — Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio — had 64 percent of all “underwater” borrowers, but just 41 percent of U.S. mortgages.

BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Earthquake:

(CNN) — Former Reagan chief of staff Ken Duberstein told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria Friday he intends to vote for Democrat Barack Obama this Tuesday.

Duberstein said he was influenced by another prominent Reagan official – Colin Powell – in his decision.

“Well let’s put it this way – I think Colin Powell’s decision is in fact the good housekeeping seal of approval on Barack Obama.”
robertdsc on October 31, 2008 at 2:57 pm

Mike Malloy was talking about this the other day on his radio show. He played a clip of McCain and Palin speaking at a rally and then decried the shouts of support from the crowd because the crowd would have been the beneficiaries of the wealth “redistribution.”

It’s like the world has gone fucking crazy or something.
- The Voice In The Wilderness on October 31, 2008 at 7:01 pm
  
  Those crowds are living in the ’70s. They think “spread the wealth” means tax working people and spend it on welfare. They think they’re voting for Richard Nixon. Or George Wallace, more likely.
Brendan Skwire on October 31, 2008 at 3:06 pm

ya know, my dad and I were just having the same conversation. mcCain must think he’s getting some mileage with this, cus he keeps saying it, just like the Joe the Plumber thing: so who’s buying?

I think the situation is like this: David Brooks was correct a few weeks ago when he wrote the GOP has drummed out of the party anyone with any intellectual substance. the only people remaining are hacks and rubes.

And I am sorry to say it, but the rubes are REALLY dumb. I know one. He doesn’t get that the Obama tax cut, if enacted, will help him. Even if I use terms my 4-year-old understand, he just. doesn’t. get. it.

Same with the socialism thing: he calls obama a socialist, but waves off Bush’s decision to nationalize the banks as necessary, and refuses to even utter the word “socialism” in the context.

Nor does he get that people WANT to spread the wealth around, because they WANT some of that wealth. I know I do! My friend is not a wealthy man, by any definition.

I’ve given up on him, he’s a nice guy but utterly hopelessly lost.
- BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 3:19 pm
  
  Best comedy ever.
  - ask on October 31, 2008 at 4:35 pm
    
    Well worth reading for hilarity.
  - ask on October 31, 2008 at 4:41 pm
    
    BTW – what does this mean for the pollsters’ Likely Voter models?
    Seems to me that such a poor ground game will significantly depress R turnout compared to traditional models. If he can’t GOTV, then 11/4 will be a very happy day. Probably also down ticket.
    - BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 4:48 pm
      
      it’s worth a couple points, for sure.
- liberaljournal on October 31, 2008 at 3:19 pm
  
  The people that I know that are like that either watch Fixed Noise and like to listen to rightwing radio blowhards all the time OR have their closest friends and family who do. At that point, it’s as if you aren’t competing on a rational level, you are just being drowned out by misinformation I.e. the repetitive use of verbatim slogans and talking points from people they ‘trust.’
  
  So, if you, brendan, and I are right, then, everyone else they know must be wrong–and that can’t be. Besides, we’re on the sides of libruls, blacks, and Teh Gay.
Andrew Longman on October 31, 2008 at 3:18 pm

There are plenty of buttheads in Marion Co. IN who just hate the idea of blacks getting some of their wealth

http://www.trackforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115753
- BooMan on October 31, 2008 at 3:24 pm
  
  See? I wasn’t off the mark when I made up the Why’d He ‘Whitey Tape’. Heh.
SFHawkguy on October 31, 2008 at 3:30 pm

Yeah, the GOP fiscal policy is pretty nutty.

But it’s also pretty nutty to think giving $700 billion (it’s actually more like $2 Trillion plus and counting) in welfare to criminal bankers and corporate crooks is going to “shore up the financial system”.

So it goes to prove that this supply-side voodoo economics foolishness has infected not only the GOP but also heavily infected the Democrats.

The Democrats are not the working man’s friend either. Slightly less hostile, that’s for sure, but not friends.
granitestater on October 31, 2008 at 3:35 pm
There’s a ridiculous discrepency between what McCain says, what the reality is, and what McCain and Palin do. This is all too familiar to those on this site, but for fun:
1. McCain proposes a huge guvmint program to buy back mortgages from distressed homeowners.
2. Palin’s Alaska redistributes tax revenue paid by big oil to residents.
3. Obama proposes middle-class tax cuts.
So:
4. McCain calls Obama a socialist/Marxist/leftist.
idredit on October 31, 2008 at 5:28 pm

Every time McCain attacks Obama as Spread-the-Wealth-in-Chief, these homeowners will say, “I’ll take it – how soon can we elect Obama”

In 43 states, One in five homeowners with mortgages under water

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Nearly one in five U.S. mortgage borrowers owe more to lenders than their homes are worth, and the rate may soon approach one in four as housing prices fall and the economy weakens, a report on Friday shows.

About 7.63 million properties, or 18 percent, had negative equity in September, and another 2.1 million will follow if home prices fall another 5 percent, according to a report by First American CoreLogic.

The data, covering 43 states and Washington, D.C., includes borrowers nationwide, even those who took out mortgages before housing prices began to soar early this decade.

Seven hard-hit states — Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Ohio — had 64 percent of all “underwater” borrowers, but just 41 percent of U.S. mortgages.

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