Random Thoughts

[Jeff Shyu]

i've tried to get on a jury 3 times now. I need to start lying to their questions to sound more neutral, just to see how much i can steer deliberation.

i love our law, it's so open ended.

[Steve Ekstrand]

I was shocked and angry at McCain when I heard the Palin pick, but she's impressive for a small town PTA president. What relaxes me about her is that she talks the big evangelical talk in her life, but as politician she steers clear. That is perfect in my book.

Overturning Roe v Wade is not as others have pointed out the end of the world as we know it.

But McCain-Palin are hardcore religious right wingers only when sending Christmas cards to James Dobson. I don't buy that their White House would do anything other than lead the ProLife rallies. They'd never act on it. And their judges are going to be far more moderate than the left wing bloggers try to scare us with.

I don't see much to fear from McCain.

I see plenty to fear from an Obama presidency. I might give him a shot if we weren't going to have huge huge huge majorities for the dems in Congress. With no check, I have to vote for McCain. Something I would said 2 years ago there was no chance in hell I'd vote for the Manchurian Volcano.

I am shocked at how Obama and his campaign have collapsed post convention. They started the non-stop "Bush-McCain" theme at the convention and it just wears so thin and makes them like every other politician ever. All the freshness is gone. And the constant reacting to everything the right tosses at the wall is silly. And I'd just ignore Palin. The more they make silly attacks the more she stays hot. Ignore her and let the buzz get worn thin. Obama has gone deep into the trap.

Plenty of time to recover and as Bob said McCain is seeing a big post convention bounce that will probably fade.

But the real hurt for Obama is that by getting sucked into the trap, he exposed himself to be somethign other than the Messiah. Tough to go back to being a deity when you've been outed as a mortal.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

But McCain-Palin are hardcore religious right wingers only when sending Christmas cards to James Dobson. I don't buy that their White House would do anything other than lead the ProLife rallies. They'd never act on it. And their judges are going to be far more moderate than the left wing bloggers try to scare us with.

I think Palin will only shrink back from that because she's been told to. Her attempt at a take-back on calling the Iraq War a "task from God" was utterly phony. If she'd meant what Lincoln said, she wouldn't have thrown out some pentecostal/charismatic remark in front of her church.

[Mako Koiwai]

Just for Fun ... video spoof on Sarah P:

http://tinyurl.com/4efhno

[Jeff Shyu]

i think all the people who make fun of Palin, are doing a disservice to themselves. (i say this as someone who's not sold on her qualification, but her selection tactic).

the numerous forms of slander that float around on her, inevitably falls under the eyes of working women/mom's that are on the fence, who are not politically savy, and don't keep up with the news. to them, it'll be an attack on a working mom.

lets face it, she was brought on to try to take away those working women's votes from Obama, and this plays right into the republicans' hands. I'm going to admit to being a sexist by making this statement: i think a lot of women voters vote by their emotional attachments, rather than facts.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

the numerous forms of slander that float around on her, inevitably falls under the eyes of working women/mom's that are on the fence, who are not politically savy, and don't keep up with the news. to them, it'll be an attack on a working mom.

Yep, that's pretty sexist. Women aren't smart enough to sift satire from serious discussion.

I haven't seen Palin attacked on the kind of personal level used against Clinton. Guess that's the difference between Republicans and Democrats; the GOP prefers personal attacks and lies to a serious examination of issues. That was the tone of the GOP convention, a continuation of the cynical, divisive crap we've had the past eight years.

If we can survive the Bush + GOP control of Congress, I'm willing to see what the first two years of all Democrats can accomplish.

[Jeff Shyu]

I'm willing to see what the first two years of all Democrats can accomplish.

that's one thing i'm afraid of.

i'm not pro bush (god, i hope i never come across that way), but he has certainly served as the check to Pelosi.

regardless of who's in the whitehouse and congress, i'm weary of any instance where the system of check and balance is essentially nullified.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

I'm willing to see what the first two years of all Democrats can accomplish.

that's one thing i'm afraid of.

i'm not pro bush (god, i hope i never come across that way), but he has certainly served as the check to Pelosi.

regardless of who's in the whitehouse and congress, i'm weary of any instance where the system of check and balance is essentially nullified.

What of Pelosi did he check? Keeping in mind that she's one of more than 300 members of the House and then there's that other group, the Senate, which is run by Cheney or his robot.

No Republican administration has EVER made government smaller. So, as an argument that the GOP will be different in that regard to the Democrats is a fallacy.

As for the check/balance issue, there's enough damage done by Bush and his legion of darkness that two years of single party rule would be better than the status quo.

[Mako Koiwai]

i think a lot of women voters vote by their emotional attachments, rather than facts.

Funny, I think a lot of guys have knee jerk reactions and certainly don't vote knowing the facts. The working women (sure, not the national "average") I'm with tend to be smart and informed.

Just for fun:

A SPANISH teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

'House,' for instance, is feminine: 'la casa.'

'Pencil,' however, is masculine: 'el lapiz.'


A student asked, 'What gender is 'computer?'


Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether computer should be masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.


The men's group decided that 'computer' should definitely be the feminine gender ('la computadora'), because:


1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your pay check on accessories for it.


The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ('el computador'), because:


1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on.

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves.

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem, and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

[Jeff Shyu]

i went on a multi-post diatribe on why i think the status quo would be good for this election cycle.

i'll have to try to find it to copy n paste.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

i went on a multi-post diatribe on why i think the status quo would be good for this election cycle.

i'll have to try to find it to copy n paste.

So another 600,000 jobs can be lost in less than a year?

Don't worry, Jeff, the McCain and the GOP will probably sleaze their way back into the White House again.

[Jeff Shyu]

i went on a multi-post diatribe on why i think the status quo would be good for this election cycle.

i'll have to try to find it to copy n paste.

So another 600,000 jobs can be lost in less than a year?

Don't worry, Jeff, the McCain and the GOP will probably sleaze their way back into the White House again.

you're not really blaming the job loss directly at the administration, are you?

i'm not a fan of the current administration. I voted against Bush both times, and i was against going into Iraq when it was just talk.. as Anti-past-8-years as I am, i also believe that there's elements working here that are not within legislative control of the administration, except in a very peripheral way.

the most direct cause for job loss, is the slow economy - that can be attributed to weak dollar, credit crisis, energy cost.

i personally think these things are like icebergs, and can only be massaged one way or another, but never directly effected. I don't think a new administration can do anything about it.

[John Coffey]

Just one anecdotal point regarding Palin and Obama. My wife is a hard core Obamacon and will vote for him purely based on race. She admits this and says its time an African American was in the White House. That's fine with me, race is just as good a basis for a voting decision as any other. People who lament the "ignorance" of voters ignore centuries of history around the world and might as well hope Santa brings them the pony they hoped for when they were children. Anyway, I digress.

My wife couldn't believe Obama called Palin a Pig. I tried to explain to her that the quote was taken out of context and she shot me me down. "We all know who he was referring to and it was just like when he flipped off Hillary. I can't believe he would do something so stupid." This is from a hard core, change believing, drank the Koolaid, send in the money Obama supporter. She wasn't happy and she's wondering right now what's gone wrong with Obama and his campaign. She agrees that Palin is not qualified for the job but she feels there was no reason for Obama (and a lot of the others) to take the cheap shots.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Bob is a whole lot brighter than to really think that Cheney and Pelosi are analogous in their powers to steer the boat in their chambers. That comment was way beneath your background and knowledge.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Just one anecdotal point regarding Palin and Obama. My wife is a hard core Obamacon and will vote for him purely based on race. She admits this and says its time an African American was in the White House. That's fine with me, race is just as good a basis for a voting decision as any other. People who lament the "ignorance" of voters ignore centuries of history around the world and might as well hope Santa brings them the pony they hoped for when they were children. Anyway, I digress.

My wife couldn't believe Obama called Palin a Pig. I tried to explain to her that the quote was taken out of context and she shot me me down. "We all know who he was referring to and it was just like when he flipped off Hillary. I can't believe he would do something so stupid." This is from a hard core, change believing, drank the Koolaid, send in the money Obama supporter. She wasn't happy and she's wondering right now what's gone wrong with Obama and his campaign. She agrees that Palin is not qualified for the job but she feels there was no reason for Obama (and a lot of the others) to take the cheap shots.

So, voters aren't ignorant, governments are? What history demonstrates that the electorate isn't often ignorant of facts and attracted to emotions without substance? Often only one emotion: fear. That's been the GOP song for years, even before 9/11. Pander to irrational fear, lie and twist the truth to smear your opponent. The Democrats used to be good at it, but not any more. They "stand to be insulted and pay for the privilege."

I don't think he called her a pig, but it isn't the right direction for his campaign. The quicker they return to dealing with real issues the better. Responding to attacks will have to be handled with care.

Jeff, the Federal deficit has an affect on the value of the dollar. That deficit is the result of an administration that spends like a drunken sailor. We don't need a senile sailor to continue the trend.

[Steve Ekstrand]

And the dems don't spread fear? I just don't see one side more guilty than the other.

Why did Obama even respond to that pig stuff. Ridiculous. Kerry needed to respond because he was an unsympathetic figure. Obama carries more respect, he should have tried to stay above it.

[Jeff Shyu]

Jeff, the Federal deficit has an affect on the value of the dollar. That deficit is the result of an administration that spends like a drunken sailor. We don't need a senile sailor to continue the trend.

this is true, but not the entire truth.

the biggest factor in the downward trending dollar, is TRADE deficit, not spending deficit.

as someone whose window looks out over the Port of Long Beach, i get to see that at work every day. We export raw material out to China, and then import the same material back, manufacture red into whatever it is that's selling these days.

the solution isn't to force negotiation with other countries on trade, to force them to buy more. the solution is to make our own country more competitive. US used to manufacturer a lot of our own goods, where "made in the USA" used to mean something. the reliance upon cheap labor from china in the past decades (not just this administration) has netted great gains for companies like Walmart (who i work for, indirectly).

it's a conundrum. One which i haven't heard a good solution for, from either candidate.

[Kurt Rahn]

stand to be insulted and pay for the privilege

Nice Elvis Costello reference, Bob! That's a relatively obscure song, too.

[John Coffey]

So, voters aren't ignorant, governments are?

Bob, I never said voters are not ignorant and I never said anything about the Government. Stop building strawmen.

[John Coffey]

Oh Geez! Look at InTrade: http://www.intrade.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. For the first time McCain is ahead of Obama and this is for people putting up money on the election outcome.

EDIT: Should have said "for the first time in 2008"...

[John Coffey]

But the real hurt for Obama is that by getting sucked into the trap, he exposed himself to be somethign other than the Messiah.

I think Obama lost his diety status after he picked Joe. Personally, I like Joe but just image him in a tense negotiation with anybody:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRV5Y1JCGRI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

FYI... Chuck Graham is a parapalegic.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Bob is a whole lot brighter than to really think that Cheney and Pelosi are analogous in their powers to steer the boat in their chambers. That comment was way beneath your background and knowledge.

Yeah, but the GOP majority leader was.

What fears have Democrats spread lately? And, again, the last 8 years of GOP discourse has been shite.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Oh Geez! Look at InTrade: http://www.intrade.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. For the first time McCain is ahead of Obama and this is for people putting up money on the election outcome.

EDIT: Should have said "for the first time in 2008"...

I thought that showed Obama ahead this a.m., but I was in a hurry.

I wasn't that excited about Biden on the ticket, but his experience adds something.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

So, voters aren't ignorant, governments are?

Bob, I never said voters are not ignorant and I never said anything about the Government. Stop building strawmen.

Sorry, read that way me. Besides, I like straw men; they burn nicely and you can roast marshmallows.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Jeff, the Federal deficit has an affect on the value of the dollar. That deficit is the result of an administration that spends like a drunken sailor. We don't need a senile sailor to continue the trend.

this is true, but not the entire truth.

the biggest factor in the downward trending dollar, is TRADE deficit, not spending deficit.

as someone whose window looks out over the Port of Long Beach, i get to see that at work every day. We export raw material out to China, and then import the same material back, manufacture red into whatever it is that's selling these days.

the solution isn't to force negotiation with other countries on trade, to force them to buy more. the solution is to make our own country more competitive. US used to manufacturer a lot of our own goods, where "made in the USA" used to mean something. the reliance upon cheap labor from china in the past decades (not just this administration) has netted great gains for companies like Walmart (who i work for, indirectly).

it's a conundrum. One which i haven't heard a good solution for, from either candidate.

The trade deficit has been with us for several decades; way beyond its effect is the price of oil. The higher the price of oil, the weaker the dollar becomes. Now, tell me again how an administration that won't open up the strategic reserves as an effort to under cut speculation isn't effecting the economy.

If companies won't even bother to keep customer service phone banks here, how do you expect manufacturing jobs to be created? Lowering wages will neither strengthen the manufacturing sector or boost the economy. Once GM goes Chapter 11, that will be end of the UAW, the last union of any size representing manufacturing employees.