Profile of a Republi-con Operative

Interesting read about another one of Sheeeepish Haaannity's 'Great Americans.'

Too Early to Be Countin the Chickens

Some are now talking of an Obama landslide, with "larger Democratic majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate — and perhaps a filibuster-proof margin there."

As the old saying goes, there is a risk counting your chickens before the eggs hatch, but perhaps not in this election, given the state of affairs in the McCain campaign (see below).

McCain Endorses Obama

Not quite, but "John McCain likes Barack Obama. He admires and respects Obama. He believes Obama is "very impressive, he's thoughtful, he's centrist." Obama has "probably got a great future." He is "a very honest and fine person" -- "absolutely" qualified to be president."

Fear, Anger, and Hatred

Without fear, anger and hatred, where would the Republi-cons be.

At a rally in Lakeville, Minnesota McCain found himself struggling to control the fear, anger and hatred some of his rabid supports have been promoting. His running mate Sarah Palin stepped up her own attacks against Obama, often inspiring outbursts complete with cries of "terrorist" and "off with his head." Even an older woman said that that Obama could not be trusted because he is an 'Arab.'

In Northwest Florida, one of the finer members (presumably) of the Republi-con party, "decided to illustrate [to his seventh grade civils class] the concept of 'change' by writing 'Come Help A N----r Get Elected' on the white board in front of his class.

Then there are the officially sanctioned comparisons to OBL.

I'm sure Sheeepish Haaannity considers them all 'Great American.'

But consider what John Lewis said this weekend:

"As one who was a victim of violence and hate during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, I am deeply disturbed by the negative tone of the McCain-Palin campaign. What I am seeing today reminds me too much of another destructive period in American history. Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin are sowing the seeds of hatred and division, and there is no need for this hostility in our political discourse.

During another period, in the not too distant past, there was a governor of the state of Alabama named George Wallace who also became a presidential candidate. George Wallace never threw a bomb. He never fired a gun, but he created the climate and the conditions that encouraged vicious attacks against innocent Americans who only desired to exercise their constitutional rights. Because of this atmosphere of hate, four little girls were killed one Sunday morning when a church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama.

As public figures with the power to influence and persuade, Sen. McCain and Governor Palin are playing with fire, and if they are not careful, that fire will consume us all. They are playing a very dangerous game that disregards the value of the political process and cheapens our entire democracy. We can do better. The American people deserve better."

It is true, we can do better. Thankfully, even McCain finds the attacks over the top. McCain responded to the lady in Lakeville, saying "No, ma'am, he's a decent family man, a citizen, who I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. And that's what this campaign is all about."

But the Republi-cons don't think that is the way to win an election, so it will fear, anger, and hatred, from now until the election. McCain won't win many independents with that strategy.

Republi-con Lies

So many lies, so little time to respond:

• McClatchy Newspapers, Private sector loans, not Fannie or Freddie, triggered crisis, which states in part:
  
  

  "Commentators say that's what triggered the stock market meltdown and the freeze on credit. They've specifically targeted the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the federal government seized on Sept. 6, contending that lending to poor and minority Americans caused Fannie's and Freddie's financial problems.

• Federal housing data reveal that the charges aren't true, and that the private sector, not the government or government-backed companies, was behind the soaring subprime lending at the core of the crisis.

• Subprime lending offered high-cost loans to the weakest borrowers during the housing boom that lasted from 2001 to 2007. Subprime lending was at its height from 2004 to 2006.

  Federal Reserve Board data show that:

• More than 84 percent of the subprime mortgages in 2006 were issued by private lending institutions.
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• Private firms made nearly 83 percent of the subprime loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers that year.
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• Only one of the top 25 subprime lenders in 2006 was directly subject to the housing law that's being lambasted by conservative critics.
  
  

  The "turmoil in financial markets clearly was triggered by a dramatic weakening of underwriting standards for U.S. subprime mortgages, beginning in late 2004 and extending into 2007," the President's Working Group on Financial Markets reported Friday.

• Conservative critics claim that the Clinton administration pushed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make home ownership more available to riskier borrowers with little concern for their ability to pay the mortgages.

• "I don't remember a clarion call that said Fannie and Freddie are a disaster. Loaning to minorities and risky folks is a disaster," said Neil Cavuto of Fox News."
  

• ACORN Press Release, ACORN Response to Senator McCain’s Smear Ad
  
  "ACORN President Maude Hurd released the following statement today in response to the McCain campaign’s new ad claiming that, among other things, ACORN is responsible for the mortgage crisis:
  
  ”For almost a decade, ACORN, a community organization of 400,000 families in neighborhoods across the country, has been fighting against the predatory lending practices that have robbed our members of their homes, destabilized neighborhoods, and roiled the global economy.”
  
  “In his newest ad, John McCain’s campaign bizarrely claims, “ACORN forced banks to issue risky home loans, the same types of loans that caused the financial crisis we’re in today.” Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, ACORN has worked successfully to help working class families get good home loans on fair terms from legitimate banks and has fought vigorously against predatory lenders who have ripped off families in our communities. These predatory loans caused the crisis.”
  
  “For more than a decade, ACORN members have held protests, released reports, and advocated for regulations to protect homeowners from predatory lenders. ACORN organizers and volunteers have been working day and night to help victims of the GOP economic meltdown to save their
  homes from foreclosure. In fact, ACORN has brought class action lawsuits against several predatory lenders, and has lobbied the Federal Reserve and Congress in support of regulations against predatory lending. ACORN has even been successful in convincing many lenders to treat homeowners more fairly and help families be able to make their mortgage payments and save their homes.”
  
  “Unfortunately, the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans like John McCain have blocked the sensible regulations that ACORN and others proposed that would have averted the mortgage meltdown. If John McCain thinks that community organizers caused the foreclosure crisis, he knows even less about the economy than previously thought.”
  
  ”John McCain and the Republicans are desperately trying to shift the blame for the economic crisis they caused with a philosophy of deregulation and indifference to homeowners. All the grainy footage and creepy music in the world can’t cancel out some simple, basic facts, and the facts about the economy are not on John McCain’s side.”"
  

Without the lies, the American public would see the Republi-cons for what they are, largely responsible for the current economic mess. Without the lies, the Republi-cons would be swamped in this election.

Don't listen to the Republi-con lies!