Sunday Roundup

Increasingly desperate, John McCain and the GOP are throwing the kitchen sink at Barack Obama. No wonder they called Joe the Plumber. So this week brought racist mailers, a tidal wave of robocalls, more Bill Ayers, Sarah Palin's love of the "pro-American areas of this great nation," and McCain's outlandish claim that ACORN is "destroying the fabric of democracy." Not unwarranted wiretapping, waterboarding, extraordinary rendition, or the denial of habeas corpus. ACORN. Bringing this toxic collection together in one despicable no-goodie bag was Rush Limbaugh, who charged that Obama -- aided and abetted by Ayers and ACORN -- is "smack dab in the middle" of a 30-year plot to teach black children to "hate, hate, hate" America. It's going to take more than a plumber to pull McCain's -- and his party's -- reputation out of the sewer.

Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff

Comments

[twiggy2writes]

i would like to know how do professional racist get to endorse a political party ? it's okay that the likes of rush limbaugh, newt gingrich, bill o'reilly, glen beck all get paid to spew hate and division and still continue as spokes persons for a political party how does that happen?
obama is all inclusive which is a quality the above mentioned lack, so if your not white you ain't right. if you lack their core christian values of hate, racism, division fear; which by the way are not the characteristics of Jesus Christ. obama displays the characteristics of Christ. it's sad people judge obama by the color of his skin and not the content of his character! but it is even worst when known racist are allowed to promote their agenda as part of a certain political party!
the word of God says you will know them by their fruit. i have to ask what fruit are mccain/palin producing? hate, division, racism,fear. what fruit are the obama/biden ticket producing? unity, longsuffering patience, etc...
we are all americans, and those of us who see the evil and the misjustice should voice our disdain and contempt for such.
pray for the protection of obama and his wife and their children, and the enemy, satan has no authority over them or the outcome of this election, and pray for the peace of this great nation! prayer works especially when millions of people are praying in unity.

[weg203]

well put - mccain not very christlike - the hypocricy of the right wing

[Soundofthunder]

What I see are white people scared of losing control of the country. What they fail to remember is that not too long ago South Africa was run by white people, who represent about 9% of the population. At present, white people are 80% of the US population. That means when white people are but a 10% minority, they will still probably control the USA. So lighten up, Rush! Your "people" aren't going anywhere.

SOT

[McNuts]

Get the word out in swing states/counties for voters to use their cell phones or camcorders to record any vote flipping for the record. There are anecdotal reports in W VA but we must have hard evidence this time even if we don't need W VA. The word should go out to all the surrogates and TV and radio talk show hosts to get the word out. Barack should mention it in his TV addresses.

Why hasn't the FBI investigated voting machine flipping. Why isn't it a federal crime.

[JustLynn]

I have said this before and I will say it again....We already have Socialism...we just have the BAD parts of it... When Wall Street can scream for help due to their own greed and dis-honesty and the debt they caused gets spread out to the taxpayers through a government bailout, thats Socialism people...

Socialism is fine if you are the beneficiary of it....but heaven forbid anyone ask the top 1% to pay a little more...then we are leftis*ts and liber*als and Social*ists...

We need VERY strict regulation of the financial industry, fines for any corporation that moves jobs out of the country,beneficial and profitable trade agreements that can be enforced,and closure of the loopholes that allow mega million dollar individuals and corporations to avoid paying "THEIR FAIR SHARE".....

[catzoned]

Yes, I think it's only fair that the upper 1% pay the same tax rate as working single moms. And close the tax loopholes. Those corporations who moved their businesses and jobs overseas should get no tax break either. And the mega rich oil companies shouldn't get tax breaks or loopholes either. Now that is redistributing the wealth.

[JustLynn]

Those who "have" will always fight to keep control of those who "have not". But America, we ALLOW this to happen. Our priorities have become so skewed during my lifetime that we have Doctors and Nurses who can literally save you life struggling to make it and we have young men who are talented enough to throw a ball through a hoop making MILLIONS because they provide wealth for someone else.

We have television shows like "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" "Cribs", and "My Sweet Sixteen" that have some of the highest ratings on television. WE have allowed this to happen, and now WE are the only ones that can turn it around. We have lost sight of what is important in this country, and that IS this country, NOT money...

[monicaangela]

Right on, JustLynn. This country led by it's fear of the minority, it's deviciveness due to the two party system, it's history of take from the poor and give to the rich has caused this country to be much less than it could be. Until we have a country where we judge a person by the content of his character and not the color of his skin, by his ability to contribute to society through the use of his intellect and not his pedigree, we will always be a socialist country, stealing from the poor and giving to the rich. An Obama presidency can help to change all of this. VOTE OBAMA/BIDEN 08.

[JenLeh]

Justlynn,

You nailed it, we pour money into our entertainment and our gadgets and our materialistic things. But when it comes down to it, our schools are socialized, our emergency response teams are socialized, our mail carrier system is socialized....and yet when it comes to things like healthcare, we cry SOCIALISM...NO TO SPREADIN G THE WEALTH....

We spread the wealth already....by the corporations jacking up prices and charging us, RICH getting RICHER off the poor and middle class... THat's how it is right now and how it has been during the last 8 years.

I'm tired of it!

[ElectronoftheOne]

Workers are paid not according to the intrinsic value of the service they perform, but according to the amount of profit that can be extracted from their labors. Those who control the profits are paid according to what they perceive themselves to be worth.

[tedbear]

McCain doesn't care if his campaign is in the sewer. He wants to win and he doesn't care how he wins.

I think Obama can win, IF, PEOPLE GO OUT AND VOTE. MAKE PLANS TODAY. GET THERE EARLY, AND MOVE ALONG QUICKLY. HELP OTHERS GET THERE.

The people have the power to change things, but the people have to use the power and voting is your only shot. Take it please. Obama is offering hope, lets take it on 11/4.

[monicaangela]

Good advice tedbear.

[Cinnamonape]

Or vote early...and then help people get to the polls, offer people who are in long lines water, stadium chairs, or even snacks. Also encourage your friends to bring proof of residence and identification. This is in case of challenges.

[Goryu5569]

You're right. It's like John Stewart said: They've created their own Frankenstein monster. According to PFAW, an ACORN office has also been vandalized and this group's offices have been sent death threats and hate mail (mostly racist hate mail) from the conservatives supporting his campaign. McCain and Palin will definitely not be remembered kindly after this election since they've based it on racism, slander, misrepresentation, and cowering to the extreme conservatives. It makes me question whether they really are trying to win or if they're actually trying to push their people to Obama.

[monicaangela]

In every election I can remember, the republican so called conservatives have conducted themselves this way, remember - McCain's black baby, Willie Horton, and I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the message. People are finally rejecting this horrible method of dividing the country and playing to the sympathies of racist which has been perfected by the KK K and the extreme right republicans to divide and conquer this country. A country as great as ours with a turnout of less than 50% of qualified voters at the poles to vote during many elections is a disgrace. It appears Obama is trying to change that sad statistic and the republicans don't like it.

[Raster]

Yes, yes, all so true. But my problem is the Democrats do not muster a credible opposition. They should have been employing the hardest hitting, slash and burn tactics, using clear factual material like unwarranted wiretapping, waterboarding, extraordinary rendition, and the denial of habeas corpus among many others. The reason I have turned off the Dems is due to their wimpish persona of "sticks and stones..." epitomized by Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry. I believe that's a major reason why they get so little White male support. They wouldn't have to fight "Rovian dirty" to fight as hard as hell. Arianna, to her great credit, has pointed out the glaring lack of punch in the Dems approach many times throughout the 2008 campaign.

[WillNYC]

has nothing to do with current issues... and attack politics would hurt the Democrat campaign...

[ILibertine]

Well, while I've been frustrated at times by what I perceived as lack of return punch, I'll have to say it seems as if the high road has yielded disproportionate benefits for the Democrats. It is all too tempting to descend into the slash and burn fray, and history certainly supports the opinion that to disregard a firm stance welcomes defeat. Yet Obama and Biden have been able to counter with steadfast, level-headed resolve to the extent that their opponents seem to further exacerbate their decline. This time, I believe the electorate is so tired of divisiveness, that they see as the cause of so many of the ills that have come to haunt, that remaining above the fray and soliciting reason is an even more potent stance. You do not always need to punch someone out to validate your point. It might seem the McCain campaign is practicing a new form of aggression - punching themselves out - self-annihilation.

[castlerider]

Well let's leave this tired old argument where it belongs, where the sun don't shine, shall we?????

This is the great thing about Obama.... He's NOT Dukakis, he's NOT Kerry, he's Not any of those supposedly-wimpy versions of what being a real leader is about. But wait - these were all great men, and actually it was the right wing hate macxhine that succeeded in making that label stick on these greatly qualified Democrats. Lord knows how much better off we'd have been with Gore...
We're not out of this yet, though. We need to get with everybody and just do all we can that everyone we knoe gets out there and votes!!!

[jacqmac]

You have missed every single analysis of this negative campaign. By a VERY LARGE PERCENTAGE, MOST American voters are TURNED OFF by all these slurs. Employing the SAME TACTICS only gets the DEMS as dirty as the REPUBLICANS. IF YOU ARE SO 'RED-BLOODED'--so be it. Go out and slam a waterboard down someone's throat. That MIGHT make YOU feel better but won't do ANYTHING to make the SITUATION better. If you KNOW THE TRUTH then YOU NEED TO SPEAK UP---NOW--WHILE YOU STILL CAN---because IF Michelle Bachman and all the rest of McCain's pals get THEIR way--you will be in an INTERNMENT CAMP for UNAMERICANS.

[monicaangela]

Those white boys you seem to be so proud of are the welfare recipients that are happy to have socialism in it's present form. Those kind of people don't want to hear the issues, they want to laugh and joke about all out lies and treat our elections as though they were a football, baseball, soccer, or basketball game. It is time for the country to come together, and for those white boys of yours to join the rest of us and prove that they deserve the breaks they've been getting. Compete for real, stick to the issues that concern americans, not lies, half truths and smears.

[HHarvey]

The whole "negative" shtick is the reason so many are turned off by the republican campaign this year. Time for some grown up talk. Like you I felt that the Kerry campaign was not handled as effectively as it could have been, but this is not the past years election. You simply cannot compare them. Obama and the way his campaign is run is much different than past campaigns. You want dirty, muddy, tricks then stick to watching Fox News.

[TheloniousThinks]

Did you see Robert Reich on the Daily Show?
He said straight out "What we have is socialism for the rich, and capitalism for all the rest"

[rayboston]

Remember the good old days when calling a guy a "Liberal" was our idea of negative politics?

[PT6]

Arianna,

McCain's #1 Hero is Ronald Reagan!

Walter Annenberg introduced President Reagan to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and the Reagans often celebrated New Year's Eve with the Annenbergs.

Annenberg also provided massive financial support to Reagan' campaigns for President!

Annenberg was a newspaper man and attacked McCarthyism in the 1950s which is not unlike what McCain is trying to do today.

Annenberg financed Ayers and attended many of the same meetings that Obama did!

So McCain is also accusing one of the MOST POWERFUL REPUBLICANS IN AMERICA, Annenberg of "being a friend of terrorists."

Annenberg also donated Millions of Dollars to Ayers' for support of Ayers' Education Plans following those meetings.

Obviously, Annenberg and Obama are NOT FRIENDS OF TERRORISTS!

However both can put aside what happened 40 years ago to work with a 63 year old Distinguished Professor from the University of Illinois who helps Children have an opportunity to LEARN.

[Dr. Sam]

DEMOCRATS WITH RIGHT PLAN BUT WRONG PRESENTATION
The issue always boils down to a conflict between a broader vision of inclusiveness (middle class, the poor, minorities, diverse solitudes working together, international cooperation and peace) and narrow vision (1% of the rich and other top earners who control 95% of all wealth, neglect of the poor, exclusion and exploitation of minorities, cultural war internally and internationally, unilateralism and “exceptionalism,” and ready use of war and other bellicose means in international relations). This is what critically distinguishes Democrats from Republicans. But Republicans have almost always shown much greater passion in defending what they stand for. They have also often put Democrats in defensive position—because they tend to frame their argument better, though their plan is flawed. Think of the current argument about Joe the “plumber” who is no plumber. Republicans have shifted the argument from Joe’s credibility to a Democratic class war. They call Obama’s idea of taxing the rich “class war” and helping the middle class simply “spreading the wealth” and “welfare.” How about Democrats calling McCain’s plan “spreading the wealth to the rich” and “welfare for the rich”—the way it has generally been! How about democrats framing the arguments better and standing up strongly for their belief without retreating timidly. IT IS ALL ABOUT FRAMING AND STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN. Obama’s plan will help the middle class and the poor more than McCain’s. Stand up and fight for it.

[Tubalcain]

I've been saying this all along. I guess you watched Orwell Comes To America. Democrats need a better "spin" machine.

[castlerider]

When good Lord willing, Obama wins, with Dems in both houses, we'll be able to establish this spin control you're talking about a lot easier, and also make great strides towards cleaning up the fraud and mismanagement on the election system that the republicans have worked so hard to manipulate and destroy as well

.

[monicaangela]

Well said Dr. Sam, you're forgeting about just one thing though. After the election I will tell you what that is.

[shivadas]

You are right, as always, Arianna. This despicable campaign will go down in history as the worst ever.

[elizaconnors]

If I hear the conservatives say one more time that Obama "wants to raise taxes on hard working, successful Americans" in order to "redistribute the wealth" I will run down my street screaming.

Even people who receive the Earned Income Credit are "hard working Americans". Most of us, including those that pay no income taxes, are working very hard at sometimes more than one job and are successful in that we manage to put food on the table for our families and avoid bankruptcy.

This argument needs to be turned on its ear. Wall Street CEOs and CFOs and senior management are in the top 1% of earners in this country, but I would hardly call them successful.

This is getting personal and is insulting to Americans that don't take company paid hunting trips to England after being so unsuccessful at our jobs that we take down an entire economy.

[carriellbee]

I'll run with you.

[youngat80]

The only persons to receive the Earned Income Credit are those who have earned their income and have minimal unearned (dividends, interest, pension, SSI.) Most recipients of the EIC are working for minimum wage.

[anon004]

If I hear one more "wealth re-distribution" comment from these people, I'm going to scream. Or taxes go tp pay for Government services, like highways, the military, the postal service, national parks, etc. Of course the biggest wealth transfer programs are Social Security and Medicare, and I wonder if Joe the Not-Plumber would be willing to care of his parents and grandparents' expenses for an opportunity not to pay taxes. Someone should ask him that.

[realspirited]

Natives claim Palin neglects issues
EQUAL: Treating everyone the same guides her policies.
http://www.adn.com/front/story/560714.html