[George_1950]

And what happened to all the money that was being held in trust for SS?

The SS trust fund is smoke and mirrors. Someone wrote the other day that the Johnson Administration came up with the idea of funding the Great Society with SS trust fund monies. All that remains today are "IOU's".

[SkyGem]

Thanks, Sky; Obama sunk his candidacy in PA and if Dems are smart they will deep-six him before the convention.

I just heard on the news that the Obama campaign has just conceded that Hillary is about 12 points ahead in Pennsylvania!

[George_1950]

I just heard on the news that the Obama campaign has just conceded that Hillary is about 12 points ahead in Pennsylvania!

Carl Rove, on Hannity's America predicted a high, single-digit win for Hillary on April 18. Is The Obama taking-on water?

What has happened to federal spending? "After increasing spending 45 percent since 2001, President Bush and Congress are finally acknowledging that government growth is out of control. Yet despite some small steps in the right direction, they are not close to reining in government." Runaway spending: Left unchecked, Washington's overspending could drown America in taxes and debt
It will be difficult to maintain that George W. Bush was a "conservative".

[Wondergirl]

I just heard on the news that the Obama campaign has just conceded that Hillary is about 12 points ahead in Pennsylvania!

The Obama campaign conceded no such thing! The Pennsylvania endorsements are coming in like a flood!

Carl Rove, on Hannity's America predicted a high, single-digit win for Hillary on April 18. Is The Obama taking-on water?

April 18 was yesterday (Happy Birthday, Mom! ). Hannity is full of beeswax.

[inthebox]

Regarding cutting spending:

Social security started 1935, Age 65 was deemed the "retirement age" but note that the average life expectancy was less than 65 at the time.


http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html


Funding would not be an issue if only a few % actually lived beyond 65 and there were several workers per retiree.

Now the life expectancy is 78. 13 years beyond "retirement," and with the baby boomers a lower worker to beneficiary ratio.

So perhaps the "retirement " age should be raised to 70. That would take a lot of pollitical b... s for any politician to suggest this.


---------------------------------------------------

Get rid of earmarks


Taxpayers for Common Sense: FY2008 Appropriations Bills


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tax policy that promotes growth.


Americans for Tax Reform


Or replaces the current one altogether


Americans For Fair Taxation:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Get rid of Medicare part D

Walmart and the private sector deliver generic drugs to the consumer cheaper.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Study finds huge variations in the cost of end-of-life care for Medicare patients


Amount spent on end of life care. This really needs to be taken a look at.
It is projected that healthcare willl consume 15% of gnp. We should objectively determine what is the most efficient way of using resources.

[tomder55]

Here is the latest Gallup national poll .

Gallup Daily: Clinton 46%, Obama 45%

Hillary has overtaken Obama. Hillary will win in Pa. but I doubt it will be by the doublew digits some are projecting.

The Obama campaign conceded no such thing! The Pennsylvania endorsements are coming in like a flood!

It appears to me that his endorsements are coming in nationally like a flood . Robert Reich ;a Clintonista just jumped ship . Obama also got Sam Nunn's endorsement.

Hillary's best case is that Obama is winning red States that will probably vote McCain in the general election while she has performed better in the high electoral count blus states. She makes a good case when she uses this in her argument that Obama is not electable .

But I think Obama will ultimately get the nod from the Dems. He will be so weakened by the Democrat civil war that perhaps McCain has a chance. (that and the fact that ultra-lib progressive candidates don't win despite their phony unity message )

This is just too much fun ! I hope they knock-down and drag it out through their convention !

[NeedKarma]

Actually this protracted battle has fostered a stronger following for Obama. He has shown that he can withstand the slings and arrows with grace and intelligence. Fine qualities to have in the White House.

It's fun the watch the repugs running scared, hoping it's the witch Hillary that their man runs against. :)

[NeedKarma]

How Hillary can still win:

[George_1950]

April 18 was yesterday (Happy Birthday, Mom!!). Hannity is full of beeswax.

Cute!

[tomder55]

He has shown that he can withstand the slings and arrows with grace and intelligence. Fine qualities to have in the White House.

On the contrary ;he has stumbled and fumbled questions about "who is Obama" ?; that is why they continue to be raised. All week he bellyached about the ABC debate saying the issues weren't raised for the 1st hour. But there is such little difference between the two Dems on policy issues the only thing left is character and electability to discuss. Hillary makes a good case that he is not ready for prime time.

[speechlesstx]

Actually this protracted battle has fostered a stronger following for Obama. He has shown that he can withstand the slings and arrows with grace and intelligence. Fine qualities to have in the White House.

It's fun the watch the repugs running scared, hoping it's the witch Hillary that their man runs against.

What's fun to watch is Obama supporters unveiling their alternate realities. Seems everyone but the Obama camp is acknowledging his stumbling and fumbling and muddled answers to the "slings and arrows" he's invited on himself. There's certainly been no "grace and intelligence" in how he handles a campaign crisis, unless you call whining after the debate last week over finally facing the tough questions "grace and intelligence." It only gets tougher in office when the real crises come - and whining doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

[NeedKarma]

Tha ABC debate has widely been derided as a farce. You seem to be the only one who doesn't see that.


There's a whole thread at Digg of similar questions one should ask of McCain:
Digg - Leaked: ABC's Stephanopoulos interviews John McCain

[tomder55]

The ABC debate was the 1st time that the Democrats didn't debate in front of cheerleaders. I'm sure if they knew they would get tough questions they would've found a way to opt out like they did with FOX .

[NeedKarma]

The ABC debate was the 1st time that the Democrats didn't debate in front of cheerleaders. I'm sure if they knew they would get tough questions they would've found a way to opt out like they did with FOX .

Here are some great topics for debate for a presidential candidate:

The financial crisis
The collapse of housing values in the US and around the world
Afghanistan
Health care
Torture
The declining value of the US Dollar
Education
Trade
Pakistan
Energy
Immigration
The decline of American manufacturing
The Supreme Court
The burgeoning world food crisis.
Global warming
China
The attacks on organized labor and the working class
Terrorism and al Qaeda
Civil liberties and constraints on government surveillance

But you believe that lapel pins, a reverend, "bitter" and "elitist" comments are more important.

[tomder55]

Tell me where the two candidates disagree on any of those issues you detailed ? Why have a debate when there is no alternate position taken ?

[Wondergirl]

tell me where the two candidates disagree on any of those issues you detailed ? Why have a debate when there is no alternate position taken ?

The "how" of any of those is up for grabs.

[speechlesstx]

Tha ABC debate has widely been derided as a farce. You seem to be the only one who doesn't see that.

LOL, poor baby Obama had to actually answer some tough questions, unlike debates where they were asked say something nice about another candidate or answer a question from a snowman.

Even Taylor Marsh at Huffpo said Obama has been treated "Marshmallow soft. Down pillow soft. Baby's bottom soft."

So no one should be surprised that Obama had a nightmare night. He finally got real questions for which he should have had ready answers. Over the last year Barack Obama has gotten a complete pass on his record, his life and everything associated to his political rise. In fact, if Senator Obama had been subjected to the scrutiny that Hillary Clinton has been subjected to he would have turned to ash by now.

So forgive me if all the blogospheric bellyaching permeating Democratic circles is not impressing me much. In fact, it's a laugh out loud moment.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm more than willing to blame the traditional media for piling on a Democrat, which they do often. But do these progressives now crying fowl really believe they could protect Mr. Obama, as his Democratic challengers did all last year, throughout the rest of this campaign? Asking a question about Rev. Wright? A question about William Ayers? The horror! Seriously, is Senator Obama so frail that he shouldn't be subjected to questioning that should have come a long time ago and will inevitably come in the general election? If nothing else and at the very least, everyone in the Democratic party should want to know how he's going to handle this stuff if he's our nominee. Because there can be no doubt that the wingnuts will lock and load Barack's greatest hits, then share them with the electorate in a cascade of negative gifts.

Mind you, this is questioning I've been doing for a year and getting excoriated for it. So I feel Charlie and George's pain. Going for substance isn't easy amidst the Political Idol crowd.

The facts are that the progressive community and Obama supporters have done their candidate no favors by the kid glove treatment they've applied to all things having to do with him and his record, including his associations. What happened last night is a result of one year of people ignoring reality. That's right, reality. Because the closer Obama got to the nomination and the general election, the curtain would eventually be pulled back on every event in his life, good, bad and horror show, which includes Rev. Wright.

This is the reason we lose elections.

What, did Obama's adoring fans think they could hermetically seal him and protect him from the meanies out there, then simply deliver him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue because "he's the one?" Good grief.

If Obama would have been put through his paces last fall, he might have been past this by now. If his own campaign had faced up to his associations long ago, head on, he wouldn't be dealing with this now.

Again, I'd blame Gibson and Stephanopoulos, but it's not their fault that someone, anyone finally asked questions that have been out there for months and months. It's not tabloid to ask about Ayers any more than it was tabloid to question Bill Clinton about his past. Hillary's been asked about everything more than once, as they reload to ask it all over again.

Oh, and as for Keith He's No Edward R. Murrow Olbermann, don't send a sportscaster to do a political analyst's job. Talking to Howard Wolfson, with Olbermann whining about the questions about Ayers, isn't doing us any favors either. He's just giving Obama fans a false sense of security. It's as if the only people dealing with reality and preparing for the Republican attack machine is the Clinton campaign. Olbermann is on planet Zen if he thinks that Ayers won't be part of the dialogue come September. (You know, because you never roll out a new campaign in August.)

We need a nominee that can walk through fire. Whoever we offer up should be able to withstand anything, and I do mean anything. Because that's what always comes at Democrats, with the traditional press inevitably having a thing for the guy on the other side. Considering that guy will be John McCain, the hero worship will be out in force.

No Democratic politician in the last 20 years has gotten a softer introduction onto the national stage than Barack Obama. Nobody has gotten an easier ride to the top step of presidential politics either. He paid for it last night.

Obama's free ride is over, deal with it.

[Wondergirl]

I can't wait until the media get hold of McCain and his "issues".

[George_1950]

I can't wait until the media get hold of McCain and his "issues".

Oh, beeswax!

[speechlesstx]

As long as Evita and Obama are slugging it out they're going to get most of the attention. But, since the superdelegates are ignoring Howard Dean's pleas to make up their mind now, and they can't get anywhere with their FEC complaint, the DNC is rolling out their first anti-McCain ad.