The second debate

The New Neo Posted on by

First, a bit of liveblogging.

McCain is hitting Fannie and Freddie and the Dem role in at—he says Fannie/Freddie was “the catalyst”—but the points have to be so rushed that I wonder if people even know what he’s getting at.

Obama of course deflects onto “dereguation.” Can people sort this out in a sound bite? I doubt it. And Obama gets the last word on this.

[Hmmm—I think some of my hatred of the shallowness of debates is coming out here.]

The set is harsh and stark; rather ugly and hard on the eyes. Everyone looks uncomfortable, even the audience. Continue reading →

CNN’s split personality

The New Neo Posted on by

On the one hand CNN actually manages to present a piece about Obama and Ayers that makes some hard-hitting points.

On the other hand CNN continually pulls the most important punch. The significance of the Obama/Ayers connection (as I wrote some time ago, here) is that the two men worked together to promote a far Left agenda in our public schools. Bill Ayers’s terrorist activities in the 60s are only relevant insofar as he is still tied to the philosophy behind them. And Obama has lied about his role and his relationship with Ayers.

Notice also that an Obama shill is given many opportunities to speak, but not only is no McCain spokesperson part of the discussion, but none were even consulted for the piece.

Fat cats and rats

The New Neo Posted on by

This testimony certainly underscores those accusations about Wall Street “fat cats” and greed.

Although in this case rats leaving a sinking ship might be a more appropriate image—if you can picture rats carting off chests filled with booty as they flee.

Wall Street is not reassured, and neither are we

The New Neo Posted on by

I must be a glutton for punishment, because I’ve been glancing at MSNBC again. The tone of the talking heads there (maybe that’s a misnomer; some of them seem more like shouting heads) is frenetic and energized. They look like people who’ve absorbed a big blow and are scrambling to figure out what hit them, floating theories as fast as they can as they watch the Dow plummet minute by minute.

The bailout bill was passed, and it was supposed to help. But the first hint that it wouldn’t came from reports last night that the overseas markets were down, and when the US stock exchange opened today it followed suit. Credit isn’t flowing yet, and if I’ve learned one thing in the last couple of weeks it’s that credit greases the engine that drives our economy. Without credit, the whole thing seizes up much like my car did one awful pre-cellphone night some thirty years while driving on a dark rural road.

Confidence is one psychological factor that’s necessary for the markets to move upwards again. Continue reading →

Palin’s women problem

The New Neo Posted on by

Sarah Palin is a woman, in case you hadn’t noticed. But she’s got a special problem with women—at, rather, many women appear to have a special problem with her.

I noticed it almost immediately after her nomination, when Palin-bashing became commonplace among my female friends and acquaintances, even those who usually don’t talk about politics. And they weren’t just expressing disagreement with her positions, either. That would hardly explain the intensely personal nature of the remarks I’ve heard, and their quality of hissing contempt (yes, I’m purposely using a cat reference; it’s almost unavoidable).

What’s going on? Continue reading →

Politics as Scrabble

The New Neo Posted on by

Fifty-nine percent of those polled want to turn in their Congressional tiles and pick some new ones.

Of course, when you do that, sometimes you get an even worse hand. But if the tiles you’re holding are bad enough—all vowels, for example—you’re willing to get rid of them and take your chances.

I suppose that’s part of what makes some people want to vote for Obama. Especially those who see him as that magical blank tile that can be anything you want it to be.

obamascrabble.jpg

CNN can’t count, but is that really a surprise?

The New Neo Posted on by

This clip fails to answer the burning question of whether those who work for the MSM are abysmally stupid or whether they are unashamedly in the tank for Obama and think we are abysmally stupid.

Actually, it does. It’s the latter, but who’s counting? Certainly not Soledad O’Brien.

Musings on the bailout—and baseball

The New Neo Posted on by

I’d much rather write about the Red Sox.

They’re doing great, up two in the best of five series against the Angels. Watching the game last night reminded me of one of the many things that’s so wonderful about sports: they channel some of the passion of politics while remaining “light” rather than heavy. They are clear rather than murky, visible and knowable rather than inscrutable. They are finite; with a beginning, middle, and end. They unite us geographically—for example, most of New England, young or old, Democrat or Republican, roots for the Sox. They tend to feature good-looking young guys instead of botoxed old ones.

When we care deeply about both endeavors, it’s in very different ways. It’s even possible sometimes for Yankee fans to talk to Red Sox fans without coming to blows.

Politics is very different these days. Continue reading →