Premature Obamajaculation

The Barack Obama presumption of presidency syndrome must be contained immediately. The Obama campaign continues to lightly slap back at McShame's negative and mocking personal assaults. We really don't need to be witness to John Kerry campaign the sequel. The Obama camp better not become to lofty and airy or they will have their testicles handed to them in November. My advice is to get the Veep selection over, make peace with the crazy Clintons, define yourself well in Denver and come out swinging a chainsaw right after, if not during the Republican convention. I will give some credence to the possibility the polling is off in McShame's favor, but if Obamessiah were truly connecting his lead should be much bigger in the timeline. McShame is executing a totally professional Republican strategy of making the opponent insignificant and effete. You guys in Chicago need to start eating more hot dogs and drinking beer coupled with regular work outs at the gym to toughen up for what's coming.

AVoight- Why is everyone so upset about Jon Voight's op ed piece in the Washington Times? Look the guy has the right to his opinions. This doesn't mean bloggers should be planning a career boycott in Hollywood. Give the guy a break as virtually no one listens to celebs (maybe short of the big O) on who to vote for in November. Also, remember his genes are 50% responsible for creating the most beautiful woman in the world. This alone should guarantee him many free passes.

Favre- Just what we don't need in NY is Brett Favre the drama queen. Chelsea is full of many more distingushed drama queens than Favre. Hopefully, he will set up residence in New Jersey and be little heard from.

Desert,Ice & Homer

Iraq Riches- Now we learn from the GAO that it looks like Iraq will have a $79 billion budget surplus by years end. It’s just so incredibly awesome that our government continues to underwrite all the rebuilding and security costs in Iraq while they experience oil profit windfalls. Wasn’t this the money that the Bushies promised would pay for our activities in Iraq? Even more we learn today that the Iraqi military is still unprepared and ill equipped to protect their borders. This debacle is becoming so surreal that it’s difficult to properly comment on it. $10 billion of this money is parked at the Federal Reserve of New York and the US is paying Iraq $435 million a year in interest! You couldn’t possibly make this stuff up. I think I may head down to the Federal Reserve today with my tax returns and ask for reimbursement.

McNuke- McShame’s energy policy is aimed at building 2 nuclear power plants a year until 2030. He must be a huge Simpson's fan. There are already 34 new plants in line according to the Energy Department. I think nuclear in smaller quantities and the ability to dispose of the waste may be something to consider. The only problem is that the Energy Department now anticipates the Yucca Mountain facility in Nevada to cost $97 billion over its lifetime. This is $37 billion more than budgeted. So if you add 45 more nuclear plants; where are the funds coming to pay for the waste disposal?

Ice Melts- I am continuing to advocate for conservation as part of the immediate problems confronting energy and its scarcity. In today’s NYT columnist Thomas Friedman shares his travels to Greenland and observing the ice sheets melting away. As suggested in his column the climate crisis will not be delivered to the world via disaster, but by the mailman, as we all start receiving astounding increases in our electric, gas and water bills.

Freddie, Fannie & Mary Kate

Freddie & Fannie Again- Today we learn that chief executive Richard Syron of Freddie Mac was ignoring warnings from his internal risk management officer of the pending mortgage crisis. Syron was warned as far back as 2004 to start cutting risk and ignored these pleas. On top of this he was compensated with $38 million over the past 5 years. His peer at Fannie Mae, Daniel Mudd who shockingly is a Ph.D. wielding economist claims that they are victims of circumstance. Meanwhile, Mudd collected $42 million in pay. Additionally, these two quasi public organizations are so damaged that it’s impossible to find candidates interested in replacing these two knuckleheads. So they will continue to be well compensated, with I assume taxpayer monies, for their ignorance in driving Freddie & Fannie to the verge of collapse. If this doesn't cause people to take to the streets, I really don't know what would. I suppose since 80% of the people should not have qualified to own homes and benefited under this scam, that there is little reason for these people to protest.

GOP Redeployment- Voter registration rolls in 26 States so far this year show an increase in Democratic registrations by a net total of nearly 215,000 and a decline in Republican registrants to the tune of 1,400,000. Wow, this is only half the States and the Dems have a 1.2 net advantage. Increasing registrations to Independent have made this basically a third party in many states with each splitting the registrants 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. I can only hope that some of these gains go to the Green Party.

More EcObama- I wanted to add to yesterday’s post that conservation and efficiency alone could help this country toward energy independence. Both these tools we already have available to us, and applied with any cohesion would provide enormous savings. Check out Bob Herbert’s NYT column today.


What’s with this Mary-Kate Olsen refusing to speak to federal investigators and demanding immunity before she does? Seems to me if one of my “good friends” died of some kind of overdose with some of the drugs being prescribed illegally that I would cooperate with zero conditions. This definitely makes one further wonder of what Olsen’s afraid of in sitting with investigators. Doesn’t seem like natural behavior to me.

EcObama

I know I am a bit tardy with today's post. I have a perfectly good excuse as I was awaiting for the Obama energy policy speech. It took me awhile to digest the speech and then of course I had work, clients, dinner etc. I will go beyond all the expedient political fluff like strategic petroleum reserve, off shore drilling and lower per gallon prices offered by Senator at the speech's beginning. On to the meat which is the weening of this country from it's destructive energy dependence. First, Obama proposes to put money into each voter's pocket with a tax credit for hybrid vehicle purchases ($7000) and a energy rebate for families of $1000 paid through the windfall profits tax. Obama should have stayed on message with the rebate and knock off all this windfall profits minutiae which the average American does not care to understand.

The Obama plan goes on to propose putting 1,000,000, 150 mile per gallon hybrid vehicles on the road in six years. Also, he proposes mileage standards to rise at 4% a year. On an average 25 mile per gallon car this is only adding 1 mile per gallon per year. Not too very ambitious. The plan also claims to produce 10% of all energy from renewable sources by the end of Obama's first term. This proposal will also extend the Production Tax Credit for five years which ensures that new green technologies will receive inducements to continue research and development. Building energy efficiency is to improve by 50% over four years. The plan also, supposedly reduces all carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050.

The less ambitious parts of this energy policy includes a modest conservation goal of only 15% over the next decade and continues to advocate biofuels. These coupled with the political expedient details certainly dumb down this proposal. One of the exciting figures cited is the fact that Michigan alone has developed 300 companies and 50,000 jobs in the new green economy. This is the green revolution that really could spark remarkable economic growth, coupled with a cleaner planet. So overall, the Obama plan has some ambition, but he is definitely walking the middle path. It certainly is more sensible and forward thinking then anything McShame has offered.

Scientist McShame- McShame for his part today could only manage to chide Obama for advocating keeping proper tire pressure as improving gas mileage. For many years now the idea of proper tire inflation has proven to improve gas mileage by 3.5%. If you drive 15,000 miles a year by my calculations this is about an extra 525 miles. I am a math dummy but this seems to amount to about 21 gallons in a average vehicle or a savings of nearly $95. McShame is such a joker he even handed out tire pressure gauges to the press. The senator clearly needs to spend more time around his NASCAR fans to understand this concept.

Greenspan & Girls Gone Child

Greenspan Speaks – Wow, Alan Greenspan speaking of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac labeled both as “unstable”. The former Fed Chief actually admitted that having Fannie & Freddie structured as private/public entities, whereas “profit is privatized and loss is socialized” as a poor idea. Looks as though these two organizations could be heading toward being obsolete or at the very least reorganized. When someone of Greenspan’s supposed stature admits this, we can count on something thankfully changing.

Girls Gone Child- I was reading Maureen Dowd’s column in today’s NYT and she was mentioning how Obamania was still meeting with disgruntled Hillraisers. The senator has got to stop wasting his time in these meetings. Hillaryites are damn near insane. So either, just put Hillary on the ticket or get beyond it and start ignoring these lunatics. I dare these nuts, once in the voting booth, to cast a vote for McShame.

McShame Music- As a follow up to my earlier post regarding the McShame campaigns inability to license any pop music, along comes the talented John Rich. It seems John, who is just coming off his anti-gay marriage and somewhat homophobic remarks last year, has penned a song for McShame titled “Raising McCain”. John is so talented, but it seems as though he needs some life lessons from his less offensive and lovely partner, Big Kenny.

It’s Local Stupid- With the continuing increase in the cost of energy, the notion of the global economy may be hitting a roadblock in growth. This notion of products traveling thousands of miles just for our convenience is becoming both antiquated and too costly. If I need to go without Kiwi in the winter due to my residing in the Northeast, so be it. We all need to adjust our consumption in purchasing and eating more locally produced goods.

Yankees Slide- The Yankees finally won a game yesterday against the Anaheim Los Angeles Orange County Disneyland California Angels after faltering the past week. Mike “Moose” Mussina threw a near perfect game. I can’t believe that I now look forward to Mike starting again. He is hot as lava. I never realized he has a degree in economics from Stanford too. Too my relief (pun intended) I will never have to look at Kyle Farnsworth is pinstripes again. I am so relieved he was traded away as he was a bullpen waste of space.

Labels & TM

I Hate Labels- I think I must be the most naïve human living on the planet when it comes to this race crap that is now being injected into this presidential campaign. Shouldn’t it be—who cares? I am going to attempt to articulate my thoughts on this, but admit I have some sort of disconnect between my inner gray matter and my tongue regarding race. With the myriad of serious issues at hand, this is becoming a distraction that will sadly play to McShame’s benefit. Barack Obama is a person of multi cultural origin. Like this is some breaking news and does this have some relevant bearing on competence? I can guarantee that somewhere in my 100% Italian origin past, my background has some other cultural mix…how can it not? Let’s stop giving attention to this sideshow and move on to the issues that truly matter. Further more, allowing this to become a campaign of personality over policy is beyond frustrating. Obamessiah’s victory lap in the EU and his allowing McCain to define this campaign only on his personality could cause big problems for Obama this fall.

Obamortal- Looks like Senator Obama has given up the messiah title in joining the masses to further promulgate cheaper gas and some limited form of off shore oil exploration. Is anyone going to man up and provide a bold policy with long term goals in mind? Seems as though the good senator from Illinois is falling into the same trap in telling Americans what they want to hear. This is an evolution folks, adapt or be forgotten.

Lynch’s TM- The David Lynch Foundation is providing funds for “Quiet Time” in schools using the principals of Transcendental Meditation techniques. I think this is a real worthwhile program so visit the Foundations website here.

Pumps, Pimps & Police

Exxonirvana- The genius of ExxonMobil pocketing a cool $11.68 billion in quarterly profit—the largest profit in US history—has to make someone angry. Our nations crack dealer continues to role on and keep everyone addicted to crude. Many more of these types of quarterly profit will hopefully jolt consumers to increasingly find alternatives to autos and gas. As odd as this sounds, gas needs to continue to rise in order for the new technologies to gather the mass they need to come into the market and reasonable price levels. It’s definitely time for this government, though not this administration, to set a cohesive energy policy that further continues to reward new technologies. Taxes on gasoline need to be raised immediately in order to fund this research and encourage conservation (apologies to all my friends in Cali). If not the US taking the lead, then it seems China’s continued ambitions are now including breakthroughs in clean technology. One company there has set a cool of a plug-in car being in production by the end of this year. How is it that the Chinese are better at retooling to anticipate needs than US companies. What a slovenly, hog-like business culture has become the US. As the old colloquialism goes- pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

McShame Whitey- I am trying to resist from writing about this presidential campaign on a daily basis. I have just as much criticism of Obamessiah, but the McShame campaign is so purely deluded and incompetent that I just cannot stop writing about it. Yesterday, they really swung for the fence in accusing Obamessiah of “playing the race card”. You have got to be kidding me. In addressing the fact “that he may not look like all those other presidents on dollar bills” Obama was attempting to proactively address these fears before the phone messages and mailers start arriving in people’s homes south of the Mason-Dixon line this fall. The McShame campaign has now established their new low benchmark and they clearly think it is still 1950. I really can’t decide if I should feel incredulous or just sad for these guys. I really think they would stand a better chance of winning if McShame closed up shop and just went on the dl in Sedona until November 5th.

Bratton Bi-zerk- Hell, William Bratton, LA’s police chief has really gone of the rails since leaving NYC. His comments yesterday in explaining that paparazzi laws were nonsense, went so far out as to accuse Lindsey Lohan for “gone gay”. What year is this that someone still thinks as though someone can just go gay? Well, maybe though in Lindsey’s case he is correct.