Bill in Portland Maine’s Excellent Question

Dear Conservative Free-Market Capitalism Muckety Mucks,

Why haven’t you fixed the economy yet?

It’s a shame it took a serial snarkist to ask the most pertinent question of this whole Great Recession.  Want more?

I’m asking because conservatives in fancy suits keep telling me—okay, screaming at me—about how fundamentally sound their ideas are, and how the private sector, not the government, is our best and greatest hope for making the economy leap back to life…

We’ve been in a recession since December of 2007. Why aren’t things all better yet for ordinary Americans? You were so awesome at making the mess, but cleaning up the pile of poopies you left on the nation’s living room rug seems to be proving a bit more, um, problematic. Why?

You’ve got an army of giant, throbbing brains in your right-wing think tanks working day and night. The Heritage Foundation has never been wrong…just ask ‘em! And the U.S. Chamber of Commerce never misses an opportunity to proclaim their infallibility in multimillion-dollar ad campaigns. So…why are we still in Sucksville?

And don’t try and hide behind the fact that there’s a Democrat in the White House. He’s been shoveling money into your coffers faster than Sarah Palin shoveling bullshit through Twitter.

Fix the damn economy on Main Street already, you Ayn Rand-worshipping free-market capitalist wizards. Show us how it’s done. Be the heroes we’ve been holding out for. I’ll check back on your progress in 30 days. I expect Americans to be squatting over solid gold commodes by then. That’s how much I believe in you.

They can’t, of course, because their version of the mythical “Free Market” isn’t designed to help the little person.  It’s always been designed to make the rich filthy rich.  It’s always been designed to screw the little person over.  But they’re damn fine questions.  And I know Billy will check back in 30 days. 

News & Discussion Items 10/9/08

The electoral map for this year’s Presidential election looks better and better for Obama.  Florida is going his way.  So is New Mexico and Colorado.  So are Virginia and North Carolina!!!  As of yesterday, Missouri, Nevada and Indiana were toss-ups.  Today, add West Virginia to that list!  (That’s a dynamic link – it updates at least daily)  McCain leads Obama by only 1 percentage point in composite polling.  Obama would garner at least 320 electoral college votes, compared to only 158 for McCain if the election were held today.  Only 60 votes are up for grabs.  There is the distinct potential for a landslide election.

[Update]: Conventional Wisdom, as defined by the corporate media, is lagging way behind the polls of the past few weeks.  Obama’s likely electoral college lead has been above 270 (needed to be elected President), and is above 270 by at least 50 votes today.  Yet the corporate media haven’t reported on that reality.  Instead, the New York Times, CNN and MSNBC all show Obama with a 260-264 count.  The NYT is about the worst: their analysis ignores dozens of state-level polls from across the country that have been conducted since October 1st.  The corporate media’s best-case scenario is a close race.  They’re not doing reporting – they’re trying to produce entertainment.  Unfortunately, the public has no idea that the corporate media sucks so bad at these predictions.  Notice also that there are no cries from right-wingers about the “liberal media” on this story.

That same corporate media put pro-coal and pro-oil ads on air after the Presidential debates.  The “we campaign’s” ads were refused by the same media (not liberal!).  This is what happens when war corporations own media.  All is not lost: you can ask ABC to run the Repower America ad.

From a friend:
Politics is like driving.
To go backward, put it in R.
To go forward, put it in D.

The markets had another brutal trading day.  The Dow finished 678 points lower – another 7% loss.  One year ago today, the Dow hit its all-time high of 14,164.53.  One year ago today, the sub-prime mortgage crisis was well known and its effects were spreading.  Wall St. and most Republicans didn’t want to do anything about it (some pro-corporate Dems are in that box too, btw).  Now look at where we’re at.

In slightly better news, the Treasury Department said today that it was looking into buying stakes in some of the country’s banks, as I noted Britain had decided to do yesterday.  That one step closer to a wiser solution than the Bailout Bush and Paulson pushed.  There are still plenty of easy policies to implement that would have a more positive long-term impact.

The American budget is $3 Trillion.  Thanks to Reagan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr., America’s debt is $10 Trillion.  The next President is going to operate under very adverse economic constraints.

How aggressive do you suppose the Department of Justice’s prosecution of Alaska Senator Ted “Tubes” Stevens is, considering the DoJ is stuffed full of Bush cronies?  Not very, if their case history is any guide.  They have screwed up major elements of the trial thus far.  It makes it seem like there are really two defense teams for the Senator.  If only former Governor Siegelman had belonged to the correct party…

Random Goodies

Global politics in 30 seconds. (h/t sufimarie)

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Mark Udall continues to lead corrupt Republican candidate Bob Schaffer.  Schaffer’s campaign manager Dick Wadhams lives in an alternate universe.