No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, etc...

The only thing we'll see if this bailout happens is a delay of the inevitable. The immediate effect is that the dollar will lose another 10 percent of its value, and it'll get worse from there.

And for all those blaming this fiasco on the free market, de-regulation and the Republicans, it didn't happen as a result of free market actions. It's a DIRECT result of government meddling (there is a reason Congress want this to pass, so the many skeletons in their closets don't get revealed) and the attempt to use the financial industry to do social engineering and make it look like free market activity.

And for those who want to blame George W. Bush for the mess, while he should shoulder some blame, this mess has been 40-plus years in the making. And tell me, boys and girls; who has been in charge of Congress for most of that time?

Who will be the next US President? Don't expect this poll to accurately predict the answer to that question because the majority of the US citizenry is socially and fiscally more conservative than your average Neatorama reader.

Plus, I think if even some of the Obama supporters really knew who he was, who his biggest supporters are, and honestly evaluated his experience as it relates to executing the duties of President, his support would be pretty weak. Obama ran on the empty promises of "hope" and "change" but in truth offers little of either. About the only thing he'll deliver is higher taxes, more spending, and more socialism.

Anybody But Obama.

Isn't that title a little redundant? Limousine = over-the-top.

So is "helium leak" CERN's way of saying "half of the LHC disappeared into a black hole"? Kinda like the equivalent of "weather balloon" when people report UFO's in the US. ;)

I'm with you, Vi; the vitriol gets really, really tiring after a while. And it's way too easy to be unfriendly on this internet thing. Some of my best friends are way left of center, but we just agree to disagree. It's difficult sometimes with some issues, but I realize they, like you, have their own stories, and those stories, like my own, are far from complete. We all have a lot to learn.

And apologies for the comment recycling thing; the copy/paste/change names method of turning an argument around can be fun, but it's not always effective and only sometimes funny.

Oh, and I'm still waiting for an honest "wtf" about Obama, but won't hold my breath. Cheers!

The GW crowd is so behind the curve... Even the Democrats seem to have abandoned the cause. Didn't hear hardly a peep about it from the convention.

By the way, I love polar bears too. They taste like pork.

Sounds interesting. Do you suppose the training includes a bit on the talking sh1t part?

Wonder if there's a barber shop upstairs. Hmmm.

I know I won't be satisfying you any time soon, Vi, which is why I didn't try very hard. I think it's pretty obvious that the McCain ticket doesn't excite me greatly, but I don't see the degree of issues with the pair that you do. I won't be voting for them in November, I'll be voting against Obama/Obiden.

The thought of either Obama or Biden in the Oval Office is very, very frightening to me. I believe they are a reckless, dangerous pair, and anyone who had truly, vividly visualized either of them in the Oval Office would at least admit it’s a downright scary image of the future of our country.

You're right; this "conversation" (and I use that term very loosely) is pretty much over. I feel like I'm talking to a wall. I am thankful though that people who share your opinion are in the minority, and I'm fully confident that by November the majority of voters will see Obama as the empty suit he is.

Wow; if people can't figure out who to vote for without an idiot tool like this, they shouldn't be voting at all.

@ray ray: While I'm not thrilled with McCain, I am most assuredly not on the fence on whether Obama will get my vote; four years of him in the White House would be the Train Wreck to end all train wrecks, and that tax cut is just the tip of the iceberg.

How can he propose to cut taxes for 95 percent of us when 40 percent don't pay any income taxes? It all goes back to his skewed notion of "fairness" in economics rather than logic or sound economic principals, and ignores the fact that the Bush tax cuts that he wants to phase out actually resulted in increases in treasury receipts. Reagan was right (as always); a rising tide lifts all ships. Put more money into (or rather, take less money out of) the hands of people that make businesses go, and everybody prospers. Obama's so-called tax cut is nothing more than old fashioned Marxist income redistribution; what is fair about that?

At this point there are a lot more reasons to dislike Obama than there are to dislike McCain: his dishonesty with the tax cut and his ignorance on economic issues is just the start.

1:25. I rule.

Must've been the "take the arm and beat the velociraptor over the head with it" answer that put me over the top.

So, Mr. Stanhope, you say that "if a known clearinghouse for anti-Jew, anti-Israel or anti-Zionist propaganda ends up being responsible for a story that gets play here or elsewhere, I’ll be sure to point that out as well," but apparently not for known anti-Christian or anti-American propaganda clearinghouses?

How surprising.

@von: "The question I’m asking myself this election year is, “Who’s going to get us out of Iraq the quickest?”"

Funny you should ask that; I heard just today that Obama's new strategery is to set a timeline to have them out by 2012; far enough into his first term to ensure that Bush doesn't get credit for it, but in time to make it possible for him to say that he got them out. How's that gonna sit with the MoveOn set?

Hope it's got AC; looks like it'd get hot inside there.

@vi: That so-called silence you hear is the sound of the silent majority going about life; working, going to church, running the kids here or there, taking care of the house, whatever... We may not have the time to answer every criticism raised on Neatorama, but those are the things that make this country go. And just because you and your buddies on this Internet thing can't hear us over your own din amplified by billions of echo chambers like Neatorama doesn't mean that our voices won't be heard in November.

As for Sarah Palin, there is nothing wrong with her as a VP candidate; she's got more real life experience than Obama and Obiden put together, and any lack of experience that you might point out is a product of your intellectually dishonest dismissal of what she's done; "mayor of a town that wouldn’t fill up a sports arena, and governor of the most ass-backwards, redneck state in the union," doesn't mean she doesn't have what it takes to run this country in a pinch. Just because you can't bring yourself to admit it doesn't make it any less true.

And if you want to talk intellectual dishonesty, let's turn the mirror your way; can you actually make the case that Barack Obama is a wise choice for the country? I would sooo respect a liberal who could examine Obama's record honestly and with the same scrutiny that is being used against Palin right now. I'm talking about the guy you all want in the Oval Office, not even a "heartbeat away" from it. Obama's got a resume that is an embarrassment and calls a whirlwind European/Middle East tour in the summer of an election year "foreign policy experience? This guy has more skeletons in his closet than Sweeney Todd. Take away his teleprompter and speechwriter and he stammers worse than Bush. He doesn't have the backbone to tell people what he believes, but complains that he's not paid enough to say when life begins. He blatantly co-opts the religiosity of the right trying to garner some of that vote, and vows to muck up the tax system out of his desire to "care for the least of these", yet the same people who complain bitterly about any expression of religiosity in a forum like this keep their traps shut about Obama's false faith in Jesus or Mohammed or whoever. He runs on a platform of Hope (he doesn't screw things up too badly) and Change, then he picks a running mate who is not only part of the Washington Establishment but can be accurately accused of creating it.

The left has turned a blind eye to all of it because someone has decided that Obama would make a good puppet in the White House. You may try to dismiss that notion, but how else can you explain the rise of a nobody junior Senator from the Midwest with nothing but two premature memoirs to his credit to the leader of the Democrat Party? It’s as if, in the fever to get a Democrat — any Democrat — elected, you will accept–no, vehemently defend–any crazy-ass shit George Soros and the DNC pulls. You can walk and chew gum at the same time. You can be so ignorant as to believe that socialist policy will work in the US and still call a bad, dangerous decision what it is.

Yes, I'll bash Obama in spite of what you said, and I'll be honest enough with you to say that a McCain Presidency doesn't thrill me, but the alternative in this election cycle scares me spitless, so it's matter of the lesser of two evils. But for you folks to ignore the blatant warts of your own candidate and instead microscopically examine the blemishes on Sarah Palin is really too much.

I would love to hear someone, anyone, make a reasoned argument as to Obama's suitability as the potential leader of the free world instead of seizing on my tone (how condescending!) or ignoring my point and attacking Palin or McCain because it’s easier than coming up with anything remotely plausible as to why Barack Hussein Obama should be an election away from the most powerful position in the world.

Seriously: all thoughtful, dedicated liberals: can you actually make the case that Obama is a wise choice for the country? I would sooo respect a liberal who could just say, “I’m voting Obama, but yeah, the man is an empty suit and nothing more than a puppet. I ain’t gonna lie.” I mean come on! We’re all people here. Just be straight.

Just because the liberal message sounds so strong here doesn't mean it resonates with the rest of the country. The majority in this country still votes conservative; unfortunately many are uninformed enough to buy into the lie of a guy like Obama when he tries to appear more conservative than he is. I predict that the next couple of months will be marked by McCain (and Palin) taking off the gloves and tenderizing Obama & Obiden a bit, and exposing them for the empty suit he is.

Sorry Alex. Couldn't help myself.