Traditional Saturday Open Thread

Periodically my computer goes down but I have had time to notice this from ABC and the companion bit here.

Comments

[Jane]

They really should rename the democrat nomination process as the apology cycle - oh except you can't say "cycle" can you?

[Ralph L]

Jake Tapper missed the subtle dig that "periodically" is to Hillary, who must be post-menopausal at 61. I think everyone knows she's a woman (perhaps with something extra). Idiot journalists.

[Other Tom]

Seeing these sanctimonious fools getting hoist on their own politically correct petard is loads of fun.

[MayBee]

That thread at TalkLeft is hysterical. Although I know "hysterical" is a code word, too.

[Porchlight]

I first read the TalkLeft headline as "These Are Not The Kinds Of Sexist Remarks I Am Looking For."

[Sue]

LOL. From one of the commenters: "I'm tired of codebreakers." Well yeah. That's what we've been saying for years. If you need a code to determine what is being said, you've fallen off the deep end already.

[Sue]

Comments are closed, dammit, stop, dammit, we've already made fools of ourselves, dammit. ::grin:: Gotta love those progs.

[Sue]

And Mike Ditto is entitled to his opinion, but none of you are. So there.

I needed a laugh today.

BTW, I didn't take Obama's remark as sexist. But I'm glad they did.

::grin::

[bgates]

I took Obama's remarks as sexist. The idea that such language can still have an effect is the darkest fear of today's feminists. The use of these words gives a black eye to the Democratic nomination process. Fortunately, Hillary is strong, and she will not be spooked by this kind of low-class (yet surprisingly articulate) attack.

[PeterUK]

These people are so shackled to a cycle of offence taking.

[MayBee]

re:the claws comment

that might not be something you might say about a man, but is it sexist? At what point does criticizing a woman using feminine terms 'sexist' and at what point is it just realistic. Would we call Hillary a "cowboy"?
I know nobody would call Obama a chimp, right?

Would it be acceptable to make one of http://www.dontpanic.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=124&osCsid=acf0a1f71b8ba47068fefa4eac2e70b7>these "Good Bush/Bad Bush" t-shirts with Hillary as part of the joke?

[Sue]

The idea that such language can still have an effect is the darkest fear of today's feminists.

What language? "Periodic"? Do you think he is unaware that the majority of women in their 60s have stopped having their "periodic" cycle? I think we see and hear what we want to see and hear. I saw nothing sexist. Maybe something about her age. In which case, her and John McCain have something in common and it isn't "periodic".

[Larry]

Have we overlooked the bi-cycle?

[MayBee]

Do you think he is unaware that the majority of women in their 60s have stopped having their "periodic" cycle?

So is saying "Hillary will bring 'The Change' to the White House" also a sexist smear?

[Other Tom]

You mean we can't call him a chimp?

[Sue]

So is saying "Hillary will bring 'The Change' to the White House" also a sexist smear?

Did someone say that?

[Jane]

I just laughed at every single comment. That's a record.

[Jane]

Has anyone read Obama's economic plan? (link under my name)

Don't look at me.

[Sue]

In addition to taking important steps to prevent mortgage fraud from occurring in the future, Barack Obama will establish policies to help Americans currently
facing foreclosure through no fault of their own.

Who determines whose fault it is? And how many of these people whose fault it isn't do I have to pay for? I've already paid for one home. How many more should I have to pay for and not live in?

[GMax]

Calling a Presidential candidate a chimp is verboten, OK got it. What about when they get elected then its ok? Or is it because Bush is a potatoe face, so that's fine but if you said the same about a black man, why you would be a racist sob? Am I confused, or is life a bunch of contradictions when you are a prog???

[GMax]

I want Obama to come and prepare the check for my mortgage company each month and make sure I put it in the mail. If I fail at any of those tasks, they seem to take offense. And that is very wrong.

[Sue]

Barack Obama’s retirement security plan will automatically enroll workers in a workplace pension plan.

I don't think I can go on, Jane. I'm getting sick to my stomach and I'm just skimming.

[Other Tom]

Instapundit:

"OBAMA'S ECONOMIC PLAN: 'Should be called Red Dawn II.' That seems a bit extreme, but you can read the plan (PDF) and make up your own minds.

"What's clear is that Obama's policy proposals are getting a lot more attention than they did before Hillary's inevitability broke down. Like Mike Huckabee, he got a 'nice guy' pass when people thought he didn't have a shot, but a few wins in a row and he's starting to get major-candidate scrutiny. Some Obama supporters object to such scrutiny, but their claims ring rather hollow. After all, he is running for President."

Hold off on this scrutiny until he wraps it up. Then crucify him. (Is "crucify" OK?)

[Sue]

How is Obama's retirement plan different thatn Bush's plan for SS? Do they sound the same to anyone else? Why not look at Bush's plan for SS and see if that isn't an option. All Obama is doing is taking more of our money out of our paychecks.

[Jane]

You are killing me OT.

Didn't they call Bush "the chimp"? If so, I deem it okay.

[MayBee]

Create a Universal Mortgage Credit: The tax code is supposed to encourage home ownership with a
mortgage interest deduction, but it goes only to people who itemize their tax deductions. Like so much in our
tax code, this tilts the scales toward the well-off. The current mortgage interest deduction excludes nearly twothirds
of Americans who do not itemize their taxes. Barack Obama will ensure that anyone with a mortgage,
not just the well-off, can take advantage of this tax incentive for homeownership by creating a universal
mortgage credit. This 10 percent credit will benefit an additional 10 million homeowners, the majority of
whom earn less than $50,000 per year. Non-itemizers will be eligible for this refundable credit, which will
provide the average recipient with approximately $500 per year in tax savings.

OK, I'm not a tax genius, and it's been about 6 years since I've done my own taxes. But IIRC, all you have to do to itemize and get the mortgage credit now is to fill out that line on the (non EZ) tax form, right?
You don't have to be well off to do it, and you don't have to claim any other deductions if you don't want to.

[Rick Ballard]

"All Obama is doing is taking more of our money out of our paychecks.

Worker Unit Sue is hereby notified of a serious violation regarding the use of the forbidden personal possessive. Improper language use within 24 months of an election is a Class A felony with appropriate penalties attached. (See McCain-Feingold for clarification.)

Proper usage:

"All Obama is doing is helping more of us, for which we are truly thankful.

Worker Unit Sue is hereby admonished and directed to report for a Language Rehabilitation Assessment prior to sentencing.

[PeterUK]

"Hold off on this scrutiny until he wraps it up. Then crucify him. (Is "crucify" OK?)"

A bit Messiahist.

[Sue]

Maybee,

You can either claim the standard deduction or you can itemize, whichever is higher. I don't think you can claim the mortgage interest unless you itemize.

[Sue]

Worker Unit Sue

::grin::

[MayBee]

If Obama is elected, I think I will need his mortgage fund to help me with the mortgage I was once able to afford, before I started paying to save everyone else's mortgage.

[Larry]

The Rainmaker is on TCM right now. Back in them thar days, you only got skinned for $100 if you wanted rain. Clean cut Burt Lancaster sure played some sleazes.

[MayBee]

Sue- oh yeah...the standard deduction.

I guess he basically would be increasing the standard deduction for all mortgage holders, even if what they are paying in interest is less than the current standard deduction.

[Other Tom]

There's a huge difference between a decuction and a credit. If you have a $10,000 deduction and your marginal rate is 28%, your tax is reduced by $2,800. A $10,000 credit reduces your tax by $10,000. I'm not sure what a "10% credit" means--ten percent of what?

I find it very hard to believe that there are people paying mortgage interest who don't itemize, if itemizing would save them on their taxes. if there are, are we supposed to feel sorry for them? By God am I ever out of touch.

[Other Tom]

"deduction"

[Porchlight]

Thanks, Larry, for the Rainmaker tip. Lancaster and Hepburn, two of my faves.

[Porchlight]

Well, darn, The Rainmaker is over and it seems to be 80's night: On Golden Pond, Steel Magnolias, Big Chill, Absence of Malice.

Could be worse I guess.

[cathyf]

Here, let me explain it to you... Rich people who have big mortgages only get to deduct their actual mortgage interest from their taxes. Poor people who rent, or who live in $25,000 houses and don't pay much mortgage interest, or who are retirees on fixed incomes whose mortgages are paid off -- they get to take the standard deduction which means that they get to take a bigger deduction than for their mortgage interest.

This is apparently unfair to the poor people who get to deduct more than what they actually paid in mortgage interest.

[Topsecretk9]

Other Tom will enjoy this too

Clinton Svengali Harold Ickes just held a conference call, apparently to try to stop the media story line that Hillary is hemmorhaging.

You can read about it here on First Read. Partly they think they're going to start to win some states, partly they're still banking on votes from superdelegates and the seating of the delegations from Florida and Michigan.

We enjoyed this part of the story where Ickes explains why he voted to strip the two states of their delegates as a member of the DNC last year, but it's not inconsistent for him to try to seat them as a Hillary operative. Didn't say we understood it, just enjoyed it:

[Topsecretk9]

Gosh...I thought I remembered Hillary was calling for the abolition of the Electoral College in favor of the popular vote...don't reporters and Obama oppo people look into these things? Or is it a timing issue, they are waiting to spring it?

Hillary Clinton vs. James Madison

This article appeared on cato.org on November 15, 2000.

However the election turns out, proponents of pure democracy will call for the abolition of the Electoral College. Washington's newest celebrity, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, is the latest convert to this cause.

Some will say Ms. Clinton opposes the Electoral College only because Al Gore might lose the presidency despite getting a plurality of the popular vote. I give Ms. Clinton more credit than that. Her opposition to the Electoral College is entirely in step with her underlying philosophy of government: centralizing liberalism. But that philosophy contravenes the spirit of our Constitution as expressed by its primary author, James Madison. We should stick with Madison's idea of a federal republic and preserve the Electoral College.

[DubiousD]

Open thread question (and appropos given the FISA debate going on in DC):

I remember reading in discussions past (either here or on other boards) about how many of the provisions of the Patriot Act were actually on the law books before 9-11. The difference is before they could only be used against organized crime and drug cartels. Patriot Act allgedly broadened the laws so that could be used against terrorists, too.

Can anyone point to either a discussion or news item or even (gad!) a book that gives a good even-handed overview of which sections of the Patriot Act were old law enforcement practices reapplied and which parts were radical new legislation?

[clarice]

Here's my brother-in-law's take on Wisconsin (Not much)
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/column/other/index.php?ntid=272873