Get This Reporter A Breathalyzer

Times reporter John Broder is funny but not surprising in his reporting of an Obama gaffe:

[Obama] said he would preserve Social Security by requiring higher payments from the wealthy. He vowed to resist all efforts to privatize the program or raise the retirement age. He also vowed to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest citizens and noted that Mr. McCain had originally opposed the Bush tax breaks because, as Mr. Obama put it in a rare verbal slip, they were “too skewered” to the rich.

A "rare verbal slip"?  Kidding?  Well, as the Obama's Gaffes blog noted, this is from ABC News:

5. Obama's gaffes won't matter at all until they do (at which point they will all matter all at once).

Right now the Times is still shielding their readers from the reality that, absent a teleprompter, their guy is no more coherent than (dare we say it?) George Bush.  McCain gaffes merit a story.

READ HIS LIPS: Obama on taxes:

In his most pointed and sustained attack on Mr. McCain’s economic agenda, Mr. Obama said that a McCain presidency would be a continuation of President Bush’s faltering economic policies. And he highlighted his own proposals to aid economically beleaguered Americans: tax cuts for middle-income families and retirees, a $50 billion economic stimulus package, expansion of unemployment benefits, and relief for homeowners facing foreclosure.

Bill Clinton got good play with his promise of middle-class tax relief during the 1992 campaign, but of course that promise foundered on the hard rocks of fiscal reality once the many promises of the Clinton programs were put on the table.  Let's flash back to 1993:

CLINTON'S ECONOMIC PLAN: The Campaign; Gambling That a Tax-Cut Promise Was Not Taken Seriously

In selling his economic plan, President Clinton is gambling that voters never took seriously his campaign promise to lower the tax burden of the middle class and will respond favorably to an aggressive pitch based on equal measures of hope, fear and class revenge.

After months of polling and research, Mr. Clinton's top political advisers say they are convinced that middle-class voters will support higher taxes. The advisers say the voters will see the new taxes as the price of great improvements in Government service and as inflicting a just punishment on the rich who profited during the Reagan and Bush Administrations.

Can we amplify the class warfare angle?  This is Stanley Greenberg, Clinton's pollster in chief:

"It is critical," Mr. Greenberg said, that the rich be seen as punished most by Mr. Clinton's tax increases.

"This says to voters that this is a President who is not a captive of the wealthiest people but who is instead responsive to the middle class," Mr. Greenberg said. "That is a critical issue. Since they are not going to see the results of economic growth for a long time, it is critical that you send them a very big signal about whose interests are being advanced."

2009 will be deja vu all over again under President Obama.

HOW DO YOU FLIP-FLOP IN THE FOG?

Think Progress claims McCain has flip-flopped on estate taxes, but that would require that he held coherent and contradictory positions.

The Think Progress link to the pro-estate tax McCain has him voting for cloture on a 2005 bill backed by the anti-estate tax Republicans; back then, as now, McCain expressed support for a lower estate tax rate triggered at $5 million, not $1 million.  McCain's rhetoric didn't match his record even then.  However, it is fair to say that McCain has been all over the map on taxes.

Comments

[hit and run]

TM:
Right now the Times is still shielding their readers from the reality that, absent a teleprompter, their guy is no more coherent than (dare we say it?) George Bush.

Well, I've used up my SSP allowance for the day, so I shall rather link directly to the article.

Obama offered no new policies in his speech, which he read from telepromoters.

The AP now feels it newsworthy to tell is when Obama is using telepromoters?

This is a distraction!

But oh so fun.

[SaveFarris]

Clearly the wealthiest among us should be paying their fare share in taxes.

[cathyf]

I'd say considerably less coherent than W. At least when the president talks

a) I know what he means to say (even if it comes out funny)

b) and he remembers what he said when questioned about it later.

[clarice]

Maybe he's on Chantix..When I was I could barely remember my name.

[JM Hanes]

Obama on drugs? Perish the thought! JOM -- per Sue, soon to be inundated by Obamabots!

[Sue]

The AP now feels it newsworthy to tell is when Obama is using telepromoters?

If this wasn't so serious, it would be funny.

[Sue]

JMH,

Yeah! I want to see how they swarm. Are they like killer bees? Flies on poop? Mosquitoes after dark?

[JM Hanes]

Tom must be thrilled to know that his work has borne fruit: Wheels have been greased, and Wm. Ayers is being surreptitiously slid under the bus.

[Appalled]

If Obama is using telepromotors, hopefully they are US citizens, rather than some phone bank in Mumbai.

[Porchlight]

Appalled, he's already got a phone bank in Gaza.

[windansea]

If Obama is using telepromotors, hopefully they are US citizens, rather than some phone bank in Mumbai.

Posted by: Appalled

not to worry Apally, what happened was during the time H&R cut and paste the AP article in which teleprompter was spelled correctly, the Obama Internet WOPR response team effectively scrubbed the article at the exact moment H&R was scrolling over the words to cut them, inserting telepromoter so you could scribble out a coherent post.

:)

[qrstuv]

Appalled,
That was funny.

[hit and run]

I'm going with what windansea said.

Rather than blaming it on blackberry.

Heh, that actually was a funny typo though. Thanks for making it a joke, Appalled...I deserved it and appreciate it.

But dang, Porchlight, you sure are distractionary. ::grin::

[gabriel]

man the buyers remorse on this clown is going to be staggering in a few more months.

[Danube of Thought]

Remember when putting an "e" at the end of "potato" was thought to be a thigh-slapping howler?

Gaffes by Democrats seem to occur pretty much on the dark side of the moon.

[bad]

My grocery list always has "potatoe" and "tomatoe."

[bad]

Speaking of "can't remember," I saw BO in an interview this morning. Can't remember on what channel or the question he was asked, but I do remember that he was incredibly incoherent.

[kim]

I suspect he's begun to believe the hype about what a great speaker he is. Glib babbler is more like it.
=====================

[Porchlight]

Sorry, Appalled, I forgot to add a ;)
I did like your joke. :)

[GnuCarSmell]

There is a sharp contrast between the scripted Obama and Obama unplugged. Take away his teleprompter and he becomes the kid in "Deliverance" without the banjo.

[Rev. Dr. E Buzz Miller]

Hope. Change. Marblemouth.

He's starting to remind me of a former KC Chief named Neil Smiff, who was such a horrible speaker and mispronunciator...

http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/talk-sports/55342-neilbonics.html

[JM Hanes]

I'm surprised Obama even needs a teleprompter at this point, considering how often he has given the same basic speech, with a topical detail plugged in here and there -- a fact which seems to escape the notice of the folks who are still swooning over his rhetorical skilz and hearing his message as new time & time again.

[Soylent Red]

Um...JMH.

Those are "mad rhetorical skillz".

[JM Hanes]

I left out the good vibrations too -- and it's not even midnight yet!

[ben]

Jonathan Martin has this....

"OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Democratic Rep. Dan Boren of Oklahoma said Tuesday Barack Obama is "the most liberal senator" in Congress and he has no intention of endorsing him for the White House."

Layer by layer, Obama will surely lose his fraudulent "supra-partisan" coating. Maybe McCain can get a "blue dogs for McCain" group going.

[MB]

Here's what I remember from the 92 tax issue, maybe someone has specific citations for some of it:

Candidate Clinton claimed his intended tax hike would "not affect anyone who made less than $200,000 a year"

Various analysts did some math and reported that in order to achieve what Clinton claimed the tax would have to hit people all the way down to $40,000.

Dan Quayle tried to interject this $40,000 figure into the Quayle-Gore debates, but got little traction with it.

At some point just before or just after the election, Clinton changed his speeches to use the figure $100,000 where he had previously said $200,000.

At some point after the election, he began saying the tax hike would not affect anyone making "less than $70,000" He continued this speech for quite a while, maybe 6-8 weeks.

Long after the press had lost interest, when the tax had finally been passed and the results seen, it was found to impact taxpayers down to $38,000.

No press comment.

[bio mom]

Maybe Obama is suffering from nicotine withdrawl.

[Neo]

Seems I managed to stumble unto Obama's secret plans

[Jane]

I don't have a clue about how the numbers translate, but BO seems to be bleeding supporters. Everyone but the fringe left and the black community seems to be having second thoughts about the great messiah. (Did that happen to Jesus too?) The Blue dogs don't like him, the women find him green and scary, the workers think he is a joke. I guess the real question is how deep it goes.

Now if only McCain would agree to drill...

[bad]

Far be it from me to cast aspersions on anyone's parenting choices since I see many different situations, arrangements,and choices resulting in delightful offspring; however, parenting is difficult and stressful in the best of circumstances. Are the Obamas comfortable with the inevitable consequences to the family should he win the White House?

[Danube of Thought]

Mornin' Jane (already afternoon back there). Hope you're right about Obama's supporters, but he continues to poll well. And McCain is starting to be quite depressing.

Don't worry about your bleeping Celtics--even in a loss last night, they showed themselves to be the clearly superior team, and this series is a done deal.

[Danube of Thought]

And in anout an hour I'm gonna head out for a three-Martini lunch. I owe it to myself.

[Jane]

Have one for me DOT!

The US Open starts tomorrow.

Go Tiger!

[Porchlight]

DoT, Obama's bounce is fading per Rasmussen daily tracking. He had an 8 point lead Sat, Sun and yesterday, but it's down to 5 points today. Though I agree about McCain.

[Bill in AZ]

funny, Neo, I got "Page cannot be found" which sounds about right anyway...

[Bill in AZ]

That's sorta like distilling one of Obama's speeches down - like this one where he said:
" "

[Elliott]

Jane,

After four runner-up finishes, I think Mickelson will finally triumph this year.

My US Open trivia question for today: With how many of the players in this year's starting field have I played golf?

[Jane]

Elliott,

If the answer is 1 I'm incredibly impressed. If it is more than one, you are a rock star to me. Phil isn't gonna win. He's a choker.

Let me guess tho - you played with him.

[Elliott]

If the answer is 1

I thought you'd be worried it was of a piece with my Masters Plame trivia question. I assure you it is not.

As for your guess, he came to play at my club 10 years ago. I caddied for one of the assistant pros he played with and who had to leave to give a lesson after 16 holes. I played the last 2.

I'm wasn't sure whether that should count for purposes of the trivia question or whether 18 holes were required.

[Jane]

Oh it definitely counts. Did you beat him?

[Jane]

BTW, did we ever get an answer to the Plame question?

[Elliott]

Unfortunately, no (on both questions). However, the assistant pro, doubtless on account of my excellent help and assistance, was 1-up after 16.

[LindaK]

Jim Johnson has resigned. This is too bad given his wonderful track record in picking VPs, eg Geraldine Ferraro. The Obama campaign released a statement from BO saying that he "accepted his resignation". This is odd, because yesterday, BO said Johnson didn't work for the campaign. But we shouldn't be distracted.

[Pofarmer]

It seems to me that the rich are going to have to pick up a whole lot of slack under the Obama regime, and the oil companies, and Lord knows who else. We'll just see if we can tax ourselves into prosperity.

[sbw]

No country has taxed itself into prosperity, but numerous countries have taxed themselves out of it.

But that is peripheral to the Democratic Party, whose elite endeavor to tax themselves into power, the consequence of which is personal financial benefit.

So while no country has taxed itself into prosperity, the Democratic elite, tax others out of prosperity-- always under the guise of the Public Good -- to work themselves into prosperity .

[Aaron]

http://obamasgaffes.blogspot.com/2008/06/whup-them.html

" At a town hall meeting on health care at Virginia High School, a 95-year-old voter gave the expected nominee a maple walking stick he had carved himself with the intention of giving it to Obama. Obama thanked the man and then, admiring his new gift, said “If members of Congress don’t pass my health care plan, I’ll whup them, I’ll whup them. That’s right, don’t mess with me, I’ll have my stick.”

Do you think its wise for Obama to threaten to beat the opposition in congress with a walking stick? The last guy to did that was Preston Brookes (sp?) who beat an anti-slavery congressman with a walking stick.

[bandit]

You're all confuses - NYT and the rest of MSM isn't covering politics - they're playing at politics - it's not reporting - it's campainging.

[Karen]

might want to check out some of these breathalyzer sites

http://www.safety-devices.com
http://www.safetygears.net
http://www.usbreathalyzer.com

[john]

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