They Told Glenn Reynolds... (Ongoing)

They told Glenn Reynolds that if he voted for McCain our system would become more corrupt.  And they were right!

(Reuters) - The United States has dropped out of the "top 20" in a global league table of least corrupt nations, tarnished by financial scandals and the influence of money in politics, Transparency International said on Tuesday.

Somalia was judged the most corrupt country, followed by Myanmar and Afghanistan at joint second-worst and then by Iraq, in the Berlin-based watchdog TI's annual corruption perceptions index (CPI).

The United States fell to 22nd from 19th last year, with its CPI score dropping to 7.1 from 7.5 in the 178-nation index, which is based on independent surveys on corruption.

This was the lowest score awarded to the United States in the index's 15-year history and also the first time it had fallen out of the top 20.

In the Americas, this put the United States behind Canada in sixth place, Barbados at 17th and Chile in 21st place.

So what dragged us down?

Nancy Boswell, president of TI in the United States, said lending practices in the subprime crisis, the disclosure of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme and rows over political funding had all rattled public faith about prevailing ethics in America.

"We're not talking about corruption in the sense of breaking the law," she said. "We're talking about a sense that the system is corrupted by these practices. There's an integrity deficit."

Huh?  No mention of the bank bailout or the UAW bailout?  Geez, wait 'til they hear about those!

Comments

[Paul from Boston]

Timmy Geithner and Charlie Rangel don't count towards corruption?

[bgates]

Bernie Madoff does?

[Jim Ryan]

The Congress doesn't count. It's a gimme because almost any country nowadays is a kleptocracy. The ranking occurs all at the level marginal corruption.

[hit and run]

FWIW...past US CPI rankings:

1998: 17
1999: 18
2000: 14
2001: 16
2002: 16
2003: 18
2004: 17
2005: 17
2006: 20
2007: 20
2008: 18
2009: 19
2010: 22

Make of that what you will.

[Danube of Thought]

Raz has Angle up by four.

[Danube of Thought]

Feingold down by seven (these are fresh numbers).

[gmax]

Who is holding the first down chains? I smell a pretty large dead rat...

[daddy]

Listening to Rush bring up the Arizona Law suit reminded me that in the debate 2 days back Lisa Murcow said she was opposed to Arizona's Immigration Law, and that it was the job of the Fed's to handle immigration so Arizona should just shut up about their problem and let the Fed's continue to not handle it.

She also said that she was opposed to building a fence along the Border. She mistakenly equated our building a border fence to the building of the wall between East and West Berlin, which she did not understand was built to keep people in as opposed to keeping people out. Another debate between her and and Miller and McAdam's later today, so we will see if she still keeps up the "not fit to govern" line which earned her jeers 2 days back.

[centralcal]

daddy: I don't think LeNa JaBrowski (as named by Hillbuzz) is going to pull it off. By the way, I have seen scores of photos of her on the internet over the past few weeks. She looks angry and ugly in all of them.

[daddy]

CC,

I think you're correct if the electorate actually gets a chance to see what a nasty, #itch Lisa is in person, and what her actual stands are on issues. I keep going back and forth on does she have a chance. My concern is are the voters getting the opportunity to actually see the real Lisa. Fer instance, FOX (Shep Smith) just this instant is doing a disappointing feature on Lisa as the unexpected Write-In candidate, who according to polls is doing very well in polling in Alaska. You guys here at JOM know way more about Lisa than the FOX guys seem to, because of seeing the video and just paying attention. The debate video is revolting, but if nobody sees it, does the tree make a sound falling in the woods etc? Possibly not.

FOX is wasting time on stupid commentary stuff about is her name spelled correctly as a write in, which shows that they know nothing about the current bruhaha about the write-in list being given to voters inside the Polling place to avoid that issue. So Shep and his WSJ guest are way behind the power curve of reality on that issue. It's been overcome by events.

If Shep was continually playing that video of Lisa saying Joe's unfit, and listening to the audience jeers, and his brilliant answer when she tries to slam him as a Military guy, then I think her ratings would go downhill, but if this is the best FOX can do, I sure doubt any other network is going to do a better piece revealing who she really is.

Up here the media is still in her back pocket, so we shall see, but if anybody can get the word to FOX or Rush or anybody big out there in order to show her true colors from that last debate, it'd be a big help. FWIW the 2 Conservative guys I argued with last week about voting for Lisa were woefully uninformed about her positions on Health Care, Cap and Trade, how she could care less about the explosion of the budget etc. And that's not even to mention the immigration issue. So who the heck knows.

[Army of Davids]

"Friends of Angelo" has corruption written all over it.

Not sure many understand how bad this was.

Especially when you consider Fannie and Freddie.

[Old Lurker]

Daddy, if your neighbors send that bitch back to DC, we deserve what is going to happen to us.

[Jack is Back!]

Anyone beside me noticing the shill anti-military carp coming out of our Dems? You have Debbie (Blinky) Wasserman Schultz and her crowd calling Col. West every name in the book, Moran on how 20 years of military officer leadership in 3 conflicts doesn't qualify as "public service" and Murphy's pay was equated to welfare payments. You have Kilner and his slime attacks against Popaditch and Lisa questing a West Pt. grad's leadership ability. Then you have the whole business with the military ballots. Not pretty especially when douche-bags like Klein, Boxer and others get a stupid VFW endorsement.

Also, I have now noticed that "I Won" is stuck on the "car in the ditch" but concedes that once we get it out the ditch and finish our slurpees we can now ride in the back. I'll take the Rosa Parks Memorial seat near the window, please.

[glenda]

daddy...

well, if I would have read here first..questioned answered! still media-murky :)

early voted today, my friendly precinct workers said very high turnout so far..

wonder if the panthers will be out in force next Tuesday, after all, didn't Holder give them the o.k.? hope the R's and teas have lawyered up--Rush was getting call after call about voter fraud today.

[Jack is Back!]

Well if you want voter fraud how about fraud voting? If the Alaska board of elections allows Lisa Moocowski's name to be spelled in any fashion other than her true name then you have a fraudulent vote. I think it is challengeable all the way to the Supreme Court. The great thing about the Florida ballot, it had Marco Rubion listed first and Crist was like in last place after all the minor party candidates and Meek.

[daddy]

Old Lurker,

Sadly I agree with your 04:03.

Off to dump off my Absent Ballot and to walk the dog...

CayyyyyyyRooooooo!

(Actually most of the bears are off for the season, so all it is now is mooses---so "Glendaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" should work just fine for today:)

Just remembered. At 4 AM heard a whole lot of scratching, so awoke and looked around. Pup was on the floor scratching with his paws something fierce. A thin sliver of moonlight was shining in through a ceiling skylight and pup was working his claws like crazy on the carpet trying to get a hold of the dag-gone thing. Very cute.

[centralcal]

daddy: I am not sure that the Shep Smith show would be the best FNC venue for exposing LeNa JaBrowski. Shep is a semi-hysterical lefty and usually the WSJ folks that appear on his hour are from the equally lefty news side, rather than the paper's more conservative opinion side. So don't fret his take too much (I saw it, btw, and totally agree with your summary of it).

Bill Hemmer and Martha McCallum in the a.m., Jon Scott, Megyn Kelly, Brett Baier are all better FNC venues to get a straight forward, fact filled report. I am a subscriber to the Rush 24/7 membership and will gladly send an email - but I don't think I will have much clout.

[Janet the tea-vangelist!]

Which JOMer was/is it that likes Sweet Tarts so much?

[Pagar]

"So Shep and his WSJ guest are way behind the power curve of reality on that issue."

Didn't I just read that Fox had decided that Shep Someone or other was worth a whole bunch of millions a year or some such
BS? I have no idea who this Shep guy is, wouldn't know him if I saw him cause I don't watch TV (waste of time). But I'd be willing to bet that Fox News would be a whole lot better as a news source if they had some one that was ahead of the power curve. In other words, one could hire one of the highly qualified JOMers, be way ahead of the power curve and probably get them to do it for several million less.

Spending millions on guys who are behind the power curve is an insult to the American public.

[Pagar]

"Anyone beside me noticing the shill anti-military carp coming out of our Dems?"

IMO, the Democrats hate the US military members. They treat them with utter comtempt. I cannot understand how anyone can believe that the Democrats have any interest whatsoever in defending America.

Leftists never change.

[Porchlight]

Which JOMer was/is it that likes Sweet Tarts so much?

I don't know, Janet, but daddy and I are both big fans of Mary Jane peanut butter kisses (the ones wrapped in orange and black waxed paper - the quality ones, not the cheap knockoffs!).

Speaking of, I laid in a quantity of those last week which will not be shared with the trick-or-treaters (they don't appreciate them anyway).

[Threadkiller]

Jim Bopp(Citizens United) just handed Dylan Ratigan his ass. I hope this video will be available soon.

I watched msnbc so mel would not have to.

[bunky]

TK: you what you are usually doing when you lean forward.........

[Janet the tea-vangelist!]

I don't know, Janet, but daddy and I are both big fans of Mary Jane peanut butter kisses

Thanks Porchlight, I wrote it down. I just remember that candy thread. I picked up some Sweet Tarts for Soylent (trying to put in some different candy since chocolate in a no-go)...& I wanted to put a note on them. I'll do that with the Mary Janes now too.
Actually I was in 7-11 looking for a Medal of Honor Slurpee cup!...I think you suggested that! I picked up some individual size Reese's Pieces & thought I'd staple them to copies of Clarice's Pieces articles.
Just trying to think of some fresh ideas...

[Porchlight]

You're the best, Janet! I have some books and a CD for Soylent - if I send them to you tomorrow via USPS, can you send them out with the next package? I can put a bag of the Mary Janes in with them...

[Janet the tea-vangelist!]

Sure! I send a pkg every week. One is going tomorrow, so the next one will be Wed. Nov.3rd - the after election celebration pkg!

[rse]

Sandra Day O'Connor is apparently being quite busy this election season.

LUN

That Arizona ruling makes me so angry.

It's like someone should print up T-shirts stating "We are the elite. We will decide what is constitutional not you and you cannot take power away from us".

[Porchlight]

Thanks, Janet! I hope Soylent can watch or follow the election returns where he is...I know Elliott will be eagerly monitoring the situation from London...

[Porchlight]

From National Journal - here comes the GOP Tidal Wave:

New Polls Suggest Sizable GOP Landslide

Oh, and Cook has upgraded to 48-60 House seats.

Sticking with my 80H/10S prediction, but I'm tempted to upgrade to 12 in the Senate. Don't know how, don't know where, but the amplitude will be there for the House wave to flip the Senate too.

[Old Lurker]

Biden (per Drudge) “Every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive,” he said. “In the middle of the Civil War you had a guy named Lincoln paying people $16,000 for every 40 miles of track they laid across the continental United States. … No private enterprise would have done that for another 35 years.”

Edwards was right.

There are two Americas.

[Janet the tea-vangelist!]

It looks like daddy was the SweetTart lover too! (from JOM archives)

Bear chauffeur & SweetTart addict.

[Elliott]

I know Elliott will be eagerly monitoring the situation from London...

Speak of the absentee voter...

I haven't verified the numbers, but if memory serves, the Republicans had about 230 seats after receiving 52% of the vote in the 2002 midterm. Are they at 179 seats now? With an 8-10% lead in reputable surveys, I see a 73 seat gain as entirely reasonable.

[Rick Ballard]

Porchlight,

Watching the pros creep toward reality unfold is a real pleasure. I fully expect to see "Once In A Lifetime Low Tide Predicted For The Chesapeake Bay Area Late Monday, Early Tuesday" as an AP headline before the end of the week.

[Clarice]

Janet, My friend who was stationed in Iraq loved those microwvable Indian foods. You might ask Soylent if that appeals to him--I know he's not too big on junk food but these apparently are a treat from bland mess foods.

[Danube of Thought]

Well, Joe, there was the cotton gin, the telegraph, the electric lighbulb, the automobile, the airplane...

...Hell, why go on?

[Janet the tea-vangelist!]

Okay, I'll ask or even just send a few.

[hit and run]

OL quoting Biden:

“Every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive,”

Yike. Did Biden say "literally"? And "I'm not making this up"? There's no way he makes a comment like that without qualifying it with "literally" at least,and most likely "I'm not making this up" too.

Well. I must be off. Poker night here in [undisclosed location*]. Otherwise that comment is fodder enough for the whole night.

Literally.

So long...
"Where there is no government vision, the people perish."
--stuff Proverbs 29:18 (almost) says

------------
*Porch -- expect an email tonight or tomorrow,if you know what I mean.

[Danube of Thought]

Elliott, right now RCP has the GOP with 223 (x(gain of 44), the Dems with 179, and 33 toss-ups.

[Melinda Romanoff]

O/T-

I hope everyone has thier umbrellas handy.

Because when this one blows up, everyboby's going to get wet.

[Melinda Romanoff]

And I'm beginning to suspect some worse angles will be exposed, after some rooting around at Fannie and Freddie.

[pagar]

In case you were wondering about that voter fraud story out of Nevada; Weasel Zippers says voting machine techs are SEIU members.

There is no way honest elections can be run by the unions. No way! How long are we going to allow this absolute farce?

[Old Lurker]

Between my Biden quote, Mel's good news, and Pagar's SEIU link...it all makes you just shake your head doesn't it?

[centralcal]

aw, bummer. Cholly Rangle fired his lawyers (or they fired him - no one has spoken on the record yet). He has already paid them $1.4 million from his campaign coffers.

[DrJ]

O/T, but a friend of mine (who is also a client) sold his company in the past week for $12 million. It is great to see a good guy have his hard work rewarded.

[Old Lurker]

That's great, DrJ!

[Melinda Romanoff]

DrJ-

You may have solved an issue I am working on.

[caro]

That's the American Way,DrJ. Good for him.

[Boatbuilder]

I did not care about what Berlin-based self-appointed "global watchdog" organizations like "Transparency International" thought about the international perception of the US while Carter, Reagan, GHWBush, Clinton, and GWBush were President, and I do not care now.

[DrJ]

Caro,

That's the American Way

Agreed! But he happens to be Canadian, as is his company. Sold it to one o' them grubby American capitalist companies, though.

Mel, what have I solved?

[centralcal]

Caro: Where has Jane been? Has she posted today?

[Porchlight]

Roger, hit.

[caro]

CC, flu.

[Ann]

cc:

I was just going to ask about Jane. She hasn't undated youtoocongress.com since 10/22.

[Porchlight]

Yes, where is Ms. Jane? I think we heard from her yesterday, didn't we? Is today FWDAJ day? Hope everything is okay...

[Mercy me.]

Baksheesh.
============

[Clarice]

I'm sorry to hear that-I suppose she got run down after last week's turmoil. Jane, if you're checking in--we hope you get better soon.

[Porchlight]

Poor Jane! Glad the timing is such that she's likely to be better for the elections...

[caro]

DrJ,that's the North American Way!

[Pagar]

Speaking of where is Maybee? She hasn't even checked in so we could wish her Happy Birthday this month has she?

[Probably thought his nose had gone to sleep.]

Were clouds passing in front of the moon, daddy? That might vary the sight enough to make it look alive.
=================================

[caro]

Clarice,you have experience with the old Soviet Union. Any insight on this? The two must reads about the Schiller/NPR saga at Lucianne today were very interesting.Maybe this Juan Williams fiasco is shedding light where we needed it just in time.

[Clarice]

I was reminded of P J O'Rourke's piece n the losers and useful idiots who accompanied him on one of thee tours. The absolutely hilarious essay is called "Ship of Fools" and it is in his book Republican Party Reptiles.

I can't explain it better than he did--Folks paying to be deluded . In his case the guides were Russians and they had nothing but contempt, it turned out, for the fools.

[Don't fire until you have not yet begun to fight.]

Red light or green light?
=========================

[Clarice]

MayBee took issue with a post and said she wouldn't return unless it was pulled. We miss her terribly. Her insights were always great and witty and we hope in time she'll reconsider, pagar.

[DrJ]

Right on, Caro!

[Porchlight]

Pagar,

I think MayBee was not happy about a certain comment a week or so ago that our host didn't remove (or at least not to my knowledge). I hope she changes her mind and comes back to comment. I did see her at HotAir today.

[Forgive, don't forget.]

MayBee doesn't understand that there is no pulling of posts. The moderator moves in mysterious ways his wonders not to perform. The commenter is consigned to kitchen patrol and banned from the armory for the duration of the protest.
===============================

[Danube of Thought]

I've seen MayBee every so often over at Tapper's. I haven't seen her here since that guy posted that Quasimodo-violent post, and she said if TM didn't take it down she would never post heater again. .Our loss.

[Porchlight]

Oh, sorry Clarice, this darn typepad. I wish you could easily hit refresh on the thread without losing the draft comment in one's comment box.

[And spuds. Join me. Veggie was sweet potato tonight. In a rut on the rest.]

Pots and pans.
=============

[Extraneus]

Our loss.

Wish there was something we could have done about that.

[For posting at Jake's.]

I know I've done wrong,
William sing that Bay Leaf song;
MayBee, please come home.
=====================

[narciso]

I remember that story from PJ's later collection, 'Holidays in Hell' Clarice,
the tradition of self delusion among the left from Lincoln Steffens to Michael Moore, is
nearly constant

[Melinda Romanoff]

Rick-

Modern Weimar Charts.

[Jim Ryan]

Porchlight, CTRL-A, CTRL-X, refresh, CTRL-V.

I'm just sayin'.

[Pagar]

That really saddens me, I had remembered the post that day, and her postings, but hadn't realized she said never.
We see it so often, the recent VFW hassle over the PAC will result in more empty chairs at future meetings. We all lose in these situations.

[Bingo. Oops, sorry, that was just the Ginza.]

Who won China?
===============

[Threadkiller]

Kim, check the stove for a gas leak. :-)

[DrJ]

Maybee:

If Tom Maguire does not delete that post from (deleted), I'm never posting here again.

She was serious, it seems. Shame.

[Ann]

So how many points did the intellectual, nice girls at "The View" move the elections toward the moron, mean girl conservatives today? Where is MoDo?

Joy Behar on Sharron Angle: That Bitch is Going to Hell

Sarah Palin twitter: Wow, what class

Hillbuzz says Democrats at DEFCON 1: Is Christine O’Donnell now leading in internals?

[narciso]

A certain scene, in a play that dare not be named, ironically fits that show, Ann, how
Hasselbeck stays on that spectacle, is a mystery

[daddy]

Ughhh,

Am told on Talk Radio that Rachel Maddow is in town, and also just got the release of Joe Miller's personnel records: ">http://alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/politics/7283-miller-i-lied-about-accessing-all-of-the-computers"> Miller: 'I lied about accessing all of the computers'.

Ughhh...

[The pressure was unbearable.]

Tk, my MiniMac vanished and the pent up commenting could power a dynamo with a two pool system.
=================

[Waiting for God and MayBee.]

Unfortunately, I can almost guarantee that Tom never saw Maybee's plea, and the original commenter is powerless to edit it. So here we are painted into the box in the corner of the envelope being pushed.
===============================

[Pagar]

Just checked AoS. On their Awesome Headline of the Day post concerning Demos failing to beat Gov Christie Again post, they are reporting that a poster named Mystry has cast his last ballot. From the various comments down toward the end of that thread it sounds like all of the posters knew him and considered him a great guy. If you knew him, you might want to check it out.

[narciso]

Just goes to show how things changed in just 6 months, from a blog that has 'been pushing
up daisies, in the LUN

[Clarice]

daddy, I figured it was something like that. He kept denying he was fired and said he'd release the papers but refused to do so.

I think this may be the end for him.

It's very bad.

[Danube of Thought]

"Quasimodo-violent"= Quasi-violent. (I'm telling you folks,you gotta have an eye like a hawk with this Ipad thing. It thinks it knows what you want to say.)

[Frau Umlaut]

Porch, I have never had that problem. The umlaut police, however, are watching me like a Raubvogel.

BTW when do we/i get an update on the little guy? Halloween costume?

[Rick Ballard]

Mel,

All I know for sure is that the zombies continue to rot, velocity is at zero and the opacity (to the general public) regarding the status of what remains of the MBS precludes anything but shear guesses as to the actual state of the securities - and of the actual amounts still outstanding.

The Fed may pour as many trillion as it wishes into Treasuries but it will have minimal impact on the economy as long as a commie sits in the Oval Office.

[Rick Ballard]

Mel,

All I know for sure is that the zombies continue to rot, velocity is at zero and the opacity (to the general public) regarding the status of what remains of the MBS precludes anything but shear guesses as to the actual state of the securities - and of the actual amounts still outstanding.

The Fed may pour as many trillion as it wishes into Treasuries but it will have minimal impact on the economy as long as a commie sits in the Oval Office.

[RichatUF]

daddy-

Ace had a write up about it yesterday.

[Danube of Thought]

When that MayBee issue arose, I questioned whether TM had the ability to delete it. In response, someone posted the TypePad instructions on how the moderator can delete any given post.

But only the moderator can do it, and there's no indication Maguire ever saw it.

[Rick Ballard]

Well, it wasn't authored by a picayune sophist with a left eye for minutiae of absolutely minimal import, so it's entirely understandable.

[narciso]

As Daddy has reminded us, the current junior Senator left his city, in debt to the tune of 20 million, and we're not talking a bond issue
for a stadium, I know rhetorical question,

[bgates]

Is the extent of l'affaire Miller that he used a handful of other employees' computers to vote in a poll on his own website, lied about it, and then came clean?

That's why Alaska's supposed to agree to keep representation in Washington as a hereditary fiefdom?

I seem to remember a more recent lie by Letsdo Morecokeski, shortly before the primary she was going to abide by.

[bgates]

I liked the spirit of the comments in Ace's post about the bombshell in Alaska. Stuff along the lines of:

One time, this guy said to Joe Miller, "Hey, was that movie 'Miller's Crossing' about you?" And Joe Miller said, "Ha! Yes. (No, not really.)" But his first instinct was to lie.

[bgates]

Joe Miller's height as self-reported on his driver's license? 6'.

Joe Miller's height as measured in his Army records? 5' 11-3/4".

[bgates]

His name isn't even really Joe Miller. (It's Joseph Miller.)

[Clarice]

HEH. It does seem a stupid small thing, bgates, but he repeatedly lied about it. People may weigh everything and decide to ignore it, as you suggest, but they may not.

I don't understand why he did this. The WSJ blog,Washington Wire, adds some other stuff.
None of which sounds extreme,
" The records paint a picture of an employee who butted heads with his superiors on several occasions and whose behavior at times was described by co-workers as “bizarre” and “un-flipping-believable.”

There was also a conflict over whether Mr. Miller misled the borough about why he needed time off on one occasion, according to the records. And at one point, his law firm’s work on a case raised concerns within the borough that the work may have represented a conflict of interest with his work for the borough, the documents show."