The meltdown continues
I’m always amazed that the National Review has actual readers. Not because there are people out there who are crazy enough to read the National Review, mind you, but because the people who are crazy enough to read the National Review actually know how to read. Exhibit A is this K-Lo fan:
The Dow Today [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
An e-mail:
Kathryn:
Isn’t this a golden opportunity for John McCain? Supposedly, the wheels came off his campaign when he “suspended” it to go to DC to work on the bailout/rescue. He was hammered, and the bad Dow action of the last week or so made it look like he put his campaign on the Pass line and the dice came up snake eyes. And his poll numbers dropped along with the Dow.
But now – why doesn’t he come out and say, “My friends, the good news in the stock market shows all of us that the rescue plan took some time to get going. It shows I am not afraid to put my political career on the line to do what I think is right for America. Some say I should have done what my opponent did: make no phone calls to wavering members of my own party, make a few bland but inconsequential speeches, quietly vote for the bill, and then trash my opponent at every opportunity. But that’s not who I am.
“Some people in my own party said I took too much of a political risk. But like my early and strong support for the Surge in Iraq, I always put the interests of my country ahead of my interests as a politician.
“Like all Americans I’m glad to see the effects of the bailout become apparent. And I trust that all Americans will see which candidate is willing to do what he believes in and not stand on the sidelines.”
I swear – his poll numbers would skyrocket.
You know what? No. They really wouldn’t.
Though I do hope that McCain really is stupid enough to take credit for the rising Dow. That way, if the Dow tanks 300 points tomorrow, he can take the blame for a failed bailout bill.
Also, the $700 billion bailout bill isn’t what’s boosting the Dow and lowering the TED spread. It’s more because some European countries have elected leaders who aren’t total imbeciles and who are enacting a smart economic rescue plan that the US is now being forced to follow.
It’s more because some European countries have elected leaders who aren’t total imbeciles
Commie.
And when the dow tanks again, as it will, K-Lo can cast her eyes towards God, fold her hands, and lisp a little prayer for rescue.
K-Lo: Human paperweight.
Damn you Paul Krugman for being right! It’s all your fault.
Gordon Brown is the Hjalmar Schacht of Liberal Fascism.
(Fun Liberal Fascism Fact: Nazi Minister of Economics Schacht’s middle names were “Horace Greeley.” Greeley was, of course, the Democratic presidential candidate in 1872!)
Hasn’t McCain said all of that gibberish from that email already and more?
Shorter K-Lo:
Something will happen. At the last minute, some miracle will save us from a shattering, demoralizing defeat that’s going to make a mockery of all the power fantasies we’ve been indulging in for years. John McCain just needs to say a few words and everything will turn around. I know it’s going to happen. It is, it is, it is.
I swear – his poll numbers would skyrocket.
Sorry, John McCain’s friend, but your candidate already had his dead cat bounce after the convention.
We’re going to have wingnut welfare as long as we have a class that knows that hiring a bunch of whores and morons to tell lies will bring in handsome returns.
In other words, Conrad Black is in prison.
That’s a start.
…dead cat bounce…
I am very curious: How does one make a dead cat bouncy? Can it be done at home?
Also, fuck you with a frozen gerbil WordPress.
McCain camp lies about crowd size … ineptly
What a clod. What a moroon.
How does one make a dead cat bouncy?
I know this; all the kids do it in elementery school. You take two paper plates, some styprofoam peanuts, and a little string. Put the dead cat between the plates, pack it in peanuts, and wrap with string.Then you climb a ladder, drop your contraption, and watch to see if it bounces.
Except they use an egg.
Even the video games are out to get the reich-tards!
~
I concur with the further observation that if McCain tried to take credit for the Dow jump, he’d be royally hammered for taking credit for our “follow the leader” mentality.
This stopgap measure was created by the Bank of England and then filtered thru Europe before Paulson was forced to swallow it this weekend,.
I salute our new European and English overlords! Gosh, maybe we will get some decent clothes and shoes again.
It always surprises when they can find that many deranged people all in one place.
The hilarious thing is that the main cause of the jump was the announcement that Paulson’s new plan includes semi-nationalizing the banks. What exactly that means is in the air, but it’s a damn sight better than cutting them a check and hanging them out to dry – as far as the market is concerned the people running the highest private finance institutions in the land are stupid or insane (massive parties during a federal goddamn bailout don’t exactly help with that) and the involvement of someone with a state mandate can only help.
The october surprise is that Bush has gone all-out National Socialist. Doesn’t seem to be helping McCain’s poll numbers any, though.
The only thing more painful that reading what K-Lo writes is reading the contents of her email inbox. Make it stop, please.
The recent Bank of Sweden award indicates pretty clearly that the last gasp of neocon supply-side dogma has come and gone. I love the wingnuts frothing about the only award they usually care about; they’re so happily married to a class of aspirant robber barons that it’s beyond them anyone could see the current financial crisis as anything but good for the Party.
Neocons are like vampires. They will never die unless a stake is plunged into their hearts. Figuratively, that is. Who’d want to get that close?
With this financial crisis, it won’t just be an Obama win.. it will be a complete landslide, with quite possibly 70% of electoral votes.
Not to mention the down ticket effect. High turnout for Obama is a good thing for all democrats in the election.
A hint for American politicians. You can copy British style socialism, because we pretend we don’t enjoy it, which makes it okay.
Go on.. Start a national health service. You may be 60 odd years too late, but better late than never! Grumbling about waiting times is much more fun than dying of preventable diseases!
I think the real issue here is that someone, somewhere is taking the time to send an e-mail to K-Lo, with campaign strategy and suggestions for hypothetical press releases from John McCain. And K-Lo thinks it’s worthy of publication. (Out of ideas, are we, dear?)
I know these people live in a nearly schizophrenic fantasy world, but seriously – get a hobby, dude!I
I think the real issue here is that someone, somewhere is taking the time to send an e-mail to K-Lo
People who can write are falling off the wagon, so what can you do?
I’m a libertarian who just discovered this blog. So, like, this is for State-f*ckers, right?
I’m a libertarian who just discovered this blog.
Good luck.
Dow collapsing now.
Commercial real estate down over 12% today.
Thanks McCain.
At least we know K-Lo didn’t write that reader email herself. Whoever did knows some punctuation – even that esoteric rule about leaving the quote open at the end of a paragraph.
The recent Bank of Sweden award indicates pretty clearly that the last gasp of neocon supply-side dogma has come and gone.
Actually, though it’s being presented as being constructed under the Swedish model, it ain’t. We, the taxpayers, are buying non-voting stock in these institutions, which basically means that we hand this massive chunk of money over and they do whatever they want with it. Also, despite Congress legislating all of this shit, Paulson has suddenly (and rather quietly) decided that the executives of these banks can have their outrageous compensation packages and golden parachutes after all. Nice to know that the law prevailed, isn’t it?
People who can write are falling off the wagon, so what can you do?
Answer: Fatwah them!!!
Perhaps NR could just post a new enemies list to help its readers keep up.
K-Lo’s reader is on to something, though — this works for Republicans, at least as far as other Republicans are concerned. If Presnit Cowboyhat “gives” a “speech” and the Dow goes up, it’s because of the market’s confidence in his wisdom, intelligence, strength, constitution, charisma or sometimes dexterity. If it goes down, it’s because of gay marriage, or sex education, or someone forgetting to say “UNDER GOD” extra-loud during the pledge, or sunspots, or the Unknowable Mysteries of the Invisible Hand, or it’s simply a delayed effect of The Clenis.
Of course, this really only works if the listener has wholly bought into that worldview to the point of making everything fit into it.
Yeah, about that stock market…
Oh yeah. I love me some government.
Oh yeah. I love me some government.
Dems are generally ok with sensible government. But the GOPers? They despise all government if the Dems hold the Executive branch but they loves them some super-oppressive, mega-gigantic totalitarian government if Republicans hold the Executive position. Two words for this: bipolar disorder.
>blockquote>I’m a libertarian who just discovered this blog. So, like, this is for State-f*ckers, right?
Actually, we’re into cryptozoology and pie. Do you like pie?
I think you misunderstand – ‘the Swedish model’ would, indeed, be to roast these fuckers like chestnuts and seize any assets people have been playing national Russian Roulette with. I don’t think the plan is even remotely responsible myself, it’s just the whiff of getting someone, anyone not paralyzed by stultifyingly monomanic greed involved that’s responsible for a rally in the markets. In the long term, we’re not going to recover the way Britain is, but the short-term effects are still the consequence of the grown-ups taking over, whether or not those grownups are actually adults.
The mention of Sweden was a contemptuous elision of what the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economics Concurrent with the Nobel Prizes likes to call itself. If you ain’t gonna call it a Nobel when it’s Friedman getting it, don’t call it a Nobel when it’s Krugman getting it. Not like they’re that different.
The Democrats want to wrap everything up in public bureaucracy. The Republicans want to wrap everything up in private bureaucracy.
The major difference is that the former makes you stand in a line for an hour to drive a car and the latter makes you stand in a line for 90 minutes and pay a thousand dollars to drive a car. You know, time is money and all.
1. The stock market tanked both before AND after the bailout bill was rejected AND approved.
2. The stock market only went up after Paulson abandoned his original TARP plan of buying up “toxic assets” and went along with what other countries are doing (recapitalizing banks).
3. The stock market is as of right now down 160 points today, and still off almost 5000 points from its high last year.
4. The stock market is down *because* there is a lot more wrong with this economy than just the lack of $700 billion and the bailout is a band-aid to provide some short term stability.
How does one make a dead cat bouncy?
My giant inflated bouncy cat is now available for children’s parties.
You can copy British style socialism, because we pretend we don’t enjoy it, which makes it okay.
I remember my friend was once ranting about taxes and government. He said its not his problem, etc. etc. and he pays all his bills to go to his IN-STATE college. He seemed pretty perplexed when I told him his state government is using state revenue to pay for 60%+ of the cost of educating him.
Americans love rich, creamy government. They do. It’s just that Republican rule has told them they (A) don’t need to pay for it, and (B) shouldn’t pay for it because all their tax money is going to young bucks and welfare queens. It doesn’t mean Americans don’t like it, though.
Four and twenty Bigfooooot, baked in a pie.
I’m a libertarian who just discovered this blog. So, like, this is for State-f*ckers, right?
Stick around for the John Stossel posts and you shall see.
What is k-lo smoking, anyway? McCain won’t even own his own campaign’s main tactics. She wants him to take credit for the economy?
Shorter wingnuttosphere: Blargh, im ded.
Only Smut Clyde would have a dead cat that bounces more than once.
Keep that campaign! It’s doing something right.
The thing that I hate most about this whole financial crisis is that Swedish model no longer refers to Elin Grindemyr.
He was hammered, and the bad Dow action of the last week or so made it look like he put his campaign on the Pass line and the dice came up snake eyes.
“Bad Dow action”?
*shudders, walks away*
The club and the bracers, sure. I wear that kind of thing to work all the time. But the shirt screams early 90s – a serious fashion error.
So, like, this is for State-f*ckers, right?
We’re open-minded here: pro same sex state-fucking as well as pro-choice if hetero state-fucking knocks you up.
someone, somewhere is taking the time to send an e-mail to K-Lo, with campaign strategy and suggestions for hypothetical press releases from John McCain.
What’s so fascinating about this wingnut meltdown is that it’s not just this guy. Hordes of would-be McCain-campaign consultants are coming out of the woodwork with their pet strategies and expounding them in all their nutty goodness to whoever will listen. Every second post on NRO is an email laying down what McCain should say next. Kathy Shaidle has even blocked out, shot by shot, an ad that she thinks will knock the socks off the undecided — some crap about Ayers, apparently.
It never seems to occur to them that if they can come up with better policy statements than their candidate — what does that say about their candidate?
Whoa. That’s quite the rabbit-hole over there, huh?
Fixed.
Yeah, noone could ever have seen this coming yesterday … although a drop of 77 looks downright bullish after the Stockogeddon we’ve seen in the last few weeks.
Given the sheer scale of the imbalance, I don’t think the Dow’s Stuka-imitation is done quite yet. It looks like all that bailout money isn’t going to be the magic bullet so many hoped it’d be – more like pissing into an ocean of piss.
I’m a libertarian who just discovered this blog. So, like, this is for State-f*ckers, right?
If you’re a libertarian, how in hell can you betray your core principles by going on the Interwebs? They only exist due to massive State intervention via Pentagon R&D, after all. You’ll never defeat Teh Evil State-Monopoly if you keep using their technology – it’ll only serve to make you ever more dependant on it until you’re just another helpless slave like the rest of us.
I also assume you refuse the use of any technology developed mainly by public funding. Tainted by association & by origin, thus to be shunned forever. That’s just GOT to suck when you get sick, want to use electricity from the municipal power-grid, or have to go somewhere not within walking-distance.
Or does libertarianism mean “not practising what we preach” now?
Which do you want to keep more – your dignity or your peace of mind? If you stick around, you’re not very likely to keep them both. Ah hell, who am I kidding? Keep coming back, & you probably won’t get to keep either one. This place is a Randroid’s worst nightmare.
Good luck, sport.
I think you misunderstand – ‘the Swedish model’ would, indeed, be to roast these fuckers like chestnuts and seize any assets people have been playing national Russian Roulette with.
No, good sir, I believe it is YOU who misunderstands (tips his top hat and walks away in a huff)!
The Swedes bought controlling shares of their banks in order to regulate and monitor them properly, rather than the Paulson bait-and-switch which has been uncovered, which gives billions to HEALTHY banks, for fuck’s sake! If Congress doesn’t step in and say, “wait just a goddamned minute!”, they ought to just pack up their things and run back home to their mommys.
Sheesh……Congress turns Paulson’s three page “give me a trillion bucks and make me emperor” proposal into 200+ pages of hard-fought legislation and Paulson turns around and says “Aw, fuck it. I’m gonna do whatever I want, these assholes can just teabag me”??
I don’t really have anything against libertarians per se, but there is a certain kind of libertarian who has to make sure that it’s the first thing you know about him or her … they tend to be easily mockable.
I feel the same way about Christians.
I think it just means that if you drop a dead cat from a sufficient but not extreme height, say, the third floor to the ninth or something, it will bounce enough so that any complete morons in the vicinity will be convinced that it’s still alive.
Of course, I’m just guessing that any release from above about the ninth floor results in a “dead cat splat” instead. Obviously, more research is needed. Who was it that had the number for ACME? Can you give them a ring for more testing equipment when you get the chance?
Or does libertarianism mean “not practising what we preach” now?
Who knows what libertarians believe? There are only two things any given libertarian will necessarily agree with: that taxes are too high, and that they’re the smartest person in the room.
SamFromUtah,
And thirdly, anyone who disagrees with or, heaven forfend, pokes fun at libertarianism simply doesn’t understand libertarianism. Like it’s some sort of mystery religion or something.
And thirdly, anyone who disagrees with or, heaven forfend, pokes fun at libertarianism simply doesn’t understand libertarianism. Like it’s some sort of mystery religion or something.
You just can’t understand them because you have too many Bulgy Tetons or Bloody Turpines or something.
Heathens all! You ignore the teachings of Salma Hayek at your own peril!
Heathens all! You ignore the teachings of Salma Hayek at your own peril!
Nah, I’m just hoping for some personal tutoring.
If I have to hear The Spouse pontificate about how “Cool Hand Luke” is a libertarian movie one more time, and then be begged to watch yet another cable screening of same, I’m going to stab him in the throat.
I totally adore Paul Newman, but my old man has now ruined CHL for me. I blame, oh, I guess Bush, cuz he’s fucked up everything else.
You have to give the libertarian dude style points, though.
Blows in here with a rude comment but puts a little asterick in ‘fuckers’ for civility.
Being up yonder in Canuckistan, I voted in our national election today – & damned if there wasn’t some guy running as a libertarian in my riding. It’s not polite to laugh like a tickled hyena while you vote, & us Canuckistanis are all about the politeness, so I choked it back & marked my “X” on the ballot – no, not for HIM, for someone else, duh.
Query: exactly what, pray tell, would this poor sod do if he WON?
The mind reels …
Dear MzNicky’s Spouse,
What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.
Libertarianism is Christianity now?
There’s exactly one good libertarian film (Escape From New York), largely because its politics are taken to a knowingly ludicrous extreme. Randian supermen are tiresome when they’re taken seriously.
I can’t think of any suitable “bouncy dead cat” graphics so I’ll link to this one instead.
Google was not my friend on this occasion.
Is he holding an enormous dildo?
Breaking CNN news (by email update, 3:22 PM 15 October 2008):
— Recession fears help send Dow down more than 700 points at close for the second time ever.
Looks like K-Lo’s emailer should have forwarded that message to the McCain campaign HQ before he sent it to the NR.
No puffy Dow credit for McCain!