The Weekly Rewind

Election Day is nigh! Election Day is nigh!

Applaud: to political infighting within the McCain campaign. Not only has the arguing becoming increasingly public, but it’s getting juicier. Days after one McCain source called Palin “a diva” who “takes no advice from anyone”, another McCain adviser criticized Palin in a conversation of The Politico’s ‘Playbook’, calling Palin a “whack job.” (the more they snipe at each other, the more chance there is it blows up in their face before next Tuesday… let’s hope)

Heckle: to inane bloviating. Earlier this week McCain called Joe the Plumber an “American hero” and his “role model.” (Excuse me??? What the hell has Joe the Plumber done to qualify himself as a hero OR a role model? Calling him that is ridiculous and, quite frankly, a tad insulting. He’s a political prop right now… being used by the campaign to make a point about the economy, and as such he’ll be tossed aside by the McCain campaign after the election, regardless of the outcome. Calling him a hero because it suits his campaign is offensive, and we should remember that when we head into the polling booth next Tuesday)

Applaud: to the results of a new independent study by the Tax Policy Center that found those who make less than $250,000 a year would “not see their taxes raised under Senator Barack Obama’s plans.” The report went on to say that Obama would generally cut taxes MORE than Sen. McCain would for households with incomes less than $100,000 a year… (I don’t like to gloat and tell you I told you so but… actually I do. Told ya so…

Heckle: to talking out of one’s ass. During an interview with conservative radio host Chris Plante this past week, Gov. Palin said that because the media have described her criticism of Sen. Obama’s associations with Bill Ayers and Rev. Jeremiah Right as negative campaigning, that “may constitute an attack that threatens a candidate’s free speech rights under the Constitution.” (Um… no. You’re free to say what you want Ms. Palin, the media’s criticism is just that; criticism… not a violation of your First Amendment rights, and labeling it as such is not only idiotic, but shows why you have absolutely no business being on a presidential ticket…)

Applaud: to former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger for saying what Liberals have been saying for weeks, she’s not ready to lead. When asked whether Palin is ready to take over in a crisis, Eagleburger chuckled and said “[O]f course not.” (There ya go. Someone who’s endorsement McCain cherished – mentioning it a few times while touring last Sunday’s political shows – doesn’t think Palin is ready to lead… and yet, here she is, possibly one heartbeat away from doing jus that. If that idea doesn’t wake you up in the middle of the night with cold sweats, then I don’t know what would…)

Heckle: to the Bush(whacked) Administration for weakening government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment by looking to enact federal regulations that would ease controls on emissions of pollutants, relax drinking-water standards and lift restrictions on mountaintop coal mining… (More examples why this country will still be Bushwhacked for years after he leaves office…)

Applaud: to the news that another ethics complaint has been filed against Gov. Palin. This one accuses her of “abusing her power by charging the state when her children traveled with her.” (If this keeps up, she won’t be eligible to run for president in 2012…)

Heckle: to more McCain ass-talking. Earlier this week ExxonMobil shattered records by reporting a $14.83 billion profit in the third quarter alone. McCain, naturally, decided to seize on this and spewed that when he’s President, “we’re not gonna let that happen.” Apparently McCain has forgotten – he is REALLY old – about his multi-billion-dollar corporate tax cuts he plans that would give $4 billion in tax breaks to the five biggest oil companies, giving ExxonMobile alone more than $1.2 billion…

Applaud: to republican Sen. Chuck Hagel for not only having the balls to criticize McCain’s choice of as his running mate, but for laying it ALL out and saying Palin isn’t “qualified to be President of the United States.” (Nicely said Mr. Hagel, keep it up)

Heckle: to news that worries the shit out of me. IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei said earlier this week that the “number of reports of nuclear or radioactive material stolen around the world last year was ‘disturbingly high.’” He then countered those fears by adding that “[i]f all the stolen material were lumped together, it would not be enough to build even one nuclear device.” (Well…okay…)

Applaud: to the news that the Bush(whacked) Administration is talking about a plan that would help millions of homeowners that are struggling to pay their mortgages stay in their homes… I’ll wait a moment so you can pick yourself up off the floor. According to the NY Times, under the plan the government would agree to “shoulder half of the losses on home loans if mortgage companies agreed to lower borrowers’ monthly payments for at least five years.” (Actual attempt to better life for some or desperate ploy to help McCain? Stay tuned…)

Heckle: to things that should make one’s spine shiver. In his 8 years in office, “President” Bush has transformed America’s federal appeals courts by advancing a conservative legal revolution that had its start under President Reagan years ago. To the point that, by Inauguration day, republican-appointed judges, almost all of which are conservatives, are projected to make up about 62% of the bench while controlling 10 of the 13 circuit courts… (AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!)

Applaud: to republican Rep. Chris Shays (CT) who said in an interview with the Yale Daily News that McCain has “lost his brand as a maverick” and “did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign.” (Dead. On.)

Heckle: to Arizona republican Sen. Jon Kyl for claiming that “President” Bush’s economic agenda had nothing to do with the current financial crisis because Bush “doesn’t run the economy.”

Applaud: to Fox “News” Business host Neil Cavuto for laying the smackdown on McCain this past week for his ever-changing (read: flip-flopping) economic policy proposals. Said Cavuto; “What’s the deal with the Straight Talk Express?” […] You rail against big government, yet continue to push cockamamie spending plans that make a mockery of it. That’s why you’re losing right now, Senator McCain. Not because you don’t have the courage of your convictions. But because on economic matters, you have no convictions.” (PWNED! Nicely done Mr. Cavuto, thanks... I only wish more of your ilk would speak their minds)

Heckle: to conservative talk show host Bill Cunningham for saying something incredibly insulting and STUPID. During the show he claimed that people who are poor in America are not poor “because they lack money” but are poor because they “lack values, morals, and ethics.” No, no no Mr. Cunningham, that’s how you describe conservative radio hosts…

Applaud: to Sen. Ted Kennedy. After spending the last six months at his Cape Cod home battling brain cancer, the Senator returned to his DC residence this past month. While his office is declining to speculate as to when he might be able to return full-time to his senate duties, his return to DC is definitely a sign that his treatments is progressing well… (we at TBWA continue to have him in our thoughts and prayers while wishing for a speedy recovery)

Heckle: to the 1 in 7 voters out there who haven’t made up their mind yet as to whom they’re going to vote for. 4 days to go and you still don’t know who you’re going to vote for? Really? Allow me to help. VOTE OBAMA!

Applaud: to the news that “President” Bush has remained almost invisible this campaign cycle and is DEFINITELY not acting like the republican figurehead should, raising 35% less than he raised in 2006… (Damaged goods… no one wants to be seen with him and run the other way when they see him coming…)

As it’s become the norm, choosing this week’s conservative Tool of the Week was hard (Barbara West, Ted Stevens, Jon Kyl, Michelle Bachmann, etc)… but after scouring dozens and dozens of stupidity, we decided on conservative radio schmuck Dennis Prager. Speaking at Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall this past week he said that he said; “Equality, which is the primary value of the left, is a European value, not an American value.”

Hmmmm… apparently Prager forgot the words of the Declaration of Independence that reads; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”

Or the words of the Constitution that reads; “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

For missing the tenets that this country were founded upon, Mr. Prager is our conservative Prick Tool… of the week.