Over the last seven trading sessions, the Dow has lost 271 points, or 20% of its value.

Make that 2271 points.

Better recount your dow count. down a lot more than 271 pts.

Think you missed a zero on the amount the DOW lost this week.

God is punishing the world for the sins of George Bush, Alan Greenspan and Milton Friedman.

However, we can be saved! Read on:

First, we go with the Treasury Secretary we got. Henry lead us to the promised land: The New New Deal. Dethrone Milton Friedman/Arnold Greenspan (Markets work; governments don't), install John Maynard Keynes/FDR (they helped save capitalism the last time).

Memo to Obama: Drop Robert Rubin and Larry Summers and the rest of the free market deregulators on your team.

Just like Nixon who found peace with China, Paulson can lead to us to a caring socialism/capitalism. It's possible: we could become a loving Scandinavian country.
Dr Wu, the last of the big-time thinkers

You expect Rockefeller to actually do anything?

McCain actually told a Minnesota crowd to be respectful to Obama. Poll numbers? or just more erratic behavior?

Good on Max Blumenthal and David Neiwert. Another good insight to Palin's violent, extreme right Christofascist background can be found at Talk 2 Action. Video by Bruce Wilson shows us some scary things. These people want nothing less than to overthrow the U.S. democratically-elected representative government, and replace it with their brand of biblical fascism.

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/5/0244/84583/

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/5/03830/11602/

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2008/9/8/114332/7479/

Uhh, Dr. Wu? Either retaining Paulson, or tapping NY Fed Chairman Tim Geithner, a Robert Rubin protege, are reportedly Obama’s top Treasury options. Summers is also rumored on the short list.

You go with the candidate whose Kool-Aid you drank.

Danp wrote: "McCain actually told a Minnesota crowd to be respectful to Obama."

Yeah, right. Meanwhile Rick Davis is spouting off that any criticism of Palin's followers screaming out murderous threats at her rallies is "an attack on regular Americans", and the McCain campaign is releasing attack ads that suggest Michelle Obama is a terrorist because she worked at the same 500-attorney law firm where Bill Ayers' wife worked, twenty-some years ago.

Danp wrote: "Poll numbers? or just more erratic behavior?"

Or perhaps his campaign has been getting calls from the Secret Service about McCain supporters' death threats against Obama.

While the world withered, Wachovia's bailout winners continue to partying on down in the Greek Isles, and AIG's top performers get in some *Ritzy* golfing this weekend on the lovely Half-Moon Bay.

I'd love to get the guest list for this soiree'. Certainly we could bribe a few Ritz-Carlton surfer/valet boys for a few choice pics, don't you think??

Hope everyone takes good care of themselves during this trying time.

Shout out to Steve and Hilzoy for their insightful and cogent analysis of the roller coaster ride that won't stop--you two sure help to keep me grounded.

"* A county in upstate New York printed absentee ballots with the name "Barack Osama" on them. I assume someone will be fired for this shortly."

NOT TO FEAR, good citizen. Republican Commissioner Larry Bugbee has already investigated and found Republicans entirely faultless.

One Sand Lake resident who caught the misspelling, and who asked to remain anonymous, was skeptical.

"It's a little suspicious and at least grossly incompetent,'' the voter said. "If I crossed out the name and wrote in the right spelling my ballot would be invalid."

my prediction:

The attacks will grow more savage untill a week before the election. October Surprise. Sarah Palin's son will go "missing" in Iraq. Of course he'll be found safe and sound after the election. That's my guess for the October surprise.

"... be prepared for a whole lot of ugly from a never-ending parade of stupid." - Motormouth Maybelle's advice

First, we go with the Treasury Secretary we got. Henry lead us to the promised land: Posted by: Dr Wu, I'm just an ordinary guy

You're joking, right? Paulson is the insider's insider. He personally made sure that AIG got fucked over vis-a-vis it's entanglements with Goldman Sachs, Paulson's old company.

Putting Paulson in charge of the bail out plan was not much different than letting Cheney head up the energy policy team.

If the president would shut up long enough for us to pretend he wasn't around any more, maybe the market could gain the confidence to level out?

A rally is a lot to ask for with McSame still potentially winning in November, assuming Premiere/Diebold fixed the glitches "just right".

(Vote absentee if you can, people. We need it as the only check.)

UPDATE: AIG cancels planned events amid rebukes for hosting $440,000 function

"Earlier today, I ordered the immediate cancellation of all outside meetings, conferences and recognition events across AIG, except those that are required by law or that are deemed absolutely critical to sustain our ongoing business needs," AIG Chief Executive Edward Liddy said in a statement. "We recognize the need to be sensitive about all company expenditures."

Whats up with the NRA advertisement on the page?? icky.

McCain actually told a Minnesota crowd to be respectful to Obama. Poll numbers? or just more erratic behavior? Posted by: Danp

Pointless in Minnesota. He never really had a chance there. In fact, it Norm "Free stuff" Coleman's looking weak now.

Per debate moderation quality, at least, last night’s Texas Senate debate kicked butt on any Prez or Veep debates so far.

When have you heard of a debate getting done on time before? And of the moderator actually cutting off candidates who spoke over time? Or, even, actually inviting a third-party candidate?

Oh, and with a panel of journalists asking questions, we actually got better questions here too.

A county in upstate New York printed absentee ballots with the name "Barack Osama" on them.

That's cool.
As long as it's listed right below "John Hitler", the Republican candidate.

Oh wait... From what we've seen at McCain rallies lately, that won't help much.

* Shark Jesus. -- Steve Benen

I don't think you can get a male as a result of parthenogenesis (reason why I've always been dubious about Mary's innocence), so a Jesus would have been unlikely. A Scarah Barracuda, maybe.

From TPM

Late Update: Ana Marie Cox is on the ground at the rally and reports:

Indeed, [McCain] just snatched the microphone out the hands of a woman who began her question with, "I'm scared of Barack Obama... he's an Arab terrorist..."

"No, no ma'am," he interrupted. "He's a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements." --David Kurtz

Too little too late?

A Sarah Palin rally in Richmond is being moved to a larger facility, ostensibly to handle a larger crowd. I wonder if it's because the old site was the Arthur Ashe Center, and the new site is the Richmond International Speedway.

A Sarah Palin rally in Richmond is being moved to a larger facility, ostensibly to handle a larger crowd. I wonder if it's because the old site was the Arthur Ashe Center, and the new site is the Richmond International Speedway. Posted by: Vincent

Ooooo! That would be a two-fer redneck no-no - a building dedicated to the memory of a negro who died of that gay disease. Can't have that.

I saw that Paulson put some 35 year old in charge of the bailout. Is Paulson so busy that he can't handle this himself. Does he have something more urgent on his plate?

That's Just What I Said

The WONDERS of modern video, of YouTube, of cable T.V. and blogs like this--they are working to Obama's advantage, to the advantage of voters who need perspective and are otherwise too harried and too worried about putting bread on the table to sort which end is up.

The footage of the insanely angry man at McCain's rally who ranted about 'The Socialists running the country --and 'Obama and Pelosi and the rest of those hooligans...'

And then McCain's condoning response...

And then we see the officer using the middle name..

And then we hear Pat Buchanan continue so cavalierly concede that the intention is to peg Obama as "NOT ONE OF US"...(yeah, so what's the problem with that?).

We see it all, and we see it all a whole lot sooner--maybe in time to save ourselves from having history repeat itself (it doesn't have to if we don't let it.

This is what is called a “World Class� rip off. G7 is nothing more than seven large economies, the seven leading industrial countries, being US , Germany, Japan, France, UK, Canada, and Italy. Here, now tied to America’s Jekyll Island accounting system, America’s century long Federal Reserve that obviously should be abolished.

Heck, if America really took a hard look at this century long rip off retroactively every American, at age 55 would be able to retire way above poverty. Black’s wouldn’t have to think about reparations, and most everyone else would be living comfortably. Moreover America would be blessed with the greatest consumer society ever recorded in civilized history. Now that’s a pretty tough act to follow for the Wahabbi Arabs.

What’s happening here is the Treasury department, instantaneously over rules the Congress, the Commerce Department, the Finance Committee of the Senate and totally ignores the whole Security and Exchange Commission and who knows what else. Blowing right by the electorate with innuendos that John Doe electorate might even make some money out this. If Paulson is buying stocks in some bank than we know some fat cat is selling out. Will we find out who, and why? Think not.

Here is something to consider maybe, just maybe this market gyration is actually normal for a free market. Heck folks maybe just maybe the stock market is supposed to move in thousand point swings.

Maybe just maybe the stock market is where it should be, out of their control. We are just not used to this. Of course, then everyone needs to rethink the way they invest. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if one could buy stocks as easy as you buy a lottery ticket? You know Wall Street fat cats would not like that…Perhaps thats what is really moving the market, it is slowly ratcheting to become a free market but Bush and Company will stop it every way they can.

SocraticGadfly @ 7:04,
Sounds great. How about putting Texans in charge of the Federal government? Oh. No. Wait.

It's Friday.
It has been a raucous week.
And yes, I've had a few malts...

Time for some frivolity.
First 2-points to MissMudd @ 6:21 for using the word soiree.
That's one of my faves. Especially on a Friday.

Lastly, new smooth word of the week: Truther.
How cool is that?

"McCain actually told a Minnesota crowd to be respectful to Obama. Poll numbers? or just more erratic behavior?"

I wonder if its bacause Secret Service has been sniffing around? Apparently Palin was toned down as well. Maybe they were warned.

Look at the conditions of the election all caused by McCain/Palin. Observe the fear mongering and the vileness...the divisiveness driven home by the McCain campaign at a time when the country needs to work together to deal with our economy, energy and environmental collapse.

McCain would rather divide the nation and turn citizen against citizen with violence and hatred than lose an election. He decided through his negative campaigning that the issues and country first were just less important than winning. He proved that he would say and do anything regardless of the harm it caused in order to win the election. Half the country hates Palin...for any number of justifiable reasons and a majority of the voters feel McCain has demonstrated that he is unfit to be president. Anyone with integrity who actually cared more for his country than his own ambition would see the big picture and make the attempt to begin healing this nation...not try to take as many people with him over the cliff as he can. Lies, smears, fears, divisiveness, hostility, anger and hatred...that is the McCain campaign...there is no honor or respect at all. He's done.

I have no idea why you refer to the Brooks article. If you read it you will see his premise, the GOP taking an anti-intellectual path, has been previously hashed for quite some time. The notion is not original. His angle is. He thinks this is bad for the GOP while virtually every other person commenting on it thought it bad for the USA.

Palin: abuser of power.

It's now official...

koreyel

What do call it when two truthers get together? Twofer truthers! (say three times fast)

Shine on, you crazy diamond :)

Steve, I hope you'll blog about the whole hysterical thing that is happening now--McCain is actually now trying to backtrack and pull in the hostile/bigoted crowds by conceding that Obama is indeed decent and not to be feared--after several months marked by trying to peg the polar opposite.

His own crowds are booing him!

I have to admit that I am as equally fascinated by this charade as I am repulsed.

I just can't believe what I'm seeing!

His wife just said Obama sends a cold chill down her spine and Palin continues with her antics..

yet now he is suddenly telling everyone Obama is a decent guy...

Note too: he didn't say being an 'Arab' (to that whacky fan) is not inherently a bad thing--that Arab or not, we do not judge people by their cultural or religious affiliation as.

Best he could do was simply verify Obama is not an Arab, and he rather painfully said Obama is decent.

Unbelievable.

Palin has now been found to abuse her power as Governor/ violated the public trust with re: to Troopergate scandal.

Here's one for those who'd like a link to the Palin story

(piling on here) The legislative panel in Alasaka finally gets around to restating what was obvious from Palin's first interviews about Wooten.

Small towns. Gotta love 'em.

that mccain campaign is moving at the speed of light.

the previous post was "mccain camp defends enraged supporters."

apparently today he started to have a little chat with his "enraged supporters."

i'm going to skip fishing up a link because by the time i hit "post" everyone will probably have seen it somewhere.

mccain is sounding older and more tired by the day.

Talk about putting the 'E' back in Erratic...

It's so clear McCain did a pull-back because:

A. The polls were showing the negative attacks were not working during a time of such dire economic crisis.
Or
B. He was advised that if violence ensues, he will be the first to blame.
Or
C. Both A & C

But in any case, regardless of reason, it reveals a candidate for President who is easily tossed around, not unlike a twig in a strong wind that keeps changing direction.

er--that's supposed to read "both A and B".

Shark Jesus.

This is where land sharks come from. Beware of Candygram deliveries.

I posted this over at Anonymos Liberal and thought you should see it too:

"Now I'm just waiting for a modern, Fox News, McCain-Palin inspired Kristallnacht."

I hope not. I think campaign staff all over the country should have a hieghtened state of awareness about the security of thier campaign sites.

When I saw the video of McCain being booed by his supporters for defending Obama as a decent person who need not be feared aa a possible president, I was dumbstruck.
I'm a proud liberal and an Obama supporter. I have nothing good to say about McCain.
However, when I looked at the video of this rally closely, it seemed to me that some of this booing was not strictly against Obama, but against the implication that McCain was throwing in the towel. At any rate it is very good news.
One compound word: landslide.