MaxRoth's Blog

I'm so sick of all the mud!  Especially because I think we are looking at a race between two men worthy of admiration. 

McCain took a turn away from his campaign's negative direction today, showing his true metal:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1008/14479.htm
l

It's worth reading.  Our country is in too much trouble right now to see anything but the best from our leaders.  McCain's best is pretty darn good!

Ok, which campaign is getting it's hands dirtier?

Cindy McCain said yesterday she thinks Barack Obama's campaign is the dirtiest in American history.

The NY Times doesn't make as sweeping a statement (honestly, they were NASTY in the 19th century,) but the Times says McCain has sunk lower than any campaign in recent memory.

So, who's right?

Many people are suggesting that Sarah Palin made a gaffe by getting the wrong name for the commanding General in Afghanistan...General David Mckiernan.  She said "General McClellan" was supportive of the idea of a surge in Afghanistan.

What those people don't realize is that this was a sly shout out to American History buffs.  Sarah Palin must have been referring to George McClellan, commander of the Army of the Potomac at the outset of the Civil War.  McClellan famously complained he never had enough troops to actually engage with the much smaller confederate army.  In other words...he was always looking to surge.

McClellan was Lincoln's Democratic opponent in 1864, suggesting bi-partisanship in Palin's historical references.

McClellan would definitely have fit the Powell doctrine of overwhelming force shared by McCain, as opposed to Ulysses S. Grant who charged in with Rumsfeldian verve.

Very subtle, governor...very subtle!

 

Senator Orrin Hatch was a guest on Wednesday's edition of "Hardball" on MSNBC alongside Jack Reid of Rhode Island.  The subject, of course, was the financial "rescue" or "bailout" depending on your viewpoint.

As usual, he spoke very well for himself in support of the bailout, and argued that it needed to be passed to help "Joe Sixpack." 

What kind of six pack do you suppose Senator Hatch was talking about? 

I watched the report of my great weekend co-anchor Andrea Fujii and realized she managed to get that rare interview that reveals something about our community we didn't know before.
A 1400 percent increase in business at a Title Loan business.  The number is staggering.  And that was just the beginning.  The owner said something like 60 percent of borrowers default and have to pay much higher secondary rates...higher than the original 120 percent interest!
The business patterns at a title loan or payday lender are the best indicators of troubled times  I can imagine.  They are lenders of last resort, when someone really needs money and can't get it from a bank.
Andrea's interview with the Howard Headlee of the Bankers Association also helped point out where Utah is currently feeling the pain...at the bottom of the financial ladder.  Headlee said Utah banks are flush with cash and can lend...under the same policies they've always had.  
Put these two pieces of evidence together and we see an indication that Utah is seeing a crisis among people with few resources and bad credit.  
It's not a surprise that the crisis starts there...but will it end there?  And what do we do to help people suffering?

Utah's House members voted 2-1 against the bailout...though opposition was bi-partisan.

Jim Matheson and Rob Bishop both voted against the bailout.

Chris Cannon voted for it.

Interesting that the man not up for election in November is the one supporting it. 

What do you think?

First the big picture: this debate was reassuring.  These are two serious men fluent in the policies discussed.  They have substantive differences, and may not even like each other, but the debate respected the American people with no silly "lipstick" moments.

That being said: neither was willing to take a stand about the bailout proposals.  It's understandable, if dissapointing.  The whole reason a bailout isn't done is because the no one but the president will put their name on the dotted line without political cover from the other party.  That's why the house republicans have managed to stymie the whole process.  The democrats could pass a proposal without them, but a bailout, however necessary, will be an easy issue to campaign against.  No matter how many caveats you throw in, the bottom line is we all have to pay for the irresponsibility of a few.

On substance: McCain demonstrated experience and drew on personal relationships that Obama can't match.  Obama's responses were more logically organized and better stated.  On a written transcript, I think it would be pretty even.

On style: McCain was clearly uncomfortable with the suggestion that he address Obama.  In my recollection, I'm not sure he ever looked at Obama.  This might raise red flags for people concerned about his temperment.  Obama may have been overly cool.  It's a regular debate failing on his part: the inability to engage on a feeling rather than thinking level.  Still, he was more forceful and engaging and did speak directly to McCain.  I give Obama the edge.

The conventional wisdom is that undecideds are familiar with McCain, but want to evaluate Obama as a potential commander-in-chief.  My guess is Obama met that threshhold. 

But the next presidential debate will be held town hall style, with audience members asking questions.  If foreign policy is McCain's issue strength, the town hall is his stylistic strength.

This thing isn't over yet...but McCain now faces the bigger challenge!

I still think we are witnessing an election where Republicans and Democrats chose decent men worthy of our admiration...but I wonder if John McCain is getting good information from his camp. 

In a recent ad, he says Obama supported legislation to teach "comprehensive sex education" to Kindergartners.  The narrator then says something like, "sex before reading?  Barack O'bama, Wrong on Education, Wrong for your family."

The bill allowed schools to teach kids about good and bad touching to protect them from pedophiles! 

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/staff/margaret_talev/sto
ry/52169.html

It's painful to watch something like that punctuated by the, "I'm John McCain, and I approve this message." 

The ad was thrown together in half a day to respond to an Obama education ad.  My guess is McCain never saw it before it aired.

C'mon, guys. 

America's investing it's hope in you.

Be tough, but not dirty.

It's been bugging me...who Sarah Palin sounds like:  Roseanne Barr!

Governor Sarah Palin proved that she is a gifted political performer ready to take it to her opponents.  Now we see where things go from here.  The campaign has two choices, and the choice they make will say a lot about their estimation of their own candidate.  If they believe Sarah Palin has the savvy to play a major role not just in the campaign, but also in running the country, we will see her in various venues: 60 minutes, Sunday morning talk shows, even Jay and Dave.  These are the kinds of venues where John McCain himself has been a fixture for years.   If they are nervous about her, we will only see clips of speeches and puff pieces in People magazine.  The only time she really has to exit a comfort zone is the upcoming vice presidential debate.  I can't wait!
One dissapointing thing from the convention (though not from Palin herself), is the harping on the idea of sexism.  Aside from salacious blog rumors, I'm not aware of any major news organization questioning the appropriateness of Palin working while having five children.  Rudy Giuliani just went off on the idea of a press double standard.  As a reporter, my hackles went up, because any brand new national political player has to be the subject of tough questions.  Even with the revelation of her daughter's pregnancy, the major media isn't spending time judging the family.  Almost all the questions I've heard have been about the way John McCain handled the pick.  If he knew about the pregnancy, his campaign sure didn't help her reveal it in an easier and gentler way.
Anyway, I think the campaign is creating an enemy where one doesn't exist.  If you feel like Palin is being treated unfairly by the main stream media, I'd like to know specific examples of where the poor treatment is happening.

It's just before 3pm.  And word is we'll find out McCain's VP choice in the next couple of hours.

My opinion on this has changed entirely over the past couple of weeks.  Early on, I thought McCain needed a conservative stalwart Southerner.  That's the conventional wisdom.  But the more I look at the maps, the more I see the political center moving west.  I think McCain will own the deep south regardless, and if he starts losing states like North Carolina and Georgia, he'll lose by such a wide margin it won't really matter.

McCain needs to accomplish two things with his VP choice.  He needs strength in the real swing states, which means the west in this cycle: Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, and Montana (he already owns Arizona which would otherwise be a possible swing as well.)  Secondly, he needs someone who can go toe to toe with Joe Biden in a debate.

That gives him one obvious choice: Mitt Romney.

Romney is a strong debater who can stand up to Biden where a more untested governor like Pawlenty might have trouble.  Along with his presidential campaign, he's fought Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts.

Commentators talk about Romney possibly moving Michigan.  I think they're missing the real story.  Far more importantly, if Romney's in, Colorado and Nevada become extremely tough for Obama to pick off.  The reason?  Mormons.  The excitement we saw in Utah's primary was extraordinary.  Even though the electorate in Nevada and Colorado is under 10 percent Mormon...if that small block shows up in Utah-like numbers...it sways the state.  The election will come down to a two or three percentage point margin in each contested state.

Hillary Clinton's job is a strange one: to creating Obama voters who are not enamored with Obama. 
In most recent elections, since Ronald Reagan, American polarized politics has really been about voters pulling the lever (does anyone pull a lever any more?) for the person who most closely elects their position even though they are largely disenchanted with the politicians themselves.
Barack Obama's insurgent campaign has created a different dynamic.  He really is the first unlikely candidate to come along since Ronald Reagan.  So Obama voters tend to love Obama. 
But Obama lovers aren't plentiful enough to win a majority vote.  
So Hillary's job is to create the skeptical Obamanite. 
About 30 percent of her supporters have said they are not with him, which is logically inconsistent.  The two candidates were as closely aligned on the issues as two inter-party opponents in recent memory.
So Hillary Clinton said tonight "you didn't get into this because of me, but because of..." and listed the issues she campaigned on.  That's exactly what Obama needed her to say.
Oh, sincerity was a plus.  She didn't look or sound bitter at all.  She looked happy to be doing her job up there.  That will serve her well making her a stronger leader in the Senate, and it might make her friends for a future presidential run.  

Ok, How can you not be impressed by Michelle Obama?
Poor Chicago South Side girl who works hard in school and makes her way through an Ivy League education only to return home to the South Side.  She doesn't just return home, but she dedicates herself to making it better: setting up a community service center at a local university.
She is an impressive woman.  In my view one of the best measures of a strong man is the strength to work with a strong partner.  
As to the speech...it was just what she needed.  She made a big gaffe back in the spring: saying that this was the first time in her adult life that she was proud of her country.  A sympathetic reading of that statement is pretty easy...she's talking as a person who's entire political memory is watergate and later...not a pretty time for American politics.  Many people are proud of their country but disillusioned with it's politics.  
Enough of the tangent...Michelle Obama showed herself as nothing if not the embodiment of the American dream.  I was nearly teary listening to her talk about her father, as his MS caused his abilities to deteriorate, waking up an hour early just to put on his clothes and get to work.
Oh, yeah, and then those two girls.  Ten year old Malia(sp?) as beautiful and poised as a young girl could be, and little Sasha, the spitting image of her grandma in the audience, stealing the whole show by taking the microphone and talking to her dad.
Looks like Obama's a lucky guy whether he wins or not! 

The LDS Church says pro-polygamy groups should not be called "fundamentalist Mormons," because it creates confusion among those who don't have a clear understanding of the LDS church.

But the groups call themselves "Fundamentalist Mormons."

So what should it be?  Is a Mormon someone who looks historically to Joseph Smith as a prophet and believes in the Book of Mormon, or is a Mormon someone who follows the man considered Prophet by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?

The story does two things: it breaks your heart and it makes you angry.

Daniel Hadley should be alive today, getting closer to his six-month birthday.  Instead, he is dead.  Police say he spent two hours in a car that reache over 120 degrees.  His mom was allegedly inside a friends house at the time.

Now she faces a misdemeanor charge: negligent homicide.

What do you think.  Did county attorney Troy Rawlings do the right thing?  Go too far?  Not far enough?