2008 Presidential Election

[JRScott]

ACORN has also been at the forefront of several voter fraud cases in the past decade....

[WhatMoney]

banca rotta, Thanks for the pointer to that Mona Charen ACORN article in RCP. But I found the replies to this right wing hack job a bit more interesting.

For example:

"Wow this author is so wrong on Acorn with regard to mortgages for "so called" non credit worthy borrowers. What is her disdain for lower income wage earners trying to take part in the American dream of home ownership? I'm from one of Boston's inner city African American communities. And yes I know ACORN well. I worked for a large organization that ACORN was always trying to unionize our employees. To ensure we stayed free from labor organization we provided excellent wages, great healthcare, and provided a match of 9% if an employee invested 5% in our retirement program. ACORN being a nuisance ensured we as management stayed on the cutting edge of worker compensation. They were a good pain in the butt!

Regarding mortgages you've got it backwards, ACORN stressed that banks provide workers from low income neighborhoods an opportunity for an affordable mortgage at low rates like 7% in 1996. People had to attend courses, site with financial counselors, save a down payment, and have at least a minimum of one year where they had no late payments on their credit reports. When home prices skyrocketed, these poor people now saw their home values double. A home purchased for $80,000 now appraised for $150,000 by 1999. Neighborhood development boomed and slums burned out from the riots of the 1960's were finally developed and turned into beautiful new communities. At this point with escalating appraisals predatory lenders such as Citifinancial, Beneficial, and Household Finance would send checks to your home of $2500 to $5000. All you had to do was put then in the bank! Then they'd give loans at 125% of value at 11-13% interest. People refinanced out of their secure loans that ACORN advocated for them in order to fix porches, roofs and remodel outdated kitchens, into predatory mortgages. ACORN actually advised people not to take these mortgages and beat the heck out of predatory lenders.

By 2001 homes in the inner city then went from $155,000 to $300,000. Extremely poor people were now sitting on serious equity! They sold their homes and started to move down south for better value, warmer climate and bigger homes in safer communities. The South boomed with developers! These people who stayed told ACORN to kiss their butts and refinanced their homes taking money for private school, new cars, and other things. You could not find a foreclosure in the poor black communities even if you looked with a fine tooth comb! But then war came! Energy costs skyrocketed! Winter monthly heating bills went from $150 to $500 over a 3 year period. Wages flat-lined and costs continued to grow as gas prices went from 99 cents to $3.00 over this same period! The war and energy costs killed folk’s ability to keep up with their new higher financed mortgages that they could once "EASILY" afford!

ACORN was kicked to the curb in the community but they tried to warn residents what could happen. AND IT did happen! Don’t blame the CRA or ACORN; blame the predatory lenders who prayed on homeowner who could not turn down a check for $25,000 to $50,000. That’s a lot of money to ignore and everyone was involved! But until the war people could afford these mortgages and foreclosures were almost nonexistent in poor neighborhoods! Bush/Chaney and corporate greed and relentless mortgage marketing killed the economy. On November 4th Bush and the repugs need to go! In the meantime, all you liers be damned if you try to scapegoat the poor and minority communities!"

And another reply:

"Mona Charen's line of argument follows that of other conservative commentators who have recently tried to blame the housing crisis on Obama, liberal activist groups and minority borrowers. Somewhere, Republican partisans cooked up the theory that the Community Reinvestment Act and "affirmative action" lending forced banks to make the bad loans that now have us teetering on the brink.

The problem is that there's not a lick of truth to it. There is not now and never has been any affirmative action lending program. Not ever. And Mona Charen knows it.

The Community Reinvestment Act prohibits the practice of redlining. Banks may not draw a red line on a map and refuse to consider applications from anyone within that zone, which had been a common practice. There has never been any requirement for banks to lend to unqualified borrowers based on race.

The fact is that more than 75% of the bad loans to unqualified borrowers came from independent mortgage brokers or affiliates that are NOT subject to the Community Reinvestment Act. These brokers are barely regulated at all, and there failures have nothing to do with the CRA.

This was not merely an honest error on Ms. Charen's part. It is a bald-faced lie, and Ms. Charen and the editors of National Review should be ashamed to repeat it."

And another...

"This is so rich. Let me get this straight: Community Organizers caused the financial crisis? I see. So, they forced all these banks to write terrible loans...the big bad community organizers, huh? All the twenty-somethings making eleven bucks an hour. I never realized they were so powerful.

You can't have it both ways. Three weeks ago, the RNC railed on community organizing like it was the lamest and most naive job possible. They laughed openly when mentioning it. Conservative pundits have loved using the term when trying to de-legitimize Obama's candidacy. Now, community organizers are maniacal masterminds, and ACORN is the real culprit behind this financial madness. Oh, and Obama, too.

So, which is it? Y'know, as time drags on, the arguments are getting a lot thinner. And the more stupid they get, the more transparent it becomes that none of you actually believe what you're saying."

[andante]

yawn* im not that old so i dont understand all of this. any1 wanna fill em in on how our government is going to handle the depression? and what about those RFID chips?

[JRScott]

andante simply put the government is the primary reason for this recession/depression.

For years both the R and D have turned a blind eye to their buddies in the financial and mortgage areas. They have both encouraged risky loans to people who could not pay them. They themselves have lied to the American people, they have spent more than they've took in for decades. They have deferred payments on future entitlements to the point that even if they started saving back for them now they can never make the payments past around the mid 2020s. They have taught the American people to be fiscally irresponsible. As the Shepherd goes so to do the Sheep.

[banca rotta]

andante simply put the government is the primary reason for this recession/depression.

For years both the R and D have turned a blind eye to their buddies in the financial and mortgage areas. They have both encouraged risky loans to people who could not pay them. They themselves have lied to the American people, they have spent more than they've took in for decades. They have deferred payments on future entitlements to the point that even if they started saving back for them now they can never make the payments past around the mid 2020s. They have taught the American people to be fiscally irresponsible. As the Shepherd goes so to do the Sheep.

Very true.

[JRScott]

The Town Hall debate, is anyone else thinking it was staged? I mean the questions were not far reaching, we learned nothing really new about these 2 people. It seemed that the questions were lackluster, almost as if they were planted.

[PoorGrammyinBK7]

Millions of questions were sent in by email I heard. Tom Brokaw, I believe was the one who picked the questions (at least from the 80 "undecided" voters present who also submitted questions). I wish he would have picked more questions that had not already been asked. We had already heard most of the stuff they said.

[momof5]

The Town Hall debate, is anyone else thinking it was staged? I mean the questions were not far reaching, we learned nothing really new about these 2 people. It seemed that the questions were lackluster, almost as if they were planted.

I also thought the questions were exactly as we have heard many many many times before .

I have another thread going about the word 'Fundamental' and it being used so many times. How sad that I found nothing about the debate last night to sway me to make my decision on who to vote for. Instead I am disecting their demeanors and even noticed the color of their ties!!!!

McCain wore red. Obama had on a dark blue or grayish color that blended in with his suit. Now I can take those 2 ties and read into them. I could make up a 100 different scenerios as to why one wore a loud color and one did not. Sounds goofy I know but thats about all I got out of last night.

[PoorGrammyinBK7]

LOL, speaking of colors, it was ironic that Michelle Obama had on a red dress (usually associated with Reps) and Cindy McCain was wearing a royal blue dress (usually the Dem color). Kinda funny.

[magnix]

Well the "debate" is just for making their position clear on various issues and trying to consolidate their traditional bases .

[Bandit]

I told my ex- mother in law today, to stick J. Mccrap up her a*s and that I did not want to hear another word about how great he is & how horrible B.oba is and how I wasted my vote by voting outside of the horrible red&blue 2 party system pick is this election. She did not like it when I reminded her that McCrap voted for 90% of GWBushes policies of which all have failed.

I then told her if she wishes to believe that only reps and dems can be president, she could also take the blame for being brainwashed into that line of thinking. Then proceeded to make it clear that there are seven, yes 7, people running for president this year, not JUST TWO who can win...then slammed the phone down on her.

man, politics & voting can sure bring out the best in everyone

p.s. she called back and said she was sorry for complaining about my vote & that I was right, in that we could choose from more than two people!!...then also admitted we should be more aware of the others who can win.

[WhatMoney]

Here's another 3rd party candidate for POTUS this year:

http://www.geneamondson.com/prohibition-party-2004.html

Just what the country wants as we slip into a "deep recession".

His solution to all our problems : No more beer (or booze).

[BankruptPinoy]

Gun sales surge as presidential election nears

Gun sales surge as presidential election nears

Gun sales are on the rise in the Albuquerque area and gun shop owners say one big reason is this year's presidential election.

Eyewitness News 4 called gun shops all over Albuquerque and some said their sales are up as much as 25 percent from last year. One reason they say, gun owners are worried about their Second Amendment rights if a certain Democrat is elected president.

One of the gun shops seeing gun sales soar is the Albuquerque Pawn Shop.

"Probably 20 to 25 percent, but inquiries are probably up 50 to 60 percent," said owner Jay Johnston.

Johnston says there are a few reasons for the rise in gun sales. He says one reason is the bad economy. Johnston says more people are buying guns to protect themselves.

But he says he is hearing another reason even more.

"If one particular candidate is elected, then rumor has it that there's gonna be a serious gun ban and I think people want to get the guns while they can,” Johnston said.

Johnston would not say which candidate he was talking about, but he didn’t have to. The writing was on the wall -- literally. A poster that shows the face of Barack Obama and says “some changes we could do without” was posted in the shop. The poster also says Obama has supported a total ban on handguns.

But the Obama campaign says the presidential candidate supports the Second Amendment. The American Hunter’s and Shooting Association, that’s endorsing Obama, says the senator has pledged that gun owners have nothing to fear from an Obama administration.

“The National Rifle Association has gone and taken up their usual tactics of creating this hysteria. Gun shops for example are very much in line with the NRA because they're afraid of them, they're afraid of a boycott," said Bob Ricker, Executive Director of the American Hunter’s and Shooting Association.

The owner of Albuquerque Pawn Shop says he's seen the highest surge in the sales of assault weapons because he says buyers fear stricter rules when it comes to purchasing them.

http://kob.com/article/stories/S636797.shtml?cat=0

[BankruptPinoy]

Gun Sales On Rise In FL On Fear Of An Obama Presidency

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V71Do4Fj8XU&eurl=http://www.prisonplanet.com/gun-sales-on-rise-in-fl-on-fear-of-an-obama-presidency.html

[KPcal]

That is why I am voting neither. Both candidates are poor choices for the current condition of our country.