Nonpartisanship For Dummies
by digby
President Bush unctuously lectured the nation this morning about how this crisis calls for non-partisanship --- and Obama very generously complied. Meanwhile, McCain is out there lying again, taking Rove's advice and trying to blame Obama for the Republicans' failures:
During an appearance on Hannity and Colmes on Wednesday, Rove outlined what he thought would be the best counterattack for McCain to launch the opposition's way: mainly, tie the current financial and housing market crisis to the Democrats and play guilt by association with Obama.
[...]
A day later, McCain echoed Rove's advice. On Thursday evening, the Senator's campaign released an advertisement declaring that Franklin Raines was an Obama economic adviser. "Shocking," declared the ad, citing the mismanagement that occurred under Raines' reign, as well as his large compensation package. Shocking, indeed. The Associated Press and other news outlets reported hours later that the claim was not honest. Raines had even told a senior McCain aide, in a private email, that he was not an Obama adviser.
Nevertheless, Rove's charge made its way into Friday's speech as well, where McCain criticized Obama again for turning to Raines, but also for initially tasking Jim Johnson, another former Fannie CEO, with heading his vice presidential search committee.
It was, it seems, shades of Rove.
"This CEO, Mr. Johnson, walked off with tens of millions of dollars in salary and bonuses -- guess for what? -- for services rendered to Fannie Mae, even after authorities discovered accounting improprieties that padded his compensation," McCain declared. "Another CEO for Fannie Mae, Mr. Raines, has been advising Senator Obama on housing policy (chuckles); this even after Fannie Mae was found to have committed, quote, "extensive financial fraud" under his leadership." Like Mr. Johnson, Mr. Raines walked away with -- guess what? -- tens of millions of dollars."
What a pile of fetid, rotting compost.
I don't think anyone besides kool-aid drinking GOP base voters will buy this, but you never know. McCain sounded like a cheap huckster this morning, trying to say that the man he has relentlessly belittled for being an empty suit is simultaneously pulling the strings that led to an epic financial crisis. I don't think it tracks for anyone who isn't reflexively tribal. You can say that both parties failed or you can say that Democrats are no better, but to try to pretend that they led this rapacious deregulation bonanza is truly laughable.
He also slammed Obama for having Raines involved in his VP search, which doesn't seem like such a smart idea considering what his braintrust running mate said about Fannie and Freddie the other day:
“The fact is that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, they’ve gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers,” she said. “The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help.”
Of course, she's very reassuring on these mattersgenerally:(video)
Lemme tell you somethin' that's goin' on right here in our nation that needs some shakin' up and some fixin'...
Seriously, Maverick, STFU. Country first, remember?
Update: for all of you who think that when I wrote "Aunt Millie" I was disrespecting older women who preferred Hillary Clinton --- get a grip. I was talking about a fictional Republican relative who has been brainwashed into thinking that Democrats want to raise taxes on everyone. It could just as easily have been Uncle Fred, or cousin Milton fergawdsake.
Honestly --- this is getting ridiculous.
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