Didn't know Africa was a continent. Couldn't name the member nations of NAFTA, even though they're the immediate neighbors of the United States. And, by the way, she was never shy about parroting the crap she had been programmed with about trade, and what a genius she was on the subject because she was from a state near Russia. Or something. Also.
But think about what this means, and what almost happened to this country.
Frankly, the people who knew this about her and were still directly responsible for "vetting" her, putting her on the ticket, attempting to foist this idiot on the American people, and protecting her while there was still a chance (however theoretical) that she could become Vice President and possibly President of the United States ought to be arrested and tried for treason.
The American public, and indeed the American constitutional system, was completely unprepared for a potential disaster of this magnitude. I've said before that we were all "low information voters" now, at least with respect to being able to actually evaluate the candidates for their fitness for jobs which we were no longer permitted -- as a matter of national security -- to know the parameters of. But putting this dolt on the ticket takes us ten thousand miles into the f**king Twilight Zone.
Last week, billionaire investor Warren Buffett urged Congress “to maintain the estate tax, saying that plans to repeal the tax would benefit a handful of the richest American families and widen income disparity in the United States.” The New York Times reported:
>>>Mr. Buffett said that in the last 20 years, tax laws have allowed the “superrich” to become richer.
“Tax law changes have benefited this group, including me, in a huge way,” he said. “During that time the average American went exactly nowhere on the economic scale: he’s been on a treadmill while the superrich have been on a spaceship.”<<<
Less than 1 percent of the nation’s super-rich pay the estate tax. “For this year, individual estates valued at more than $2 million are taxed at a top rate of 45 percent.” Buffett — who pays the estate tax — argued, “A progressive and meaningful estate tax is needed to curb the movement of a democracy toward plutocracy.”
This weekend on Bloomberg Television, right-wing pundit Bob Novak fumed over Buffett’s altruistic testimony, attacking him as a hypocrite who “should be ashamed of himself for putting out that phony message.” Bloomberg’s Al Hunt responded, “Bob, there’s only two differences between you and Warren Buffett: $40 billion and a conscience.”
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The differences between Bates and Buffett are the same.
You may recall back in 2006 that Buffett gave $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, effectively doubling the size of what was already the world's largest charity.
He put his money where his mouth is. He is credible. Bates...not so much.
(My report on KRMG's live chat on Election Night is in this AT post. Bates and the sports fans thought "nobody here but us chickens" so it's revealing...and it's not pretty.)
3 comments:
From a Kos diary:
Didn't know Africa was a continent. Couldn't name the member nations of NAFTA, even though they're the immediate neighbors of the United States. And, by the way, she was never shy about parroting the crap she had been programmed with about trade, and what a genius she was on the subject because she was from a state near Russia. Or something. Also.
But think about what this means, and what almost happened to this country.
Frankly, the people who knew this about her and were still directly responsible for "vetting" her, putting her on the ticket, attempting to foist this idiot on the American people, and protecting her while there was still a chance (however theoretical) that she could become Vice President and possibly President of the United States ought to be arrested and tried for treason.
The American public, and indeed the American constitutional system, was completely unprepared for a potential disaster of this magnitude. I've said before that we were all "low information voters" now, at least with respect to being able to actually evaluate the candidates for their fitness for jobs which we were no longer permitted -- as a matter of national security -- to know the parameters of. But putting this dolt on the ticket takes us ten thousand miles into the f**king Twilight Zone.
Now on another topic. From the KRMG election night chat:
[Michael Bates] 8:40 pm: Buffett supported Obama because higher, more complicated taxes help his insurance businesses.
[Michael Bates] 8:41 pm: People use universal life policies to get around estate tax.
Now read this from a year ago, Novak Attacks Buffett As ‘Hypocrite’ With A ‘Phony Message’ Who ‘Should Be Ashamed Of Himself’ (11/19/07)
Last week, billionaire investor Warren Buffett urged Congress “to maintain the estate tax, saying that plans to repeal the tax would benefit a handful of the richest American families and widen income disparity in the United States.” The New York Times reported:
>>>Mr. Buffett said that in the last 20 years, tax laws have allowed the “superrich” to become richer.
“Tax law changes have benefited this group, including me, in a huge way,” he said. “During that time the average American went exactly nowhere on the economic scale: he’s been on a treadmill while the superrich have been on a spaceship.”<<<
Less than 1 percent of the nation’s super-rich pay the estate tax. “For this year, individual estates valued at more than $2 million are taxed at a top rate of 45 percent.” Buffett — who pays the estate tax — argued, “A progressive and meaningful estate tax is needed to curb the movement of a democracy toward plutocracy.”
This weekend on Bloomberg Television, right-wing pundit Bob Novak fumed over Buffett’s altruistic testimony, attacking him as a hypocrite who “should be ashamed of himself for putting out that phony message.” Bloomberg’s Al Hunt responded, “Bob, there’s only two differences between you and Warren Buffett: $40 billion and a conscience.”
--------------
The differences between Bates and Buffett are the same.
You may recall back in 2006 that Buffett gave $30 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, effectively doubling the size of what was already the world's largest charity.
He put his money where his mouth is. He is credible. Bates...not so much.
(My report on KRMG's live chat on Election Night is in this AT post. Bates and the sports fans thought "nobody here but us chickens" so it's revealing...and it's not pretty.)
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