Associated Press writer Calvin Woodard today criticized Barack Obama's claim in his infomertial/ad that "I've offered spending cuts above and beyond their cost", referring to his programs.


The fact, as reported by the AP, is that 

Independent analysts say both Obama and Republican John McCain would deepen the deficit. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates Obama's policy proposals would add a net $428 billion to the deficit over four years - and that analysis accepts the savings he claims from spending cuts. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, whose other findings have been quoted approvingly by the Obama campaign, says: "Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed tax plans that would substantially increase the national debt over the next 10 years." The analysis goes on to say: "Neither candidate's plan would significantly increase economic growth unless offset by spending cuts or tax increases that the campaigns have not specified.

Democrats have led admirable opposition to George W. Bush's intrusion into the phone records of many Americans. Party loyalists in TPM and other progressive websites were equally outraged last March, and with good reason, over the news that Barack Obama's passport information was inexplicably accessed by someone in the State Department.

That's what makes it disheartening to learn via the Columbus Dispatch and the New York Times that immediately after the latest presidential debate, Joe the Plumber's child support records were checked for no apparent reason by a contractor with the OK of the director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Helen Jones-Kelly. An investigation is under way.

Other similar searches targeting the same individual have been confirmed and are under investigation, namely, the "Plumber"'s driver's license and vehicle registration information.

These breaches bring back memories of the hacking of Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account, which resulted in the indictment of the son of a Democratic Tennessee congressman.

Let's stay classy and resist the temptation to fight an unlawful fight. Invading the privacy of others can result in jail time, and runs counter to the values of the Democratic Party.

Update: "Toledo Police have confirmed that a TPD records clerk is accused of performing an illegal search of information related to 'Joe the Plumber.'
Julie McConnell, has been charged with Gross Misconduct for allegedly making an improper inquiry into a state database in search of information pertaining to Samuel Wurzelbacher on Oct. 16."

The people of TPM have begged me to let them post replies to my entries and appear to be willing to make changes to their bad posting habits in order to earn this right. The following are the comment-posting rules that are to take effect immediately after this entry is published:

1-) Three or more attacks against me, the diarist, such as "troll" will result in the discontinuation of comment-posting privileges for everyone in that thread, as these attacks make TPM a dumber place and contribute nothing to the discussion.

2-) Three comments that do not contain an argument agreeing or disagreeing with my thread, even if they are not attacks against me, will result in the discontinuation of comment-posting privileges for everyone.

3-) Three comments asking me to go somewhere else because I'm not welcome in TPM will result in the cancellation of comments for everyone in the thread, because I'm here to stay, as you may have already noticed.

4-) Any combination totaling three of the above-mentioned violations will result in the discontinuation of comment-posting privileges for everyone.

I thank you all for your willingness to be better debaters. I know it will be hard since you are not used to civilized discussion, but give it a shot.

Here, subject-changer who made up his own diary to say absolutely nothing about my diary about Krugman and Drudge.

Let's have a one-on-one here. Or are your feelings too hurt because you are a Drudge worshiper too?

But be advised that if you say ANYTHING that has nothing to do with my Krugman-Drudge diary I will turn comments off again. Ok let's see what you got, drama queen.

Back in February, the Obama campaign wasted no time in slamming Hillary Clinton over an irresponsible post by Matt Drudge in which he claimed that unnamed "Clinton staffers" circulated a photo of Barack Obama in Somali clothes. Drudge did not even specify who the picture was "circulated" to, and never claimed to have been the direct recipient of this photograph.

Howard Wolfson the next day denied having knowledge of anyone in the campaign having done this, and to this day no names have surfaced. Drudge might have been made aware of the picture by a wingnut and attempted to blame his long-time nemesis Hillary instead.

But TPM'ers led by Josh Marshall, had to get rid of that pesky, wrinkly, racist, ambitious b**ch, so they asked for no evidence and played along pretending to buy the right-wing main man's wild claims, since during the primaries Drudge was in the tank for Obama. It can be safely asserted that in this community, Drudge was more respected than Paul Krugman before Clinton endorsed the victorious Obama. Indeed, worse things were said about that "confused", "hypocrite", "tool"  Paul Krugman, the hack who is now a Nobel Prize who dared prefer Hillary Clinton's policies over Obama's.
 
Go ahead, have some fun reading what was being said about Krugman earlier this year.

Yet now all of a sudden TPM'ers wake up and re-discover how unprofessional, evil and biased Drudge is.

NOW you get it right. Hypocrites

When I posted a diary in which I showed skepticism about the police relying solely on the testimony of the woman who lied about being cut in Pittsburgh for being a McCain supporter, a clueless poster nicknamed MsJoanne said I should issue a "retraction"

Retraction for what? For not jumping to conclusions and stating that the fake incident occured?

If you don't remember, the above-mentioned kook MsJoanne once told us all that the Eiffel tower and the Washington Monument appeared in a "racist" ad by John McCain regarding Obama's trip to Germany.

Turned out these monuments were not present in the ad. And did I mention these non-existent symbols, according to MsJoanne, were supposed to represent Obama's penis?

Get a clue, MsJoanne. It is YOUR fact-checking skills that are pitiful.

Next time read.

The following exchange occured in an interview conducted by a Florida TV Station and Joe Biden:

"how is it Obama is not being a Marxist if he intends to spread the wealth around." Biden's answer?...."he is NOT spreading the wealth around".

 

Hey, someone forgot to tell Joe that Obama stands by his "spread the wealth" comment. Dammit, Joe:

ABC's Robin Roberts: "Any regrets that you -" Obama: "No." Roberts: "No not that you met Joe the plumber, but the fact that you said 'spread the wealth.'" Obama: "Not at all."

Story.