Gee, I'm sorry, but John F. Kerry (aka The Gamer), deserves his bogus awards like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson deserve the title 'Reverend'.

I covered that in 2004. This is 2008. I'm using his words against him.

It is politics. M'kay?

So many of McCain's general election ads will write themselves --

- Hillary saying that he's ready to be C-in-C on day 1.

- (Maybe) Rev. Wright footage.

- The comment you've quoted from Howie Dean.

- Obama arguing in favor of driver's licenses for illegals.

On the other hand, McCain's quip about not knowing economics will hurt him, as will twistings of his "100 years" comment.

I truly believe this will be more fun than 2004 and I enjoyed beating JFnK more than any politician I can remember.

I considered it pay back for his lies in '71 which I believed. That was a real festering wound and it was stupid for him to open it (by running for office).

Obama has opened the race relations wound with Wright. As a certain pundit has said recently: I didn't march for this.

Effective propaganda sways voters to your side, M.

It is not just an exercise in infantile rants.

Looks like the game will be over in Iraq before the election anyway.

I'd try to figure out a way to convince Americans that a guy who was at the center of a major banking scandal should be allowed to guide America out of its current recession.

Tough job.

Alphie,

He was not at the center of it. And the other four guys who were?

TA DA - DEMOCRATS.

Some how he has explained it to his AZ voters. So I expect that when it is brought up he will be able to explain it to America.

Economics is not one of his strong points. Which may be a good thing. Maybe the government will leave us alone on that front for a while. Or maybe he can get one of those UChicago Nobel guys to advise him.

BTW alphie you seem a bit weak on economics yourself. A recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. We have yet to have even one month of negative growth as far as I'm aware.

You Democrats have funny ways of dealing with words. Don't they mean anything to you?

Here is the wiki on recessions alphie:

Once a severe recession starts, a massive wave of corporate defaults will take place. Typically U.S. corporate default rates are about 3.8% (1971-2007); in 2006 and 2007 this figure was a rather low 0.6%. And in a typical U.S. recession such default rates surge above 10%.

Further:

The economists surveyed by Bloomberg News this month predicted the GDP growth will slow to 0.1 percent in January to March.

Low growth is not a recession.

So just what in the hell are you talking about?

The corporate default rate is 6X below average. Some recession alphie.

But that is why we like having you comment here. We love your expression of superior knowledge and intelligence.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

We're just a few days away from closing the books on this quarter, M.

You think it will show America's economy grew?

0.1% is not much of a margin.

Meanwhile, our rivals, China, are enjoying yet another year of 11% economic growth...

Not much margin at all. Of course anything within about +/- .2% is down in the noise level.

In any case you have admitted you don't know what you are talking about (within the margin of error). Way to go alphie. Which is why I love discussing stuff with you. Your brilliance is only exceeded by your ignorance.

I just read an interesting bit on why China is growing so fast. It is an authoritarian society that is unencumbered by Medicare and Social Security.

Does Economic Growth Require Democracy?

In fact Nobel winner Milton Friedman has said the very same thing. If we were willing to give up all our social programs (that are not Constitutional in his opinion) we could have 10% a year growth too.

Is that something you are up for alphie?

You know, I used to think you actually understood economics. I'll have to revise my opinion.

Y'all come back now ya hear.

You do know that the NBER backdates the start of a recession after all the data is in, don't you, M?

January 1, 2008 is a likely start for this one.

As for China, I think a lot of their success comes from their policy of executing corrupt politicians and businessmen instead of giving them billions of dollars in taxpayer money.

You are aware aren't you, alphie, that China is on the verge of political collapse? Democracy is a safety valve. When things get bad people can vote for change. What happens when there is no safety valve? Pressure builds up until there is an explosion.

And what a way to encourage investment. Killing off the business class.

You are aware that about 40% of the bank loans in China (mostly to state owned companies) are non-performing. I wonder if China is killing those "crooks"?

And you know alphie I think you lied to me when you said you are a Republican. I believe you are a Moby.

In addition you didn't answer my question about Social Security and Medicare. Way to go guy.