The Death of Direct Sales

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

From www.opensecrets.org

Obama's top contributors (TOTAL $8,462,531)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Goldman Sachs $739,521
University of California $697,506
Harvard University $501,489
Citigroup Inc $492,548
Google Inc $487,355
JPMorgan Chase & Co $475,112
National Amusements Inc $432,169
Microsoft Corp $429,656
UBS AG $419,550
Lehman Brothers $391,774
Wilmerhale Llp $383,024
Time Warner $375,063
Sidley Austin LLP $370,916
Skadden, Arps et al $360,409
Stanford University $341,399
Morgan Stanley $341,380
Latham & Watkins $328,879
Jones Day $309,960
University of Chicago $294,237
General Electric $290,584


McCain's Top Contributors (TOTAL $3,444,150)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Merrill Lynch $349,170
Citigroup Inc $287,801
Morgan Stanley $249,377
Goldman Sachs $220,045
JPMorgan Chase & Co $206,392
AT&T Inc $183,663
Credit Suisse Group $175,503
PricewaterhouseCoopers $163,670
Blank Rome LLP $153,426
US Government $152,118
US Army $150,470
Wachovia Corp $147,456
Greenberg Traurig LLP $145,737
UBS AG $141,365
Bank of America $133,975
FedEx Corp $121,904
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher $120,246
US Dept of Defense $118,125
Lehman Brothers $115,707
Bear Stearns $108,000

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Posted By: Bob

Many historians now consider George W. Bush to be the worst president in American history, catapulting past Warren G. Harding in to first place.
If you vote for McCain and something happens to him (God forbid but he would be the oldest man EVER elected president of the United States) then you absolutely deserve Sarah Palin. The rest of the country doesn't, but YOU do. She is an absolute mental flyweight. I wouldn't hire her to work in my office, much less want her as President. She is the perfect person for the Republicans to run- appeal to the lowest common denominator, appeal to people who hate government, appeal to women to vote for her simply because she is a woman, appeal to the religious right which has taken over the once noble party of Lincoln. The same people who brought you Watergate, the lies about Edmund Muskie, the swift boat crap and the smears on Bill Clinton are at work again. If that's what you want, fine. I just don't want to hear a single one of you bitching 4 years from now about the economy, the environment or the state of world affairs if your "team" wins. Not a frigging word!
P.S. if you don't think that race hatred and bigotry will play a part in this election you belong in the nuthouse. I see it every day and it is not confined to the South. "I would never vote for a n****r for President," or as seen in the clip above, "Obama is an Islmaic terrorist." What a sad state of affairs...

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Well your my hero Jeff and I've never even heard your program.

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Posted By: Joe D.

"Fine then Joe, don't educate yourself"

dan... maybe, just maybe I have read the article / and others on the situation already -
yet I still feel a person in office shouldn't vote 'present' (even if it is allowed)

maybe just maybe that your presumption that I 'need to educate' myself was unnecessary.

I am pretty sure a person can actually educate themselves about an issue and STILL hold an opinion contrary to yours.
Can we agree on that?

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Tom, interesting list, but remember corporations are looking for favors...they know they'll automatically get them from McCain...they have to bribe Obama to get his...plus many of them are in the business of predicting future outcomes and I think they've all placed their bets on change which means "Not Republican".

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Posted By: Jim VB

Tom,

Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't contributions of that size from PAC's and not from the corporations themselves? I believe they have to be "bundled" money from people in the company, targeted to those candidates.

I think the maximum any individual can give is about $2300.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Joe, no disrespect was intended. You're one of the good guys and I apologize for my snippiness. Politics is something I can't avoid...I'm drawn to it and it sometimes (especially in a rough election year) makes me say things that I normally wouldn't say. I apologize for my condescension in this thread.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

If Iran attacks Israel sometime, the sitting president won't be able to push the yellow 'PRESENT' button...........

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Posted By: Jerry

Question for Obama Supporters
Does the association with Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers Bother you and how do you get past it?

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

Think you're right about 'Bundled'. Those candidates know VERY WELL though who the money's coming from. Most companies play both ends agains the middle though, maybe just a little more on one than the other. In a highly predictable outcome, Obama CLEARLY has the educators and lawyers in his court (no pun intended) though......



OPENSECRETS.org disclaimer from donor list...........
Because of contribution limits, organizations that bundle together many individual contributions are often among the top donors to presidential candidates. These contributions can come from the organization's members or employees (and their families). The organization may support one candidate, or hedge its bets by supporting multiple candidates

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Tom, one of my fears about Obama is that if Iran attacks Israel the first thing out of his mouth will be: "both countries need to cease hostilities and sit down and talk."

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

As far as Reverend Wright goes, no it doesn't bother me simply for the fact that there are a lot of crazy preachers out there - witness Sarah Palin's preacher...or Tom Hagee who McCain happily accepted an endorsement from. James Dobson is insane yet he councils president Bush. Plus Wright is old enough to have lived in a Jim Crow America so he has some right to be angry with America IMO. I know WW2 Vets who hate the Japanese still to this day...same for some Vietnam vets hating the Vietnamese...you have to look at someone's life experiences to see where they are coming from.

Bill Ayers seemingly has been an accepted part of Chicago politics - his association with Chicago politicians crosses party lines...how are we to know that Obama even knew about Ayers Weathermen past?

Does it bother you that nearly every member of congress can be associated with Robert Byrd a former Ku Klux Klan member? Or Jesse Helms an unrepentent Dixiecrat?

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Dan, the issue is not that Wright is simply one of Obama's supporters or that he occasionally hung around the guy. The issue is that Obama sat in the guy's church for 20 years, listened to the hate, did nothing, wrote in his book that Wright was nevertheless his "spiritual advisor", was a surrogate father to Obama...knowing full well the hateful things Wright had said. Obama then gets caught -- finally -- by the mainstream media on this issue and his first response is to continue to protect Wright. Only after Wright basically laughed in Obama's face did Obama throw him under the bus, ironically after Obama had already thrown his own grandmother under the bus. That's the character issue many of us are concerned about not the fact that Wright endorses Obama.

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Posted By: Bob

Question for Obama Supporters
Does the association with Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers Bother you and how do you get past it?>>

Question for McCain supporters: Does the association with George W. Bush and the savings and loan crowd bother you and how do you get past it? Maverick my ass...

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Posted By: Steve Murray

"If Iran attacks Israel sometime, the sitting president won't be able to push the yellow 'PRESENT' button..........."

Tom, this is a non-starter. Having lived with Illinois politics for almost 40 years I, as well as most other Illinoisians, understand that "PRESENT" is a commonly used procedural vote by both Democrats and Republicans alike.

If one were to bother to check the voting records of the Illinois Legislature one would find many Republicans with more "PRESENT" votes than Obama.

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Posted By: Bob

In a highly predictable outcome, Obama CLEARLY has the educators and lawyers in his court (no pun intended) though......>>

Geez, God forbid we let some of the most educated people in America steer the direction of our country instead of the Joe Six Packs and Hockey Moms Palin professes love for and who respond to her Pavlovian drival. Okey dokey, you betcha!

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

McCain threw his wife under the bus. Not that that excuses Obama's behavior towards Wright, but anyone who's looked into it knows that Wright didn't speak like that every Sunday or we'd be seeing more than just that one video. How do you know Obama was even there on that Sunday? There are "Character issues" on both sides...if Obama's relationship with his minister is more of a character issue with you than cheating on your wife is then by all means vote for McCain. If it's more of character issue with you than calling your wife a c*nt then by all means vote for McCain.

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Posted By: Jim VB

Jerry,

I don't know that I'd call myself an Obama supporter, but it's a fair question to ask.

Ayers - His past is pretty unforgivable, but... he led a group that was opposed to, what history has determined, was a mistake of a war. His methods to fight it went way too far. However, he was never convicted of anything (I know, lame excuse). I don't think he has any reasonable ties to Obama though. They live in the same neighborhood. They served on a board trying to find ways to improve education systems. And Ayers had injected himself into local politics just at a time Obama was getting started. I don't see any long term connection. (Franklin Raines bothers me more.) I would hate to be judged by the company I have kept on school district/financial boards.

Wright - A little more troubling, but still hard to measure. My mom was born and raised in Chicago and we spent a lot of time there as kids. Racial tensions in that city have been nasty since the 1960's. Many people, on both sides have been at the radical extremes, including MLK and Jesse Jackson. I find hateful rants on both sides to be counter-productive, but it's difficult to fathom how some people have been forced to live. I've been a Catholic for 53 years and, yet, disagree with a good chunk of what that church and my parish priests say and do. I constantly find myself "mining for nuggets" of wisdom.


In summary, I don't find these any more troubling than McCain's association with the Keating Five, or the Bush administration.

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Posted By: Bob

McCain would be a marked improvement over Bush (who wouldn't?) The problem though is 1) you have the same bozos in the party hierarchy running the show and influencing appointments who have served so miserably the last 8 years and 2) Sarah Palin.
I just don't get it. Even for people who honestly feel John McCain would be a good president and who honestly disagree with the politics of Obama, doesn't it make you nauseous to think of Palin running our country. Isn't that the bottom line? We may disagree on McCain/Obama and their politics and character issues but Palin? Are you frigging kidding me? Of all the women in this world who would be qualified to serve as President you pick this moose-hunting, mental lightweight fraud, non-entity? Unfriggingbelievable....

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Dan, it wasn't one Sunday. It was many, many Sundays.

And whatever McCain said about his wife does not concern me as much as Obama's associations with Ayers and Wright. I don't think McCain's comment could hurt our country as much as Obama's decision to hang around with these people.

Edited to add: yes, Bob, I agree with you on that: Palin was a ridiculous choice and I said so as soon as it happened, even after the pop in the polls. But I do think that a lot of the attacks against her have been unfair and have infected national opinion of her. She is a sitting governnor in one of our 50 states, remember. The liberal media has just mercilessly attacked her to the point of skewering national opinion. That being said, she was still the wrong choice by a mile.

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Posted By: Brian

I like applesauce

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Posted By: Bob

She is a sitting governnor in one of our 50 states, remember.>

So was Jesse "the body" Ventura in Minnesota. Ventura was Woodrow Wilson compared to Palin.

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Posted By: Joe D.

"I apologize for my condescension in this thread."


Dan -

I consider you a friend and I admire your passion for the subject.

no harm done at all.

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Posted By: PC

"moose-hunting, mental lightweight fraud, non-entity"

That was the same reaction (with only slightly different words) to FDR's choice of Harry Truman as VP.

One never knows.

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Posted By: Bill Kasel

Does it bother anybody that McCain was a key component to the Keating Five and somehow managed to not get prosecuted? What dirt did he have on someone to skate those charges?

Does it bother anybody that McCain gave a Keynote speech for a Oregon Citizens Alliance Fundraiser? OCA is a notorious anti-gay organization who invited McCain to speak at a function. There were throgns of protestors and all of his advisors warned that it would be a grave mistake to associate himself with such a dispicable group. He chose to go, speak, hang out with the members and not once ever denounce them based upon their hatred for gays.

Does it bother anybody that he didn't protest the praise of a known terrorist (Shelly Shannon)who shot a doctor b/c he was performing legal abortions and actually publically expressed sympathy for her?

Does it bother anybody that Palin actually believes that humans and dinosaurs co-existed, that she and her husband have strong ties to known Alaskan separatists, and that she cant hold a speaking engagement without saying something that directly cotradicts the McCain campaigns stance?

Those who live in glass houses.....

Bill

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Posted By: Jim VB

What???!!! You guys are going to get along? Didn't you read what Crandall wrote?

<<Working together to all support the Barack Hussein Obama agenda--it makes me want to throw up. >>


This is no time to be getting along! Fight it out in the streets! No more of these "Kumbaya" moments, OK??

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Posted By: Jason

Jim is just bitter because President Obama is going to prevent him from buying more 8.5s for his registries.

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Posted By: TFerg

When it comes to political arguements there are no glass houses. It seems you are in dark rooms being fed crap from either Sean Hannity or Keith Olbermann.

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Posted By: 1880nonsports

about Mcpain and Palindrone bothers me. Those who would support them remind me of Grounhog Day and moths drawn to a flame........

oh yeah, I forgot.

wink

wink

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Posted By: Jim VB

I don't think Jim's bitter. I think he's mad. And he should be.

8 years ago, I knew we had elected an idiot and my expectations were low. 4 years ago, I was shocked that we re-elected him, and my expectations sunk even lower. Nonetheless, Bush managed to underperform those expectations.

Jim, on the other hand, thought he had backed a fiscal and social conservative. SURPRISE! This guy was to the left of Clinton. We spent like a drunken sailor. Taxed like we had a trust fund to live off of. And changed nothing on the social front. Jim should be mad. His guy lied to him.

People joke here about becoming a socialist country, but it's not so funny when the government (both parties) spends a Trillion $ to bail out businesses, talks about buying mortgages, and buying equity positions in banks.

Neither of these guys have any idea what to do.

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

T-Bob, don't you go taking shots at Jesse Ventura. He reached the highest approval level of any governor in Minnesota history. He won the race as an Independent (actually as part of the Reform Party), which was a lesson that I really hoped others in this country would follow. He beat an attorney general named Humphrey, and the current US senator Norm Coleman; obviously, neither were lightweights. He won because he was a centrist-- a refreshing alternative to the Dems and Republicans who suck up to their bases and are loathe to compromise or recognize that the majority of Americans don't line up exactly with either of the major party platforms. Most of all, you gotta love a guy who is so busy doing important things that "I ain't got time to bleed".

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Posted By: JimCrandell

Jim VB,

Exactly.

First if I am bitter about anything its having 180,000 shares of the company I used to work for go from $88 per share to 7 cents. Everything else seems inconsequential (besides the love and health of my family) relative to that.

I am not a Bush fan. I am a fiscal conservative who believes in low taxes, low government spending, balanced budgets and free enterprise not lower taxes, astronomical spending, massive deficits and government bailouts.

I was not convinced McCain would go to these conservative principles. I supported Romney. However when he picked Palin who I saw as inexperienced but still a conservative I became a more active supporter.

If McCain loses I hope its a wipeout so we can go back to a party that is built on the principles listed above.

Jim

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Posted By: Jim VB

Jim C.

For the record, I thought the decision to let Lehman go belly up, and then step in and engineer a save of Goldman was ridiculous. Paulson's history clearly got in the way.

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Posted By: JimCrandell

JimVB,

When a Vt. Congressman asked Fuld this question in the hearings I think he said to the grave I will be asking myself that question.

Jim

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

the people who support McCain & Palin are nowhere near as dreamy-eyed as the supporters of Obama........




And I like this one.............
"and that she (Palin) cant hold a speaking engagement without saying something that directly cotradicts the McCain campaigns stance?"

Anyone heard Joe "maybe Hillary would have been a better choice than me" Biden talk much? Geez.....even his own party calls him the gaffe machine....




And for the people scared of Palin running America (and I am too)........so Barack has infinitely more experience than her? And he's on TOP of the ticket.....Things that make you go hmm...........

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Posted By: A Pratt

Canadian elections anyone?

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Posted By: JimB

Wow, stay away for a couple of days and look what happens.

I personally am utterly baffled that anybody would consider voting for McCain/Palin at this point. McCain has been a rubber stamp for the absolute worst president in our country's history. Why couldn't the "maverick" stand up to Dubya when he lead us into a pointless war that has cost tens of thousands of lives (I consider Iraqis as human also)? Why did he support endless de-regulation? Why did he twice support the erosion of our civil rights by voting for the Patriot Act? And why in the world did he chose Sara Palin as a VP candidate?

The nomination of Sara Palin was the most idiotic display of pure politics and lack of judgement I think I have ever seen in presidential politics. They mayor of a town of 6000 in Alaska whose extent of knowledge of international politics is that she can see Russia from her front porch is someone to have a heartbeat away from the presidency? So she knows the Dubya trick of droppin the 'g' to sound folksy. She is a woman and a fundamentalist so the political determination was that she would rally the base and maybe pick up a few Clinton defectors. Who among McCain supports honestly believe that McCain thinks she will make the best vp or president of anybody he knows?

I don't want a president I can hang out with. I want one that is qualified to be president. If you don't think you are qualified to be president, why would the guy or gal you share a beer with be qualified? The problem with democracy in this country is that Americans in general no longer think. They swallow the campaign lies and Fox soundbites without an ounce of critical thinking.

JimB

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Posted By: Fred C

Joshua,

Most of us are all in that same boat when we look at inflation and our pay checks. I draw a salary each month and I know what my limits are. One thing I would like to make clear is that I'm not blaming people for being foreclosed on unless they didn't consider the rising cost of a variable rate mortgage and how it would impact their budget. For example, some people signed up for very low interest rate loans knowing that their monthlys would be going up. When you start out with an $1800/month mortgage and you know that the payment could increase to over $3K/month, then people had better plan to pay over $3K a month for that mortgage. If they couldn't afford it then they shouldn't have signed on to that loan. That's what I'm talking about. This is where most of the foreclosures are taking place.

If you've been offended, I apologize. Trust me when I say I'm in the same economic boat as most people. I am paid a salary (call it a fixed income) and I too am feeling the affects of the rising cost of goods. One thing I can say is that I would never sign up for a mortgage that I couldn't have afforded.

Back in the US, back in the US, back in the USSA...OUCH... the DJIA is below 8,000 now....

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Posted By: JimCrandell

JimB--you don't understand--Obama's qualifications equals Palins qualifications

Obama--most radical liberal in Senate.

Palin free market conservative.

Its an easy decision.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

"The mayor of a town of 6000 in Alaska whose extent of knowledge ....."

Ahh, Jim, you're a politician yourself! You recall that Palin is the Governor of Alaska, right? Just like Obama is not still a Community Organzier or a high school kid who smokes pot and snorts coke, right?

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Obama = smart
Palin = not smart

Easy decision.

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Posted By: Bob

Jim C- It would be wonderful if the Republican Party re-found its roots and disavowed the far right wingers and haters and lemmings who climbed on board in the 1980's. Sadly, I don't see it happening. The Grand Old Party which was based in the heartland of America upon God-fearing but tolerant and good people is a distant memory.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

Dan, Nixon was smart too.

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Posted By: JimCrandell

I would take a person of average intelligence who believes in the principles of lower taxes, reduced Government involvement in the economy and free enterprise rather than a smart Socialist.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

it goes both ways........It'd be great if the Democrats would disavow the George Soros' of the world as well........the Moveon.org's, etc. I agree with your statement completely, but you gotta look in your own party as well.

And Jim saying people listening to the Fox soundbites.......Fox is the ONLY station that may cater to Republicans/Conservatives. We all know about the rest of the media.....there's absolutely no comparison there. They're almost gleeful when they talk about Obama. They are working to MAKE the news, not REPORT it........

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Posted By: JimCrandell

Bob,

Even though I disagree with you on Gomez, Castilla, I was rooting hard for the Twins to win the AL Central. The Twins have some studs who can swing the lumber.

Jim

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

How's Wasilla doing financially Jim?

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Posted By: JimB

"Obama--most radical liberal in Senate.

Palin free market conservative.

Its an easy decision."

I don't know if he is the most liberal, but he is definitely a good liberal with a strong vision for getting this country back on track. "Radical" is just an inflamatory term. But I do agree that we desperately need a radical change in the way this country has been run in the last eight years.

As for your second two lines, I completely agree. We are all painfully aware of what an overly-deregulated free market has done. I am up for a different approach. So the decision is easy. There are a thousand other reasons it is easy too, but I will leave it at that for now.
JimB

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Hey Jeff, here's to hoping that Obama doesn't have the same level of paranoia that Nixon had.

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Posted By: JimB

Tom,
Fox is not even a news source in my opinion. It is a shameless propaganda machine for the far right. All editorial spinning, all the time. At least the other major news networks portray both perspectives.
JimB