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Comment from Renee
Time: September 22, 2008, 2:35 am

Thanks for posting the video, it was interesting!

Comment from David Miller
Time: September 22, 2008, 10:40 am

Dick Clarke gave a fantastic presentation. It wasn’t dramatic or overblown but simply a solid argument as to why Obama is a smart vote and conversly why McCain is a poor voting decision. I was happy to hear Clarke talk about how Obama is far more qualified to make foreign policy decisions than McCain and has proven it over and over. Thanks to the Obama campaign for bringing Clarke here. I only wish more Independents like myself would have come to the presentation.

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 22, 2008, 3:43 pm

Obama’s a smart vote….that’s a joke, right?

How many former CEO’s of Fannie/Freddie does Obama have as “financial advisors” for his campaign? How much taxpayer dollars has Obama sucked off the teat of both of those “quasi-governmental” organizations?

Comment from Emmy
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:03 pm

And isn’t it great that you live in a country that allows you to vote for the other guy?

I wish I could have made it to this event. Sounds like it was pretty interesting.

Comment from zen
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:07 pm

Briggman,
It’s McCain adviser Rick Davis that was paid nearly $2 Million by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Not an Obama adviser.

Thanks for bringing it up, but I don’t understand the relevance to Clarke’s comments on foreign policy.

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:07 pm

I’m not voting for McCain…

I’m voting with my political philosophies…Bob Barr.

Comment from Emmy
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:11 pm

Well he’s an “other guy” right?

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:13 pm

Has nothing to do with Clarke…has to do with Obama being a smart vote…

Everyone knows that Obama, in his 143 active days in the Senate has compiled the second highest amount of “donations” from Fannie and Freddie — second only to Christopher Dodd.

And Frank Raines, according to the Washington Post is an adviser to the campaign of Barack Obama…whether you like it or not, zen.

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:14 pm

Emmy, you wrote “the other guy”.

Comment from JGFitzgerald
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:16 pm

Dave,

The Post disowned the Raines factoid as an error, surviving now only in blogs and McCain ads.

Comment from zen
Time: September 22, 2008, 4:29 pm

Briggman,

JGF is correct.
Also from WaPo:

So what evidence does the McCain campaign have for the supposed Obama-Raines connection? It is pretty flimsy, but it is not made up completely out of whole cloth. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers points to three items in the Washington Post in July and August. It turns out that the three items (including an editorial) all rely on the same single conversation, between Raines and a Washington Post business reporter, Anita Huslin, who wrote a profile of the discredited Fannie Mae boss that appeared on July 16. The profile reported that Raines, who retired from Fannie Mae four years ago, had “taken calls from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters.”

Since this has now become a campaign issue, I asked Huslin to provide the exact circumstances of the quote. She explained that she was chatting with Raines during the photo shoot, and asked “if he was engaged at all with the Democrats’ quest for the White House. He said that he had gotten a couple of calls from the Obama campaign. I asked him about what, and he said ‘oh, general housing, economy issues.’ (’Not mortgage/foreclosure meltdown or Fannie-specific,’ I asked, and he said ‘no.’)”

By Raines’s own account, he took a couple of calls from someone on the Obama campaign, and they had some general discussions about economic issues. I have asked both Raines and the Obama people for more details on these calls and will let you know if I receive a reply.

link

Whether you like it or not.

Comment from zen
Time: September 22, 2008, 5:09 pm

Briggman,
Also, don’t look now but according to Campaign Finance Reports, it looks like your candidate Bob Barr has a history of taking money from the Finance/Insurance/Real Estate industry as well. In fact, the majority of his 2000-01 funds came from that sector.

Whether you like it or not.

Comment from Emmy
Time: September 22, 2008, 5:34 pm

Yes, I’m aware of that. For you, he’s the other guy. My point, is that if you don’t think Obama is a smart vote you have other options.

Comment from SteveP
Time: September 22, 2008, 6:44 pm

The old adages of “what goes around comes around” and “the chickens come home to roost” is very appropriate here. A career beaurocrat that the Bush administration tried to destroy because he would not lie or be intimidated, is now getting the last laugh. I love it.

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 22, 2008, 7:13 pm

So what?

He also worked for the ACLU…doesn’t mean I think he’s a socialist democrat.

Comment from David Miller
Time: September 22, 2008, 7:15 pm

Like it or not, every politician takes campaign contributions. It is refreshing when one of them actually tries to change the way the system works. Change is the only solution because no politician (even the mega rich) can go it without contributions from these giant corps. Not until CHANGE comes that is! :) Fix it from the inside; I personally am almost as jaded (politically) as Briggman so for now I am pessimistically hopeful at the chances of that happening.

Comment from Bubby
Time: September 22, 2008, 8:41 pm

Clark: Senator Obama said, “no, I don’t want 4 or 5 national security experts, I want a whole big tent full, I want lots of points of view”, so we end up with 72 experts on national security and we think, “well who’s working for the other guy”, and we look and it’s Randy Scheunemann, the lobbyist who was paid $800,000 by the Republic of Georgia, and was closely associated with Ahmad Chalabi.

Comment from seth
Time: September 23, 2008, 9:11 am

dave,
is that a call for campaign finance reform?

Comment from zen
Time: September 23, 2008, 10:25 am

GASP! A social democrat!?!?!
Tell you what Briggman, please avoid using our socialist roadways, using any socialist utilities, using our socialist police or socialist fire-fighting and rescue services…hey weren’t you in our socialist military?

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 23, 2008, 1:40 pm

zen, you’re so childish.

Comment from zen
Time: September 23, 2008, 1:44 pm

Briggman, Sorry to disappoint you. Perhaps one day I can be as grown up as you and just call people idiots.

Comment from Brian M
Time: September 23, 2008, 3:39 pm

The rescue squad services in this area are free to use, Dave. We’ll still come when you call. lol

Comment from zen
Time: September 23, 2008, 3:42 pm

Brian M,

That’s sort of the point…the services are free for people to use because they are socialist…er, subsidized in whole, or in part by tax money.

Comment from Brian M
Time: September 23, 2008, 5:45 pm

lol, I hate to completely argue with you on the specific point of the Rescue Squad in Harrisonburg, but… the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad is an independent 501(c)3 corporation which receives very little direct financial support (read - cash) from the City. As of this budget year, the City gives $120,000 a year. Which is greatly greatly appreciated and well used.

Unfortunately, our annual budget is much higher than that (somewhere closer to $500,000). The budget is actually very low because all staffing is done by volunteers - a high percentage of which are JMU students. If we were to factor in the workforce into the annual budget then the amount would be closer to $1.25 - 1.5 million.

So you are correct that some tax money is provided to support these services, but far far off from subsidized in whole.

Hope you take these good comments (and excuse the preachy qualities) of what I’ve said.

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 24, 2008, 12:25 pm

Nice that you’ll come, Brian, since I donate to the Squad annually, regardless of the fact that I see so many of your members burning diesel fuel at various business establishments around the community.

Comment from seth
Time: September 24, 2008, 12:28 pm

wow, somebody’s greener than i realized!

Comment from Dave Briggman
Time: September 24, 2008, 12:29 pm

zen, I know small-mindedness is a trait you show with pride when you call into WSVA, but roadways, utilities, police or fire-fighting and rescue services…and even our military are basic, constitutional functions of goverment.

None of the entities you mentioned are operated by what is typically known as redistribution of wealth, although I believe many could be privately operated much more efficiently that through government operation.

Comment from zen
Time: September 24, 2008, 1:27 pm

Alas, Briggman one day perhaps I will be able to proudly exhibit as much open-mindedness as you do by calling people idiots and making sexist comments. Thanks for your guidance and modeling of behavior.

Comment from Brian M
Time: September 24, 2008, 1:44 pm

I don’t control the operations of the Ambulances, Dave. My comment was just one of joking, but if you have a genuine concern you are more than welcome to email me about it.

Perhaps by going paid, being supported 100% by tax dollars, and charging for service would prevent all those occurrences of crews supporting local establishments, but I believe the current system saves a lot more money the way that it is. And since these individuals donate, on average, 10-15 hours a week to the community, I think we can allow them to go out to eat dinner.

Comment from seth
Time: September 24, 2008, 5:12 pm

and i think they can leave their engines running. lets burn this place to the ground!

Comment from Emmy
Time: September 24, 2008, 7:44 pm

Isn’t it more fuel efficient to leave a diesel running if you aren’t going to be out of the vehicle long?

Comment from seth
Time: September 24, 2008, 8:12 pm

burned. :)
chalk that up to being an english major and not a mechanic.

Comment from Emmy
Time: September 24, 2008, 8:56 pm

I was an English major too, but you’d never know it!

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