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1. "We’re trying to rescue the economy, not the McCain campaign" just about perfectly sums up this ridiculously loopy series of events.

   McCain has to know at this point how political his decision looks to Americans. Sure the GOP needs his help to rally votes for the deal or whatever, but it doesn't take a genius to know that he could just as, if not much more effectively do just that from the debate podium.

   I'm glad Obama's going to DC, just so he's not MIA, but I really hope he sticks to his guns on having the debate as planned. The American people are not going to allow this election to be put on hold right in the nexus of it all for a crisis that's already been solved. McCain's not even on the finance committee, for pete's sake. He does not need to be there. He needs to be telling the American people why he should be handed the steering wheel of the vehicle we're all in that's currently careening off a cliff. Of course, being in that situation, my senile ex-POW grandfather is not the person I would depend on...

   Posted by: JeffRob | Sep 25, 2008 10:31:27 AM

   
   

2. JEFFROB - I think we (TR readers) are all aware of that, but Americans have proven time and time again that they (we?) are stupid.

   I hadn't watched McCain's press conference till this morning and I think to some people they will see it as genuine because they don't pay attention to what is really happening or how things work in our country. Maybe I'm just being too paranoid, but I worry about their ability to spin things. Like Rachel Maddow: Talk Me Down

   Posted by: gabriel | Sep 25, 2008 11:25:07 AM

   
   

3. It's important that Barney Frank divert attention from his own troubles.

   MSNBC’s Chris Matthews launched several vitriolic attacks on the Republican Party on his Sept. 17, 2008, show, suggesting blame for Wall Street problems should be focused in a partisan way. However, he and other media have failed to thoroughly examine the Democratic side of the blame game.

   Prominent Democrats ran Fannie Mae, the same government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) that donated campaign cash to top Democrats. And one of Fannie Mae’s main defenders in the House – Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., a recipient of more than $40,000 in campaign donations from Fannie since 1989 – was once romantically involved with a Fannie Mae executive.

   The news media have covered the relationship in the past, but there have been no mentions since 2005, according to Nexis and despite the collapse of Fannie Mae. The July 3, 1998, Reliable Source column in The Washington Post reported Frank, who is openly gay, had a relationship with Herb Moses, an executive for the now-government controlled Fannie Mae. The column revealed the two had split up at the time but also said Frank was referring to Moses as his “spouse.” Another Washington Post report said Frank called Moses his “lover” and that the two were “still friends” after the breakup.

   Frank was and remains a stalwart defender of Fannie Mae, which is now under FBI investigation along with its sister organization Freddie Mac, American International Group Inc. (NYSE:AIG) and Lehman Brothers (NYSE:LEH) – all recently participants in government bailouts. But Frank has derailed efforts to regulate the institution, as well as denying it posed any financial risk. Frank’s office has been unresponsive to efforts by the Business & Media Institute to comment on these potential conflicts of interest.
   

   Posted by: Rik | Sep 25, 2008 11:32:26 AM

   
   

4. Frank may be wonderful on other issues, but he was so smitten with his own world view regarding home ownership as a way out of poverty that he held up any investigations of Freddie and Fanny, or any review of their regulations, for so long that it helped mightily to bring them down. So much fraud was committed in the name of reserved mortgages (anti-redlining regulated paper) that it's probably the main reason they went under after the end of the housing boom. He should remove himself from the process, but in his mind he's never done a wrong in his life.

   Posted by: anon | Sep 25, 2008 12:18:13 PM

   
   

5. Gee, "RIK," before you again copy/paste verbatim without attribution anything on a gay blog, you might want to at least delete/rephrase such transparent "tells" as, "...the Washington Post reported Frank, who is openly gay,...." Guess what: we already knew that.

   So it was easy to identify your vomit as having been regurgitated from the "Business & Media Institute"—a extremeist right wing organization led by homohating Troglodytes like members of the Cato Institute which, among other nonsense, claims that research from Scandinavia PROVES that gay marriage equality reduces straight marriages and childbirths.

   Frank is far from perfect, but fuck you, sir, and not in the good way.

   Posted by: Leland Frances | Sep 25, 2008 1:02:16 PM

   
   

6. When the dust settles from this "crisis", there will be enough blame to go around the world twice. Republican gutting of our regulatory systems for 6 years. Democratic leadership has been asleep at the wheel the last two years; using the excuse that they could not get anything by "W" so they didn't even seem to try (and f-them for not trying). The Banking Committee has been off on a good-intentioned folly. The SEC has been derelict in their duties as the corrupt Republican administration gives a wink and a nod to the SEC to look the other way-straight into our wallets. Greedy Wall Streeters were making up the game of finance as the went (and go) along; creating paper where cash use to be (and should be now). Compensation of Wall Street players and executives has been WAY out of logical realm. Globalization as an experiment, ineffective leaders, liars, corruption and now the fall. This is gonna be an "E" ticket ride. Everyone have a little extra cash stashed away?

   Posted by: noteasilyoffended | Sep 25, 2008 1:09:14 PM

   
   

7. Leland francis

   :-)

   Towleroad's own pit bull. Tear up the troll

   I'm going to have to steal this line from you

   "...but fuck you, sir, and not in the good way."

   Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Sep 25, 2008 1:48:52 PM

   
   

8. NotEOff

   How can a dem congress get anything done when the repubs filibuster everything they do? Hell, dems haven't even been able to get anything to bush's desk to be vetoed by him due to the repubs gams

   Thus why we need filibuster proof majorities in both houses.

   Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Sep 25, 2008 1:52:48 PM

   
   

9. Whoo-hoo! Go On Leland Francis!!!!

   Posted by: db | Sep 25, 2008 2:23:31 PM

   
   

10. The problem for Dems, JimmyB, is that they are on record arguing these past few years that FM/FM did not issue enough bad loans to poor people! They wanted the bill to go higher in the name of social engineering on a large scale. It doesn't matter if you have a filibuster proof majority (and there are too many conservative Dems for that to happen anyway) if you aren't in a reformist mood to begin with. They argued that trying to verify if the loans were actually helping the poor get mortgages (instead of house flippers and other schemers) was discrimination! So, what kind of majority do you need in congress to prevent grandstanding?

    Posted by: anon | Sep 25, 2008 3:10:27 PM

    
    

11. @ANON,

    really? "social engineering", really!? is that all you got? you are sarah palin as drag king. 'nuff said.

    Posted by: nic | Sep 25, 2008 3:41:38 PM

    
    

12. The Democrats are not Liberal enough !!! They should have pushed impeachment long ago.

    Posted by: Ty | Sep 25, 2008 7:34:08 PM

    
    

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