Well, yeah, the crisis isn't the fault of Freddie and Fannie - they're the tipping point.

Perhaps there's a misunderstanding - see, to focus on Freddie and Fannie as the crux of the financial crisis is basically blaming blacks for it - but the fact of the matter is - all sorts of people were defaulting on their homes - that's why banks are going under left and right.   We were trying to prop up Freddie and Fannie to keep the credit market secure. 

See, that's why, I suspect, (I should only speak for myself, but I think Jodi and I have similar backgrounds) that people took a racial tone to your video. 

If you honestly were going under a misasumption about the cause of this, then my apologies.  

But... having said that... whoever is perpetrating the idea that this comes from black people's home loans, and that the current market's woes are all the fault of Freddie and Fannie?  That guy has some race issues.

sigh... to think... Sean Hannity was wrong... sniff...

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/05/fact-check-i s-obama-palling-around-with-terrorists/

So, saw this depressing story of voter intimidation: http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/30082104.html

and it made me think of something bigger - this is something I've been hearing a LOT - from friends and family - that they refuse to register to vote because...

They think it gets them jury duty.

If we can clear one misconception up, let it be that one - most counties registar of voters websites are clear about this - I'll link to this one, as an example:

http://www.oc.ca.gov/ELECTION/general/1b-10.htm

Can you blame them, Matt?  (well, you're an honest decent chap, so, yes you could, but work with me here) - It's all they got. 

They're trying to say the economy is the fault of the Dems - though facts don't back that up and the people's stomaches - the thing that's really motivating the vote - doesn't care about facts - true or not - they care about: "This guy is in, and we're not doing well.  Next!"

So... they resort to what Hannity has been bleating all along - go for fear: Obama is a muslim terrorist.  And he fathered two black children. 

Well, they haven't tried the second one yet, but when you consider that Rove claimed that McCain fathered a black child in 2000 to help Bush beat him in the primaries, and now that McCain is feeding stealth information to the McCain campaign... well... it's bound to come up at some point.

Look at how they made Obama's (black) wife into such a threat.  Do you remember during the primaries when there was a threat that a tape would be released of her saying she "hated whitey"?

I tell you what - that whole episode made ME hate whitey.

No, I kid - I've never been fond of whitey.  But it sure didn't make him look better in my eyes.

Sean Hannity played to that one, too!  He hinted on air, over a few days, that he did in fact have that tape, before finally admitting the whole thing a joke.

Some joke, you dumb bigot.   Man, Hannity ought to be taken out back and beat with a hose, for fuck's sake...

Geoff - I agree!  I would love to see some old-timey Republicans in office.  I can live with guys who have differing view-points - my gripe with a lot of current Republicans is that their views are shaped by outrageous religious beliefs (note - I'm not saying all religious beliefs - Obama, Biden, McCain?  They're all Christian, and I'm ok with their beliefs.  Fundies, on the other hand...) - or putting corporate interests before American interests.

I think, despite the Keating 5 Scandal, that McCain would put America first - but... yes, even choosing Palin, much less having her on the ticket - that was him flushing the last of his soul and humanity down the crapper.

Poor bastard.  He seems like a nice enough guy.  I mean... except for the Anti-MLK Day stance, but you know - nice enough.