Hard News: The Debate and Onwards
242 Responses
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Not wishing to change the topic, however I'm interested to know the impact of this situation on private equity firms. For a while, in Australia at least, they were the obsession of the media (particularly following a attempt to buy Qantas that failed but cost Qantas's Chair her job). I'd understood that they were at the most aggressive end of trading so am assuming that means most exposed, most leveraged, most affected? So far the news is focused on the quantum of losses and the failures of large and previously reputable firms, I wonder when we'll start hearing about entire funds that have been wiped out?
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Paul - private equity at least has the edge that they are invested in actual businesses. Unfortunately they tend to have loaded them with so much debt that as:
a. that debt funding becomes more expensive
b. economic growth prospects for that business dry up
the model becomes untenable. Ability to repay the debt gets very constrained. -
I have yet to master the dark art of link embedding so can one of you maestros do me a solid?
http://punditkitchen.com/2008/10/02/political-pictures-sarah-palin-palindrome-forward-backward/
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3410,
For Aucklanders without pay TV:
Palin / Biden is on Triangle, 10 pm tonight.
(I confirmed with the station this time). -
John: What exactly is "covert" about standing for elections to school boards, running campaigns on issues, and actually bloody organising to get ballot initiatives passed? Sorry for quoting The West Wing, but in a democracy decisions get made by the people who bother to show up.
I'm referring to the strategy of getting policy in thru the back door. Everyone knows that local-body politics have very low voter turnouts, and that is why The Right has realised it's easier to take over smaller bodies and make change from there.
John Daily expressed it better last night, in his interview with Peggy Noonan:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=186766&title=peggy-noonan
As he said (paraphrasing) why can't they just say outright what they plan to do, rather than making obtuse statements that they later use post-election to claim that they never hid their agenda pre-election.
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thanks 3410, I'll tune in
(saw it on sky last week at mum's) -
d'oh -- check out my Daily Show link at the bottom of Page 9!
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I have yet to master the dark art of link embedding so can one of you maestros do me a solid?
This is the method I use. I’m sure there are slicker ways.
1. From the column to the left of the ‘Post a reply’ window copy and paste the text after the word ‘Link:’
2. Copy the address from the browser address bar. Delete the letters ‘url’ and paste in the address.
3. Delete the words ’link text’ and type in what you want eg.’Pundit Kitchen’.
4. Check it by pressing ‘Preview’ and then ‘Post reply’ when all is in order.
Good luck.
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Just in from the Anchorage Daily News
Judge refuses to halt Troopergate probe
Published: October 2nd, 2008 05:26 PMAn Anchorage judge today refused to halt the Legislature's investigation of Gov. Sarah Palin and denied the state attorney general's attempt to throw out legislative subpoenas.
Superior Court Judge Peter Michalski heard arguments from both sides this morning and ruled just before 5 this afternoon.
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Ta much Uncle Bob!
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Jesus, anyone listening to the debate; she's doing far better than I'd expected so either I fell for the GOPs strategy or she's a fantastic student.
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My judgment on the debate appears at odds with the first page or so of CNN commenters as recorded here
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No, Paul, I'm with you too. She debated well. Mainly because she has done little but prepare for it for the last 3 weeks.
You could tell precisely which questions came as surprises, too, because her syntax fell apart and she muffed her answers (the questions about Dick Cheney, and about whether she'd ever changed her mind on a matter of principle - Biden's answers were brilliant on both).
For sheer entertainment and illlumination value, it was tons better than the Presidential face-off. What I wouldn't give to see a tag-team debate with all four of them on stage.
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I just caught the last 15 minutes, but I just want to note that she used the phrase 'back in the day' in her closing statement.
Christ. :)
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No, Paul, I'm with you too. She debated well. Mainly because she has done little but prepare for it for the last 3 weeks.
Oh Jolisa, I was so hoping you'd tell me I was totally wrong.
I did notice the decline in confidence and fluidity on questions but she still performed at an acceptable level; I wonder if they'll get any bounce and how long it'll endure - some wiser head here noted that whatever bounce she might create, will have diminished by the time people vote.
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Of what I saw, she did well enough. Hollow statements all over the show but no obvious gaffs and that's all she needed.
Biden won it for me - on topic, knowledgeable etc etc even if a US politico tendency to schmaltz still remained - but I'm not sure that Palin's folksy stylings won't play quite well in the US.SEE! SHE DIDN'T BALLS IT UP! is probably enough of a headline for her anyway...
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I'm with Andrew Sullivan. Put her in front of the media with no script or prep and let's see what she's got. Can she handle, or understand, or analyse the real world as it unfolds before her?
Actually, I think we all know how that would play out.
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I just want to note that she used the phrase 'back in the day' in her closing statement.
Christ. :)
Did you also catch "Say it ain't so, Joe, there ya go again!"
And she winked at the audience. Twice.
Winking during a televised job interview for VP is like... I dunno, like putting exclamation marks all the way through your application letter!!!!
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Oh, and, oh my god, Joe Biden's response to her whole "As a mom" schtick was amazing - not just affecting, but effective.
And instead of pausing and acknowledging it, Palin just chirped on with her next prepared answer.
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Did you also catch "Say it ain't so, Joe, there ya go again!"
Isn't "there you go again" an attempt to rehash Reagan's "there he goes again..." from the 84 presidential debates. (that's not from memory, just a half remembered comment elsewhere).
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Good call. A subliminal Reaganism to go along with the three (or was it four?) invocations of him by name. I almost expected him to show up, Hamlet's-dad-like, but I guess she forgot to draw the necessary pentacle on the stage...
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I almost expected him to show up, Hamlet's-dad-like, but I guess she forgot to draw the necessary pentacle on the stage...
That's laugh out loud funny, but it is nearly beer o'clock NZ time...
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I did, in fact, just laugh out loud into my beer o'clock beer.
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I only caught the last 10 minutes, but found Biden surprisingly likeable, thoughtful, and down to earth.
Palin just sounded horribly insincere.
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Agreed, Biden came across as a very smart, very upright guy. I hadn't seen much of him before, and I now want to see more.
And since it's beer o'clock, doesn't he have a nice smile? If the contest were decided on smile-wattage alone, I think Obama & Biden would beat the beauty queen and the grimacer.
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