During the run-up to the last Presidential election, I spent so much time reading and commenting at the Daily Kos that I became obsessed and the whole thing became unhealthy. Since then, I have largely stayed away. Until this morning. Knowing that Kos has been a staunch Obama supporter all along, I figured his site would be a good source for commentary on the choice of Biden as Democratic running mate. It was, and there was plenty to absorb, but I really got interested when I started reading the diaries.

One in particular, titled McCain: Housing important to you? don't vote for me, caught my attention. I had heard about McCain's gaffe over not knowing how many houses he owns but this seemed a bit extreme, even for McCain. Nope, he really said this.

Pulling a quote from the Washington Post's coverage of Florida Governor Charlie Crist's endorsement of John McCain, the diary focused on this statement:

Even if the economy is the, quote, number one issue, the real issue will remain America's security," [McCain] said. "If it's not the most important issue in the minds of many voters, America's security will remain the number one issue with me. And if they choose to say, 'Look, I do not need this guy because he's not as good on home loan mortgages,' or whatever it is, I understand that. I will accept that verdict. I am running because of the transcendent challenge of the twenty-first century, which is radical Islamic extremism, as you know."

Okay, that's insane and scary. I think the real crux of this whole issue was summed up very tidily by a commenter whose nick is We Shall Overcome:

the issue is not about how many homes the McCains own, how much money they have, etc., but the fact that their wealth insulates them from the realities of average Americans.

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The McCains live in a bubble where private jets, beachfront condos, mountain estates, $500 loafers, wining and dining are the NORM. And, there is nothing wrong with that if that is what you aspire to.

BUT IF YOU ASPIRE TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND WANT TO BE IN CHARGE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL ECONOMY IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD YOU HAD BETTER CARE ABOUT HOW THAT ECONOMY AFFECTS YOUR CONSTITUENTS!!!

I'm not sure what the national statistics on home foreclosures are, but there was a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle that said that one third of all resale home purchases in the Bay Area were foreclosure sales. In some counties the rate was as high as two thirds. That was shocking to me. And this particular statistic doesn't even cover the foreclosed properties that weren't resold. When people are losing their homes at an alarming rate, it seems like a no-brainer to me that housing would be a matter of concern to a Presidential candidate. I guess not to one who doesn't even know how many houses (plural) he himself owns. It makes me want to vomit.

Nothing like the taste of a little outrage in the morning.

The people who post at the Daily Kos are better informed than most of the journalists out there and are sticklers for accuracy. If one is brave enough to opine in a diary thread at the Daily Kos, you better have your facts straight because those folks have sharp teeth and they're not afraid to use them. That's why the site got the nickname "the shark pool" from a number of frequent participants. But it's also what makes the Daily Kos such a great place to get information. While it is unapologetically biased toward the Democratic point of view - and the site's founder has always been very clear about this - all of the site's contributors do a great job of bringing attention to things that barely, if ever, get covered by "mainstream media."

I forgot how much I enjoyed reading the Daily Kos, increases to my blood pressure notwithstanding. I think I'm ready to dip my toe in the shark pool again.

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 10:08 AM