Palin and the Foreign Policy Debate

Apparently, it wouldn't be fair if the moderators asked too many foreign policy questions. Poor Sarah.



Personally, I don't think Palin has a strong area or a "fortay", so I'm fine with everything. She's getting training this week, so expect more one-liners than anything else.

Electorate Race: 9/28

From 538,



And here is another scenario breakdown,



Notice the Obama landslide increased 10 points from last week.

McCain v. Palin

According to McCain/Palin, we can't listen to people's "verbage" or words just because someone is "sticking a microphone [in] while conversations are being held."

"She would not…she understands and has stated repeatedly that we're not going to do anything except in America's national security interest," McCain told ABC's George Stephanopoulos of Palin. "In all due respect, people going around and… sticking a microphone while conversations are being held, and then all of a sudden that's—that's a person's position… This is a free country, but I don't think most Americans think that that's a definitve policy statement made by Governor Palin."

Thanks, John.

McCain's Wedding Stunt

The Times of London reports that a shotgun wedding is in the works for Bristol Palin.

"Inside John McCain’s campaign the expectation is growing that there will be a popularity boosting pre-election wedding in Alaska between Bristol Palin, 17, and Levi Johnston, 18, her schoolmate and father of her baby. “It would be fantastic,” said a McCain insider. “You would have every TV camera there. The entire country would be watching. It would shut down the race for a week."

I'm not sure what's worse: Forcing people to get married fro political gain or that a shotgun wedding has the potential to increase popularity. At this point in the game, I think most people see the McCain camp as a gimmick and know that this is yet another attention-grabbing stunt.

Post Debate Reaction

The trackers will be coming in all week, but here is the first round of reactions from the first debate. It's a clear win for Obama.

And here are some reactions to the issues discussed in the debate.

Looking good to me. Bottom line is that McCain didn't come close to winning the debate that he has been built to win. The rest will favor Obama.

Debate 1

The first debate was an interesting one. Barack Obama was collected, serious, not personable and very informed. McCain was condescending, easily irritated, increasingly tired looking and gave me the impression that was contemptuous of Obama for having the nerve to challenge him on foreign policy and the presidency. Apparently, he feels as if he is entitled to it.

Luckily, most viewers did not. The GOP thought McCain won. The Dems thought that Obama won and, luckily, the Indy's thought Obama won. That's actually pretty impressive. This was supposed to be an easy one for McCain. After all, it's his "speciality". The next two will be Obama territory and Palin might wet her pants.

This writer has an interesting take.

"The first presidential debate was more than a clash of ideology or temperaments. Barack Obama and John McCain did not even wrestle over the $700 billion economic bailout. Theirs was a generational collision, and at times it looked almost like a dramatic rendition of Freudian family tension: an older patriarch frustrated and even cranky when challenged by a would-be successor to the family business who thinks he can run it better."

From where I'm standing, every single news outlet, journalist and analyst is giving this one to Obama. Ouch for McCain, especially since it was his territory.

Next is Palin and I think that should sufficiently sink the ship.

***The polls that come out today will not reflect the debate. We'll need to wait a couple days for the reaction to filter in.

Pre-Debate Read

This guy is right on. Here's the whole article...

Sell! Sell! McCain is tanking!
By Dan Payne
September 26, 2008

JOHN MCCAIN'S move to suspend his campaign and TV spots and to dodge tonight's debate is a panic attack, not cagey tactics. Place your "sell" order now. His poll numbers are tanking, fewer and fewer Americans believe Sarah Palin is qualified, and his campaign manager has been exposed as a well-paid lobbyist for bankrupt Freddie Mac.


From strong to Depression in 10 days. Ten days ago McCain said the economy was fundamentally strong. Now he's decided it's so fundamentally weak he's needed in Washington ASAP. Meanwhile, Sarah Palin told Katie Couric on CBS if a bailout doesn't pass, "We're going to find ourselves in another Great Depression." How's that for a little reassurance?

For whom the polls fell. What changed about the financial bailout that prompted this bizarre behavior? McCain's poll numbers. They've been dropping like last week's Dow. In the key state of Pennsylvania, Obama now leads by 9. In Wisconsin, it's +7, Colorado +4, Michigan +4, Minnesota +2, and Virginia +3. Even in Florida it's +2.

The Washington Post/ABC poll shows Obama now leads the national horserace by 9 points, a turnaround of 11 points in two weeks. The poll found 79 percent of the American people are very worried about the national economy, and 60 percent are worried about their own finances. Obama is beating McCain by 14 points in understanding people's economic problems.

Democrats calling his bluff. Democrats have told the White House they will not vote for a bailout package unless it's one John McCain supports. They don't want to give him a chance to say no and grandstand as a "maverick" using the rejection as a chance to prove his independence from Bush and Wall Street.

Palin is failin'. In a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 49 percent say Palin is unqualified to be president if needed. By comparison, 64 percent say Joe Biden is qualified.

Palin on Couric. The entire time I'm watching Palin "answer" questions from Katie Couric, I'm thinking, what an airhead. We're in two wars, our financial markets are in collapse, unemployment is rising, global warming is getting worse, and this is who might become president?

Palin loves droppin' them g's. Talkin', takin', gettin', I'm thinkin' we got a grownup valley girl here runnin' for vice president.

Oh, Ricky. Rick Davis is McCain's campaign manager. He is also a highly paid lobbyist for Freddie Mac, the bailed-out mortgage giant. Davis received more than a quarter of a million dollars this year from Freddie Mac -- a firm that you and I as taxpayers now own. Asked when he last worked for Freddie, Davis lied and said it was three years ago. He's a poison pill for McCain.

Multitasking is part of the job. As Obama put it, a president has to do more than one thing at a time. He said we both have our own big jets that can fly us from D.C. to Mississippi in time for the debate.

The hothead. This McCain stunt is consistent with his being a notorious hothead that blows up and demeans anyone who displeases him. Asked by a high school student several months ago if he was too old to be president, he replied, "Thanks for the question, you little jerk."

McCain publicly cursed former GOP Senator Pete Domenici. Last year he blasted Senator John Cornyn over the budget. Cornyn's reply reveals how effective McCain will be with his colleagues on the bailout. "I've been sitting in here for all these negotiations and you just parachute in here on the last day. You're out of line." McCain struck back with an f-bomb.

Et tu, Cindy? Another semi-famous blowup came during his 2000 campaign when his wife, Cindy, joked about his losing his hair. (For his colorfully gross reply, Google "McCain top ten blowups.")

Respect the people's wishes. A quickie poll done by SurveyUSA shows that 90 percent of Americans want the debate to take place as scheduled.

Obama as president. In his press conference in response to McCain's panic attack, Obama was calm, cool, and collected. If the whole nation had been watching, people would have seen what President Obama would be like. They may get that chance tonight.

Zogby is Clueless

Pollster Prez, John Zogby is about 11 months too late on this one...

"John Zogby, president of Zogby International, told a group of businesspeople today that it’s up to Democratic Sen. Barack Obama to convince voters to go with him. If he’s not successful, the country will likely vote for “a comfortable old shoe”, that being Republican Sen. John McCain."

According to 538 (a composite pollster), that's pretty much impossible.



Pollsters need to stop being in the narrative-creating business. The MSM is more than enough for me.

Obama's Moment

Obama has come out strong in his insistence to continue on with the debates. He has been clear, and like always, is far ahead of McCain in popular opinion. People want to hear from the candidates and like Obama said, the President is going to have to deal with more than one issue at a time. McCain has made himself look quite weak.

I'm pumped up for the debates and I know that both McCain and Palin are terrified. I would love it if McCain refused to debate and Obama showed up. McCain would pretend that he was busy in Washington, but it won't work. Since Palin was thrown at the Media, they have been much more vigilant in what they accept as fact.

Again, Schumer says it best:

We haven't heard hide nor hair of Sen. McCain in these negotiations," said Schumer, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee. "He has not been involved except for an occasional, unhelpful statement, sort of thrown from far away, and the last thing we need in these delicate negotiations is an injection of presidential politics."

McCain Press Conference

Here's McCain's pathetic attempt:



He uses 9/11 as well. Here's Obama's reaction.



It looks like most people are seeing this as a ploy.

David Letterman v. McCain

He sums it up...

"You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

McCain and the Debate

Just in case you were wondering where the American people were on McCain's latest stunt, SUSA has the polls.

The first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama is scheduled to take place in two days. Should the debate be held as scheduled? Should the debate be held, but the format changed to focus on the economy? Or, should the debate be postponed?
Hold as scheduled 50
Hold with focus on economy 36
Postpone 10


Is the right response to the turmoil on Wall Street to suspend the campaigns for president? To continue the campaigns as though there is no crisis? Or, to re-focus the campaigns with a unique emphasis on the turmoil on Wall Street?
Suspend 14
Continue 31
Refocus the campaign 48


If Friday's presidential debate does not take place, would that be good for America? Bad for America? Or would it make no difference?

Good for America 14
Bad for America 46
No difference 35

Most people want the campaigns to "refocus". That's horrible news for McCain. No more distractions. As I said two months ago, Obama wins.

Narrative-creating

The jokers at the AP and other blind media outlets usually are guided by election time hysteria and narratives come and go within hours. I have seen this AP headline on my YahooNews ticker for the past 36 hours. NEVER have I ever seen the same headline on the ticker for more than 6 hours (and that's even a stretch). This is the same tired article that goes along with the Image of the Week/Useless Poll that I talked about two days ago.

Here's the cached headline that has actually moved from a brief mentioning to a headline.



Everything about this article is absurd. The title, "A New Racial Divide", is a pathetic attempt to make it seem like Obama is somewhat responsible for creating this "New" concept of racism and black-white animonsity. The teaser, "And who's to blame?" makes it abuntantly clear that the AP is trying to heighten racial tensions as the election nears. How about the, "Poll: Racial views may cost Obama". Cost him what? The election? Right.

The wedge the AP is going for is pretty apparent. Now that Obama has a comfortable lead, it's time to bring his race back into it and see if that might scare the numbers into tightening.

Move on AP

The AP really needs to get some new writers or at least come up with some catchier headlines.

McCain criticizes Obama for lack of leadership

That's the best they got. Time to move on, AP.

McCain's Cars

I guess you have to fill up all of those garages.

"After the fuss over the number of residences owned by the two presidential nominees, NEWSWEEK looked into the candidates' cars. And based on public vehicle-registration records, here's the score. John and Cindy McCain: 13. Barack and Michelle Obama: one."

I own one car and one motor-scooter, so maybe I'm on my way, too?

Obama Fighting

Rex Murphy doesn't seem to understand why Obama is acting like a comabative partisan.

"His acceptance speech in the Olympic-style stadium could not gather the inspirational energy of his earlier arias. Of late, the flash supernova of U.S. politics is seen "competing" with a second-on-the-ticket female governor of a remote state. There's more than a gap between the "audacity of hope" and "lipstick on a pig." The mouth that spoke the first phrase should not be capable of the second.

He has shrunk into a combative partisan. He crowds his own screen, leaves less space for projection. Others are not writing his narrative now - he's inscribing his own."

Right. This guy obviously forgot what happens when you don't fight: Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Gore, Kerry...

Obama didn't forget.

SNL on McCain

Good for SNL.

Vote Early

The best way to avoid GOP shenanigans is to vote early. It looks like 1/3 of voters will be doing the same. The AP says:

"Nationwide, about a third of the electorate is expected to vote early this year, thanks to expanded early voting provisions and fewer restrictions on absentee voting, researchers project. In all, more than 30 states allow any registered voter to cast an early ballot, some in person and others by mail."

With the polls heavily favoring Obama, this should minimize the sleazy last-ditch efforts that the GOP is sure to wage. Maybe no October surprise?

Electoral Race: 9/22

Here's what we're looking at these days...



I like it.

Obama Penny

That would make sense, no?

Image of the Week

Well, I guess it was a matter of time until we saw a racist poll like this surface.

From the mouth of the douche himself, Ron Fourier claims:

"40 percent of all white Americans hold at least a partly negative view toward blacks."

And in case that wasn't inflammatory enough, they gave us this handy little image to go along with the paranoia.


This is so offensive, but while we're looking at it, was anyone surprised by the GOP numbers?

Ad Wars: McCain "Doesn't Get" It

Obama has fired a few good ones out there recently. I think this one is the most effective. The economy is what this election is about and now that Palin-McCain McCain-Palin has hit their crest, it's time to get back to business.

Alaska Produces 20% of My Ass

McCain and Palin are well equipped to be in the White House. Palin demostrated it with Charlie Gibson last week by lying in every other sentence. Here's my favorite:

Palin says,

"Let me speak specifically about a credential that I do bring to this table, Charlie, and that's with the energy independence that I've been working on for these years as the governor of this state that produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy, that I worked on as chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, overseeing the oil and gas development in our state to produce more for the United States."

Factcheck.org debunks that one pretty easily:

"It's simply untrue that Alaska produces anything close to 20 percent of the U.S. "energy supply," a term that is generally defined as energy consumed. That category includes power produced in the U.S. by nuclear, coal, hydroelectric dams and other means – as well as all the oil imported into the country.

Palin would have been correct to say that Alaska produces just over 14 percent of all the oil produced in the U.S., leaving out imports and leaving out other forms of power. According to the federal government's Energy Information Administration, Alaskan wells produced 263.6 million barrels of oil in 2007, or 14.3 percent of the total U.S. production of 1.8 billion barrels.

But Alaskan production accounts for only 4.8 percent of all the crude oil and petroleum products supplied to the U.S. in 2007, counting both domestic production and imports from other nations. According to EIA, the total supply was just over 5.5 billion barrels in 2007.

Furthermore, Palin said "energy," not "oil," so she was actually much further off the mark. According to EIA, Alaska actually produced 2,417.1 trillion BTUs [British Thermal Units] of energy in 2005, the last year for which full state numbers are available. That's equal to just 3.5 percent of the country's domestic energy production.

And according to EIA analyst Paul Hess, that would calculate to only "2.4 percent of the 100,368.6 trillion BTUs the U.S. consumes."

Palin didn't make clear whether she was talking about Alaska's share of all the energy produced in the U.S. or all the energy consumed here. Either way, she was wrong."

But where's the king of deceit? Here's old John:

"Well, I think Americans are going to be very, very, very pleased. This is a very dynamic person. [Palin's] been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply."

Tanning McCain

While McCain's Health Insurance policy doesn't extend much beyond SPF, at least he is concerned about skin cancer. Palin prefers to be injected with it...

"The governor did have a tanning bed put in the Governor's Mansion," Roger Wetherell, chief communications officer of Alaska's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, confirmed to this newspaper. "It was done shortly after she took office [in early 2007] and moved into the mansion."

Not a big deal in the least, but interesting conflict of interests.

Forget Palin

Nate over at 538 reminds us to forget about Palin and focus on McCain.

"The Sarah Palin Phenomenon is not about facts – it’s about an emotional gut reaction to someone who has charisma and reflects something essentially common and real about themselves."

Obama knows this as well.

VA Switches Back to Obama

Will more States do the same?

"In an election for President of the United States in Virginia today, 09/15/08, 7 weeks till votes are counted, Democrat Barack Obama defeats Republican John McCain 50% to 46%, according to this latest SurveyUSA poll conducted for WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, WJLA-TV in Washington DC, WTVR-TV in Richmond, and WJHL-TV in the Tri-Cities. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA poll released one week ago, immediately following the Republican National Convention, Obama is up 3 points; McCain is down 3. The movement solidifies Virginia place as America's 2008 battleground."

McCain Camp Calls SNL Palin Skit "Sexist"

Give me a break. SNL is calling it as it is: A pathetic last-ditch effort to shore up support and change the story.

This was funny (and the voice was dead on!):



This was pathetic:

"Well, I think that she looked a bit like her. I think that, of course, the portrait was very dismissive of the substance of Sarah Palin, and so in that sense, they were defining Hillary Clinton as very substantive, and Sarah Palin as totally superficial. I think that continues the line of argument that is disrespectful in the extreme, and yes, I would say, sexist in the sense that just because Sarah Palin has different views than Hillary Clinton does not mean that she lacks substance. She has a lot of substance."

Conservative Backlash?

This might sting.



That's what you get when you drag people around for personal gain.

Palin's "Radical Theology" Scares a Baptist Minister

When Baptist ministers are scared of her, then you know we have a problem.

"She scares me," said Bess. "She's Jerry Falwell with a pretty face.

"At this point, people in this country don't grasp what this person is all about. The key to understanding Sarah Palin is understanding her radical theology."

Agreed. But this is what really scares me:

"Things got very intense around here in the '90s -- the culture war was very hot here," Bess said. "The evangelicals were trying to take over the valley. They took over the school board, the community hospital board, even the local electric utility. And Sarah Palin was in the direct center of all these culture battles, along with the churches she belonged to."

The McCain Draw

Palinless McCain is looking pretty good, huh?



They were expecting 16,000 and got 3,000.

Factcheck.org Debunks McCain's "Fact Check" ad

Newsweek is pretty upset with McCain using "Factcheck.org" in his ad to claim that Obama has been "misleading" people about Palin. Well, Factcheck.org debunked that.

The ad:

With its latest ad, released Sept. 10, the McCain-Palin campaign has altered our message in a fashion we consider less than honest. The ad strives to convey the message that FactCheck.org said "completely false" attacks on Sarah Palin had come from Sen. Barack Obama. We said no such thing. We have yet to dispute any claim from the Obama campaign about Palin.

They call the ad "Fact Check." It says "the attacks on Gov. Palin have been called 'completely false' ... 'misleading.' " On screen is a still photo of a grim-faced Obama. Our words are accurately quoted, but they had nothing to do with Obama.

Pretty low, McCain.

McCain/Bush Ads

It's almost like he's not trying.

ROK Drop Thread

I have been reading the GI blog, ROK Korea for almost two years now. I disagree with the guy most of the time, but he's a good guy. They have had a few threads going these days and there is one commentor that is a perfect example of the current GOP strategy. He/She has taken every Dem campaign position and turned them into a GOP talking point ONLY because McCain selected Palin based on the sexist assumption that women would vote for her based on gender.

He/She has gotten very nasty in recent days, but I wonder if people like this are really representative of the current state of the GOP.

Here are some of his hits. I am "The Clam".

"I will say it here first “down-low-gate”. This is the blockbuster revelation that Obama has had many gay lover, and they are getting murdered. MURDERED!! Don Young, Larry Bland, Nate Spencer.. how much more innocent blood must be spilt to satisfy the Obama lust for power."

and

"Its so great that America has a new hero. Sarah Palin. The democrats did what I expected, they backstabbed Hillary to keep her out of the white house. Look at all the Democrats that are running to McCain. Now a new hero has steped forward. SARAH PALIN. Thank you baby Jesus for bringing the world such a great hero."

and

"Already Democrats want to “bash” Palin because they can’t imagine a world where a woman is VP. Hillary almost broke that glass, but the Democratic machine stopped her. Now Palin is carying the tourch. Palin will be a hero to many for breaking the glass.

The Clam, what do you see when you look into a little girls eyes? I see all the possibilites that GOD can offer. EVEN PRESIDENT OF THE MOST POWERFUL NATION ON EARTH. Don’t crush that little girls dreams because you hate women or wish that women are lower then men. Your wishes will never come true.

Sarah Palin: CHANGE WE CAN BELIVE IN!!"

I responded.

Shattered,

It’s like a bizarro world with you.

“Don’t crush that little girls dreams because you hate women or wish that women are lower then men. Your wishes will never come true.”

Watch it, douche bag. As King Baeksu said, the Dems were there over twenty years ago. Don’t try take credit for something that the Left fought many years for. Having a woman in the VP slot does not allow the swine in the GOP to lecture us about equality. We fought you guys to get where we are today. You might have “forgot”, but we did not.

I know name calling is childish, but you sir are a lying douche.

Back to him/her...

the Clam-Lets destroy this bitch! We Dems gave a woman a shot! She FAILED!!!!

KB-What right does a women have being conservative!

Sorry gents, your glass wall will come down.

Ronald Reagan-Tear Down this Wall

Sarah Palin-CHANGE WE CAN BELIVE IN!!

and

“

I know name calling is childish, but you sir are a lying douche.”-

The words of the clam

What is the lie! Clam! Damn your eyes! You sir have lied!

I looked up the word “douche” the clam.

To douche is to introduce a “stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons”

I dont know why you called me that, but your are right I am pure like water, unless you feel H20 is evil, and I am trying to help you (cure you), and other fools, and sometimes helping simple people makes them angry (and childish).

A douche, is medicine to an “intestinal bacteria in the vagina”. That is what a douche is inteneded to cure, a bacteria like you.

People like you look to other simple minded people who will nod their heads in agreement with your insults. But the strong and honest will stand tall.

Sarah Palin-CHANGE WE CAN BELIVE IN!!

She stands tall! Why do you hate her and the dreams of so many daughters of the proud nation of The United States of America!

Its time for change and CHANGE WE ALL (EVEN WOMEN MR CLAM!!) CAN BELIVE IN!

I responded...

So, you are a douche? Nice.

“She stands tall! Why do you hate her and the dreams of so many daughters of the proud nation of The United States of America! Its time for change and CHANGE WE ALL (EVEN WOMEN MR CLAM!!) CAN BELIVE IN.”

Seriously, stop pretending the the GOP is the champion of civil rights. It’s a pretty bogus and offensice claim.

Who was it that said something like this?

“Lets destroy this bitch.” Hmmmm… Oh yeah, it was McCain’s campaign staff in reference to Hillary. The Palin pick was a political pick and nothing more. Open your eyes and stop flattering yourself and your party.

Back to him/her...

Sarah Palin has her own action figure! Children around the world are rejoicing!

http://www.sarahpalinactionfigure.com/

America and the world need REAL CHANGE. CHANGE THEY CAN BELIVE IN.
Not the failed politics of GORE-KERRY-HUSSAIN OBAMA.

The Clam, don’t piss on a childs dream.

and

Hillary said the glass ceiling has 18 million cracks and the Clam is busy tryng to glue that ceiling back to the way it was. The Clam, Palin will bring change to the White house no matter how much you and your haters try and stop her.

Its time for real change: Palin!

and

Back to him/her...(Remember, I have not responded to him except for those two comments)

There are plenty of smart lefties. Look at Obama, he is full of cunning and trickery.

Back to topic-With McCain on top of the polls, he is looking like a real “comeback kid”. Its good to see the good guys win.

Biden by far is the most anti-woman politician (besides Obama) on the ticket.

Meet Joe Biden: the Anita Hill lyncher! htt p://www.feministing.com/archives/010594.html
Its time for real change people! CHANGE WE CAN BELIVE IN!

WE CAN DO IT!!

and

Palin for the world!

“I wouldn’t even call it a Palin movement, I’d call it a sleeping giant that has been awakened,” Baron, 56, said at a rally here Tuesday. She described its members as a silent majority of women in Middle America who “are raising our families, who work if we have to, but love our country and our families first

.”

and

"Polls say that Sarah is just plain popular. She feels the pain of the common man.
Polls say that Biden is out of touch. A failed man from the past.

36 years in the Senate, Biden is the ultimite insider. Change wont happen with Obama and Biden.

CHANGE WE CAN ALL BELIVE IN! SARAH!"

and

The latest Obama scandal - lipstickGate.
Charges of sexism leveled against the Obama camp.

and the final one from him/her...

"KKKLam has just the kind of `politics as usual` thinking that needs to change in America. Obama and the Obama-bots like KKKlam see everything through the eyes of division. I think McCain and Palin are going to bring well needed change to washington. Its time for change WE ALL can belive in."

So, here am I. A member of the party who has been a champion of civil and human rights; the party who tried in '84 to elect a woman; the party who fights for women's rights at work and behind closed doors; the party that has always supported women and the party who boasts a dramatically higher number of female elected officials than it's counterpart. And I am being called a sexist and a racist.

The GOP has lost their mind. Any thoughts?

Oh, and check it out for yourself...

2008 Election Fraud Watch

Lose your house, lose your vote.

“We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren’t voting from those addresses,” party chairman James Carabelli told Michigan Messenger in a telephone interview earlier this week. He said the local party wanted to make sure that proper electoral procedures were followed."

Hope about: Destroy the economy, steal your vote.

Ad Wars: McCain is a Lying Pervert

He took down his Lipstick ad on Youtube, but he still approves this message.



Creepy, McCain.

Ron Paul Spoiler?

Paul is trying to get people out and supporting the 3rd-party candidates. I agree. I would love it if we had a viable 3rd-party. In this case, it will help Obama and hurt McCain.

"The strongest message can be sent by rejecting the two party system," Paul said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. "This can be accomplished by voting for one of the non-establishment, principled candidates."

If Obama doesn't win, I can tell you that I will be a for the Kucinch National Party.

Sarah "No Press" Palin

It's easy to keep lying when no one is allowed to ask you questions.

"More than 40 million people tuned in last week to listen to the speech from Palin, the 44-year-old, first-term governor whom McCain announced as his surprise vice presidential pick just days before. Since then, that basic script is all anyone has heard from her publicly, and her only interaction with the media was a brief conversation with a small group of reporters on her plane Monday _ off the record at her handlers' insistence.

Associated Press reporters were not on the plane, but an aide told the journalists on board that all Palin flights would be off the record unless the media were told otherwise. At least one reporter objected. Two people on the flight said the Palins greeted the media and they chatted about who had been to Alaska, but little else was said."

Lowering expectations in their game. If no one hears from her until the debate and then she says something that makes sense, they will call it a home run. McCain campaign manager Rick Davis says that Palin will "agree to an interview when we think it's time and when she feels comfortable doing it."

What bullshit. People should be up-in-arms.

Poll Sampling

Wonder why McCain has an edge? I don't.

Huffington has the story.

"In a year in which Democrats have a lead of 11 million registered voters over Republicans, and have been adding to that advantage through a robust field operation, are pollsters over-sampling Republicans?"

Obama on O'Reilly

In case you missed it...

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



What did you think?

The GOP and ANWR

"The Lord gave us all the resources, I believe, in this world that we need, but they just don't look like the resources we need. And it would do no harm."

No harm? Right.



Let me get this straight. Since, it's gray and ugly, it's okay to destroy? Well, you're gray and ugly. And she thinks that having "refrigerator-looking" structures is not an eye sore. I also like how he made fun of the Dems' desire to rid the country of fossil fuels.

How much Jesus is too much when talking about destroying the earth?

"They don't want use to use the good resources that the Lord gave us."

Franken Wins!!

There you go, Al! You are good enough!!!

"Comedian Al Franken grabbed the Democratic nomination Tuesday for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, setting up a showdown with Republican Sen. Norm Coleman that had been years in the making."

McCain is a "Pig in Lipstick"

Obama uses a very common analogy and McCain whines.

"You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change. It's still going to stink after eight years."

In an absurd attempt to make this a gender issue, the McCain camp shows what they really think of Palin.

"McCain's campaign immediately organized a telephone conference call in response and called on Obama to apologize for calling Palin a pig. Obama's campaign said he wasn't referring to Palin; he had been talking about McCain immediately before the lipstick comment."

From McCain: "Cry, Baby Cry"



McCain certainly is "old enough to know better".

Ed Koch Endorses

The former NYC mayor jumped on the Obama wagon. Why?

"She’s scary."

I agree, Ed.

National Polls

It's fun to pretend that McCain is leading...excpect when he's not.

Barr and Nader will play a serious roll in this election.

Daily Electoral Projection

From 538


It's tightening and looks like it's time for Obama to give up on NC and solidify OH and FL. 50 State strategy was a great idea, but now we have got to focus.

Obama Steals Election!

Or so you would think.

Obama tries to steal Nebraska electoral vote from McCain!!!

Nice headline, AP.

McCain TV Poll

What do you think?

Online Surveys & Market Research

In case you forgot...

Sugarfoot
Sugarfoot is the title of a TV western that aired from 1957 to 1961. The series featured Will Hutchins as fledgling frontier lawyer Tom Brewster and Jack Elam as sidekick Toothy Thompson. Brewster was a correspondence-school graduate whose apparent lack of cowboy skills earned him the peculiar nickname "Sugarfoot".

Gentle Ben
The show stars a young Clint Howard (Ron Howard's brother) as Mark Wedloe, and chronicles his adventures with a lovable 650-pound American black bear.

Medical Center
The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett (Richard Bradford in the pilot) as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors as well as the patients showcased each week.

This one is pretty good...

At the core of the series was the tension between youth and experience, as seen between Drs. Lochner and Gannon. Helping the doctors was efficient Nurse Wilcox, played by Audrey Totter. She started out as a bit role but was eventually upgraded to co-star status starting in 1972.


Maude
Maude starred Beatrice Arthur as Maude Findlay, an outspoken, middle-aged, politically liberal woman living in suburban Tuckahoe, Westchester County, New York with her fourth husband. Maude embraced the tenets of women's liberation, always voted for Democratic Party candidates, strongly supported legal abortion, and advocated for civil rights and racial and gender equality. However, her overbearing and sometimes domineering personality often got her into trouble when speaking out on these issues.

Chico and the Man
Chico and the Man was an American sitcom which ran on NBC from September 13, 1974 to July 21, 1978, starring Jack Albertson as Ed Brown (The Man), the cantankerous owner of a run down garage in an East Los Angeles barrio, and introducing Freddie Prinze as Chico Rodriguez, an upbeat, optimistic Chicano street kid who comes in looking for a job. It was the first U.S. television series set in a Mexican-American neighborhood.

I think Ed is pretty much McCain...

McCain Ed doesn't want any Chico's help and distrusts all foreigners Chicanos. A hard-drinking adulterer widower, he stubbornly refuses to fit in with the changing neighborhood and has alienated most of the people who live around him. Ed uses ethnic slurs and berates minorities and women Chico in an effort to get themhim to leave.

Jon Stewart v. Palin & the MSM

Just in case you missed it.

Conservative States are the Best!!!

I love conservative states!!! You know why?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2008 the average rate of Forcible Rape in the United States in 2005 was 32 per 100,000 population. 20 out of 31 Conservative States had a higher than average rate of Forcible Rape (65% of Conservative States).

And Palin is super conservative. Does that mean super high forcible rape rate? Yep.

The highest rate of Forcible Rape in the country is found in Alaska with 81 per 100,000 population. The lowest rate of Forcible Rape in the country is found in New Jersey with 14 per 100,000 population.

I'm confused though. Jersey people are super ugly, so they don't rape each other. It makes sense, but Alaskans are equally as ugly and they do rape each other.

Palin "Per Diem" Charges

Drip, drip, drip. Palin hates wasteful spending!!!

Wapo reports:

"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business."

This is pretty hypocritical since she claimed that she didn't want to taxpayers to be footing the bill for her live-in chef.

While I was at it, I got rid of a few things in the governor's office that I didn't believe our citizens should have to pay for," she said to loud applause.

My guess is that Todd didn't like the idea of another man living in his house that might be more of a secessionist than he was. I don't blame him though. Sarah has a thing for secession. The more the merrier.

The Talking Heads on McCain/Palin

They know where a McCain-Palin White would take the country.

"Lies to Nowhere"

Think Progess has a new installment called "Lies To Nowhere". It's got all the latest McCain-Palin lies with the debunking sources. I know the Right wants to claim that the MSM is picking on poor ol' Palin, but the facts and the facts and this ship isn't built to last.

Here's a teaser from former lobbyist and McCain advisor Rick "The Nose" Davis.

“Congress didn’t beat back the ‘bridge to nowhere.’ … That funding was in the grant, and she said, ‘I’m not spending that money.’ And what they did — they took a $500 million bridge and she turned it into a $2 million ferry. And that’s what she did on her own without any help from anybody else.”

More Unhinged Than McCain???

I'd vote for Cressbeckler over McCain anytime!!!


Old, Grizzled Third-Party Candidate May Steal Support From McCain

"I like him. He's mad all the time."

"McCain is old, but is he old enough?"

"I'm voting for a man I can imagine drowning a bag of cats."

Priceless...

The Real Ground Game

The Slate's Richard Hansen gives us a little update on all the legal battles going on in some crucial states of voting issues. It's a good read.

The 2008 election may well be determined by some of the legal and election administration skirmishes going on now in several key states.

Maybe I need to take a week off of work rather than just November 5th (which is the 4th for the US).

Advice for Obama

Nate Silver has some pretty good idea's for the Obama camp...



Or maybe a little bit of this...

Ad Wars: No Maverick

That's right.

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Current Electoral Maps

This one is from RCP.


This reflects the current polls. Super close.

This one is from 538.



RCP scenario could yield a tie if NH went to McCain. That would be intense.

Oprah Denies Palin

Andrew Breitbart at RealClearPolitics.com thinks that the Oprah show is a public forum where the audience should decide who gets to appear on the show.

'Mrs. Palin is history in a dress. And her script is straight out of Hollywood - like those teen movies with the cliched ending featuring the female valedictorian delivering the speech of a lifetime projecting a bold and transformative future with an independent-minded woman in charge."

Besides the fact that this guy offers no basis for his claim that her viewers want to see more of Palin (is that possible?) and is ignoring the fact the Palin is a more of a rightwing nut-job than a self-proclamied reformer and independent woman, he decides to slam Oprah because she doesn't want to give Palin the coverage.

"Yet Oprah Winfrey, the high priestess of the female empowerment movement and America's most adored television host, denies her massive and loyal audience's most obvious wishes because of her single-minded drive to put Barack Obama in the White House."

Obvious wishes? Right. He also blames Oprah for Hillary not getting the nod.

New Format

Since there is too much going on these days for me to even pretend to have enough to write about, I am going to adopt a different format for the election coverage. You'll see what I mean very soon...

In the meantime, make sure you don't miss Obama's interview with O'Reilly and Olbermann. I believe they are at 8pm???

Photo Hunt: Palin

So, Sarah Palin has got the VP gig. Since it was announced that she would be the CiC if the 72 year old with a range of serious medical issues should for some reason be unfit unable to lead, there has been a firestorm of interest and controversy around her. Of course, she has not been indicted of anything yet, but she is a member of the GOP so that alone increases the chances that she's dirty.

Can you spot the edit?


Here's the original

And here's the edited one.

Rules: You must clearly identify what I edited. It could be color, size, add-ons or anything, but it will only be one edit. I will keep a published tally and after six months, I will buy the winner a book of their choice or donate $25 bucks to the DNC. Also, please do not post as Anonymous. I can't reward your eye if I don't know who you are.

Sid, USA: 3

Sarah, USA: 1

Korea Beat, ROK: 1

Jeffery Hodges, ROK: 1

Cindy McCain's Convention

Cindy McCain's RNC outfit:

Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000

Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500

Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000

Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000-$25,000

Shoes, designer unknown: $600

Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100


That's 60 times the health care credit McCain proposes to give families for a year.

It's Not McCain. It's John Bush!!!

I didn't say it first!

McCain's Acceptance Speech

What a bore. I excpected to hear nothing from all the GOP goons, but McCain really said nothing in the entire speech. He didn't say a word about policy. He said he was maverick. Surprised?

I could not live-blog it though because I was at the office, but one of my favorite bloggers gave a great account of it.

A condensed version of John McCain's convention speech:

I want to thank the president for keeping us safe from more attacks like the one that he failed to prevent during his first term.

As a first lady, Cindy will rock.

I respect Sen. Obama. We're both Americans. But only one of us was a POW.

After I win, I'll work closely with any other patriot who was a POW.

My friends, please shut up with the "USA" chants. I have to finish this in prime time, before I get cut off for the local news.

I know it's tough to be unemployed. If we didn't have a government, you'd all still have jobs. Sarah Palin will help me do away with government.

Sarah Palin has a lot of kids, just like me. We could start our own little town in Alaska.

Change is coming. We'll fix stuff. We're maverick repairmen.


I fought corruption. You don't remember that Keating thing, do you? I'm the only Republican who didn't take money from Jack Abramoff.

Everything the crazy Democrats in Congress want to spend money on, I'll veto. Everything. I swear I will.

I won the war in Iraq. The surge was all mine. I'd rather lose an election than see my country lose a war. Have you ever heard that before?

Let me give you the names of some people I'm fighting for. I can't tell you exactly what I'll do for them if I'm elected, but I'm fighting for them anyway. Mostly I'm fighting to get elected.

Republicans lost your trust by being corrupt. I want nothing to do with Republicans. I'm all about change. And Lincoln. And Roosevelt (not saying which Roosevelt).

Republicans believe in stuff. We believe in letting rich people keep their money. We believe in judges who don't legislate from the bench unless they're overturning laws that regulate businesses.

My opponent will raise taxes. (Boo.) He'll increase spending. (Boo.) He'll eliminate all your jobs. (Boo.) He won't let you visit your doctor. (Boo.)

Unemployment compensation is outdated. We're going to eliminate it. That will help the economy by forcing you to find a job, even if it's at McDonald's. In the meantime you can go to a community college to study fast food restaurant management.

We need to give parents a choice about which underfunded school their kids should attend. Rich parents will be able to send their kids to private schools, just like always. That's change.

We're going to cut the rest of the world off from foreign aid. That'll make other countries stop hating us.

We're going to drill, drill, drill. We'll even drill in the back yards of all the nuclear power plants we'll build. This will make our planet healthy.

It's time to start new wars. Iran and Russia come to mind. That's change. I hate wars, but I love to start them. We can only achieve peace by starting new wars.

I will reach out my hand to anyone who doesn't bite it. I have scars. Call me Scarface. Obama is scarless. Can you trust a man who isn't scarred?

Did you know I was a POW? No really, I was. I never loved my country until I became a POW. Wait, didn't Michelle Obama get in trouble for saying something like that?

I don't think I'm all that and a bag of chips like Obama does.

You should join the military or become a teacher or whatever so you can serve a cause greater than yourself. My cause is becoming president of the greatest country on Earth.

I'm going to keep talking through the applause in the hope that the broadcast network stations haven't switched to local news.

My favorite fake line: "Sarah Palin has a lot of kids, just like me. We could start our own little town in Alaska."

Hahahahahaha!

I feel good about the election. McCain might have tightened the numbers, but he seriously lacked policy and substance. "That's not change, my friends". That's Bush...

Palin Campaigning for Obama

Thanks Palin. You're unfounded red-meat speech gave Obama a record day. Whoops!

Barack Obama's campaign for president has raised $10 million since Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin spoke Wednesday night, the campaign announced, calling it a "one-day record."

Palin, the governor of Alaska, launched harsh attacks on Obama, accusing him of being two-faced and a political lightweight with no significant legislative accomplishments.

"Coverage of the Palin attacks on the news this evening just pushed us over $10 million," Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in an e-mail to reporters Wednesday night.

How much did she raise for her ticket?

The Republican Party announced earlier in the day it had raised $1 million in the wake of Palin's speech.

GOP judgement is a joke.

On Message

While I'm confident that Obama will take the gloves off next week, it's nice to see why we're supporting him...

Biden, Palin and the Voters

Just in case you forgot, McCain is not fooling anybody.

Palin vs The Media

Roger Simon (of the AP believe it or nto) says it the best...

On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry. On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry. We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

It is not our job to ask questions. Or it shouldn’t be. To hear from the pols at the Republican National Convention this week, our job is to endorse and support the decisions of the pols.

Sarah Palin hit the nail on the head Wednesday night (and several in the audience wish she had hit some reporters on the head instead) when she said: “I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.”

But where did we go wrong with Sarah Palin? Let me count the ways:

First, we should have stuck to the warm, human interest stuff like how she likes mooseburgers and hit an important free throw at her high school basketball tournament even though she had a stress fracture.

Second, we should have stuck to the press release stuff like how she opposed the Bridge to Nowhere (after she supported it).

Third, we should never have strayed into the other stuff. Like when The Washington Post recently wrote: “Palin is under investigation by a bipartisan state legislative body. … Palin had promised to cooperate with the legislative inquiry, but this week she hired a lawyer to fight to move the case to the jurisdiction of the state personnel board, which Palin appoints.”

Why go there? What trees does that plant?

Fourth, we should stop making with all the questions already. She gave a really good speech. And why go beyond that? As we all know, speeches cannot be written by others and rehearsed for days. They are true windows to the soul.

Unless they are delivered by Barack Obama, that is. In which case, as Palin said Wednesday, speeches are just a “cloud of rhetoric.”

Fifth, we should stop reporting on the families of the candidates. Unless the candidates want us to.

Sarah Palin wanted the media to report on her teenage son, Track, who enlisted in the Army on Sept. 11, 2007, and soon will deploy to Iraq.

Sarah Palin did not want the media to report on her teenage daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant and unmarried.

Sarah Palin thinks that one is good for her campaign and one is not, and that the media should report only on what is good for her campaign. That is our job, and that is our duty. If that is not actually in the Constitution, it should be. (And someday may be.)

The official theme of the convention’s third day was “prosperity,” but the unofficial theme was “the media are really, really awful.”

Even Mike Huckabee, who campaigned for president this year by saying “I am a conservative, but I am not mad at anybody,” discovered Wednesday night that he is mad at somebody.

“I’d like to thank the elite media for doing something,” Huckabee said, “that, quite frankly, I didn’t think could be done: unify the Republican party and all of America in support of John McCain and Sarah Palin.”

And could that be the real point of the attacks on the media? To unify the Republican Party?

No, that is simply the cynical, media view.

Though as Lily Tomlin says, “No matter how cynical I get, it’s just never enough to keep up.”

I couldn’t resist that. For which I am sorry

I don't like quoting the entire article, but it was too good. I know the Right has no idea what journalism is and that's why the constantly call it "liberal" when it reports something that is critical of the Right, but what were they expecting the public to do?

I really hope that Joe Klein is right on this...

There is a tendency in the media to kick ourselves, cringe and withdraw, when we are criticized. But I hope my colleagues stand strong in this case: it is important for the public to know that Palin raised taxes as governor, supported the Bridge to Nowhere before she opposed it, pursued pork-barrel projects as mayor, tried to ban books at the local library and thinks the war in Iraq is "a task from God." The attempts by the McCain campaign to bully us into not reporting such things are not only stupidly aggressive, but unprofessional in the extreme.

Maybe the Media won't eat it up.



He's right. They tried to make it "Poor Sarah", but they lost that line tonight.

The thing that is funny about this whole thing is that McCain has always been the Media Darling. They loved him UNTIL he sold himself out. And now he has sold them out. He's biting the hands that fed him and I doubt the coverage is going to get better.

As I said in my live-blog post, she crossed the line when she attacked community organizers and Roland hits it on the head...for once.



And even the GOP celeb, Ben Stein is worried...



Here is her line by the way,

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. "

Get the ads running Obama! Make 'em nasty!

Live-Blogging Palin

Guiliani just finished...douche.

Palin is on.

She enters to raucous applause. Starts with praising McCain about his courage. Says she wants McCain to be the CIC of her son. I guess she doesn't mind that he will be deployed for four solid years if McCain wins.

Family time. She introduces her family. Boyfriend looks uncomfortable. I don't blame him. Special needs kids are the best. She will fight for you. I guess that doesn't mean health care though. Todd involved in Big Oil. For some reason, she keeps on talking about his snow mobile racing. That qualifies her. She calls him "her guy". She's trying to make herself appear more motherly.

She talks about people who grow food and fight for our country are more proud than those who don't. I guess she's not proud. She's just your average hockey mom. Makes a ridiculous joke about a pit pull and moms. They keep on saying the Obama is looking down on her time as a mayor. She insults community organizers. Looks like she lost that vote. She's whining about Obama's "guns" comment.

If she doesn't change her speech, she's not going to appeal to anyone, but herself. The goons start chanting "NBC! NBC! NBC!". She's saying suck it, Media!!! Whoops. Maybe she forgot that the media sets the tone of the election. She sounds like she is a supporter of the GOP, not a candidate.

This speech was supposed to be her attempt to show her presidential qualities. This is a joke. One liners don't sit well with leaner's. She is focusing on all the issues that have already been debunked as a myth. This sounds a lot like Cindy McCain's speech.

Again, she said the "Thanks, but no thanks" line. Again, debunked. She's going on and on about oil. Not a good move. Her speech writer sucks. It's only been ten minutes and she saying the same thing over and over again.

This speech will do nothing. No numbers will move. What a bore. She starts lying about Obama now. Lies, lies, lies.... She makes a Moses joke. They have yet to mention the economy. Only McCain is good, I'm a mom, oil is good and Iraq is heaven. She lies about Obama's tax plan. That will be an easy fix. Her speech is fading. She tries to insult Reid. It flopped. Her maverick lined flopped too.

I can't believe how many shots she is taking at Obama and then leaving an awkward pause for applaud. She goes back to McCain's POW status. He was in war, so elect him. The POW thing flopped as well. She's speaking very abstractly now. It's above the average GOP head.

I can wrap this up. Nothing is being said. She didn't prove a thing to anybody. She's talked for 20 minutes about nothing. She went with the typical GOP line of attack: liberals are bad, media is bad, we are good. This might be well a received speech, but did not calm any of the storm that she brought to the ticket.

The crowd loves it. The Media will praise it, but nothing was done to combat her issues.

Old Man McCain crept on the stage. I guess he was woken up from his nap. The GOP cheerleaders love him. He gave Palin an odd robot hug. They sat up there for too long.

Palin Speech

Palin will address the nation tonight amidst serious controversy. She will give a "stellar performance" tonight no doubt, but it will be an empty plea to change the story from the audacity of her candidacy. McCain advisor, Rick Davis, said it will be a very "masculine" speech. Only the GOP would do that to its first female candidate. The goal is going to be make her into more of a mom who Biden should treat differently because of that fact. He should be more "gentle". This whole thing is a charade and Palin is too much of a creation of the GOP that it is bound to fail. In the meantime, Obama is sticking to the issues and cruising at 50%.

It's all about the debates at this time...

Image of the Week: Palingate

Not all of us follow politics closely. Not all of us watch the news, read the paper or read political blogs.

From ABC:

"Let’s say you don’t read The New York Times or The Washington Post (or The Note, for that matter). Let’s say you don’t follow the big political blogs and you’re not obsessed with every turn of the screw of this fascinating presidential race.

Let’s say, instead, like millions of working-class Americans, you get your “news” on the political race from the supermarket aisle. Let’s say you’re -- I don’t know, a “hockey mom” -- and you’re intrigued by this Sarah Palin person you’ve been hearing so much about since Friday.

So you’re shopping this week -- and what do you see on the cover of US Weekly? That esteemed journalistic institution is taking it right to John McCain’s running mate -- with a hard-hitting piece that details the “scandal” involving her daughter’s pregnancy.

“BABIES, LIES & SCANDAL,” screams the headline on the cover, with a picture of a smiling Palin holding her fifth child, 4-month-old Trig.

Inside is a collection of Palin lowlights -- from her daughter’s now well-known pregnancy; to Internet rumors that the governor pretended to be pregnant to cover for her daughter; to “troopergate”; to her onetime support for the “bridge to nowhere”; to a radio appearance where she giggled while shock jocks called a political rival a “bitch” and a “cancer.”

“Within hours of McCain’s surprise introduction of the little-known, charismatic mother of five as his running mate, the scandals began to emerge as quickly as flies at a Labor Day picnic,” Mara Reinstein writes for the magazine."

This is another clear example of the horrid judgement that McCain has. The US Weekly voters were what McCain needed and this is not going to help.

Question: As much as it makes sense (common sense is not a GOP strong point), McCain will not withdraw her name for VP. And while I found this little gaffe interesting...



...it doesn't mean much besides being a huge (Freudian) slip of the tongue. Back to it, the GOP has been pushing the idea that if Palin even "holds her own" against Biden, then it should be deemed a success. Besides the glaring problems with statements and strategies like that and given the new climate of Palin and all of her baggage, do you think that the Media will give her a pass when she blows it?

Gustav and the GOP

How offensive is this?

"The unexpected disaster [Gustav] also offers the GOP a do-over on Bush's disastrous response to Katrina three years ago. If the government can do a much better job of responding to a natural disaster this time around, it can only help the GOP"

So, people are going to forgive the GOP for the failed leadership in Katrina where more than 1,800 people died just because they decided the show up as a political stunt during an election year. That makes me furious.

I remember where John McCain was last time when New Orleans sank and so do Americans.



And don't believe for a second that the GOP is not happy that they are suspending most of their convention. They had nothing to say, no highlights and it was going to throw their our-anti-Obama-message-is-a-our-message message in the spotlight. Now, McCain and Palin can walk around Mississippi together. Hey, maybe McCain can tell his Gorilla Rape joke.

The "Game-Changer"

It's pretty clear that McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was a move out of desperation and fear. He watched Obama make history and he thought he would do the same...over 20 years after the Democrat's did. Regardless of what the pundits say (most say it was ballsy, but dumb except for Hannity and Limbaugh), this was a clear and thoughtless pandering to the hardcore Right of the GOP wing. He got them more excited about their own shallowness and for the first time in this election, he has some enthusiastic supporters. Welcome to the club, you're about nine months and 300 million bucks late.

My favorite analysis of this thoughtless choice is calling it a "game-changer". This is not a game-changer. Throwing a anti-science, anti-abortion, pro-guns and pro-Big Oil candidate into the mix is not a game-changer. It's a solidification of the extremes that even John McCain could not claim as his own. Palin is so far to the right that if she were to somehow end up in the White House, it would make Mike Huckabee look liberal. Appealing to this base was the stated goal, but the point was that she is a women. This is a glaring example of political tokenism. Remember Harriet Meiers? Women are already saying that they are offended by the perceived presumption that John McCain thinks that ovaries directly effects a fellow ovarian voter.

Not only are women and men offended by this pander, but the voters don't seem to think to highly of her readiness to lead.

39% say she is ready to serve as president if needed, 33% say she isn't, and 29% have no opinion.

That's the lowest vote of confidence in a running mate since the elder George Bush chose then-Indiana senator Dan Quayle to join his ticket in 1988. In comparison, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was seen as qualified by 57%-18% after Democrat Barack Obama chose him as a running mate last week.

This is the lowest number that any VP has ever received. I'm a little shocked though. I think 39% is way too high, but then again, 30% of American's still think that W. Bush is doing a good job and I can attribute the other 9% to curiosity.

The only advantage to Palin is that she was unknown, even to McCain. People might be willing to give her a chance. She's a fresh face (horrible voice) and people claim that she was in a beauty contest once. I assume that that contest was by Alaskan standards though. The disadvantage to Palin is that she is unknown. People have already discovered her positive sides like her...((crickets))...uhm...she has five children...uhm...she's...a...she's a mother...and stuff. Right and just like we are seeing now, she is being vetted by the people and the Media, not the McCain staff who clearly didn't do their job.

It was a mistake and McCain just took the role of the confused soccer player who scores the game winning goal ON HIMSELF!

She might have dominated the news for two days and McCain needed that, but now Gustav is getting ready to highlight the good times from GOP's glory days.

Palin is a game-changer...for Obama.