My favorite campaign spin of recent days comes from conservatives who fancy Sarah Palin. Much of the reality-based world--which even includes a few conservative commentators, such as George Will, David Brooks, Kathleen Parker, and David Frum--has rendered a verdict on Palin: she's not up to the job. Many voters seem to agree. McCain's post-Palin bounce is gone. Her approval rating in Alaska has dropped.
Blame Palin's fall on Katie Couric--if not Palin herself? No, declares a group of Palin fans on the right: blame it on the Bushies. That is, McCain campaign operatives--most of whom are veterans of the past Bush campaigns--who supposedly are not letting Sarah be Sarah. Here's Bill Kristol:
McCain needs to liberate his running mate from the former Bush aides brought in to handle her -- aides who seem to have succeeded in importing to the Palin campaign the trademark defensive crouch of the Bush White House. McCain picked Sarah Palin in part because she's a talented politician and communicator. He needs to free her to use her political talents and to communicate in her own voice.
I'm told McCain recently expressed unhappiness with his staff's handling of Palin. On Sunday he dispatched his top aides Steve Schmidt and Rick Davis to join Palin in Philadelphia. They're supposed to liberate Palin to go on the offensive as a combative conservative in the vice-presidential debate on Thursday.
Apparently Kristol believes that Palin's "political talents" can trump--or distract voters from--her lack of experience and knowledge (as she demonstrated with Couric). Shouldn't he loose his Official Public Intellectual Card for putting rhetoric ahead of substance?
Then there's Richard Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com and a longtime strategist for the conservative movement. He's released a statement chiding McCain:
He must free Sarah Palin to go after Barack Obama and the liberal Democrats, or he will almost certainly lose.
The McCain campaign has put this 'pit bull with lipstick' on a leash. The campaign has surrounded her with people from the Bush administration. And as we can see from the wreckage of the Bush presidencies, these folks don't have the slightest clue how to make a case to the American people.
McCain has to get rid of these Bush people around Palin, along with the lobbyists and the folks from the Washington PR firms, and replace them with principled conservatives who have experience making the case for conservatism.
If only more conservatives would lobby the McCain camp to set Sarah free. And if only the McCain camp would listen. I'd like to see an unhandled Palin. (So would Tina Fey.)
No doubt, Palin is a talented campaigner. That's been proven in the past few weeks when she appears at rallies. But she cannot handle basic questions. This no surprise--especially since she cannot name a single magazine or newspaper she reads regularly. (Not the Weekly Standard?) Palin has not spent much time in her life pondering such matters as foreign policy or economic national policy. That's the reality, and a month's worth of cramming is not going to change that and get her up to speed. The public witnessed the real Palin in the Couric interview.
Kristol and Viguerie seem to think that Palin can hide her ignorance behind slashing attacks on Democrats and liberals. But it may be too late for such a strategy of obfuscation.
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Format of Biden-Palin Debate
Under the plan agreed to yesterday, Palin and Biden will have less time than McCain and Obama to reply to moderators' questions and discuss each other's answers. And there will be no guidelines given to Gwen Ifill of PBS, moderator of the vice presidential debate, as to subject matter, allowing her to mix in questions about foreign and domestic matters, the sources said.
http://tinyurl.com/4gdrfe
this means that palin will only have to whip out some zingers and one-liners as answers, and her stupidity will not be in evidence.
i can't believe that biden would go along with this.
probably the fix is already in because there is no way that bushco will relinquish control now after having grasped so much power in the last 8 years.
Posted by: as_if!
| October 1, 2008 4:48 PM
Some say she's been sandbaggin'.
I don't think she'll EVER get back anything but the most hard-core of the base...
...and she shouldn't...she SHOULD be saying, "OUCH"...because stupid SHOULD hurt!
-T
Posted by: Hajji
| October 1, 2008 6:09 PM
stupid SHOULD hurt!
THE ONION NAILS IT
WASHINGTON—In preparation for her debate with Sen. Joe Biden next week, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin met with seasoned statesman and Nobel Peace Prize–winner Henry Kissinger yesterday to take advantage of his extensive foreign policy knowledge and expertise in carpet-bombing innocent civilians in nations with which the U.S. is not officially at war.
http://tinyurl.com/4vloy8
Posted by: as_if!
| October 1, 2008 6:53 PM
Palin cannot repair or fix her previous errors.
She could do well and still not turn the McCain campaign around. As the weeks wane the numbers are more and more daunting.
One can fix uninformed or unformed but there is little that can be done for stupid or unable.
Posted by: capt
| October 1, 2008 7:22 PM
Hey...get off her case. I like Sarah Six-Pack, Moose Huntress of the North. Anyone that can totally wing it with Katie Couric is top drawer in my book.
I definitely do not want a potential president of the USA to actually reveal to the public the, g-d forbid, names of the publications they read. Isn't that Top Secret info? If she divulged the names, then some Islamo-Fascist could infiltrate the publication and try to influence policy. Better to just say that she reads "any of them, all of them"?
How does she find time to read "all of them", govern a state, run for VP, take care of her growing family and shoot wolves from helicopters? I couldn't do half of those.
I know the other wing-nuts out there are eating this stuff up. Feeding on either her blatant stupidity, or at least her utter unpreparedness and vagueness.
As Bush proved, the liberal pinko left wing media is out to get all the right wing dumb asses in the world that think they know how to govern. Sorry to say, but it didn't take the media. Bush and Palin are both doing that themselves.
Posted by: Hunter Gatherer
| October 1, 2008 7:31 PM
So let me see if I have this right. All the lefties, liberals, progressives, et. al. say that it's Governor Palin's LACK of experience that disqualifies her, right?
It's funny that they don't seem to have any problem with those whose "experience" has gotten us into this mess.
Personally, I would trust Sarah Palin with my life over the likes of Barney Fwank, ?MAxine Waters, Chris Dodder, and the Pineapple Queen.
Posted by: Tim
| October 1, 2008 9:01 PM
What I'm hoping for is that Governor Palin just opens up a giant can of Whoop Ass Thursday night.
Her job should actually be somewhat easy. All she has to do is bring out her opponent's vast experience and shine a light on it. He's been DEAD WRONG, or on the wrong side of every issue and decision he's ever made in his career!
I predict that Senator Biden will have a tough time pinning her down.
Posted by: Tim
| October 1, 2008 9:07 PM
I don't think she'll EVER get back anything but the most hard-core of the base...
...stupid SHOULD hurt!
Brace yerself!
Posted by: Hajji
| October 1, 2008 9:19 PM
Palin is the best, most qualified republican. She is totally ready to be president. Way more so than any other person in the GOP.
"Hey Palin can you see reality from Alaska?"
I can see the end of her career from my house!
lololololo
Posted by: capt
| October 1, 2008 11:26 PM
CBS Poll: Obama 50, Bush 22
Actually, the CBS poll says Obama 50 - McCain 41 (similar to the R2K and other polls.) However, Bush's 22, which ties him with Truman during the Korean War, is a good chunk of why McCain is where he is. (And for historical perspective don't miss Gary Langer's Historic Disapproval: Bush Hits All-Time Low Amid Economic Meltdown, data from ABC/WaPo where Bush hits 70% disapproval – no one has ever done that in any poll. Ever. Not Nixon, Not Truman. There is data behind Worst. President. Ever.)
CBS 9/27-30 (9/21-4), LV MoE +/- 3
Obama 50 (46)
McCain 41 (42)
http://tinyurl.com/4qzhrt
*****
I'm sure McCain will turn this around, soon.
He will have a "surge" in his poll numbers and eclipse Obama in nothing flat.
Posted by: capt
| October 1, 2008 11:29 PM
Bush supporters, blech.
Proven ID-ten-T problems.
Posted by: capt
| October 1, 2008 11:33 PM
Palin Blanks
Here's a partial transcript of the latest from Katie Couric's interview with Gov. Sarah Palin that aired on the CBS Evening News tonight:
COURIC: Do you think there's an inherent right to privacy in the Constitution?
PALIN: I do. Yeah, I do.
COURIC: the cornerstone of Roe v Wade
PALIN: I do. And I believe that --individual states can handle what the people within the different constituencies in the 50 states would like to see their will ushered in in an issue like that.
COURIC: What other Supreme Court decisions do you disagree with?
PALIN: Well, let's see. There's --of course --in the great history of America rulings there have been rulings, that's never going to be absolute consensus by every American. And there are--those issues, again, like Roe v Wade where I believe are best held on a state level and addressed there. So you know--going through the history of America, there would be others but--
COURIC: Can you think of any?
PALIN: Well, I could think of--of any again, that could be best dealt with on a more local level. Maybe I would take issue with. But you know, as mayor, and then as governor and even as a Vice President, if I'm so privileged to serve, wouldn't be in a position of changing those things but in supporting the law of the land as it reads today.
http://tinyurl.com/49r962
******
The smartest and best informed, the most knoiwledgeable and insightful republican in the USA.
No doubt about it.
Of course she should be able to remember Bush v. Gore or Brown v. Board of education, Maybe Miranda? habeas corpus? Nothing on the 2nd amendment?
Must have been another "gotcha!" question from some citizen journalist shoving a microphone in her face. She would have made minced meat of those questions someone would have submitted them in writing a week before the interview.
Terrific candidate, terrific politician. The best VP the GOP has to offer hands down - she is the one!
Posted by: capt
| October 1, 2008 11:48 PM
Palin On Supreme Court Cases: ???
Here it is, the much-hyped moment where Sarah Palin was unable to name any Supreme Court case that she disagreed with, other than Roe v. Wade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBt0r9Exv2I
Palin employs the same dodge here as she did when Katie Couric asked her what newspapers she reads -- she retreated to vague terms about how there are all those Supreme Court decisions out there that people might disagree with, just as she mentioned all those newspapers out there she relies on.
There is a certain irony here. John McCain has long criticized Barack Obama for speaking in platitudes, and then he went and picked a running mate who apparently can only think in platitudes.
(TPM)
Posted by: capt
| October 2, 2008 12:04 AM
""It's funny that they don't seem to have any problem with those whose "experience" has gotten us into this mess.""
...Tim
are you referring to the current bushco govt whose every "policy" has steered us "into this mess"?
""What I'm hoping for is that Governor Palin just opens up a giant can of Whoop Ass Thursday night.""
...Tim
a giant can of whoop ass?
maybe she will again state that she believes that the earth is 6000 years old and that dinosaurs and humans co-existed - if you ask me, that is a giant whoop ass indeed!
Posted by: as_if!
| October 2, 2008 1:25 AM
National Debt now exceeds 10 TRILLION dollars.!
As of Sept 30th, the debt was $10,024,724,896,912.49.
The surge in the National Debt over the last two weeks has been because of the Supplementary Financing Program (SFP) with the Treasury raising cash for the Fed's liquidity initiatives (announced a couple of weeks ago).
http://tinyurl.com/4lw3ch
Posted by: as_if!
| October 2, 2008 3:47 AM
What publications does Sarah Palin read? Well, let's see, there's Alaska Men Magazine. Maybe she reads that and the annual Carhartt's accessories issue.
She probably doesn't read the Anchorage Daily News, if she ever did regularly, especially after they long ago printed an unflattering quote:
Ivana Trump was shopping in an Alaska Mall. "I want to see Ivana" Palin said 'because we are so desperate in Alaska for any semblance of glamour and culture." [Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), 4/3/96]
She recently agreed to be interviewed by the independent Anchorage Press (http://www.anchoragepress.com/) but the publishers are dubious of the content because she or someone answered the questions in an email (was that on the yahoo account)?
Whose words?
By Brendan Joel Kelley
http://www.anchoragepress.com/articles/2008/10/02/news/doc48e42aac0c045657111789.txt
Posted by: Wahidiyya Kosmotikos
| October 2, 2008 6:50 AM
There is a picture of her reading the "John Birch Society" newsletter so . . .
Posted by: capt
| October 2, 2008 7:20 AM
Obama 338 McCain 185 Ties 15
Dem pickups (vs. 2004): CO FL IA NV NM OH VA
GOP pickups (vs. 2004): (None)
10/02/04:
Kerry 238 Bush 296
http://www.electoral-vote.com/
Posted by: capt
| October 2, 2008 7:44 AM
Bible Spice has a had a disastrous run this week!!
There's an interesting bit of comment/analysis on her capablity vis-a-vis the VP debate here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR_JFpD02D0
The guy in the clip recommends that she find any excuse to pull out of the debate!!
But - for a different persepctive, I've seen a bit of comment suggesting that Palin's ignorance may come over as 'refreshing'.
It'll be interesting to see how her 'unpretentious' lack of competency plays out among the great masses / independents.
I mean, some pundits criticise Obama for being too cool and intellectual - I guess by that logic someone who is anti-intellectual (or comes across that way) might appeal to a lot of independent voters?
Pretty high risk strategy going into a live debate tho - play dumb and hope the public love you for it!
Thoughts?
Posted by: YBCsteve
| October 2, 2008 10:31 AM
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