Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

How bout some Ron Paul news, brother? Isn't his shindig in the same town?

What will be the criteria that is used to decide whether Palin's speech is a success or for that matter a failure?

Will be interesting to see how the media portrays it.

Who is behind the Palin smears?

Who could it be?

Hillary? No she has to destroy Obama (leaving no fingerprints) so she can run in 2012.

The plumbers? No they broke into the DNC offices in the Watergate building.

Romney? So he can become VP?

Ron Paul, so he can split the vote and win.

Somebody that supports Obama? No way, they would never do something like that. That is old politics! Possible Chicage Style.

Coreen,

The criteria is your political philosophy. All the partisan democrats will find it horribly flawed, and the republican faithful will love it.

Anybody want to guess when the spittle comes flying out of Chris Mathews mouth?

"Alaska Gov. Sara Palin holds this convention's fate in her hands."
(Craig Crawford)

Wow! You really think so?

That's sure a lot of responsibility for a woman few even knew
a couple of weeks ago. But, it's also rather stunning to think that
Republicans have endowed this young woman with so much power.

Bowmanc,

We here have strong views, with probably unchangeable opinions---that leaves a large pool of voters who are not so shall I say opinionated---how she relates to a large portion of that electorate & the media's portrayal of it will be interesting to see develop.

To date, the unabashed anger that has emanated from the media leads me to believe they are unsettled at the least by her selection.

In today's "Washington Post," there's an in-depth article about how
McCain chose Palin--what he knew and when.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090203462.html?hpid=topnews?hpid=topnews

Anyone can give a good speech (er, almost anyone...forgive me, Mark Warner). What remains to be seen is whether or not people are comfortable with McCain's hasty rush to put an inexperienced provincial governor on the ticket. The republicans on tv seem to like it, but I'm curious to know what everyday folks are thinking.

nexperienced provincial governor

I'm glad you are not teaching feminist theory to my children.

flatus, from the prior thread - every executive position has its challenges, and every executive learns something about problem solving as they address those challenges - but you know that very well. I don't think that says much about Palin's ability to take on the challenges of the VP position any more than I think running a campaign (he doesn't) indicates much about Obama's ability to be president. Fact is, she probably falls into the box Bill Clinton put Obama in when asked about his experience - no one can be adequately prepared. As for me - she's a red meat republican, and we've had enough of them running the country into the ground in the executive branch over the past 8 years and in the legislative brance for the 7 or 8 years before that. Exxon and WalMart may be happy about that, but I hope chloe, who thinks that the swing voters are happy about the god, guns and gas emphasis, is just flat wrong.

"Anybody want to guess when the spittle comes flying out of Chris Mathews mouth?"

You mean there are times it doesn't?
I always thought Craig was lucky as he did his stuff from a remote location. Spit showers are not an occupational hazzard I want to suffer.

Jack

Coreen,
Agreed. I suspect that the media will be unfavorable. But since the people that are undecided at this point probably don't pay alot of attention to the media, she may do very well with them.

With such a dust up going on about this it will be interesting to see how many people tune in to hear her. If it surpasses Obama (which I doubt) lookout, because the genie will be out of the bottle.

Don't forget we are talking about an electorate that elected GWB twice, or made those elections close enough for the GOP to steal easily, depending on your perspective. I think a lot of you guys give the general public too much credit.

Bowmanc,

If she somehow even were to get half the number of people watching that Obama did---that would send the media into a frenzy.

In the meantime, do you think she might equal and/or even exceed the number who watched Biden (not those who were watching Bill Clinton).

Wasn't Kerry leading the polls about this time in 2004? I remember thinking that election would be a slam dunk, the youth was mobilized, I had the beer on ice ready to celebrate a return to some semblance of reason, and then BLAM! GWB won(?), and Johnny rolled over.

I'm curious Saucy goose - does feminist theory define 2 years as governor of a geographically large but demographically small state unattached to the lower 48 as anything other than an inexperienced provincial governor in the context of national presidential politics?

"I'm glad you are not teaching feminist theory to my children."
Posted by: saucy goose | September 3, 2008 11:04 AM

Palin is a true feminist role model
"During the Democratic primaries, Gloria Steinem, pioneering feminist and Hillary Clinton supporter, argued that the contest had revealed that gender was “probably the most restricting force in American life”. She illustrated her point by imagining a female version of Barack Obama and contending that no woman with such a slender biography would be considered seriously for the presidency."

It is now clear that Ms Steinem was right – although proof comes not from the treatment of the Democratic lioness Mrs Clinton but from the responses, particularly on the left, to the Republican newcomer Sarah Palin"
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4ad145f8-7907-11dd-9d0c-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

I watched my beloved Red Sox trounce the Baltimore Orioles last night..... looks like I didn't miss much concerning the Republican convention.....

after the game I did turn on CNN just as Lieberman was being introduced..... I made it through about the first 3 minutes and then fell asleep.... oh well..... at least I tried....

once all this convention nonsense is over, it will be about Obama vs McCain....
as I recall..... they are the presidential candidates.....

champ: excellent point. there's a profound current of anti-intellectualism in this country. you can see it with the selection of Palin. she's clearly not the most qualified republican for the position, not by a long shot. he chose her because he wanted to win an election, cynically thinking that a woman would help him in that task. as a mccain campaign person said the other day: issues don't matter. it's all about the "story." over and over last night several speakers repeated the the same stock phrase: "she's a reformer with the courage to take on the establishment, and she's got a great story."

what scares me is the this country is all too willing to embrace the story of the average joe/jane. look at 2000 (which of course was given to GWB by the supreme court) and 2004 - people felt uncomfortable electing someone who was defined as a thoughtful, cautious intellectual; they wanted the guy you could have a beer with. and we've seen how well picking someone because they've got a "great story" has worked out.

this is a real test for this country. and like you, champ, i'm not so optimistic about things...

oh, and to all this nonsense about palin being a feminist: in no rational universe could you say that someone who wants to force a federal restriction on a woman's right to her own body is a feminist.

"Fact is, she probably falls into the box Bill Clinton put Obama in when asked about his experience - no one can be adequately prepared."

"As for me - she's a red meat republican, ..."

On point one, I agree. Perhaps what impresses me is that she has actively sought executive responsibility in high-risk, you win mostly or you lose completely, positions. Not so with Mr Obama.

On point two, I want to hear it straight from her mouth.

Are LP and his class holding mock campaigns?

How about this?

What scares me is the this country is all too willing to embrace the story of a complete unknown.

"Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) lashed out at the press Wednesday, calling the media's treatment of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) "unfair" and "indecent."

"The scrutiny you're giving her is so darn unfair," Giuliani said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "It is really indecent. She is being asked questions like, 'can you as a mother be vice president?' Who ever asked a man those questions?""

"And don't ask whether I'm pissed because I wasn't asked - it's none of your damn business." (OK, I added that)

There's been a man running for vp who is a mother? hehehe. Actually, I agree that being a mother of FIVE kids (what the hell was she thinking) wouldn't disqualify her, but it does seem like a lot of demand on the time of the VP.

I wouldn't call it 'anti-intellectualism', PU, more of a distaste for arrogant elitism.

I was a big kool-aid drinker in 2004, but I have to admit both then, and in retrospect, Kerry was a god-awful candidate, and the rabid, myopic Democratic power-brokers thought he was an ideal challenger just because he happened to serve. His fake tan, fake smile, and poorly-delivered canned lines ("I am John Kerry and I'm REPORTING for duty") did him in. Oh, and the fact he bent over and took his 'swiftboating' like a frat pledge didn't help either.

pogo: it's clear that mac isn't really interested in having an operational vp. i'm sure lieberman will still be his go-to guy. palin is just a pretty ornament, a narrative, for show....

champ: i'm not challenging you - but isn't *every* elected official, by some common definition, an elitist? i really dislike the empty signification of that word when it's used by republicans. if we don't like you, well, then you're an elitist...etc....

This pick by Mc Cain unsettles me a bit. She seems to be playing well here in my part of the country (southern Missouri). Her life, what I have heard of it at least, relates very well to people here. I think as long as she doesn't step on her tail too much she will be a big help with the common voter.

IMO, most common people don't pay attention to the details. They only end up with the general impression of things. So far I think she has made a great impression. If she doesn't make a gaff, or if something damming isn't found in her background that makes people take special notice she could be just what the repugs needed. I was certainly hoping for a milk toast white guy. That's what we got with Biden (even though I like the guy I have always thought him to be boring).

oh, and to all this nonsense about palin being a feminist: in no rational universe could you say that someone who wants to force a federal restriction on a woman's right to her own body is a feminist.

Posted by: Politics of Utopia | September 3, 2008 11:20 AM

Yeah you could, just not in YOUR 'rational universe'. Some of that myopia to which I was referring. Abortion just rubs some people the wrong way, dude, and they see a fetus as a person in and of itself, so 'feminism doesn't enter into the equation, because the life in question isn't the woman's, but the child's. Not everyone thinks like you- doesn't make them stupid (or backward, or primitive, or puritan), you know.

" palin is just a pretty ornament, a narrative, for show...."
Posted by: Politics of Utopia

Surely you understand how sexist and arrogant that sounds?

champ: you can believe anything you want about a fetus, but when you move to make federal restrictions on what a woman can and cannot do to her body, you are, by definition, being anti-feminist. you see, remember, the whole thing about this feminist movement, it's about, you know, rights and all. : )

chloe: i'm merely parroting a certain kind of language that underscores the cynical logic of the palin choice for mccain

"oh, and to all this nonsense about palin being a feminist: in no rational universe could you say that someone who wants to force a federal restriction on a woman's right to her own body is a feminist."

From the article I linked above:
"..... Of course, women should not be required to make their political choices based purely on gender cheerleading – which is why the feminist attacks on female politicians such as the Kansas governor Kathleen Sibelius for backing Mr Obama over Mrs Clinton were wrong. But supporting a woman for high office because of the symbolic power of her success is not crazy either. Academic studies have shown that our perceptions of individuals are strongly influenced by the prominent people with whom we associate them. If the word “woman” makes us think of President Hillary Clinton or Vice-President Sarah Palin, rather than Paris Hilton or Laura Bush, your daughter may have a better chance getting that job on Wall Street (similarly, of course, if “African-American ” equals President Barack Obama)."

flatus, no they aren't as far as I know.

I don't have to hear it from her mouth to recognize a red meat republican - her actions define what she is. She's a born again AG member who tried to impose censorship on the library in her town and fired the librarian for objecting; she's a hunter, fisher, lifetime member of the NRA who knows how to properly field dress a moose; her primary claim to international relations is the negotiation of a $1B gas pipeline with Canada and living in a state near Russia (as if that means shit); and as a result of her mayorship, her little town is turning into a home for big box stores, for whom she pushed through tax breaks to attract them there; she supports federalizing her state's lands and giving the oil and gas industry broad access to them; and she opposes a woman's right to choose (which is nothing more than the right to privacy). I don't know what more she could say.

"but isn't *every* elected official, by some common definition, an elitist?"

Absolutes are rarely true, but I think that is pretty accurate, in that one would have to be somewhat of an elitist to think they have the authority to run other people's lives. That being said, I wouldn't call GWB an 'elitist'. He know how dumb he is, I think he's just trying to prove his worth over Jeb to daddy, and securing his financial future post-presidency.

Be that as it may, in the modern media-driven political environment, reality is much less important than perception. Kerry reeked of snobbery, GWB was cutting brush down on the farm (even his hobbies are complete wastes of time).

Pogo

(Five Kids) ":but it does seem like a lot of demand on the time of the VP"

And of course it wouldn't be a "demand" on a male VP?

While I opposed virtually every single Palin position, you would think we would finally be past the whole "mommy wars" view, that somehow children are a problem for women only.

At her income and power level, she isn't in the "mommy war". She's sitting safe and cozy behind the lines directing traffic. At her disposal is a husband, older children, nanny, and enough money to get any assistance she needs.

Every day millions of women, get up and gather up children, do the drop offs at day care and school, go to work for a minimum of 8 hours, and head home to do it in reverse often with no additional support, whatsoever, while living from pay check to pay check, handle the doctor and dentist appts and shopping Somehow, they manage to get it done.

As far as I can tell, the Republicans currently screaming that the press is being unfair to Palin, don't give a damn about all those millions of women and children. The Democrats do. The Dems may botch the job, but at least they care enough to try.

Politics of U....

I am voting for Obama..... but I find your 11:17 post about "the story" rather puzzling...... Obama's "story"..... you know, the one about being from multi-racial parents, having his mother being single and needing food stamps, being raised by his grandmother in Hawaii..... etc, ect.... was used pretty heavily to say that his "story" was an American "story".....

are you suggesting that voters shouldn't consider anyone's "story".... or just Republican "stories"?

I have often thought that the biggest mistake that the democrats make on a regular basis is not thinking like the common voter. The continually try to assume that everyone has an intelligence level that understands everything that harvard and yale graduates say. They don't. Why is it the they can't understand that most advertising and marketing firms design their messages to be understood by twelve year olds?

If you want to attract the mass public to your message you have to make it to where they can understand it before they can become attracted to it. Repugs understand this much better. They do a far better job communicating to common people. Look at GWB. He has no intelligence, and half of the the time he acts like little more than white trash with money. But he sure knows how to talk to those rednecks.

Posted by: Politics of Utopia | September 3, 2008 11:32 AM

excuse me while I clear my throat... *cough cough* BULLSHIT *cough cough*

You're a dude, spare me your 'defense of feminism' baloney. Ain't your fight. I just said there is another 'body' involved, so the issue isn't as simple as you'd like it to be. I know you think that as an educated, well-informed, individual in the pursuit of enlightenment you have been told that you must support abortion rights or you are some backwards-thinking patriarchal primitive, but I don't buy that line of logic anymore. I used to, though, when I actually believed Liberals were the forth-right reasonable progressives they claim to be.

truebeliever, I fear that what you said is true - the impresson is that she's just good ole folk. She won't make a huge gaffe - JMac may, though - being such a maverick and all he tends toward that. And no, while she's a pretty ornament, she's not just a pretty ornament. She's probably solidified the republican religious right for McCain and has them interested enough to vote instead of staying home.

PoU, I don't doubt that you're right about McSame's intent for his VP - all I can say is that I bet Holy Joe is praying that JM gets elected so that he won't have to move to the basement of the SOB.

champ: i think we're going to have to agree to disagree with this one. you've got to protect a woman's right to choose, no matter what. you can spend all day trying to define the rights of a fetus, but in the end, there should be no federal restrictions against women. by your standards of judgment, if a woman makes a mistake - so what? don't impose your understanding of morality on others.

pogo: agreed, but there were also plenty of other "more experienced" candidates that would have equally galvanized the evangelical wing of the party. tis a strange, strange election...i

'He has no intelligence, and half of the the time he acts like little more than white trash' : truebeliever

A good start in communicating with the common voter might be to not call them "white trash". And to say they're not intelligent enough to understand is another insult. It's not a matter of them not understanding the so called 'elites', it's that they don't agree with them. The two groups don't seem to have any understanding of each others values and beliefs.

jamie, it would be such a demand, and it would require the same kind of management for a man who shares parenting duties as for a woman who does - and I have no idea what their family does or would do if she became VP, but your points about the resources she'd have at her disposal are well taken. Like I said, I don't think it disqualifies her, and I'm sure she wouldn't be any worse a parent than other VPs have been - not a choice I'd make, but not my choice to make.

PoU and champ - understand that the right to choose discussion you are having points out why at least on that isuue you don't want McCain elected - it will cease to be an issue for the foreseeable future if they can get Congress to buy into restrictions on the right and the court gets loaded with one more justice who doesn't see the right or doesn't think restricting it is a bad thing. This is not about abortion, it is about privacy - and the republicans do not respect that. (I offer FISA - as applied under Bushco, warrantless wiretapping, telecom immunity and the latest disclosures about Gonzo as examples).

Does anyone really think that if McCain were to win, that'll he'll come into office and change the Abortion laws? I'm really curious, because after eight years of Bush, they haven't change.

chloe: put two more people on the supreme court and things will change! remember, last time the issue came up, it was only one vote away from being struck down.

Pogo

"it would require the same kind of management for a man who shares parenting duties as for a woman who does "

The reason that all of these questions to Palin would never be asked of a man is that the assumption still exists that a man has a wife to handle such problems. Certainly there are single men out there with child care custody and reponsibility but for the most part this burden still falls principally on women even married ones with an "enlightened" spouse.

Back when I was doing the daycare, school, work, shopping, appointments dance, I used to say that there was nothing wrong with that side of my life that a good wife wouldn't cure. :-)

Thanks Utopia.
Gonna hit the road.

The choice is in the bedroom, not the doctor's office, PU.

Here's what YOU need to understand about modern media culture: SEX SELLS. Media is designed to induce desire in pursuit of fulfillment of primal desires, because then they can sell you a bunch of shit designed to party, but not completely fulfill that desire. Sex is now recreation rather than procreation, within the media context, and the actual consequences can be mitigated so that one may begin the cycle anew to do what? CONSUME MORE SHIT. Cars, perfume, jewelry, houses, clothes, you name it.

"Hey fuck all you want, if you have a kid, abort it, and go have some more fun! No responsibility involved; you're young, dumb, and wanna have fun, and we have many products to help you do that!" Is the message advertising-driven media is sending.

Now there are other circumstances where abortion may be more easily justified, and I've already made concessions regarding them numerous times. Those circumstances revolving around an initial lack of consent or viability.

chloe,

McCain couldn't just arbitrarily get rid of abortion.

But, I suppose he could chose a Supreme Court judge who would be pro-life and that might threaten abortion rights as we know them if the legality of
pro-choice were to be challenged in court.

But, one of the Supremes would have to retire.

or a couple of The Supremes would have to die.

champ: your response is a perfect example of why i don't allow my students to write about the topic : )

Way to stifle thought and expression, PU. No wonder our educational system is in shambles..

;^P

champ: my point was that the topic can be so heated that reason gets thrown out the window and emotions take over. plus, it's kind of a tiresome topic. i also throw out legalization of marijuana arguments for the same reason.

"champ: i'm not challenging you - but isn't *every* elected official, by some common definition, an elitist? i really dislike the empty signification of that word when it's used by republicans. if we don't like you, well, then you're an elitist...etc...." PU@11:29 a.m.

Yes, virtually every elected official is part of the elite; probably some truth to that, too.

I think we need a need word to describe nose-in-the-air candidates. How about the ultra-lilberal effete? Then we could have effetist and effetism.

Well, you won't have to wonder why our nation's youth seems to get progressively stupider, PU. Because of sanctimonious self-righteous intellectual cowards like you who would rather dictate the parameters of expression rather than eliminate them, supposedly because you believe yourself to be so sagacious or learned as to assume an authority to deem what lines of thought are appropriate. There's some 'elitism' right there.

Chloe,

Abortion laws won't change through federal legislation initially.

The Republican strategy is to be in power when John Paul Stevens dies/retires. They know that Ruth Ginsberg isn't long for the bench either. They will be replaced with "true believer justices" in the Alito/Roberts mold. That means judges no more than 50 years old to insure they will be on the bench for at least one generation.

Once they overturn Roe vs. Wade, it will be up to individual states and in a large part of the country, state legislatures would overwhelming vote to drastically curtail or outlaw abortions.

IMO Obama will have to work harder to win over the common voter, more so now than ever, especally in the south and west.

He needs to roll up his sleeves and curb his tendency to use lofty words( something that John Kerry NEVER seemed to understand) and start talking to people in and everyday empathetic manner. I know that he can, I have seen him do it. We all know that he is smart. Now he needs to show the country that he truly understands "their pain".

Chloe
as far as the intelligence thing I am speaking generally and from experience. Since I am psychological examiner by training and what I did for 9 years was nothing but give intelligence tests and establish educational ability, i can tell you that speaking to the above average people leaves 60% of the people out of the conversation.

By the way Chloe, Some of the biggest sellers in my shop are items that have anything with White Trash, Tattooed White trash, Redneck, Redneck White trash, etc., on them.
People are far more proud of these labels and you think. I see them buy these items everyday and proudly wear them on their body and fly them from a flagpole. I don't get it myself. But for anyone to say that EVERYONE finds these labels offensive is definitely not in touch with a larger section of the population than you think. Often they see these labels as rebellious in nature.

Photo looks like Ron Paul's supporters are in h-e-double-hockey-sticks.

http://news.aol.com/elections/conventions/republicans/article/thousands-gather-for-ron-paul-rally/156573?icid=100214839x1208404335x1200512293

To Flutus:

I like ultra-liberal effete.

To champ:

On teaching today--

Just wanted to add a note: I 'm an instructor at a college. Did you know that most all professors are ultra-liberal effete?

Flatus,

To label all elitist Liberal is a bit of a reach. One of the reason I identify with Democrats is because when I was in 6th grade, I had an assignment to volunteer at a local campaign. I walked into the Republican office and they turned their noses up at me and told me to leave.

I have met people on all parts of the spectrum who think they are better because of where they went to school, how much money they have or where they live. Hell, you look at the debate on this blog and we are all guilty of elitism in that only our opinions and points of view are right.

I think there are better things to do than to define elite because while you're at it, you need to define moral, define patriot, define compassionate...

i also throw out legalization of marijuana arguments for the same reason.

Aren't you special. Perhaps you should publish what we are allowed to think about every subject. I don't know how we have gotten along without you.

I don't know, Marcia. I went to one college, and not for a discipline where politics came up too much. If PU is any example, maybe all which I hear form the right regarding educational bias is more valid than I'd like to believe.

Favorite Media description

"Nattering nabobs of negativity " Spiro Agnew

The far right always come off as mean-spirited. Palin will do the same; only others on the right will bow to her. The new will wear off of the penny for everyone else. Read a headline that their was a smackdown on "The View" about Palin's poor child.

The sooner they start going after what record she has & her stance on the issues, the better for the Dems. I think the GOP wants to keep the focus on her personal issues so she can look like a victim.

In Case you didn't know:

Obama is going to appear on Bill O'Reilly Thursday, the day after
McCain gives his acceptance speech.

Marcia-
Friday, maybe? McC speaks on Thurs., I think.
~g

Bear, I was labeling all/most elected officials elitist, not just the liberal ones.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080903/pl_politico/13096

"But for a man who has lived 72 years and 67 days (McCain’s age on Election Day this year), there is between a 14.2 and 15.1 percent chance of dying before Inauguration Day 2013..."

"...actor Chuck Norris also cited McCain’s age as a factor in his own decision to support former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. “That’s why I didn’t pick John to support, because I’m just afraid the vice president will wind up taking over his job within that four-year presidency,” Norris explained in January."

Be afraid, be very afraid... Make sure the young 'uns actually show up at the polls for BOjoe!

BO needs to be playing the son-of-an-immigrant scenario/American dream theme, too. People may not pay attention to policy, but they love a story that pulls at the heartstrings.

PM-

"Did you know that most all professors are ultra-liberal effete?"

You reckon? :))

Gidget,

Thanks for your clarification. I meant that Obama would be on Fox with Bill O'Reilly on
Thursday Sept 4th, after McCain's speech, not the next day.

Flatus,

So noted...

Cool thing about Chuck Norris...he got his first black belt from the same person I did...

This is interesting...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26527513/

CNN must trying to justify their removing Soledad OBrien as the morning anchor. Her research has caused her to make several false statements this morning.
She claimed no one at CNN said Palin should stay home and that is exactly what John Roberts said.
She claimed Hillary Clinton had been silent on the Palin nomination and of course that is not true.

Or maybe she is just stupid.

This must make T Boone's heart go pitter-patter.

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/105680/Surge-in-Natural-Gas-Has-Utah-Driving-Cheaply

Maybe after the GOPfest, the Clinton's, Big Al, etc., really will start campaiging hard for BOjoe. Bill'ary needs to hit all of the rural & blue-collar areas, Al needs to make sure the kidz stay energized (with green energy, of course).

I hope the Dems don't let McCain tell them that age is off limits. It does matter, as does the background of his veep. Did somebody post something about Palin being a fiscal disasta in Alaska earlier?

oe maybe she thinks her viewers are stupid

"People are far more proud of these labels and you think. I see them buy these items everyday and proudly wear them on their body and fly them from a flagpole. I don't get it myself."

truebeliever..... I don't know how long you've been reading this blog.... but the above scenario is typical human behavior and has been exhibited on this blog....

for instance..... when Bob Kerrey made his remarks about Barack "Hussein" Obama.... a lot of his supporters here used "Hussein" in their blog monikers.....

and when someone from NYC made fun of Patsi by saying she was a witch.... a lot of us turned it around and claimed to be witches and proud of it.....

the fact that rednecks would be proud to be called rednecks and/or white trash doesn't surprise me at all.....

I'm stealing this from a friends facebook profile...

Bear is glad the REPUBLICANS are for gun rights, CUZ ALL THE WEDDINGS IN ALASKA ARE SHOTGUN!

Don't forget we are talking about an electorate that elected GWB twice, or made those elections close enough for the GOP to steal easily, depending on your perspective. I think a lot of you guys give the general public too much credit.

Posted by: champ | September 3, 2008 11:08 AM

Actually he was only "elected" once. The Supremes ordered an end to the recount in Repug Florida. Then, if the shenanigans in Ohio turns out to be true, Kenneth Blackwell tampering with vote totals, then he wasn't ever elected!

Blue,

I read about the CNG in Utah a couple of months ago...it was something like $.62 a gallon there. So cheap that the governor paid the $12,000 out of his own pocket to convert his state issued Suburban to CNG.

I think it would be great here in TX if you could get some stations to start offering it...

Marcia-
Thanx for the info...I normally don't watch Bill O....but for the risk/reward potential for Obama, I'll watch.
~g

BO doesn't need to dumb himself down for the general public. Why not bring everybody up a level?

I'm not sure that using more pedestrian language would make him seem less removed from the commoners, but he needs to do something about coming off as arrogant.

Maybe he needs to model Hucakbee to increase is EQ. No matter how much I disagree with Huckster, I always feel kinda warm & fuzzy after he speaks.

BO doesn't need to change his message, just his demeanor.

This is pretty sad considering that one of the ways to fight high fuel costs is to use mass transit...

http://www.projo.com/news/content/RIPTA_CUTS_09-03-08_V5BEINC_v22.4120cfb.html

If Sarah Palin was not an evangelical right-wing Christian (how being right wing makes someone a Christian I don't know), I'd really consider voting for her. Right wing fundamentalist Christians speak of love but are filled with hate. I have been on the receiving side of their so-called "love", believe me. In my first quarter of my Master in Public Administration program we had to read a book by Margaret Atwood called "The Handmaid's Tale" . "Why"? you ask... Because it was an example of the ultimately "administered" society. It is a book about what would happen in America if the Christian Right was able to achieve all their social goals and basically take over the country. If you haven't read the book, I HIGHLY recommend it. If you only saw the movie, I urge you to read the book!! There is a certain irony when the Christian Right take over, when a former female TV-evangelist is no longer allowed to offer sermons or hold positions of leadership.

Bear thanks for that link! Too many of us are resistant to public transport, even in Europe (though less so). I have started riding the bus into the Ghent center rather than driving. I get nervous we all the traffic and find the back up autos difficult. Riding the bus is ok !! The public train system is also good. I find myself frustrated by some of the fellow passengers but that is to be expected. The train system is now asking people to please use their cellphones quietly, if at all, during the trip. That helps a bit. i used to think PT was only for lower class, uneducated and rowdy people, but now it is only smart to ride public transport, save money and the environment.

Yep, they've high-jacked the label just like they've high-jacked the Republican party. A minority of hateful fanatics in control of our government. Scary.

Euro,

One of the curious things about where I work, Arlington, TX is the fact that it's the largest city in the US that doesn't have a public transit system.

If you look at a map, Arlington sits smack dab in between Dallas and Fort Worth, yet the train that connects the 2 cities runs north of Arlington.

The new Cowboys stadium is nearing completion and you can just tell traffic will be god freakin awful because unlike Massachusetts where you can take the train to any of the professional sports teams, you can't do that for the Rangers or Cowboys.

I wish T. Boone Pickens had a train set as a kid so he would be inspired to get some rail here as well...

blueindallas

Don't you understand, the Clintons DO NOT want Obama to win. Period. They will take four more years in the wilderness if it gives Hillary another shot at the White House.

Bowmanc,

The ironic thing is if they let McCain win, Palin will be a shoo in to win 4 years later.

Renee

TB lives down on the Arkansas border. Redneck is a step up in social status.;-)

As I told a cousin of mine from down in that area.
"When you come from a town called Yellville everything else is mostly progress"

Jack

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/gop-fate-hangs-on-palin.html#comment-138467

jamie, I handle most of that stuff for LP - Mrs. P & I comment that we need to hire a wife.

"Palin will be a shoo in to win 4 years later."

I don't know Bear. She does a good job of stepping on toes. Her enemies list is as long as her friends list. I suspect in the long run she will be a little too much for the average Republican.

Jack

Just in case anyone wants to brush up on their statistics about abortion in the U.S., this one has a great deal of information

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

Bear

"Cool thing about Chuck Norris...he got his first black belt from the same person I did..."

Showed good taste on Chuck's part. :-)

I went to high school for a year with a Beach Boy and one year of college with a Drifter.... I doubt either knew I existed. :-)

Think this could affect the market?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/business/04auto.html?hp

Ford reports its sales are down 26%

Wait a second. With all of the talk at the Democratic convention about these non existent "PUMA" people, why isn't there more coverage about the Ron Paul confab in Minneapolis? They just had a conference where 10,000 people met and unlike the so-called PUMAs, have proven they can not only organize, but fund raise. And they're not going anywhere.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13091.html

Renee
I have been reading this blog since January this year. I understand this behavior in normal. I see it where I live all the time. I don't live in a progressive area. I live in a town that is in the land of minimum wage. Literally. There are very few jobs here that pay more than 9 dollars an hour. These people pay very little attention to anything political because they don't see how it affects them. You say something about supreme court justices and the importance of these appointments and they look at you like you are an alien.

I was so angry at John Kerry because he failed to communicate to the people around here. He thought he could on fatigues and go duck hunting and that would be all it took to win them over. All they did was joke about the rich guy with all the fancy gear who went hunting, and they knew it was a fake strategy because he didn't connect on any other level.
People around here want someone who understands what it is like to be a regular person. A person who has had to juggle everyday problems, not who they are going to hire to do it for them. They want you to talk to them like a regular person, not someone who lectures you from a lofty stance with big words.

You do not have to dumb down the message. The message is the message. Just present it in a plain speaking manner instead of constantly trying to dazzle everybody with lofty language that reeks of elitism. I was constantly having to explain Kerry's terminology to my less educated best friend. It;s just stupid to ignore this.

It seems that all of us here are well educated people. One way or the other. We talk in details and use examples that are often referenced with historical examples. I love to read and participate in this blog because i like this exposure. I not only don't find this in my regular everyday life normally, I don't even find people who care to get that involved in the political process. But these same people go vote because they think it's their duty to. So why wouldn't we want to find a way to make them a part of our ideology of change and being able to take control of the political process for their benefit instead of allowing the other side to court them with promises that they have no intention of keeping just because they understand what pushes these people's buttons.

Jack,
Curious you mentioned Yellville! I just rented them Inflatables for their Labor day Picnic. I also do Turkey Trot for them. You know what I talking about.

Posted by: Mr. Democrat | September 3, 2008 1:42 PM

Because turds like Wolfe Blitzer called it Ron Paul's little convention. Given all the empty seats at the RNC I thought that was pretty stupid --but of course that is the level of journalism.

I saw an interview with Ron Paul and when asked about Sarah Palin and the experience question, he said why should we care about Washington DC experience -- the work product is bad.(I did paraphrase)

Bowman: were you serious here, or is this a joke/meant as irony?

blueindallas

Don't you understand, the Clintons DO NOT want Obama to win. Period. They will take four more years in the wilderness if it gives Hillary another shot at the White House.

Posted by: Bowmanc | September 3, 2008 1:18 PM

" All they did was joke about the rich guy with all the fancy gear who went hunting, and they knew it was a fake strategy because he didn't connect on any other level. "

I'll know more after I actually see her speak, but as of now, I'm starting to be concerned that Palin may actually be a stronger candidate than McCain when it comes to attracting the kind of folks true believer mentions.

This could present a major problem for Obama/Biden since they are both basically "big city" people with little cultural contact or concept of the south and west.

If Palin nails down the religious right and McCain locks up the military vote, this race, that probably should have been a landslide for the Democratic party, could turn into a real squeaker.

If she does as well as I think she might, lets hope Obama has the good sense to send Prez Clinton south and Sen. Clinton west to present the Democratic side of the cultural and financial argument.

Exactly Jamie.

People tend to hang around and associate with people they have things in common with. And that is also the pool of people they are most comfortable with when it comes to people they pick to have power over them. Bill always understood this and could do the Bubba thing really well. Obama needs to get some lessons and use the Clintons to help him especially in the south.

I wish he would have picked Hillary to be his vice. I know alot of people would have been angry, But they would have gotten over it just as soon as he told them to, and right now she (Palin) wouldn't even be an issue except to speculate how badly Hillary would destroy her in the debate.

Ford reports its sales are down 26%

You can see that was expected by the DJ's reaction and Fords. DOW is only down 17 pts, Ford is actually up today.

Ford's price can only go so low. When the base price of the corporation is worth more on the auction block than the value of it's stock, that is a company one should buy. At $4.50 I'm buying Ford.

TB

I've heard tell of the Turkeytrot, but I've never been to Yellville in my life. My dad's first cousin move there and raised his family in the area, as a kid the name struck me as funny.
They have all left the area, the parents having passed on and their daughter my age is living somewhere in Florida the last I heard.

Jack

Probably a good idea, Fry. Ford's down, but so is oil - tough to be a trader today I suspect.

Jack

Turkey Trot is something else. They toss turkeys down to the square so the kids can catch them and take them home. One every hour. I spend alot of time in small town festivals all over ark. and mo. This one is my favorite.

Jack -- off the subject but how long do you think it would take to drive from Hamilton Mo to Bonner Springs Ks? I am wanting to go the renaissance festival their after I do one of my own in Hamilton. Hamilton is about 15 miles from Cameron up on hwy 36. Just don't know if I would have enough time to drive their on Sunday and still have enough time to enjoy the day.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/gop-fate-hangs-on-palin.html#comment-138522

truebeliever, Now that was one heck of a great post.

"This could present a major problem for Obama/Biden since they are both basically "big city" people with little cultural contact or concept of the south and west." Jamie

Palin reignites culture wars
"To be sure, cultural issues would be a factor in this election, even if McCain had sought to defuse them. Social issues dominate the 112 ballot propositions in 30 states in November, according to the Initiative & Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California."

"“The whole discussion up until now has been about national security and the economy and now we see the culture wars back with her appointment..."
The annual Pew Religion and Public Life Survey recently reported that after voters gauged how liberal McCain and Obama were, “the average voter places themselves much closer to McCain than to Obama.”

"Forty-nine percent of Americans say their “moral values” are conservative, while only 20 percent say they are liberal."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13101.html

Pong in NYC....
The Republican party has now captured the middle ground and moved the party closer to the people.

Win or lose the election the party is being redefined, thank you to the loss of 06 and at a min John McCains choice for VP has set a new course.

You want to talk about CHANGE

truebeliever- hour & 1/2

http://www.randmcnally.com/rmc/directions/dirGetDirections.jsp?cmty=0

The republicans are doing for their woman candidate what the democrats refused to due. Stand up for her against the msm sexism. Saying they are not going to stand for it. Something Dean and DNC refused to do for Senator Clinton. I applaud them. Tearing a woman down because she is a woman and not for her political stands should not be acceptable. Whether Democrat or Republican.

Julie

off to find a great NYC cornbeef sandwich,, or at least fried bologna

if johnny mc stands tall tomorrow night, squarely looks the public in the tv eye, and in his most serious sincerest voice respectfully calls on bush and cheney to do their duty as true patriots and resign, he would be a hero. they could leave with their heads held high pronouncing themselves as putting america first.
this sounds daffy, but think it through. he would make history. he would be forever credited for making the first woman president (albeit pelosi would only serve for 3-4 months). he would be the biggest maverick ever. and he would suck all the air out of the msm.

TB

Your about an hour and a half out of KC.
ren fest is about 15 min from downtown out on 70.

Your best bet is to avoid downtown because of road construction take I29 to I635 south to I 70

Jack

Thanks Pogo. I'll have to remember that link. By the way any one interested in renaissance festivals, Kansas City's is one of the best. It's weekends from Labor Day weekend through the second week in Oct.

"http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/gop-fate-hangs-on-palin.html#comment-138516"

There are actually very expensive "rent a wife" businesses. They are more than maids in that they do all those schlepping things such as clothes to the cleaners, weekly shopping, gift buying, dinner on counter ready for microwaving ... It is everything that a man would pick up a phone and say, "honey, since you don't have anything to do would you ...." lol

Ping, what's that old saying about chickens?

http://www.gallup.com/poll/109996/Gallup-Daily-Obama-49-McCain-43.aspx

If the Republicans have captured the middle, shouldn't McCain be ahead in the polling? I think you're counting yor chickens too early.

Snark aside (well, maybe not completely), if the republicans have redefined their party by losing a congressional election and choosing Palin as the VP, they better call for a tug and get their rudder replaced since the one they had seems pretty useless. The same can be said for the Dems - losing a couple of Pres elections and nominating Obama could certainly be considered a redefinition. One of the parties' redefinition won't result in a win in Nov. What then? More redefinition?

Part of Soledad O'Brien's interview with Sally Quinn, who is wrong on so many fronts:

"QUINN: Well, I have been a working mother for 26 years. And practically every friend I have is a working mother and works full- time.

So, I think we are so far beyond that issue of whether women should work or not, certainly, in your world and my world. But, in the world of evangelicals, that's not the case. Women are supposed to be subservient to their husbands and they are meant to be stay-at-home moms. And women in fact are not allowed to be pastors in the Southern Baptist Church.

And I do think, too, that you have to weigh the situation. It's one thing to have one or two or three children, especially if they are healthy children. And everyone knows that women and men are different and that moms and dads are different and that women -- the burden of child care almost always falls on the woman. But I think, when you have five children, one a 4-month-old Down syndrome baby, and a daughter who is 17, who is also a child and who is going to need her mother very much in the next few months and years with her own baby coming, that I don't see how you cannot make your family your first priority.

And I think if you are going to be president of the United States, which she may well be, I think that's going to be a real stretch for her."

Earth to Sally, Bill Clinton is Southern Baptist. Bill is married to HRC, who as far as I can tell isn't subservient to Bill. BTW women are not allowed to be Catholic Priest either.

Now Sally has only 1 child, Josiah, and she had him at the age of 41. Her son Josiah was born with velo-cardio-facial syndrome. Did this stop Sally from working? Did this make Sally a bad mother? Did anyone question her motives? Certainly not.

Sally, in counting the Palin children remember one of those children is in the ARMY, heading to Iraq. Their 17 year old is pregnant, but isn't going to be left to fend on her own. Fortunate for her she come from a loving supporting family. Sally maybe you just don't get out of Georgetown much, but women who aren't part of your DC cocktail wine and cheese hostess society, can do more than one thing these days, and do them well. Sally did you think to ask Soledad O'Brien who has 4 children all under the age of 10, how can she work and still fit in duties of motherhood and that of a wife?

Thanks to you too jack. Don't want to go through the city anyway. I want to take my 10 year girl to see it. She wants to see them joust.

The Daily Gallup analysis confirms the thesis of Craig Crawford's post...It's all about Sarah

http://www.gallup.com/poll/109996/Gallup-Daily-Obama-49-McCain-43.aspx

of course bush and cheney would not take him up on the resign thing, but in calling for their resignation, it would effectively show the public j mc isn't on their side and blow the dems argument that his would be a third bush term.
and, yes, i'm serious. crazy, but seriously so.

Why did you have to mention NY corn beef? I had been able to suppress the memories of pastrami, grilled in butter, served on a grilled roll with brown mustard, onions and melted provolone cheese....you ask a @#$# Texan where you can find Pastrami and they stare blankly at you...

UGH!!!! I haven't been this pissed since the super bowl...

patd - you've really cracked me up. For a minute there, I thought your post might be serious. You had me through 2 lines - then on the 3rd I started RFLMFAO.

jamie,

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/gop-fate-hangs-on-palin.html#comment-138546

LMAO - I was thinking maybe an au pair. Of course Mrs.P would never go along with that - she's seen too many movies about young girls, older men, that sort of thing.

prof marcia: agree -- What a shambles that McCain and the republicans put so much power and stress on the shoulders of a woman who is not known nationallly with only two months to catch up. Perhaps they are banking on the American voter to latch onto the emotional fervor of the choice, especially if the Dems go after her in harsh ways. Wouldn't be the first time the Repubs stoop to that option in their playbook. When are we going to hear real issues dialogue and when will the people be ready to hear it.

Pogo

Sarge's on 3rd Ave has fried bolonga as a side for breakfast...great breakfast too. 548 3rd.
~Gidget

Bear
I am with you. Since I read Pogo Corned Beef sandwich in NYC. I have been drooling too. And they have such really good bread there also. Let's book a jet ticket and go NYC. Hmm. wish I could.

Julie

"The Democrats do. The Dems may botch the job, but at least they care enough to try."

Jamie, I almost lost my lunch (not really) when I read this. In my mind the whole tenor of New Democratic Politics will be governed by the attention to women demonstrated in the current presidential cycle.

I know many individual Democrats care greatly about women's rights--but, the people in a position to actually may positive change could care less.

Are the Repugs better? Of course not. But, at least they don't maintain that they are.

actually may = actually make

Bear, we found a marvelous deli in Houston that was authentic. Twenty years ago and I don't remember the name.

Bear, you better learn to like beef BBQ.

" where you can find Pastrami and they stare blankly at you..."

Bear, Have you tried Jason's Deli?
http://www.jasonsdeli.com/location

Gidg, you talking NY? You've got me drooling now, but Ping's there - not me. (Besides, I'm more of a pastrami fan).

I smell fear on part of the MSM. And that FEAR is in the form of a 40ish white independent married female, who goes by the name, Sarah Palin. I know the NYT ran 3 above the fold articles on her and her PREGNANT daughter, and there were other such news papers who ran similar stories

But the story I'm thinking about stated, if McCain win this election, there will be a full fledged race war. I would suggest to this writer she needs to attend a Knife and Gun Show and see who is doing the buying, and exactly what are they buying. 95% white males buying up everything, from handguns with 30 clip magazines to semi auto, roc & rol, AK-47s look a likes. Be careful of your speculations of what may happen, because every weekend that 95% have been privately, silently been legally arming themselves.

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20080902_Fatimah_Ali__We_need_Obama__not_4_more_years_of_George_Bush.html

pogo, thank you. applause is always appreciated especially when it comes from a quality audience.
btw, do you think my aforementioned scenerio merits a daily show or snl gig?

truebeliever....
thanks so much for your 1:42 post..... it was excellent, IMO.....

glad to know you've been here since January..... it's refreshing to see actual discussions going on today without all the vitriol....

Bear..... you were angered over that Super Bowl..... I was saddened.....
don't know what's in store for the Patriots this upcoming season.... they lost all four of their exhibition games..... no defense and no Brady..... here's to hoping this season is a good one....

patd - not so sure about me as the quality audience, but I'd go for SNL. No need to act like it is being covered as a news item there, although on TDS John Oliver could do a great bit on it as if it had happened.

I think this may be the place in Houston:
http://www.kennyandziggys.com/

Tearing a woman down because she is a woman and not for her political stands should not be acceptable. Whether Democrat or Republican.

Julie

Posted by: julie young | September 3, 2008 2:33 PM

I agree ! That's why I posted what I thought of Palin's vision of a right-wing Christian fundamentalist America.

On April 3, 1987, at a campaign stop in Claremont, New Hampshire, a voter named Frank innocently asked Biden what