Craig Crawford's Trail Mix

8~D

Craig, many professors I know can speak to a crowd as well as she can.

Lots of people are good public speakers. It's the DC in crowd who sound like Hillary. Obama is an easy to listen to speaker too. McBush is a DC in crowd person. That's why he sounds like he does.

tt

Well Craig...looks like it's me and you(and Jim is here, too)...we are both energized after Governor Palin's speech!!!

KGC

I am looking forward to Bottle Shock. Nice to have a review.

Bear

Stop knocking Hillary. She has done ABSOLUTELY everything that has been asked of her and made multiple appearances on behalf of Obama plus a magnificent convention performance. All of this "just waiting for 2012" bs is truly unfair and obnoxious.

Craig,

One thing the speech perfomance did is raise her debate expectations considerably. Now it's not enough to just survive the debate...he can be viewed as the underdog.

She is smart and poised.
She is way more telegenic
And she assumed the attack dog role tonight so she may have removed some of the sexism cover they will try to use should he hit hard...

Jamie, I supported Hillary after I supported Edwards. But her public speaking style is stilted.

tt

dog, YES!!

tt

Her self description as a pit bull with lipstick seems pretty accurate. I think she will have no trouble holding her own in direct confrontation with opponents.

And, I think the kind of faceless sniping orchestrated by Mr Obama's campaign over the past week will increasingly be seen as carping criticism in which the individuals making the charges hide in the shadows.

This does not bode well for the Democrats until they figure out a workable counter strategy.

The BF of Palin's daughter is 18. The girl is 17. I've heard many a story on Faux noise about rape and older men going to jail for this even if the couple wanted to get married.

tt

Jamie,

I don't think it's unfounded after talking to some of her supporters in RI and MA who are already talking about it now.

Yes she gave a wonderful speech at the convention but when the news this week is top Clinton fundraiser endorsing McCain, Hillary Clinton's brother attending an event with 50 other people in her campaign to proselytize for McCain in Pennsylvania, one can be curious about motives.

BTW Craig

It was very nice to hear from Will Durst again. I remember fondly his occasional forays as a sub for you.

Harry Reid just used the word "shrill" about Palin. Now we know why he didn't offend the attacks on Hillary. That's the way he talks about women, so he probably didn't even hear what women were screaming about.

The Palin speech had too many one liners. She stepped on one to deliver another so none are particullarly memorable. This, combined with the outrageous claims on taxes and energy, will give you a case og bad Palanomia but you will be alright after a good nights sleep.

Did anyone notice that just before McCain exited he waved his arm beyond the limit of his reach. Dummy.

Here's how us marketeers define Exurban -- Sarah Palin's Target Market...

Out beyond the established suburbs lies a semi-rural land inhabited by suburban-type families, householders aged 35 to 54 with plenty of school-aged kids and teens but some empty nests. Sixty percent are dual-earner couples. Their below average proportion of college-educated parents puts them at a slight disadvantage compared to Suburban Wave. Still, 87 percent own their homes. White non-Hispanics predominate. Average family income is $80,000. Vacations lean to family camping and local
theme parks.

dog, I'm my own person and glad to have a fellow traveler through these difficult times.

I mostly don't read the crap here.

*quarter in the jar*

tt

tt
the age limit in Alaska for statuatory rape is 16

Jamie,

This will sound bigotted but as a black person who is considered the spawn of Satan by his religion, Harry Reid is a dumb @#$#$ Mormon...

I agree with you about the speech. Palin out Obamaed Obama.

Flatus:

"Warren, your finding of hypocrisy is based on the above premise which, in my mind, is simply incorrect.

Mr Obama and Mrs Palin have been on too completely different career tracks. Hers was geared toward executive positions while his were legislative.

They simply aren't comparable."

We are on different sides of this debate - so I don't want to go back on forth on the experience issue since we have already made up our mind about who has the most experience on issues that matter to us.

But I find it incredible for someone to say that is not debatable or an issue where reasonable minds can disagree. Plus, the GOP was way over the top is dengrating Obama's experience and now is using the same type of hyperbole to pump up Palin's resume.

Alaska Age of Consent Laws

Posted by Tamara

The Alaska age of consent laws are unique. The age of consent in Alaska is 16. This is the age at which an individual may consent to have sex with someone over 18, legally, in Alaska. It applies both to heterosexual and homosexual acts.
http://blog.laborlawtalk.com/2006/11/07/alaska-age-of-consent-laws/

Also there has to be more than three years age difference
A 20 year old man who has sex with a 15 year old girl, in Alaska, is guilty of statutory rape. A 17 year old male who has consensual sex with a 15 year old girl is not guilty of statutory rape, under Alaska law

Thanks KGC, it could have been 21.

tt

Bear,

Her brother isn't backing McCain. He went to the meeting. Someone interviewed Fiorina today and asked that direct question. The best they could get out of her was "He came and listened". From her tone, it didn't sound as if she were particularly successful with the Clinton donors.

Again, this whole muddle of people, supporters, spokespersons etc. where somehow rumor is fact, gossip is gospel, and any tidbit from a talking head is absolute truth is exhausting.

I swear I'm going to go back to to reading Heinlein and only accepting testimony from a cloaked fair witness.

Palin's Communications major professors at the University of Idaho must be very pleased.

Someone asked about middle names.

Trig Paxson Van Palin

How elitist.

tt

Greenclouds,

Obama can be the biggest non Irish bullshitter on the planet, but when he delivers a speech, even people who disagree with him feel inspired by something. Whether it's his presence in the arena, whether its his wanting to create a better place for all Americans, even the likes of Pat Buchanan is moved by him. I don't really see how you can say Palin appealed to anyone who wasn't a Republican or a non Obama Democrat tonight...she would wake a great pastor for a church but anyone can preach to a choir...

Take some aspirins and get some rest tonight. Maybe we'll all wake up in the morning and she'll have morphed into Ann Coulter and we can all laugh at her adams apple and watch as the repugs look on in horror as she makes an ass of herself.

I'm going to bed. Got pneumonia. That's why I've had time to post today. Once my summer business gets started I don't have much time to be on the computer. Nite all.

Now Bear, There was a prophecy changing that particular doctrine. Are you holding a grudge? :-)

One a much different note...

Who here is a Johnny Cash fan? Since Haiti is under a few feet of water and everyone's starving...I need this pick me up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-kcksQOb5U

The whole group should be

As The GOP Turns.

What if the girl had been......wait for it......African American? The Repubs would be talking about the baby mama and who's the baby daddy?

You know they'd whisper that at "the club".

tt

Craig

It looks like tonight was good for your business, there is still a race. Lieberman must be happy tonight. He still has a glimmer of a future. Not much true, but just a bit.

Jack

Shall we set up the drinking game now for tomorrow night? Every time John McCain says, "My Friends"

tt

or she could not know who the father is

I just had a great brain storm...

The US is giving Iraq billions in aid even though they have an $80 Billion surplus. Once W. is out of office, ship him to Iraq to run that government and he will be able to piss away that surplus and hopefully get it back to the US for Americans to use.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jLA3Z9Z9Ow

"or she could not know who the father is"

Didn't I hear that rumor delivered by some of our darlings last weekend?

Jack

Bear,

Sorry to hear about Haiti. Just for the record, several Johnny Cash fans. Not too many of the music mavins lurking around tonight.

Anyway, have a great rest of the night folks.

Jamie:

The GOP has been stoking the coals of Democratic disunity ever since March - when they began to pump up Hillary Clinton and tear down Obama.

(Of course before that - they were doing the exact opposite and focusing their attacks on Hillary).

The Republicans are masters of getting elected and the Democrats better get together and start working hard if they want to win this thing.

(And could Hillary tell Geraldine Ferraro to just shut her mouth if she does not want a Democrat to win the White House.)

Posted by: whskyjack Author Profile Page | September 4, 2008 12:34 AM

No that rumor involved not knowing who the mother was

True, KGC.

That's why they cleaned the kid up and brought him to the convention.

Good family values unity, no?

tt

Craig, it didn't come off that well on TV. Palin's underhanded slapping of Obama's community service work and her statements about how being mayor of little Wasilla mean more than all the years Joe Biden has spent inthe Senate was laughable.
Her statement about "it's better than doing nothing" , regarding the fact that immediate Alaskan oil drilling will do no good for the American consumers for at least 15 years was just an empty headed idea, compared to Obama's promise to be non-foreign-oil-dependent in ten years.
Did you catch her statement about how McCain is the only one in this campaign who has served America? Four years ago these bastards denigrated Kerry for same!!
Palin is a big bag of wind, playing to this friendly crowd of agents for the rich and influential ... she makes me sick.
I cannot wait until Biden debates her.

Whisky,

I don't know what future Lieberman has...if the Dems win, he gets booted from the caucus...if the Dems lose, they kick the crap out of him, then boot him from the caucus....I wonder if he and Dodd are still friends.

When Lieberman does go R, he may be the only two in NE. I'm shocked Collins is in trouble in Maine and I wonder whether Palin's personality will trump her politics for that state's voters...

As a political scientist, this election season is shaping up like the 2003 Major League Baseball playoffs, the most exciting of my lifetime...

"The Republicans are masters of getting elected and the Democrats better get together and start working hard if they want to win this thing."

Warren, you're SO right!

KGC, they would have called the girl a 'slut' in the 1950's.

tt

tt

If it weren't so creepy I'd be curious to know what the Palins are saying to each other in private.

"Did you catch her statement about how McCain is the only one in this campaign who has served America? Four years ago these bastards denigrated Kerry for same!!"

Dex, this is why I can't stand those people and their hypocrisy.

AARRGGHH..................

tt

KGC, and remember the terrific stink made about Jamie Lynn Spears being pregnant and having & keeping the baby?

I can't imagine that they have the "no sweat" attitude in private. After all, it reflects on them as parents and what their kids are doing while she's at the office.

What kind of example does it set for middle America?

tt

ROTFLMAO...

Friggin' Hilarious. To quote my grandma, god rest her soul, you guys don't know whether to ____ or go blind.

"Any party that cheers and chants "Drill baby drill", are morons, dangerous and scary." ~ tiptoe

-equally hilarious, tt. Were people actually chanting that?!

tt

They cannot do it without their enablers in the media.
I didn't see the speech but the "merchants of advocacy*"
were completely thrilled and those that attempted to add a dose of reality were cut off.

*another brilliant phrase from our host. My new favorite -pushing evidence free zone to second.

Oh, tiptoe, I thought the Palin children's names were silly, too until Maureen Dowd (of all people) explained their origin, and they are actually well-chosen meaningful names. Except for "Track", that one is pretty silly.

According to Dowd, they used to fish on Bristol Bay, Willow is a town in Alaska, and Trig is Norse for strength(?) or something like that.

Hottest Woman from the Coldest state!

Holy cow, tiptoe! You are rabid tonight! You made some pretty outrageous statements up there. A lot more offensive than any cookie comments I could make, but hey, that's just me. I understand, though; I ascertain that you feel like Obama's coronation may not be such a foregone conclusion after all? I still have a hard time seeing how McCain could win; he IS out of touch and really looks physically unwell lately. Is McCain still running, or just Palin?

Once again, the Dems have underestimated an opponent. Most on this blog do not see the trap that has been laid for Obama. Not only does Palin add to a message of reform/change, she also highlights Obama's lack of experience. Then, to make matters worst, because the media is in Obama's pocket, they have exasberated the flames of sexism, thereby alienating many working class voters.

I predict that Palin will not appeal to many of the Hillary voters who are hard core on issues such as abortion. However, she an enormous appeal to working class women who do not have a college degree. Many of these are the small town voters too. These were the people who helped put Hillary over the top in many of these primaries. If she can help peal away a slim amount of these voters, then this is a very close election.

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/sarah_palin_at_war_with_her_daughter_over_pregnancy_wedding/celebrity/65370

I know I said it was creepy to try to imagine the Palins at home....fortunately the enquirer has done that for us.

I AM STUNNED!
Damn the speech was too good to be true... Even I was a lifleong dem was shocked at how precise she was. Yup, this was an A+
I spell trouble for Biden in the weeks to come. Serious trouble. Not only is her knowledge good, but she speaks very eloquently and her points come across as very thoughtful.

BO and Biden should prepare well. Biden should not take for granted that he has a 30 year old washington experience.
She is fresh and made her mark tonght. Sarah P just scored some MAJOR points with this brother..... I don´t know how she did it, although she made a very false start in my book last week (refering to the 18 million cracks) she has surely outdone herself. this speech is gnna get major buzz all around. For sure

Champ,

The biggest problem with Republicans chanting "Drill Baby drill" is that you don't know if it's policy talk or bedroom talk...lol

Anyone watch the US Open tonight?
I think Venus and Serena played the match of their lifes..... I am so damn proud of these girls, that in a tenis world where the entire top 100 consists of 85% eastern europeans they hold the USA on the map..... CHAPEAU...This was de defacto final....Everyone agrees...

Jason,

I caught bits and pieces...one of their better matches...the Nadal vs. Fish match is a fun watch but why are they playing at 1:30 AM ?

this is well said btw...

Peter Christopher
knows that light travels faster than sound... which is why most people appear bright until you hear them speak

Hey Bear,
You know...these girls as well as all our sports stars make me very proud to be Amnerican. Here in Holland people constantly say to me, you guys have an amzing roster of sports stars...And I am so proud.....

Nice quote from PC though.....

LOL, they are playing alkways all the way through 2 o clock....INSANE...LOL

Chloe; 11:34 am. previous....AA = Barack, Woman = Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin, Chloe, you're good .....9:07 pm... Yes Ma'am you do speak for me too...................

Bowmanc; 1:18 pm previous...........I think that's what happens when you're disrespected, reviled, slimed, and robbed of the nomination.............................

Ping Pong 5:26 pm previous and ubns; 6:58 previous... you are both right, he should control his people, but I think it's like an earlier post, Obama - good cop, Matthews, Maddow, Olbermann, bad cops ............

Jamie; 7:10 pm previous .......He doesn't control the media ...... C'mon Jamie, the msm has been so "in the tank", all it would have taken was a word .....................

John R; 10:57 pm previous .........BO's campaign should take off the gloves - what more could they do to her or her family, tie her behind a car? And Hillary shouldn't be opposite her, she should be on the top of the ticket............................................

I think that "elite" was meant to refer to higher learning as in, elite academia.....................................................

Mr. Crawford; 10:48 pm previous thread..............."We've been had," Ya think, and she's cute too. Unfortunately, I'm afraid your correct about the Clintons, they've done everything that's been asked of them, but they were so shredded by BO's campaign and the "in the tank" media that half-hearted would seem to be the very human response. Besides I don't believe the Clinton's owe him anything.....................................................

Someone said, back a few threads that MO's education was better than mine, and they were right, she is much better educated than I am, too bad it didn't teach her how to keep her feet out of her mouth. ie: "If Hillary can't run her own house, how can she run the WH?" I BELIEVE this caused the split in the democratic party, because as soon as she said it, of course the msm picked it up and ran with it and what started out as a crack became a chasm and finally the PUMA's.
1) The Clinton's personal life is none of her, or anyone else's business and
2) Sleazey - to use it against Hillary, it's what the repugs do.
She learned her tactics, sitting in Trinity church for 20 years soaking up Phleger, Wright, etc. and when he said that she would be one of his advisors that did it. I will never vote for him, his suspect associations for one, and her for the other. And for those of you who look for racism everywhere this has nothing to do with COLOR, CREED or SEXUAL ORIENTATION - it has to do with bitchiness and she is, even with the makeover, no Stepford wife.......................I think the term elite academia could apply to both of them, so how on earth could she go into places like Pennsylvania, WV, Kentucky, Ohio etc., and win working women's votes for her husband - it just ain't happenin'..........................

Rita........................Sorry, for the length folks

MS. PALIN GOES TO WASHINGTON
....What did I just witness? I'm not sure if Gov. Palin's speech was trying to be golly jee Americana on the rocks with a strong pitbull chaser, or if she really is exactly that. Can she truly be this straight forward, uncorrupted and down home? If this is real, this is truly awe inspiring and completely refreshing and very,very rare in national politics. If she's got a cynic like me guessing ...then I'm sure she's convinced most watching. BRAVO!!

No Chris, she as I have said before is the "NEW REPUBLICAN TERMINATOR" you see Chris she has "TERMINATED" you. You are no longer around. You have been "TERMINATED" Just like she has "TERMINATED" the "APPEASEMENT KID"

She has also "TERMINATED" the "ELITE MEDIA" I wonder what Barbara Walters has to say. ?

VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com
ps This is not longer your "GRANDFATHERS" Republican Party

The "greatest speech in convention history"???...Gee, can the media be any more punk'd by the Republicans calling them out?

I think it was a good speech, but I'm not sure how it all played out for non-Reps. That crowd looked awfully Wonderbread, the whole night was to shore up their base, mission accomplished. I still realllllly dislike Rudy. What an oinker.

"greatest speech in convention history"

Either I'm in another world or everyone's crazy but that was BS.
It's called pandering. .no substance. Biden will tear her a new one. I can't wait!

"greatest speech in convention history"

um, are you nuts?
that was all snark and no substance. it may have played well in the hall, but on TV it came off as being petty and small. but that's the mayor of mooseville for you.
well, who knows, maybe the GOP will actually talk about an issue at some point this year. nah, probably not. that would guarantee that they lose.

Good Morning everyone,

Looks like Sara Palin IS ready for prime time. And marching the whole family
out on stage looking like the television show "7th Heaven" was a brilliant touch. She was so poised and pretty All American Girl that working class Americans will fall in with love her. It's remarkable that just two weeks ago, few knew Sara Palin. Now, she's the new big thing, a dazzling diamond in the rough.

But. . .it's time to examine her uber-conservative, political history and actual accomplishments.

Like Obama, Palin is incredibly comfortable in front of an audience. She
can work a crowd. Either the Dems are going to have to seriously undermine her credibility quickly or she could mean real trouble for Camp Obama.

Interesting, Wolfe Blitzer just said this about Sara Palin,
"Clearly, a star is born tonight."

I think all this excitement from the media about Palin is because
she took them by surprise. She came out of no where and the
media is sort of knocked off their usual cynical ivory towers.

Now, the analysts are going to have look into the substance
of Palin's words and performance.

I have a funny feeling that Palin's speech may have been red meat for both the Repubs and the Democrats. I was so angry at her speech that I just gave more money when I got the email. My email box has been FLOODED with people talking about driving to Ga, NC and Va to do voter registration, particularly in the black community. I think Democrats now see that the sword has been drawn and it's time to battle yet again. No one wants to wake up with that sick feeling that the most incompetent group of Americans are running our country for another four years. So I'm glad that she came out firing. It makes every Democrat I know want to crush her and McCain with every fiber of their body.

Another thing: consider the media's love affair with the "Maverick" over. During this campaign, the media would always do things to mitigate the gaffes McCain would make, either by saying that the McCain they knew wouldn't do this, or didn't believe that. Or if he made a mistake, they'd say that he really knew the answer and it was a simple slip. Now that the Repubs have decided to attack the media, look for them to amp up their attacks. McCain had to open the back of the playbook in order to win and that means no going back. It's The Nashville Network versus MTV. For two elections, MTV has lost and had to post "We're sorry" websites to the world. Well, the Repubs are banking that they can go back to that well one more time. If they can get whites, in particular poor whites, to vote against their economic interest (has been happening since this country was founded) while tapping into their inner racial bias, they win. If Obama can keep a coalition of white, black, minorities, women and youth together, he wins. I think three's not the charm this time. For some reason, I have a feeling that Rust Belt whites are tired of living in a paycheck to paycheck world. That health care is just too damn tenuous to vote for a McCain who want to protect the rich. And these whites are swimming in so much debt that when you pull that lever, you're wiling to take a chance on that weird black guy, only because the white guy you voted for earlier, the one you'd like to have a beer with, has destroyed your financials that you can't afford a beer. But it's going to take a lot of work in two months. But I think this is the time we as Democrats prevail. Not because we're smarter, or more right, but because we're more organized, determined and ready to fight.

K Street and Wall Street must be shaking in their Gucci loafers this morning.

Sarah was fabulous! I am a liberal Democrat who supported Hillary. I will now comfortably support this ticket if for no other reason than to shut up Olberman and Mathews.

I keep hearing about "beehive" hairdo's.......I dont see Palin's as a "beehive" do......I thought a beehive do was one where it was teased up high in the air, kinda like marge simpson.....

more like this:

http://images.industryclick.com/files/125/Lumax-Ad.jpg

I MISS ANN RICHARDS!!! She would be able to both appreciate Palin & verbally eviscerate her with a smile on her face and every silver hair in place.

Now does the DNC see what they've done? They've lost another one. Congrats, boys.

Looking at Palin with her kids on stage after the speech, I was surprised by one thing...that this horrible, little woman didn't eat her young.

Soooo many shots of the Palins & Cindy McCain playing pass the baby. (I guess the GOP wants to be the hockey mommy party now.) I did enjoy the shot of the youngest daughter giving the baby a spit-bath like a cat. Best image from both conventions: cute kids.

Women are harder on other women than they are on men...but that's because we have good instincts. She sent my spidey senses tingling...don' t turn your back on her for a second. She's pure evil.

Dog...re your post from 12:16. Don't take it the wrong way. But go back and re-read the "roll call". It was a list of past HRC supporters who appear to have come down with the Palin Flu virus that has been dispersed by the Evil Dr. McCain. I don't think you meet either criteria! LOL.

Craig, you're entitled to your thrills and your declarations of "unprecedented," I suppose. But as I was sitting there listening to the speech last night, it occurred to me that this very charming woman was basically just talking about herself and her unlikely candidacy for about 90 percent of the speech. (Yes, of course, that was a big part of the job -- since no one has ever heard of her). Also, as someone pointed out, it was to a very receptive crowd that wanted her to do well. So by those standards, Jerry Seinfeld or Ellen DeGeneres could be vice-president.

I didn't hear her talk much about the country, its direction or specific issues in a way that went any deeper than bumper-sticker level rhetoric. And she most certainly is going to have to be able to recite more than bumper stickers in debates and out on the campaign trail in general.

Bring it on!

Palin delivered a shallow, baseless, factless and below the belt dirty speech with a smile. How great is that? What do you call a woman who scorns with a smile?

The GOP loves to outsource jobs...

"Can you tell me one decision that she made as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard ?" CNN journalist Campbell Brown asked...
Bounds couldn't, because Palin has never personally ordered the state guard to do anything.
"We've deployed individuals in state service all over the state under Sarah Palin

Did Palin directly approve each of those activities?

No, Campbell said. The governor has granted him the authority to act on his own in most cases"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080903/pl_mcclatchy/3035478

Let's see, she spit in the face of every point of light that Bush 41 praised (community organizers & all), anybody who needs an kind of a hand up (but the hand outs to big corporations are just fine) & any person with a soul.

LOL.
I watched Campbell Brown way back in March and April before my ban started...he was one of the journalists (if yoy dare to call him that) who really made me question journalism as a study and a sciencie major.
I do not understand why Brown is still one of the CNN anchors are whatever his role may be now.

Wolf Blitzer said: A star is born?
LOL...Please.

If one news station made me angry, but more than all disappointed me big time....it is CNN.
Shocked at how this once mighty, objective empire could lower itself to such divisive and ignorant storytelling...Stella Alle will turn in her grave....

Campbell Brown is a woman.

Somebody queue The Blues Brothers. "We're on a mission from God." (I'm sure he told her personlly.)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080903/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_palin_iraq_war

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12987.html

"According to the Frontiersman newspaper, Wasilla’s library director, Mary Ellen Emmons, said that Palin asked her outright if she "could live with censorship of library books.” Palin later dismissed the conversation as a “rhetorical” exercise."

Joe Biden better wear protective gear to the debate. She hits low & probably bites, too.

Campbell Brown is a woman.

Posted by: blueINdallas | September 4, 2008 7:46 AM

Oops...sorry.I meant: SHE

mornin' all.

Didn't see her, don't care anymore than I cared about Biden's speech, which I also didn't watch. The only part of her speech I saw was the joke about the difference between pitbulls and soccer moms - lipstick. She delivered it well. Obama's speech in '04 propelled him to national attention. Did it prove he would be a great Senator or President? I don't think so. He may, but it won't be because he gave a good speech in 2004. Lawyers in courtrooms across America every day (well, Monday through Friday) give moving speeches that convince juries to act in ways contrary to the evidence they have heard but don't understand. Like politicians, that is their (our) stock in trade. Juries do that because the like or believe the lawyer. For lawyers, that speech differentiates the effective ones from the ineffective ones. For politicians, I don't think so. I'm betting she didn't even write her speech. Prof. Marcia's comments are exactly right IMHO.

blue, I'd be more inclined to buy Palin's story about the conversation with the librarian as having been a rhetoical exercise if she hadn't FIRED HER ASS after it.

Joe Biden better not be TOO prepared. He should leave his washington experience at home and just come on in fresh.
She will try to make him look like he is old guard.
he will make jokes abouther experience...but he must not be too pushy on that subject, seen as watchdogs are all around trying to bring the dems down by challenging their gender friendly schemes...

All of a sudden this GE is becoming quite interesting...I am awake guys and happy....

jason - while America was watching Sarah PAlin I was watching the Williams sisters. I bet Venus wishes she could get do overs on thoes tiebreaks.

I had posted a few weeks ago I thought it was written somewhere that the next President wasn't supposed to have a penis. Still may be true as it sure sounds like John McCain will die his first day in office and Mrs. Palin will be POTUS.

I thought the speech was excellent and the content won't matter....because as Mr. Mudcat stated, we vote for ourselves. Mrs. Palin was quite at home with the working folks. Yep, eye candy still works. Everyone gushes over Obama, so why can't they gush over Palin?

Best line of the evening from David Letterman. Mrs. Palin looks like the model for Eyemasters.

And if Joe Biden dies on the first day in office, will Obama be able to handle the job? : )

I love political logic (oxymoron).

A few notes about last night...

* Baby Trig was passed around a like a joint at a Bob Marley concert

* Sarah Palin is the final emasculation of John McCain by the dominant wing of his party. Why?

1. He has admitted that he couldn't invigorate the most active block, the evangelical wing.

2. It will be the Neocons, the Bush disciples that gives Palin her on the job training. It's bad enough McCain
needed to suck up to them, now they will indoctrinate his VP
3. McCain has been forced to admit that it's not his political values or the issues driving his campaign, it's his ambition for power that is the driving force now. Liberals and conservative basically ignored the fact that she offered nothing about how to help the middle class last night, yet people have anointed her the next president, suggest she dump McCain.

4. The Presidential nominee acceptance speech should be the highlight of the convention. Instead, McCain will cap things on a downer. He will fully embrace the Rove politics that eviscerated him 8 years ago so he can quench his thirst for power.

5. The biggest thing last night is that every talking spinner, Plunger, Newt, etc. was saying that Palin has more experience than McCain. He has billed himself as the experience candidate and now he needs HER to buttress that. In my opinion, that's not good.

Patsi...I don't think I called you any names, and I'm not trying to "drag" you into anything. You're one of the people here whose posts I enjoy -- and I only mentioned you because you are one of the strong HRC supporters of the past who seems inclined to define the debate about Palin's readiness in terms of the old battle lines of gender. That doesn't make you bad or stupid or any less likable to me, but I do think that's EXACTLY what McCain wants.

I didn't care if HRC was a woman or a man. I was for her because I thought she was the best candidate. Period.

I don't care if Palin is a woman or a man. I just think she is a joke. Period.

So maybe that's why I'm tone deaf to this whole phenomenon.

dog, there are plenty of intelligent soccer moms out there, and plenty of stupid ones, too; and there are more than a few intelligent NASCAR fans (I am one and like to think I'm reasonably intelligent), but as a group, NASCAAR fans are a lost cause. I've followed the sport since I was a kid, eaten my share of fried chicken in the stands and taken my share of beer showes from the drunk rednecks that are f*^king everywhere at every race since my dad (an intelligent NASCAR fan) thought Richard Petty was the second coming of Christ, but as a group, NASCAR fans are the same folks who think Toby Keith is a great singer and that the NRA is a more important protector of their rights than the ACLU.

If George Bush and a Republic Congress have increased Federal spending more than 35% in the last 8 years.

The only sectors that have seen job growth in the last 8 years are government jobs and service jobs.

We're at a point where you have a governor who has raised taxes and brought wasteful pork spending to her city and state and still has the nerve to rail against a candidate who actually want to enrich more people than just his supporters?

There is definitely a tone difference between the conventions. The Democrats stayed positive for the most part. The Republicans have done nothing but scorn and mock. We've seen how that attitude has worked with Bush. I wonder what she would have done if she got a memo that said "Terrorist are determined to attack within the US"

Bear...that is insensitive about the baby. You had called us all crapheads (early morning version) when Russert died and few individuals made awful comments about his death. Mrs. Palin's plea or pander to parents of special needs children was extremely powerful. The McCain's adopting children is also powerful and should not be viewed so cynically. It may not be your choice, but to many this is a huge issue in life.

Bear...regarding your point number 4 about what a downer McCain is likely to be tonight in contrast to Palin's speech last night.

I think it will be living proof of a joke Albert Einstein once told about relativity:

"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relativity."

DNC beware . .
Sara Barracuda Palin, a pretty pit bull in glossy pink lipstick.

Pogo,

You need to go to church now and repent your sins...

1. I am black/Haitian
2. I am liberal
3. I have no doubt that Richard Petty IS the second coming of Christ...at least behind the wheel of a car.

To think anything else means you're either clueless or an Ernhardt fan...which means you're really clueless.

I love Richard Petty, too. But David Pearson was the superior driver, in purely technical terms.

Still reeling? If some on the left weren't so arrogant and vindictive, this wouldn't be so hilarious. How long is this punch-drunk stupor going to last? You guys had better wake up and cut out the silly stuff or you will still lose with the best candidate you've ever had since Kennedy. That would be ri-goddamn-diculous.

DEV

You, too, are insensitive. I have held many a newborn being passed around (sleeping sometimes) at family and friend's homes. The baby is a human, not a prop. And it is that insensitive nature that may really hurt the dems.

Wino,

Adopting children is a great thing. There are adopted members of my family and there can never be enough praise for someone doing that. It takes great financial resources to do it.

Same with raising a child with special needs.

I pay more attention to visuals in a speech because I think they stay in one's memory longer. There were two very distracting things last night...

* The ever changing background was annoying...I chuckled that it must be the views from McCain's different back yards.

* The kids was passed around to so many people to the point that it seemed staged. The most unseemly part of politics is that kids are used as props.

Pogo, I am very disappointed in Vee.
She had the match, she had it...Buts he couldn´t convert on the most important points. Everytime she had set point...But she didn´t convert. SAD! SAD! SAD!

In my book Vee is still the top player at the moment. Hope Serena can win this whole thing for the US though. We are due for another US open trophy.....

If the baby is a prop, what does that make the boyfriend? Smart kid though to hitch his wagon to quite possibly the First Family. He'll be set for life!

It makes the boyfriend "Post prop ergo proper pop."

As I posted Bear, I know many humans who really like to hold their babies and hve their babies held! Look at how many politicans kiss and hold babies! Obama does it! More props?

I think it is important for people to touch and hold special needs children. Or should they just be left alone to die on the hillside? Really makes a parent feel good to have others accept their special needs children...really does!

LOL
This palin girl will cause BO the elction if the dems and and most of thier followers do not stop focussing on the big picture instead of trying to paint Sarah as inexperienced bla bla bla....
You pulled it once on HRC, it will not work this time around....

Lardass,

I knew someone would bring up David Pearson...I think even Richard said he was the better driver. Throw Cale Yarborough into the mix and you had some legendary racing every Sunday.

oh yeah....

in case of Cindy McCain...... we can call it a Palomino.....

Jason...Patsi posted about the dem attack dogs taking out another woman (Palin) just as they did HRC. This is the September surprise and John McCain has just made another boneheaded decision in his VP selection like Obama did on his home purchase. And WOW, he really grabbed the attention with his VP pick.

Face it, the liberal net roots screwed the pooch badly on Palin. The bleed over from the net roots into the chattering talking heads on TV brought the uglyness to the attention of the American people. The Republicans are doing what any competent campaign would do. If your enemy is insisting on putting his head in a noose, help him secure it tight.
That is what Palin did. She reminded the fringe and swing voters why they distrust the democratic party.
A number of you were salivating at the thought of a Dan Quail, but what you got was a very socially conservative Bill Clinton. Judging from her speech last night she can connect with the working class small town America. She delivered last night at the gut level.
If the Democrats want to counter her they are going to have to do the same. They need to get their heads out of the clouds, quit sounding like some college proffessor, and explain in the common language we all use everyday why we should elect them.

Palin's basic message was "I am one of you and understand your needs"
The Obama's campaign message "I am incredably smart, and don't I deliver a great speech"

LOL
Which one do you think will sell out here in middle America?

Jack

LardassLiberal,

Since my name was mentioned in your sweeping generalization about
those ex-Hillary supporters who seem to be "test-tasting" Republican
Kool-aid, I feel the need to respond.

First, thanks for undercutting your criticism by stating that you "love"
us guys. I like you, too, and have never felt anything but positive vibes
from you. So, with that said, I'm sorry you feel "sad" that some of us
are questioning our belief systems and considering all sides of political
issues.

I have always been a liberal, loyal Democrat and always voted a straight
Dem ticket. The last few years, I've become less liberal and more centrist for many reasons. This election system, I lost a lot of respect for the DNC and
don't feel like a Dem anymore. I am an independent--not a Republican--never have I voted for a Republican. I never said I was voting for McCain. I did say I wasn't voting for Obama.
I have said I would probably not vote for prez this year.

Because I try to maintain an open mind, even if a pol is in another party,
sorry that upsets you.

You seem like a smart, interesting person whom I always like to read, but
please allow all of us bloggers, Patsi, chloe, strug all of us to be
multi-dimensional and explore all issues in our own way even if we aren't all cheerleaders for one candidate. In my humble opinion, that's what makes this blog so exciting and sometimes even inspirational.

Lard, I hope you take my comments with the good cheer and warm feelings
I have for you.

bear, I'm no Earnhart fan. I've been a Jeff Gordon fan for about 10 years. And LL, while Pearson may have been more technically proficient as a driver than Richard Petty, particularly when the cars were actually stock cars - or at least based on stock cars, Petty won more races and is the undisputed King of the sport.

Wino,

I can understand your point of view, but it seems unnatural to have that Kumbaya moment during a political speech, on national television.

As for the debate, the expectation game just shifted and now Palin will have to do more than "just hold her own". If her story is now that she has more experience than all 3 guys combined as plunger and Newt said yesterday, then let's see it.

How will she explain raising taxes, being for Pork before she was against it and wanting to ban books from her local library?

The debate will barely touch foreign policy and all she will do is say "you just want to lose in Iraq and use it as another way to kill our babies"

I do wonder if anyone would ask, "since John McCain declared victory in Iraq in 2003, what did Bush do to lose the war in the meantime?

North Korea and Iran have gained nuclear tech while W. was in office, what did Barack Obama do to cause this?

BTW,

Does it concern anyone when Nicole Miller? senior McCain advisor says on Morning Joe, that "Sarah Palin doesn't need to answer any media questions?"

To quote a resident foil hatter..."What are they hiding?"

Bear, don't forget DW - when he and DE came onto the scene while the king and the other earlier greats were still racing, it was electric - if you like that sort of thing (and I just love left turns).

ProfM...my intention was not to "allow" or "disallow" anyone or anything. Merely to express.

But thanks for the explanation of your position, anyway.

Champ and Chloe-

Thank you for articulating what many of us without an education are thinking. If the Dems would nominate someone for President who could do the same, they might win an election. Bill Clinton could do it and so could Hillary. Obama is too much like Gore and Kerry.They just can't relate to the working class.

ubns - it's not that Obama can't relate to the working class - the issue is whether the working class can relate to Obama. Biden is his working class connection. Palin is McCain's, but McCain doesn't need as much as Obama because the working class values McCain's military service, which trumps his lack of working class roots. Or at least that's how I see it.

Shortly after becoming mayor, according to the NYT, Sarah Palin fired the town librarian for resisting her push to ban certain "morally" and "socially" objectionable books. She then reversed herself after all those working-class, small town Alaskan townfolk rose up in outrage.

Apparently, her game has improved since then?

I guess we'll see.

Hi LardassLiberal,

Thanks. No problem. I like it when people express themselves. Hope no one minds when I do it, too! LOL

To everyone:

Did anyone see Campbell Brown get really upset this morning on CNN?
She heard that Harry Reid had called Palin's speech "shrill."
Campbell was furious at this comment. She said that it was sexist and
that term would never be used to describe a man's speech.

Bear...Obama gave some great advice to have everyone stay away from personal attacks on the family of the political contenders. Although he was bit late in this statement (he should have spoken out when Whoopi stated the Clintons had Chelsea pimping for them). I would heed Obama's advice as this path to "get" Palin won't work...now the issues you state might do her in, but not her family issues. Especially not after her speech last night...whether my brain can accept the repugs remains to be seen, but she sure was a hellcat last night. That appeals to many.

Prof Marcia,

Point well taken. I think some of the heatedness on the blog has been this racist/sexist question.

Patsi didn't like to hear it when legitimate claims could be made about racism in the campaign.

Obama people didn't like hearing that he was being sexist. I'm sure we can look at all the code words being used during the primary and find cases to validate various view points, however those were often ignored. People are entrenched in their beliefs. Some got overly personal in their attack but those seemed to be symbiotic in nature.

I said last night that America is more comfortable with a woman in leadership than a person of color. Having had time to think about it, the world is the same way. I can't think of one person of color to be a leader of his country outside of Africa or Asia. There are women leaders that immediately come to mind.

Some may think what I just typed is sexist, I just stating an opinion that would surely get me labeled mysoginistic.

Having competed in sports all my life, I have always wanted to win and have tried to do so within the rules. If you are unwilling to face defeat in that arena, you shouldn't dare to compete to begin with...

Have you noticed how Palin comes across a resident of lake Wobegone. Does that mean Minnesota is in play?

Jack

Wino,

There is a difference between attacking her family and saying they are using a child as a prop...and I'm not limiting the statement to just her campaign.

If you want to be considered for your positions and your beliefs, why do I need to see your kids every 2 minutes? I don't care if your spouse is sitting there with googly eyes.

good point, Jack

Jack...Palin seems like Jessie Ventura's type of woman. : )

"She sent my spidey senses tingling...don' t turn your back on her for a second. She's pure evil."

Blue, What gets me are all the bulls sidling up and gushing while she says, "Let me steer you over here, you won't feel a thing."

Bear, if you do not want to concede that everyone in politics uses babies as props...that is fine.

Bear

They all use the family as a prop, what else was the Biden clan on stage but a political prop.

Yes, in some ways the baby was a prop.
Did it work? You bettcha. It humanize Cindy McCain, she went from a cold standoffish person to a mom comfortable with holding a sleeping child.

Jack

I am a registered independent who has voted mostly democratic my entire adult life. I have always had a hard time thinking like a republican. Within my family and my husband(s) families, there have always been some repugs amongst mostly dems. I have always thought this was a left/right brain thing....how could the repugs not "see" what I was seeing and feeling?

The repugs did one thing this convention...they sure made us forget about GWB. Whether I like it or not, this still is the dems to lose.

Hi Bear,

I don't think that what you typed is sexist, necessarily. As you mentioned, you're just stating your opinion that women have more leadership positions in the world
than men of color. I can't argue with your point, because I'm not familiar
with the history of the leadership in all countries. But, I'll take your word for
it. As far as Hillary vs Obama and why Hillary lost the primary, the jury is still out on that one. I think sexism did have something to do with it and a media who disliked the Clintons. So, I'm not sure, in this case, that America is more comfortable with a woman than an AA man.

I gotta tell you, I love Gail Collins.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/opinion/04collins.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

I echo bear's comments about the family, but here's what I say - you can't have it both ways. If you don't want them to be the target of the press and your opponents, leave them at home. Neither Palin nor Obama can complain if their families get scrutiny after they trot them out to win votes. In Obama's case it ain't the kids who will be or have problems - they are nothing but a plus - Michelle, well, that's another story isn't it? Biden's the only one who hasn't dragged his family around, but the RWNM is beating up on his adult son mercilessly. Gimme a break. Nobody is off limits, and it isn't the candidates who get to set those ground rules. They can refuse to answer questions about their family, but the press has a job to do, and if members of the press think they should look into the candidate's family, that's their job. We may not like it, and if we don't think it means anything in the context of the race we don't have to pay attention to it. And it isn't the family that's being beat up on in the case of her oldest daughter and youngest son, it's the candidate who's being beat up on because her family isn't necessarily, umm, consistent with her message and her party's platform positions.

Chief Sheila, whilst you may be disappointed HRC did not get the Democratic nomination, I ask you to consider this: currently there is a 5-4 majority on SCOTUS in favour of maintaining Roe v. Wade; of those five, one is over 80 years old, and another has had numerous cancer scares. McCain is pledged to appoint anti-abortionist judges. If Justice Stevens or Justice Bader Ginsburg cannot serve out another four years, and McCain is in the White House, the Roe v. Wade majority is gone. Is the supposedly sexist treatment of HRC really worth risking that for?

As for Mrs Palin being fit to be VP and raise a special needs child - I was born with a physical disability, and at the weekend my mother and I argued about this issue - my mother, 75 years old and a progressive, believes Mrs Palin's child is more important than her career, whereas I, a committed Obama supporter, believe she is more able than most parents to do both, given her high salary allowing her to obtain the best services possible for Trig.

I did, however, find it abominable that the baby was passed around as he was; I suggest Mrs Palin take a leaf from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who didn't let his baby son Leo be seen in public until he was two or three years old.

As for being the best convention speech ever - Craig you were either to busy admiring Mrs Palin's good looks to listen to what she said, or you are seriously losing your touch: it wasn't even the best Convention speech this week; Traitor Lieberman make a much more effective and compelling case for independents and wavering Democrats to vote for McCain.

As to Biden - except for a brief moment at the convention....

fendawg - I think can with some degree of certainty assure you that Sheila is not disappointed that HRC did not get the dem nomination.

Wino, Pogo,

I think what I am trying to say is, yes, all politicians should stop the family prop crap...

Of course when your spouse has a 60% edge in likability (Laura Bush), some aren't in a position to do so...

Random question...have any of you found that your spelling skills have diminished due to the spell check feature on this and other web pages?

Prof Marcia,

As for her campaign, I saw warning signs in her 2006 reelection race that this may be a struggle for her. I think the Corretta Scott King memorial highlighted her biggest challenge, the fact that she wasn't her husband. She improved by leaps and bounds during the primaries, but I wonder why she wasn't better prepared at the start.

This comment may be directly tied to the fact that as a late bloomer, very few girls looked my way in High School, but why does it seem that when Palin gets into an attack line, she seems like the "hot girl" who knew she was hot and loved telling you that unless you were a football jock you had no shot at her?

"it's the candidate who's being beat up on because her family isn't necessarily, umm, consistent with her message and her party's platform positions."

Yep, and that makes her more real. She has fallen short of perfection. Don't we all?

I think it is time to get back on message this election isn't going to be about the VP. Every minute spent debating who is more qualified, Obama or Palin, is a minute lost by the Obama campaign and a minute gained by the McCain campaign. As more of Palins record comes out it is clear that she governs with a very pragmatic hand. And issues like the library books are of concern only to left wingers and they are in Obama's camp.
It is time to forget about Palin, let her got to every small town in America. Obama lost rural America a long time ago.
He needs to address the needs of the suburbs and exurbs.

Jack

Lardo

""Post prop ergo proper pop.""

I have laryngitis, please do not make me scream with laughter.

Thank You Sarah Palin

"Random question...have any of you found that your spelling skills have diminished due to the spell check feature on this and other web pages?"

What spulling scills?

Jack

lol Ooops!

Thank You Sarah Palin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_oZVe3P1RU

Now for some coffee.
Enjoy!

"Have I been brainwashed into some "Palinomic" state of temporary insanity, or is this woman a genuine leader worthy of a manic following?
I look forward to figuring this out."

Me too Craig.
Like Jason said: "All of a sudden this GE is becoming quite interesting...I am awake guys and happy.... "

I haven't caught up yet, but have very much enjoyed all the posts.

Patsi, really glad to see you're back. Hope you didn't mean that about giving up on this board.

Marcia, Thank you for writing that 9:01 post.

ubns 9:06 You articulate what you're thinking beautifully. Thanks for the mention, but you certainly don't need me. Just keep saying what you think and feel.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/is-it-palinomia-or-palimania.html#comment-139065
"what you got was a very socially conservative Bill Clinton."

LOL Jack. What a great post.

Now I'll finish catching up.

Funny thing:

After all the speculation that McCain should ditch Palin, or would have to, if she is as competent in this context as the buzz implies, Obama should be thinking about ditching Biden, because Biden is going to be made a fool in the debates; he's good at that all by himself, nevermind in contest with a formidable adversary. Biden is Washington D.C personified and acts like it.

bear, I agree with you for the most part. Chelsea Clinton is a good exaple - except for the odd visual every so often, as a child she was kept away from campaigns and the press didn't try to drag her or her personal life into them. This year, she made a decision as an adult to help her mom in her campaign. She could have been fair game - I can only assume the press couldn't find anything bad about her to beat up Hillary with, as if they needed anything more.

BTW, there's a spell check feature here? Where? I've never seen it. My spelling skills are still fine - thanks in large part to LP's school's insistence that he learn to spell - my keyboard accuracy and proofreading skills, well those are chapters in a different story.

Jack, I'm sure McCain loves the fact that the press and us dems are focusingon Palin. You're right of course - we need to get back to pillorying McCain.

Good analysis and advice, Jack. Right on the money.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/is-it-palinomia-or-palimania.html#comment-139080

Bear,

She was making a speech not running the camera. Whoever was doing the constant cuts to the family for reaction shots wasn't under her control.

Moi? Disapointed that HRC didn't get the NOM?

LOL Whoever that anon is, better clear them up. ;0)

Come on over silly spam poster and take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_oZVe3P1RU

just want to sneak in and say.....

Carol..... glad to hear from you last night..... glad you made it through Gustav in one piece..... sorry to hear about your back..... take it easy.....

truebeliever..... sorry to hear about your pneumonia..... hope you get better soon.....

Patsi.... if this place ever becomes as boring as what I saw the one time I lurked the bc.... I wouldn't come here either..... you help keep this place interesting.... hope you stick around.....

As Jamie posted, the sleepy spider awakens and she was successful in spinning her web around the repugs.

Women just like men, come in all flavors. I still love seeing a woman at the top of the political game. Whether I agree or not, I enjoy seeing woman play the same game as men.

Even though I acknowledge all the criticism about candidates showing off
their kids, I have to say this. . .

Palin's baby is absolutely darling, so precious! You have to admit. And the
infant was so good and calm under all those lights.

I bet that because of this one night, special needs children are now going to start getting the respect they deserve (hopefully).

And yes, fendawg, the spell checker makes me look like an idiot...changes all of my perfect wording and intent. : )

The NE is reporting Palin had an affair with Todd's business partner. Another Edwards?

Blond

Palin is like Elizabeth Dole, that sweet thing bless her heart.

Now if someone could remove the knife from my back and direct me to the nearest emergency room.

What gets me are all the bulls sidling up and gushing while she says, "Let me steer you over here, you won't feel a thing."
Posted by: Jamie | September 4, 2008 9:25 AM

Jamie,
It's really hard for me to openly disagree with someone I respect, but feel I must say this.

Regarding: "Let me steer you over here, you won't feel a thing."
That's not what she's saying.
There you go again, thinking we voters are all a bunch of dummies that can be lead in any direction the politicians want to take us. Those who disagree with you aren't necessarily less intelligent. They just disagree. You can't possibly think there is only one right answer and everything else is wrong.

I happen to think Sarah Palins appeal is that she believes what she's saying. And if you are talking from the heart, you don't get tripped up. So she'll most likely do better than most expect in the debates. So brace yourselves.

I don't agree with a lot of her beliefs, but I don't agree with a lot of any politicians beliefs. And I don't judge anyone harshly because they don't agree with me. We don't have all the answers, no matter how smart we think we are.

This election is about trust.

"This election is about trust"

If that is the case, we are soooooo screwed.

What is selection point #2?

;-)

Jack

Not one mention of the unborn. For those that are anti-abortion and holding her up for that in the party there was "not one single word on the unborn" in her speech to say that she was going to be a friend or an advocate to the unborn! How could Palin leave them out -- and yet take time to mention special needs children.? That makes no sense whatsoever. What was her stance and her voting record in Alaska for special needs kids?

Jamie...blog triage will take care of the knife(s).

And I will state again, Palin sure made us all forget about George Bush. I believe we are seeing a change in the political theater from old farts to younger upstarts. Great speeches do not make a great leader, but it sure gets our attention. Both Obama and Palin are getting the attention now.

You're right on target today Jack.:)

LOL Jack... and my _______ was just starting to heal.

Blogwhoring for All

Karaoke Politics
Whose Zoomin' Who
35 and Born in the USA

More from SoetorObama's "hidden" past.
=============================
It Ain’t the Whitey Tape, But . . .

"Don’t think the Republicans are loaded for bear to go after Barack? Well, what do you do when an addled old man outs your past ties to radical muslims? So Khalid al-Mansour was your sugar daddy? This bombshell comes courtesy of Percy Sutton, the former borough president of Manhattan, who describes his first encounter with the young Obama. (see link for video)

Khalid Al Mansour is bad, bad news for Barack. Guess what? Jeremiah Wright ain’t the only batshit crazy minister in Barack’s past. Check this out–you Jews are a bunch of land grabbing thieves: (see link for video)

So, let me get this straight–a Black Panther paves Barack’s way to Harvard and a former member of the Weather Underground (and unrepentant terrorist) Bill Ayers names him to Chair the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. What other shoes are going to drop?"

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/09/03/it-aint-the-whitey-tape-but/

Let me put it all in perspective for you all:

From what I hear, they are firing up that super-collider in France on the 10th, which may cause a black hole and annihilate our galaxy instantaneously. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

We decry the politics of personal destruction
except when we do it.

Damnit... should have been nicer to him.

For anyone who missed it

Sarah Palin's Address to the RNC
By Sarah Palin
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/sarah_palins_address_to_the_rn.html

Spot on, sock.

Couple of articles about the super-collider:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/columnists/2008/09/02/will-big-bang-bring-us-mass-or-mess-91466-21651599/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/2650665/Legal-bid-to-stop-CERN-atom-smasher-from-destroying-the-world.html

Thanks, Chloe. Standby for my very astute analysis...

Champ...what happened to the US's super collider? I lived in Colorado when there was competition for the national bid...didn't Texas win the collider bid?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303119.html?sub=new

OK, 1 min in and I have to say, whatever the stripe, political conventions are so dopey.

No idea BW... I'll shut up now and watch this speech.

'Standby for my very astute analysis...'

With bated breath, Champ :)

"They need to get their heads out of the clouds, quit sounding like some college proffessor, and explain in the common language we all use everyday why we should elect them. Palin's basic message was "I am one of you and understand your needs" The Obama's campaign message "I am incredably smart, and don't I deliver a great speech"
wjack, worth repeating again and again until the socalled know-it-all smarty pants among us get it.

sock...thanks for the link. Great article....again, I love seeing women at the top!!! Love it.

Thank the glue for HRC....she made this all happen and both Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Palin mentioned her as leading the way in their convention speeches.

France on the 10th, which may cause a black hole and annihilate our galaxy instantaneously.

The Science channel just had a special on that. What is so god awful funny about the whole thing is the Hadron Collider at Cern is looking for proof that would confirm a theory of something that may have been around 37 billion years ago if ever, all at a cost of billion and billion of $$$. Seems like the standard plan on the big bang theory falls about when gravity is introduced into the equation, this small failing frustrated Eisenstein for 30 years until his death.

The black hole thing is odd, because one of the scientist at the Hadron Collider said, the chances of a black hole being created was a far remote possibility, but should it happen Earth is not in danger. ???? Is this a new form of Russian Roulette?

Tweety c ontinues his unbroken record for most ridiculous, sexist commentary -- "Sarah Palin is running as John McCain's wife."

Why is this drooling idiot still on teevee?

Chloe

I wasn't talking about her beliefs. There is a type of woman, many with very admirable qualities and achievements, who on the surface appear all sweetness and light. There are men who get absolutely dazzled by all that sugar, "why aren't you just the sweetest thing" ... They simply don't scare them the way a more direct woman trying to deal on an equal level would.

Call them Iron Butterflies, Iron fist in velvet glove, whatever. They are women who have learned to make their way in a very male dominated world. The south is famous for them. The former cheerleader or beauty queen who marries the millionaire and procedes to destroy any one in their path but do it with such a lovely smile that you hardly notice at all.

Palin's nickname is Sarah Baracuda for a reason.

15 mins in... the Dems are getting WORKED like a bodybag.

Oh, tiptoe, I thought the Palin children's names were silly, too until Maureen Dowd (of all people) explained their origin, and they are actually well-chosen meaningful names. Except for "Track", that one is pretty silly.

According to Dowd, they used to fish on Bristol Bay, Willow is a town in Alaska, and Trig is Norse for strength(?) or something like that.

Posted by: champ | September 4, 2008 12:54 AM

This reminds me of one of the spaced-out, groovy, hippie ex-Evergreen student turned staff member. She named her two kids Cedar and Salmon.

R. Elizabeth

I notice the TV stations haven't covered the room saying the Pledge of Allegiance as they did with the Democratic Party. They would have a tape of the majority of the room ending the Pledge with

"With justice and freedom for all, born and unborn".

It is literally a change they want to make in the Pledge to go with that little "Under God" bit slipped in in the 1950s.

Posted by: Jamie Author Profile Page | September 4, 2008 10:58 AM

Like when Michele Obama said, "if you can't manage your own house how can you be expected to manage the white house"

Or sat by and applauded when her minister said vile things from the pulpit about Hilary Clinton

I am still amazed how the repugs have distanced themselves from Bush/Cheney. At this point, the repugs look a bit more tolerant than the dems. The repugs have had more AAs in the cabinet than the dems (Rice, Powell). Now they are more accepting of women than the dems. However, when you look at the convention crowd...it was very homogenous. I also noticed a lot of signs in Spanish at the convention....appealing to the Hispanic vote which I feel Obama still doesn't have. Upside down world and the repugs are doing a job on all of us.

KGC

Am I glad I don't watch MSNBC.

LOL
It is like the locker room mentality of a sports bar.
As Olberman used to do sports, call it the Olberman effect.

Jack

champ, you don't really believe a black hole that can eat the earth from the inside can be created in a super collider, do you?

"The formation of black hole analogs on Earth in particle accelerators has been reported. These black hole analogs are not the same as gravitational black holes, but they are vital testing grounds for quantum theories of gravity."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole#Micro_black_holes

Aparently they haven't eaten the earth yet.

"Palin's nickname is Sarah Baracuda for a reason."

Funny you should mention that.
My husband told me a couple of days ago that he ordered me that very t-shirt. He said it says "Sarah Baracuda" and I consider that a compliment. That's what many would call a really strong woman. I love it.

"On one level, Ifill says, she views this moment as the daughter of a black minister who marched in civil rights demonstrations and who she wishes were alive to see what Obama has achieved. But as a journalist, she says: "I still don't know if he'll be a good president. I'm still capable of looking at his pros and cons in a political sense." Besides, Ifill says, "no one's ever assumed a white reporter can't cover a white candidate."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/03/AR2008090303319.htmlgood article on a good journalist. hmm "good journalist" is that a rare breed or an oxymoron?

Put Hillary on suicide watch.

Sarah was fabulous! I am a liberal Democrat who supported Hillary. I will now comfortably support this ticket if for no other reason than to shut up Olberman and Mathews.

Posted by: jane | September 4, 2008 7:07 AM

Ummm Jane... that sure isn't going to shut up Olbermann or Matthews! They'll just go on and on about how Hillary divided the party even when she knew she couldn't win and caused the rift to get so large that it caused many of her ardent supporters to vote for McCain-Palin.

"Put Hillary on suicide watch."

Love your analysis so far Champ.

People can look better than they can listen -- witness our divorce rate -- dog

truer word were never typed.

My friend Barb wrote an appeal to Hillary Clinton supporters who say they are, or are thinking of, voting McCain-Palin in November. Please read what she wrote (it's on my blog, and if you leave comments I will pass them on to her).

http://eurotom.blogspot.com/

"But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform - not even in the state senate."

-Ouch.

"but she is not qualified "

LOL
that one is dead.

If she is not qualified to be VP then what makes Obama qualified to be Prez.

The only difference is she took a degree from directional Idaho U and over achieved.
Obama took an Ivey league education and under achieved.

Jack

ET

Salmon is a very respected names in some quarters. This one almost became President, ended up on Lincoln's cabinet, and Chase Manhattan Bank is an outgrowth of his policies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmon_P._Chase

and even more entertaining historically, that whole early banking structure led to Aaron Burr killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_Manhattan

Reaction in South Carolina.

I had an early morning doctor's appointment downtown. When Stinky and I were driving home, we were listening to a small round table from our local NPR station. The group was comprised of a couple of newspaper people and a SC public radio person, all in Minneapolis.

They gushed over the speech they heard last night.

These people were probably moderate democrats.

Follow-on polling will give a more definitive reading of where South Carolinians are after this convention. But, right now, I think the Democrats lost any hope of picking-up South Carolina--something which they were going to make a try at doing.

"the American presidency is not supposed to be a journey of "personal discovery."

*winces

Pogo,

I always thought DW was a chump who benefited from racing when the greats were on their way out.

Jamie,

The one Iron Butterfly that matters is this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBbv2v0xOlA&feature=related

LOL- McCain looks like he just won the lottery.

Dog

When I compared her to Libby Dole, it wasn't a compliment. I once saw make a speech starting at a podium for about 30 seconds before taking to the floor and walking around speaking very gently and sweetly to a crowd of men who were practically stepping on their tongues. They just didn't seem to notice that what she was saying was some of the farthest right wing crap that anyone could spew.

People who want to censor books and rule the world according to the dictates of their view of God scare the hell out of me.

Fry, the failings of theoretical physicists (they call them that for a very good reason) to reconcile relativity and quantum field theory speaks only to the state of knowledge of physicists and not to what did or did not happen when the universe was formed. All 3 of those things are THEORIES that provide different bases for the examination of what we can observe. All of them may prove to be basically right, basically wrong, or partially right. Stephen Hawking, like Einstein before him, has made it his life's work to try and reconcile the apparent inconsistencies in the two leading theories, unsuccessfully thus far. I daresay Hawking's belief that the two can be reconciled is a bit more informed than was Einstein's and certainly moreso than your snide comment about gravity screwing up the big bang theory. Fuhchrissake, we've only been using electricity for just over 200 years, driving cars for just a little over a hundred years, and have been flying for less than that. You can't fault physics for being unable to create models that completely explain something that may or may not have happened 37 billion years ago within the 93 years since Einstein sprung general relativity onto the world .

Jane

"Sarah was fabulous! I am a liberal Democrat who supported Hillary. I will now comfortably support this ticket "

You admired Hillary so much that you will now proceed to betray everything she ever stood for. Sharp logic there.

you people who are harping on the showing of palin's children have a short memory .....as i recall Obama's children were on display at the dem convention.......by the way the children on both sides are cute and nice to see ....... a lot of the posts here are mysoginistic....shame ....shame ...shame

champ, pogo

I live about a couple of hours away from the Trinity site where the first nuclear bomb was tested. I have visited the site (the government has two tours a year to the area) and when the first atomic bomb was dropped, there was fear it would create a atmospheric chain reaction that might blow-up the whole world.

http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2008/09/is-it-palinomia-or-palimania.html#comment-139174

I hope so, but the way this campaign is going, I don't know any more.

Let's face it, I'm not blissful about Barack. It is going to take an awful lot from him to convice me the Democratic party didn't make a horrid mistake, but to take that disappointment and trot over to the far right side of the aisle after the way Republicans have totally screwed up this country is pure insanity.

Dog's Eye,

Irony on this page is met as a personal attack. Attacks are taken as compliments...flirtatious banter is completely ignored...

who the frick knows anything anymore...

Pogo, if you type something and a red line appears beneath it, you've committed a spelling error. Right click said word for your spell check options. That's why I complained to Craig months ago that if you type Obama, the first choice to replace it was Osama. Now if you do it, you get Alabama and Obadiah...what is Obadiah?

More proof the Democratic Party has gone completely insane: Ann Coulter makes SENSE

"John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, as his running mate finally gave Republicans a reason to vote for him — a reason, that is, other than B. Hussein Obama.

As a right-winger, Palin will appeal to the narrow 59 percent of Americans who voted for another former small-market sportscaster: Ronald Reagan. Our motto: Sarah Palin is only a heartbeat away!"

http://hillbuzz.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/more-proof-the-democratic-party-has-gone-completely-insane-ann-coulter-makes-sense/

dog

talk about crap ...you really believe that he co sponsered 427 bills while being in the senate only 143 days then started running for prez,,,thats 3 bills a day WOW what a super man....ethics reform when you cant eat sitting down but can eat standing up ....thats sweeping .....how gullible can you be ????

"what is Obadiah?"

Biblical prophet

champ, the repugs' hypocrisy is showing. They talk until they are blue in the face about how wonderful Palin was to shake things up in Alaska politics, but give Obama no credit for trying to do the same thing in the Senate.

http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/07/01/20070108.html

His bill was reported out of committee to the Senate eflorr on an 18-0 vote, passed teh senate 90-8 and passed in the House.

But then again, since when are ethics in government something Repugs care about anyway?

Pogo,

You know the one question or 2 science can't answer about the creation of the universe. What was there before the bang, what caused the bang. For something to explode there had to be something there to explode.

Also all this testing at Cern will not answer that question. All it will do if anything is try to take the universe back to within a fraction of a second after the "bang". What came before the bang is still a mystery and probably will always remain a mystery. The other thing that makes these standard plan fall apart if mass. It is the theory of mass that they are hoping to find the answer to to fill in the puzzle.

bear, if I type stuff in Word, I get that red line - I don't get it here in the comments block.

Why the Liberal and the MSM hate Sarah Palin.

She didn't graduate from an Ivy League or private woman's college.
She is from Alaska.
She is a sportsman.
She is lifetime member of the NRA.
She is very likable.
She is approachable.
She is very articulate.
She is very poised.
She is an executive.
She is against abortion.
She is for limited government.
She is a tax cutter.
She is a reformist.
She is pleasing to look at.
She doesn't back down from the MSM, nor does she seek their advise.
She is proud and loves her family. I like the fact that they invited the father of Bristol's baby to attend the convention. And that her baby with Downs Syndrome was on stage with them, and not shielded from public view as it was a leper, or just a mistake that should have been aborted.
She supports our military, supports the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan.
She isn't the poor, illiterate, trail trash female some in the MSM tried to make her and her family out to be.
Lastly Sara is walking breathing female Republican that is proving to be a slap in the face of the Liberals who been providing lip service all these years on the issue of Women Rights.

Sarah is a woman who will do just fine, and someone I think all women, regardless of political party, can associate with. Sarah is a winner, and McCain was smart to have picked her over the conventional think.

FD

Think of all the money they would save just by believing "Let There Be Light" :-)

Bear,

Obadiah is one of those fun Old Testament books where God gets pissed and kills everyone. In this case all the descendants of Esau.

FryDaddy,

Your last post reminds me of my freshman Biology class. I was a Catholic High school. Both my science teacher and her husband, also a science teacher at the same school, were firm believers in the big bang theory, evolution etc. They were also Eucharistic ministers for the school. They were able to reconcile their beliefs in science with their religious beliefs by one statement. "Something had to create that first atom that exploded to create our universe"

I always wondered though what created God?

FD

"She is a tax cutter." Tell that to the town she left with a 20 million dollar debt and while cutting taxes on property (progressive) instituted a sales tax (regressive). Then there was that whole business of cutting the budget on the Museum and Library in favor of a sports stadium. That should really help out the educational level.

Palin on the stump.

I think it would be a mistake to discount her potential as a debater and stump candidate.

I know that when I was running for local office, we typically had about twenty debates in fora ranging from the televised League of Woman Voters moderated debate to informal ones in the social halls of condominiums.

Some of the debates took questions directly from the floor. Others had them filtered by biased hosts. Many times the questions were loaded to make other candidates look good or bad.

I have absolutely no doubt that Gov Palin went through the same experience. That's how politics at the local level are run. After watching last night's performance, I don't doubt that she will be very adept no matter the venue.

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."

THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

So Jamie,

Instead of being linked to a terrorist who want to kill all of, we he gets linked to prophet who foretold the destruction of Edom...sweet!

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."

THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.

Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.

He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

Exactly, Fry, however Einstein posited a potential solution to the mass issue in the form of the concept in general relativity that mass and energy cannot be created or destroyed, but rather are converted from one to the other - or something like that. And assuming that the universe as we know it came into being as a result of the big bang, gravity is what will ultimately halt the expansion of the universe and usher in the next big bang when the niverse collapses in on itself again. The questions are enormous - for instance, the universe is observably expanding, so what's it expanding into (that is, what exists ouside the horizon of the universe)? Theoretical physics is a passing interest of mine - I don't understand any of the math, though, so all I can do is read stuff like Hawkings' books to try and get some little grasp of the concepts and the theories as they are being approached in the modern era.

Yep that will get you somewhere, Palin a tax and spent liberal, lol

All you people are doing is moving her into the main stream pragmatist column. A place where she and McCain are happy to be.

Jack

"he would raise corporate taxes"

Just her point last night. raising corporate taxs affect us all.

I'm a corporation do my taxes go up?

Jack

I was getting quite bored and fed-up with the election process before the conventions. I felt it really didn't matter what I wanted from my government, the dems were going to push their agenda and I would just have to go along. I had a hard time going along with the repugs, but really was questioning the dems. I was questioning a lot without any hope of having a voice.

That changed for me last night...whether I agree or not with policies, Palin gave the power back to the little people -- right out of the hands of the elitist power brokers. I cannot deny that.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.

THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

Or sheila, the 57th state according to Obama.

In addition to my last.

Palin has been in charge for 1 1/2 year of a 50 million dollar budget.

Obama has been in charge of a nation wide campaign with a budget of 40 million a month for the past 2 years. Obama is still in the black.

Who is the more experienced manager of people, budget, and message.

Boy Howdy now facts are important!

What's next ending smears?

These fact checkers are as outrageous as the campaign spin. the difference is the spin presents itself as just that.
Someone needs to fact check the fact checkerslol

Jack

Just helping the debate ;0)

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.

THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

George W Bush managed a great campaign hardly the signal of a great presidency

Who is the more experienced manager of people, budget, and message

Bill Clinton

TTFN

Shelia

Axelrod is the one who is running Obama's campaign.
No candidate runs his own campaign. Just like no candidate writes his own speechs.

Jack

The Obama network defects

Chuck Todd
" Who is the real agent of change Palin or Obama?"

Even asking the question is a problem for the Democrats

As I said earlier

The more you dwell on Palins inexperience the more you draw attention to Obama's inexperience. All those bills he sponsered in the Ill. legislature?
You really don't want to go there. trust me.

Jack

The repugs and their Country First theme may have hit on something brewing in this country...you do not need to go to Europe to win an election.

And jack. no candidate lets the wind hire his people. The bottom line on all decisions go through Obama. I that that for sure.

So, you may want to pass all this success off on Axelrod or Plouffe or Gibbs, but Obama is the one calling the shots and making the final decisions on all the brilliant ideas or that campaign. He's also the one who thought up Nationalizing the huge community activism and voting registration that is taking place right now.

Now back to work. Good Day

Lack of diversity? Hey, Palin's hubby is one gajillionth Native American Eskimo. He was on stage, so that counts. Right?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_diversity

Craig,

Actually it's PALIMONY.

My take is that, instead of a VP, McCain't went for ANOTHER trophy wife.

I do concede Governor Palin can read a fine political speech. It was good enough that no one noticed the absence of economic policy, foreign policy (pimping for big oil is not foreign poicy), and health care. Nor did they let Palin express her religious political extremist views which have earned her the sobriquet "Scary Sarah" in some quarters.

The balance you mentioned, red meat to the crowd offset with quieter living room moments made it work pretty well on TV. Still she comes off as what McLuhan would have termed a hot personality on the little screen.

Unlike most pols, she actually knows how to use humor. Note the first joke was on herself (the shopworn, reworked lipstick line). This makes subsequent humor directed against opponents easier for the audience to accept, as well as more biting.

She will be a formidable candidate as long as she can stick to her own talking points. It remains to be seen how well she'll do in a more free form rough and tumble campaign. Nonetheless, I don't discount her potential--Alaska Republican primaries, especially against incumbents, ain't exactly bean bag. However, the true smallness of her previous stage may well be manifest in how narrow her policy competence turns out to be. The full range of issues in Alaska omit the preponderance of what counts in the lower 48 where the other 468 electoral votes live.

So, she's proved an adequate attack dog, now can she pull McCain's tired, old sled out of the ditch and win the race?

One surefire result --Mitch Romney is no longer hair apparent. As of last night, Sarah sits in the catbird's seat for the 2012 nomination.

WACPAC

P.S. What's wrong with the placement of the teleprompters. Most of the Republican speakers look horrid as they robotically turn from one teleprompter to the other in a vain effort to appear as if they addressing and/or connecting with the crowd. Watching CSPAN makes this even more evident? Also my professional judgment is that
the stage sucks too.

And jack. no candidate lets the wind hire his people. The bottom line on all decisions go through Obama. I that that for sure.

Reverend Wright is a great example of this...Obama dumped him when he started hurting his political campaign.

It doesn't matter who wrote the speech, she delivered it as if she wrote it herself. Her minor stumbling and occasional awkward cadence only served to make her appear more human and less refined. Of course, we're talking about a beauty queen here, and she played the crowd with the colloquial charm of a state champ.

The argument for her platform consisted of achievements, not promises.
~"Oil indepence in 10 years? Yeah, I'm already working on it".

The insults and one-liners she leveled were clever and funny but delivered with that coy snark only a woman and a mother could get away with and still seem benevolent. She was charming without being slick, aggressive without seeming vicious, and succinct without appearing overwhelmed. That empathetic folksiness she employed is what Hillary tried so desperately to get away with but never could.

The substance doesn't really matter. Who's checking, anyway? If you take her at her word, and she gave the impression you (as the common man) should, then she's has more relevant experience than both of her competitors combined! Forget that McCain is a member of the do-nothing Congress himself, this election isn't even about him anymore.

The election just became Palin vs. Obama.

The only hope the Democrats have is Joe Biden. He will need to give the performance of his life whenever he meets her face-to-face. He will need to belittle her and marginalize her while seeming respectful. Put her in her place (just being Machiavellian here, I know thats statement is awful) while appearing to appreciate her as an equal, because that's exactly where the Democrats need her, as an equal to Joe Biden. His performance will need to be the greatest masterstroke ever delivered in the modern political era, assuming Palin holds her own and doesn't collapse. Is Joe Biden THAT guy? I really doubt it, but I could be wrong. The entire feminist movement is going to have to compromise their morals and go along with the joke or the election remains Palin vs. Obama. And if that happens, assuming a fair and legitimate election (big assumption), the Democrats lose. Sorry folks, Palin will be president before Hillary ever will.

People love celebrities, and they love being able to relate to celebrities even more. Look how people name drop in here. I do it, too. It's a desperate need to be validated by the success of others and live vicariously in the lifestyle of their dreams. Palin came off as the good girl who made it with the perfect life amidst not-so-perfect circumstances. Obama has already been established by the media as a Rock Star.

To whom do you think more people in this country can relate? Youth will relate to the rock star, but they failed miserably in 2004, with much more imperative to serve and in an election of much greater importance than this one. Blacks are an already reliable and staunch supporter of the Democrats, so lock up 80-90 percent of them (another awful statement I realize, don't blame me that the African-American vote is taken for granted by Liberals, it's something conservative blacks have been lamenting for years), if you believe the polls. So what's left are white people and hispanics. The questions now become, who's more, and to whom will they relate? Do more of them lean conservative or liberal? Whose side will produce a greater turnout at the polls? I have no idea. I thought for sure everyone had to see how incompetent and avaricious the Bush Administration was, and look what happened...

As aforementioned, the preceding was from a purely Machiavellian perspective and assuming a fair and legitimate election. Please pardon the indulgence; someone asked for it. One thing's for sure, I shouldn't be giving this away for free. Lard is right, I am a loser.

Ok I just watched Sarah Palin's speech. She did fairly well, careful to not overplay the hateful right-wing Christian fundamentalist card. I do not believe she characterized Barack Obama's spending plans accurately. She made it sound like he will raise taxes on everyone. This same charge was leveled against Bill Clinton. It was false then and it's false now. I thought introducing her family was a nice touch, the boyfriend of her pregnant daughter has a sort of Rob Lowe look to him and the husband is eye candy. I respect her as a mother and active in her children's education. I thought the part about putting the executive jet up for sale on Ebay was hilarious. She was playing the "fear card" re: terrorism and the war we have unwisely found ourselves in. I think she was just WEIRD to be so excited about her son deploying in Iraq. She really lost it there as far as I am concerned. She hid the fact that she is an anti-Gay homophobe, anti-Choice, and pushing to stack the courts with extreme right-wing judges who will help redefine America's institutions and laws in a way that constricts freedoms and demands conformity for all. I thought her attack on Obama re: talking with our enemies was a cheap shot. Talking is not capitulation. With the world such a dangerous place, it behooves us to at least enter into direct, tough dialogues with those who are a danger.

I was impressed a bit about the pipeline but disappointed at how she (and apparently the delegates) were more interested in continuing the growth of conspicuous fuel consumption, a sign of the sick "insatiable wants" a capitalist society craves to keep their lifestyles on 24-7 party mode and let someone else figure out the mess later on when the party's over.

I thought the comment re: Harry Reid was fair game. As Majority Leader he certainly should not have said "I can't stand John McCain." On the other hand, to call it the "do nothing Congress" was below the belt given that the Repug filibuster machine has created massive gridlock on any significant legislation along with a certain Repug senator's holds on any legislation that he does not 100% support.

I find no fault with her appraisal of McCain's war experience. He deserves those accolades. I don't see how there is eminent "victory" coming in Iraq and it was grossly unfair to say Obama is for surrender. Her zinger re: Obama "turning back the waters and healing the planet" was low. She is a typical right-wing Christian, speaks of Christ's love but does nasty attacks even though it goes against biblical scripture of love.

All and all she seemed sort of like "Stepford Wife meets President Roslin" (Roslin is from Battlestar Gallactica, strong, tough, thrust into office as the only governmental leader to survive the destruction of her home world).

I don't dislike Sarah Palin. I do dislike MOST of what she stands for. Watching the speech, and seeing the people in the convention hall, i felt almost as if I was watching another televangelist program. The nearly 100% lily white faces in their conservative clothes and hairdos reminds me of Pleasantville. Or maybe Picket Fences, where everything seems perfect, but behind the scenes.... ????

Palin Rules, Libs Drool

"With impeccable timing and grace, Sarah Palin wowed Americans from coast to coast, injecting a sense of humor and small-town authenticity that even caused somewhat reserved Republicans to herald her with hearty applause and raucous cheers of "U.S.A! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"

As the mother of a son, who is profoundly deaf, I was brought to grateful tears myself when Governor Palin took a moment to mention our special-needs population. ... My own heart did swell at that and nearly burst, simply for that moment of recognition ..."

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/09/palin_rules_libs_drool.html

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/gallery/09_04_08_grossfeld_sox/

Blonde...from your question way upthread about the Superconducting Super Collider.

That project was supposed to be built in Waxahatchie, Texas, and construction on the huge underground tunnel had already begun when the project was killed in the early 90s by Congress. The SSC was in competition for "science funds" with NASA's boondoggle space station, and it turned out that NASA was more politically savvy than the Department of Energy (stuff like spreading contracts around to all 50 states to ensure political support.)

The SSC was way cheaper than the space station (about $10 billion or $12 billion, compared to what was then a $40 or $50 billion pricetag on the space station -- growing since then to about $100 billion). More importantly, the SSC would have produced far more meaningful science than the space station -- which produces marginally significant research in the fields of microgravity and life sciences, but not much else. The crowning irony is that the station will basically be unusable before it is even completed, because the U.S. is mothballing the space shuttle fleet in a couple of years and the only access we'll have is via Russia's Soyuz rockets. (And our relations with Russia are getting so much better these days.)

In short, the Superconducting Super Collider would have been the smarter project to pursue. That's why Congress killed it.

P.S. Your only hope is a really juicy sex scandal. Involving children and/or a moose.

Before I leave for work....we are talking about Palin today...not Obama. Biden's response to her speech looked stupid. Did he talk about those issues during his aacepatnace speech? Or did he talk about his family? He talked about his family first.

Yep, this election is the dems to lose...Obama supporters dissed HRC for being the presumed nominee, he is the presumed prez...might be a dem curse.

Thanks, LL.

Champ...not to worry. You'll redeem yourself if you apply your skills to good analyses such as that one.

Champ you are a good writer. May I ask what your educational background is?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26529937/

There may be no second acts in American lives, but on this blog you can have a virtual google of acts. The play goes on forever!

great link Bear. I am outta here. bye all

http://www.cnbc.com/id/26542003

Champ

Good points.
I do hope the Obama campaign is more on the ball then they look at this moment.
Oh Ried, needs to go. Last night his office included the discription "shrill" in commenting about the speech.

Jack

Since Palin lives so close to the Arctic, can she explain how we aren't responsible for the disappearing Ice shelf?

As the parent of a child with special needs, I listened last night when Sarah Palin told me I would have a friend in the WH if I help elect the Republican ticket. As a THINKING person, I need more depth.

What will my friend in the WH do to help me and my child?

Will she and her party ignore their religious dogma and finally turn to science for some possible answers as to how my child's disability can be mitigated, healed or cured? I believe that the answers exist...but it is our responsibility to ask the right questions (scientifically speaking).

Will she and her party end their obeisance to big business and finally hold them accountable for the pollution that contributes to birth defects and disability, and - in some cases - product liability for those things that have a more direct link to disability and birth defects? Or will they continue to allow big business to obscure and deny science?

Will she and her party generate a plan that will assure that my child's quality of life will continue after my death? Will they provide me a road map to institute such a plan?

You see, Sarah Palin has few worries in those areas. Especially now that she has joined the ranks of the power brokers, her special needs child's life will be guarded and he will be well cared for by the establishment. Even without those safeguards, however, her advantages for Trig's future include that he is the youngest of five children, so there are siblings to take care of him for life (following the deaths or incapacity of their parents), and that she is in a position of power which will allow her access to the best planning available.

I want access to a clear plan for my child, and - bluntly - I want permision to die someday without 'shuffling off this mortal coil' in a state of panic.

When Sarah Palin and the Republican party convince me that they are not about promoting big business to the point of denying the realities of science, they may have a shot at my vote. Until then, I will choose to go with the party that promises they will think and question and operate from a base of real science.

Yes, I do want a president who is smarter than me...not necessarily one I'd enjoy chatting with over a cup of coffee. I have real friends for that.

Jack I would say she sounded more smug than shrill but I guess it's a relative term.

With the new unemployment news and economic fears dropping today, if the Democrats don't hump the economy like an unfixed dog in heat...or Ron Jeremy on the job, they should just quit now.

Gallup Daily
Gallup Daily: Obama 49%, McCain 43%
Too early to reflect impact of GOP convention in St. Paul
September 3, 2008

ditto, dog re: HW

HarborW....
great post!....
when Palin said that line about special need parents having a friend in the WH, my hubby shouted out ..... "yeah.... but.... don't you think stem cell research is akin to voodoo".....

unfortunately..... more people seem to be swayed by their emotions and not to reason....

MSNBC has moved Palin from Ann Richards to Ronald Reagan and is saying the Obama campaign response is "flat footed."

bear

smug works far better than shrill when talking about a woman candidate.

yes, she showed a certain smugness, she was aggressive, at times she was mean and strident and hyperpartisan
notice all are negative terms without the baggage.

Jack

Well, it's not a shock considering Mika wore out 10 pairs of knee pads this morning...

Funny, last week she spent more time in a crouch than Carlton Fisk and Yogi Berra combined...I didn't think she could surpass that performance until today...lol

Thank you for your comments about my post. It is nothing if not heartfelt. There are many fears that come with having a special needs child.

Stem cell research? Absolutely! Please! It may be one of those 'right questions'.

'The View' is playing in the background at my home. Just heard Sherri Shepherd (who has a som with developmental delays) talk about how Palin's comment brought her to tears. That's scares me, and makes me want to throw up.

My point is that Palin can be my friend if she wants to, but not my leader...not unless she puts some flesh on those bones of promises about what she might do for children with special needs. And everyone should remember that those cute babies grow up to be adults...who may not still be so cute, but who have very real needs in order to maintain any quality of life.

You have no idea how hard the 'system' makes it to properly care for a special needs person!

Harbor...isn't sherri sheppard the black chick who makes Elizabeth sound like a mensa?

I need help on this one...I'm a fan of a metal band called Disturbed. They have this song The Game which I find very appropriate for today. The only thing is I can't tell who would be in the first person...Hillary, liberals...please listen and offer feedback...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bck2nBIGAS4

"I daresay Hawking's belief that the two can be reconciled is a bit more informed than was Einstein's and certainly moreso than your snide comment about gravity screwing up the big bang theory."

Lol, pogo. In my best genteel Southern accent, "You have impugned Gravity's good honour, Sir;" "I challenge you to a doo-el!"

Hell hath no fury like an amateur theoretical particle physicist scorned.

Bear...

Yes, Sherri seems less than brilliant...but Elisabeth simply parrots Republican talking points and yells louder than the others when they say something she doesn't want to hear.

Right now, I have to feed my special needs kid, then drive him to work. Trying my best to help him become a tax payer with an actual life.

"Hell hath no fury like an amateur theoretical particle physicist scorned."

Champ - You are a riot! Thanks for making me laugh!

"champ, you don't really believe a black hole that can eat the earth from the inside can be created in a super collider, do you?"

You can't say with full authority it won't. Reminds me of the Heart of Gold's probability drive.

she's indeed a pittbull with a lipstick.

Unfortunately, that takes away her Lois Lane good looks and the Democrats can safely attack her now without appearing sexist.

Interesting family Palin has...probably abused her governor's powers by trying to fire her ex bro in law. Advocates abstinence and daughter got pregnant.

Very nice speech governor...too bad it doesnt play with those worried about losing their home, while you support a bridge to nowhere that in the end u dont support when it's no longer politically expedient.

Ok, I just figured out how Biden can pull it off. I'll leave it at that for the day.

champ, LOL. No I can't say anything about black holes with full authority, just that mini black holes have been created in PAs and haven't eaten the earth yet. I can say that I have no less authority to doubt that they will eat the earth than the guys who filed the lawsuit have for believing it - except of course for all that theoretical particle physics stuff. Wasn't that an Improbability Drive?

hw, while you might have a friend in the WH if M/P is elected, I would not be a bit surprised that programs that support parents with SN kids would be among the waste that JM would like to dispose of to cut the deficit.

Pardon me, the Infinite Improbability Drive.

"The Infinite Improbability Drive is a wonderful new method of crossing interstellar distances in a few seconds; without all that tedious mucking about in hyperspace. As the Improbability Drive reaches infinite improbability, it passes through every conceivable point in every conceivable universe almost simultaneously. In other words, you're never sure where you'll end up or even what species you'll be when you get there. It's therefore important to dress accordingly. The Infinite Improbability Drive was invented following research into finite improbability which was often used to break the ice at parties by making all the molecules in the hostess' undergarments leap one foot simultaneously to the left in accordance with the theory of indeterminacy. Many respectable physicists said they weren't going to stand for that sort of thing, partly because it was a debasement of science, but mostly because they didn't get invited to those sort of parties."

Apparently Wall Street didn't like Sarah's little speech.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/business/economy/05stox.html?hp

What other reason could there possibly be for the Dow's fall today?

Got a call last night from an old gf who raised her autistic son by moving from one state to another to get the right level of education. (He's now at a special needs college and thriving.)

Yes, she's a dem.

She's also an ex-WH intern from the Carter adminstration so she follows autism, special needs and politics.

She pointed out something which Yglesias picked up on here --

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/09/palin_and_special_needs_children.php

As governor Palin slashed the budget for schools for children with special needs by 62% from the previous administration.

I do not know whether how those schools were funded or administered. I do know that is a whopping amount and will affect those students whose parents succeed in getting the Federal government to fund their education in such schools because the parents have proven that local schools cannot provide the necessary care and teaching.

She has a very big, self-righteous mouth. I suggest that Americans watch what she has done along with what she says as there is a clear pattern of not just contradiction but willful, arrogant lying.

(Will someone remind America that it wanted George W. Bush to come its next BBQ... and how burnt he has left this country and so much of the world? Because some seem to have the same desire to make Palin their next door neighbor-in-chief.)

9/11,

How've you been?

pogo...

Yep. That's pretty much my point...the one about what might happen to special needs parents and people who REALLY could use a friend in the WH.

When religious dogma is allowed to trump science, and when the wishes of big business are allowed to more than trump science, there's a major disconnect from the empty promise that I'll have a friend in high places.

I don't for one minute believe that either McCain or Palin intends to do anything that might truly help people with disabilities. Talk about your unheard constituency!

Jamie

your comment about VP nominee Palin leaving the city of Wasilla Alaska is somewhat erroneous.. If you look at the balance sheets for 2002 when she left the city and 2003, you will find they are very much in the black.
She did float long term bonds that are payable over a long term as any city does in order to have sewer,water,lights, etc etc. You make her sound as if she left the city with debt and they were going bankrupt. go and see the balance sheets for yourself, at the wasilla alaska website. She did a magnificent job by the way. That one for the truth-o-meter is FALSE.

Julie,

The bonds are the long term debt that she left the city.

"As governor Palin slashed the budget for schools for children with special needs by 62% from the previous administration"

Not exactly true, that is the problem with those advocacy sites.

What she did was remove a captal improvements project from the budget. The operating budget either remained the same or had a small increase.
Shifting or delaying capital improvement projects are not uncommon in state and local budgeting. Unlike federal governments they can't run a deficit and the borrowing is stricktly regulated.

Bear,

On and off okay, Bear.

Maxtrue was wrong about Cigna -- as I expected, they withdrew from the entire NY/NJ HMO market, not just individual accounts. My hematologist is moving away from accepting HMO coverage (along with more than a few other cancer doctors)... so I have been figuring out how to handle the coming months of treatment. So I've been working on getting assurance from the next insurance company that there will be NO withholding of treatment due to having a precondition, etc.

I'm a thorough Obama supporter now -- for him and not against McCain.

It will be interesting to see whether Steve Bullschmidt will bully the press back into tugging their forelocks for the Strange Talk Express.

And Craig -- wonder if Gov. Palin put your first book on her titles to burn list back in Wasilla? She seems to believe in attacking the messengers along with wolves and bears.

By the way -- what is the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?

A hockey mom shoots pit bulls from airplanes.

Bear

It is called growth, her town doubled in size in 10 years.that is a lot of sewer and utility expantion. In addition she enlarged the tax base by encouraging retail developement. just like every suburb in the nation.

Jack

Jack,

Saw that Benen (Yglesias' source) corrected that.

But I went to look at the 2008 and 2009 pdfs for the Alaska Youth Challenge School. (Which is, no surprise, a boot camp -- which ain't the universal formula for success with special needs children.)

There seems to be a significant drop in funding from 2008 to 2009.

I very well may be reading the stuff incorrectly.

Here are the links for each year.

gov.state.ak.us/omb/08_OMB/budget/EED/comp2837.pdf

www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_omb/budget/EED/comp2837.pdf

Anyone else see what it a drop in funding?

If you don't, good for those kids. Sort of -- the children I know who benefited the most from special schooling went to other sorts of facilities with very different programs.

I have no idea what the methods and criteria are at this school.

I do know that no one projected any claims for progress or advancement for the school in the 2009 budget.

Jack,

Glad you like that growth.

Who paid for it?

According to the Obama network, the hometown crowd loves her.

Palin's speech was mediocre at best. Her delivery was stilted and her voice was nasal. To me it looked like she was reciting a speech that she didn't really understand (do you really think she uses phrases like "cloud of rhetoric" on a regular basis). Bringing the baby up on stage afterwards was cringe worthy (as an aside, that baby should have been in bed, not in front of a roaring crowd of 15,000 people, any person who would do that to a 5 month old for political purposes is a terrible parent).

Her attacks on Obama were too personal, petty and sarcastic. She offered few if any policy alternatives.

She also failed to address middle class economic issues or the Bush administration's record (neither were mentioned at all) - thereby sidestepping two of the biggest issues in this campaign.

Most importantly, she failed to convey a sense of seriousness or that she has a sufficient grasp of the issues to be capable of filling in for McCain. In many ways she reminded me of George W. Bush in 2000 - blissfully uninformed and willing to say all the right things to excite the fundamentalists. Been there, done that - I don't think it works in 2008 given the train wreck that the Bush administration has been.

I give her a C- and I think the results in November will show that she was not up to the task and that it was a mistake for McCain to add her to the ticket.

Jack,

I understand the debt has a purpose. You still can't deny it's existence. We can't have nuanced debate in one area and not another though.

Jack,

Do I remember correctly that your into small barrel Bourbon? Can you recommend a good one?

Poor Dumb Alaskans

Palin's success in executing plans for a gas line in the North Slope is another benchmark her supporters say represents her ability to work across party lines.
advertisement

But it's the humility with which she carries herself that makes her all the more appealing, Keller said.

"I know her just enough to know she's into this to see what positive difference she can make," he said. "She has a servant's attitude, she's not arrogant and she's not full of herself."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/03/palin.alaska.reax/?iref=mpstoryview

"Glad you like that growth.

Who paid for it?"

Same as any suburb 911.
this tax debt issue has to be the silliest attack from a political view.
Anybody living in a growing suburb understands it and approves. You are not getting any votes that way.

Wasilla is 30 miles from Anchorage, a 20 min commute.

Jack

So you're saying she raised taxes to generate revenue for projects at home?

"But I went to look at the 2008 and 2009 pdfs for the Alaska Youth Challenge School. (Which is, no surprise, a boot camp -- which ain't the universal formula for success with special needs children.)"

Maybe that explains the cut in funding.

Jack

Bear, about 22-gallons should work.

Bear,

Floating bonds means the voters approve of not having to use outhouses and coal oil lamps any longer, or drive on dirt roads, etc. If you do not know how to read a balance sheet , you should not argue against it. The information is all there is black and white. Yes, she did a fantastic job for the city imho. If you want an asset you have to pay for it. She also brought in businesses whose tax base also helped pay for new assets..

Jack,

So how much growth was due to taxes, how much have the taxes relieved the debt and how much of the growth was from federal earmarks that the town solicited?

Posted by: julie young | September 4, 2008 2:45 PM

Kind of like having people who voted for Reagan and Bush -some twice-- (three times if you count 41) lecture folks who voted for a Republican.

"So you're saying she raised taxes to generate revenue for projects at home?"

Looks like it. That makes her a very pragmatic conservative. More dangerous than a true believer type.

Jack

Municipal debt--

We routinely took on long term debt to fund public works projects. Some of them were enterprise projects that would be paid for from user fees; others were for community improvements that would be paid for from a combination of grant funding and general funds. As we did this, we maintained an operational reserve that would allow us to fund daily city operations for a nine-month period.

We were required by law to balance our budget. We did so,

who NEVER voted for a Republican.

There's nothing more dangerous than an eloquent public speaker who tells lies. For example, Gov. Palin's denunciation of Senator Obama as having never authored a single law is demonstrably false. Ask Senator Lugar (R), with whom he authored the non-proliferation law.

911

If I was betting I would say federal funds helped build the Hocky arena, at least state funds did.
The rest was probably funded locally.
As I said a pragmatic conservative.

Jack

Joe Biden ''I exaggerate when I'm angry''

Saucy goose

I am not lecturing anyone. And I may well make up my mind to vote for her, I have not convinced myself of anything other than I will not vote for Obama.
Just trying to refute the argument that she was an incompetent city mayor. She was an very good mayor with the city being the recipient (sp).

PWF

Attaching your name to other peoples bills is not the same as authoring them. It is just a me too.

Jack

I am not lecturing anyone.

Not referring to you but to people refuting your argument

Jack,

What do you think of the reports that the town felt compelled to hire an administrator when a recall effort followed a much criticized first year of her administration?

So far those seem to be authentic in so far as the sources are local, many from the period.

You just seem uncharacteristically bland in accepting her word when even A.P. is criticizing her veracity.

Authored a law. That was a good line. We had a guy who had a law school diploma from something that sounded like such and such a city College of Law. People thought it was the genuine article. And he proceeded to write laws.

What a mess he created. We had to hire a full-time attorney just to repair the damage.

My guess is, congressional professional staff drafts statutes to which their sponsors append their names.

I would like to know exactly what original new laws any particular legislator thought up on their own and then, from which, staff created draft statutes.

Julie,

You stated that point very well and you highlighted one of the frustrations I have with our political system.

When you hear people championing tax cuts, what they aren't telling you is that there will be a corresponding cut in services. Many Republicans say they are against big government or that they cut taxes but then, how did they pay for that shiny new project at home? Public money means taxes.

At some point I would like to see the debate framed that Republicans aren't against government, but just against government that doesn't drive their agenda. Oddly enough, as much as I despise Newt Gingrich, I think his background in academia leads him to be one of the view who would actually have that conversation.

A.P. is criticizing her veracity.

Last week the Obama campaign told us not to believe the AP

Sarah was fabulous! I am a liberal Democrat who supported Hillary. I will now comfortably support this ticket if for no other reason than to shut up Olberman and Mathews.

Posted by: jane

I totally agree. I too was a Hillary supporter who thinks the MSM's bias must not be ignored or forgotten.

The frenzy by the far left and the MSM to destroy Sarah Palin with "smear and rumor" tactics is truly contemptible. Sarah was truly fantastic and it makes my support of McC all the more poignant.

PUMA/Clintons4mccain

toast

Jack,

Here's the quote from yesterday's Wapo about the Wasilla earmarks.

"Among the spending projects Palin helped obtain through the earmark process: $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs and $15 million for a rail project, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan watchdog group, Taxpayers for Common Sense."

Of course, earmarks are how Alaska lives: for all its posturing, it's the 50th State of Entitlement. I'm someone who lives and pays taxes in a city which has ever so much more taken from it than it receives back from federal and state budgets so I'm less than thrilled with that.

How much actual growth is there now in Wasilla? How much income does it generate for the state and federal tax base compared to how much it has taken and continues to take?

Do you consider this use of other people's taxes to generate local business, etc., fiscal conservatism?

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/513745.html

original reporting about the "recall."

Milquetoast?

Are you by chance a fan of the Bloom County comic strip? Milquetoast was a hilarious character...kind of like a comic version of Newman...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milquetoast_the_Cockroach

http://members.tripod.com/vsolaas/bloomc/MILTOAST.GIF

That being said, if she is being refuted with verifiable facts, are they then still smearing her?

I guess facts only count when you think they work in your favor.

Not to sound like Gil Grissom on CSI but don't the facts only work for the truth Saucy?

C'mon....talk to me Goose...talk to me...lol

the town felt compelled?

As she found it so easy to fire a number of people I believe any hiring at that point would hve been her idea.

From what I read in a NYtimes article that pogo posted here. she removed a lot of the previous mayors people. As they were out campaigning against her there may have been more than ample cause.

From what I remember of the times article the effort to remove her went nowhere fast. It is small town politics, they don't get any meaner.

One thing that stood out for me , she has stepped on a lot of toes and they were all happy to get their revenge.
As you would expect from some one with a reformer type personality.

Jack

Bearly

The facts are only presented with Palin when it to work to her opponents advantage but no fact rumors are freely circulated to smear her.

For example
"What do you think of the reports that the town felt compelled to hire an administrator when a recall effort followed a much criticized first year of her administration"

False. Not a single thing is true.

I imagine that Alaska is like almost every other state and requires by law that a city's budget be balanced and that all expenditures are completely funded by revenue from certain specified sources. Take out big projects like multi use sports complexes, and the budget probably looks pretty much like any other municipal budget you're likely to see. As you might expect under a republican, the funded ratio for pension and postemployment healthcare dropped from 102% in '99 to 73% in 2002, and the unfunded liability for those funds rose from 4 and 2 percent surpluses to 52 and 31% deficits over that same period. Because of the water/sewer and sports enterprise numbers, comparisons of 2002 to 2003 are difficult. The one line item that does jump out from 2002 to 2003 is sales tax revenue, increased by $638,000 in 2003, due to increased economic activity and consistent with Wasilla's projected growth model for sales tax revenues. Property tax receipts were decreased by $131,000 by lowering the mill rate. The net tax increase from '02 to '03 was $589,000, or about $100 per person. Long term debt financed the Sports Complex and the street and water/sewer projects. Pretty standard stuff it seems to me. Most of this stuff has to be voted on either by City Council or by the people, and mayors typically don't have a lot of discretion in these matters, although they may be the driving force getting them before council and the voters. This stuff doesn't look to me like it is anything that suggests that she does or does not have management skills commensurate with being the CEO of the USA.

" I thought introducing her family was a nice touch, the boyfriend of her pregnant daughter has a sort of Rob Lowe look to him and the husband is eye candy."

She couldn't very well come down too hard with the Evangelical message since this is a case of like mother, like daughter.

Recommend that everyone just take a look at the Wasilla website. It has a picture of some of the homes there. It is not like what most people think of a suburb close to a large town. It is interesting.

Thanks, Jack. I should have been more explicit.

"co-authored" is not the same as "signing on".
http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non/
and
http://lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=267485

Strong men do not fear strong women. D's had their chance to nominate a strong woman, HRC as their presidential nominee, but PC got in the of thinking correctly. Then team BHO was handed the chance to ask HRC if she would be interested in the VP slot. But no that also didn't occur. Can't have a smart woman sitting in the #2 seat, what would people say. What is with the Liberal D's males that they fear strong women for high office? They talk the talk, but can't walk the walk. So when JM picks Sarah what do these weak knee bastards do, they brutally attack her, and through their gutless surrogates, the Liberal MSM, they attack her daughter. Before this is all over there is going to be a major ass whopping, and I am putting my $$$ on Sarah.

flatus, of course you are right - staff authors laws that lobbyists and other interest groups didn't author. Typically they are given to the legislative staff of the particular body that originates them to make sure they don't conflict with other laws.

Jamie. I hope God gets the boy for chewing gum at a 'state' occasion.

Flatus

He's doing fine for a young kid who became famous for something he probably would have preferred remained a family secret.

Tweety c ontinues his unbroken record for most ridiculous, sexist commentary -- "Sarah Palin is running as John McCain's wife."

Why is this drooling idiot still on teevee?

Well who knows why, what is even scarier there is talk, maybe just idle talk but talk still the same, this fool might even run for the PA Senate seat. All I want to know who is it that tells Matthews and people like him that are they are qualified to do anything more thought provoking then sleep and and wipe the spit from off their lips before they speak?

Are you ready for some football?

This is a great column and for women looking for any sort of validation today, pay attention to the sports gal's rant on the right side of the page

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080904

Maverick lover,

How funny that saucy goose is a pun after all...lol

Facts, not rumors all lead to the truth. If you want to rail against the rumors that's fine, but at least acknowledge that Palin peddled many falsehoods last night in her speech and in front of a larger audience than a wire story may pick up.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-CVN-Convention-Protests.html

"Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty blamed the violence this week on a small group of ''anarchists, nihilists, and goofballs who want to break stuff and hurt people.''"

I guess Pawlenty has been listening to too much Spiro Agnew and J Edgar Hoover.

for women looking for any sort of validation

Do you think women need validation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYrsDT02OcE

Jamie,

"Tell that to the town she left with a 20 million dollar debt and while cutting taxes on property (progressive) instituted a sales tax (regressive). Then there was that whole business of cutting the budget on the Museum and Library in favor of a sports stadium. That should really help out the educational level."

You forgot your cardinal rule again. You forgot to source it!

Now I just had lunch with a man who has a son in Fairbanks. This year he'll be receiving a check for $3,000. Sarah just keep on doing what you have been doing until you and your family are living at the old Naval Observatory.

Time to Change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyooALwfxO8

Ah, it's going to start coming out more and more...

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/westmoreland-calls-obama-uppity-2008-09-04.html

Frydaddy,

I've had fraternity brother move to Alaska in the 90's for the oil check, great fishing and for the liberal Marijuana possession laws. $3,000 sounds like less than what they were getting then...why the drop?

FD

http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/09/03/wasilla-in-debt/

Everybody's Smiling...

Sunshine Day

Everyone's Laughing...

Sunshine Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaCCG7QkM_c

Unemployment numbers skyrocketing not to mention those who have exhausted their benefits. Retail sales in the tank during the "back to school" season.

Does anyone really want more of the glorious benefits of a Republican controlled Presidency?

Alaskans never got $3000.00

Perhaps you were smoking too much pot.

We do know that due in large part to the citizen dividend payments combined with the happy consequences of no state income or sales taxes, Alaska is the only state in the United States where the wealth gap has decreased in the past decade. The citizen dividends from the APF are an important and significant source of income, especially for rural families maintaining more land based subsistence lifestyles.

http://www.earthrights.net/docs/oilrent.html

Don't tell me that then fucktard...I'm not the one with the kid getting a check from Palin as Fry asserts.

You must be getting surly because of the homoerotic overtones in Top Gun and the fact you get killed in the movie...

I also supported Hillary Clinton and listened last night to Sarah Palin. I won't be voting for the McCain/Palin ticket because their stands on the main issues is the exact opposite of mine and my candidate.

However, I did take some pleasure in the zingers directed at Obama/Biden. It reminded me of all the Obama sexist and demeaning lines directed at Hillary including brushing her off and saying that she was only being supported because she was married to the ex president. Sometimes they were overt sexism and sometimes more subtle. I was also reminded that the Obama campaign said every word uttered by either Clinton was racist. I won't be voting for Sarah Palin but I did appreciate her saying many of the things about Obama's competence and experience that many Hillary supporters have always thought.

Mr. Democrat,

Here is Mr. Westmoreland in all his glory with Colbert...

http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=70730

Bear,

Sounds like? Where are your numbers? Can't be a drop if you don't post your numbers?

Observation:
Sarah didn't use the teleprompter, and didn't have to rely on the word "uh" 40 different times to finish her sentence. And she is from Alaska and didn't go to Harvard Law School. Not that it did BHO much good as he still believes granting illegals immigrants a drivers license will somehow protect you if you are ever rear ended. What protects us BHO is something called car insurance. A mind is a terrible thing to waste especially when it was wasted at the prestigious Harvard Law School.

Here's the Anchorage Daily News' article on Palin's speech -

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/515517.html

They don't think she was particularly honest.

So frydaddy,

When McCain does his "my friends" 30 times and does his bevis and butthead nervous chuckle "eehhh ehhh ehhh" she we be worried about the value of an Annapolis education? Though McCain has made a mockery of their honor code...

ESPN.com has an interesting look at the mix of Sports and Politics. In the right side side bar there are links to see who donated how much and to whom...pretty fascinating read...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=3565666&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

oh please she was right in front of the teleprompter Fry... !!!

jo,

"I did appreciate her saying many of the things about Obama's competence and experience that many Hillary supporters have always thought."

Funny thing about that, the truth is the truth. He has ZERO experience, and HRC was on the mark when she so correctly said, "who do you want answering the hotline at 3 AM?" Since BHO can't put together a comprehensive sentence without the aid of a teleprompter, what would he say should he ever become POTUS and the hotline phone rings? As Joe Biden said, referring to BHO, "I think the presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job-training."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3HASgMS7w0

The family values crowd have me thinking of Stepford...

Here's one...

http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0908/The_teleprompter_did_not_break.html?showall

umm, fry, doesn't Obama have the same amount of executive experience as McCain? Seems to me both of them haven't had the experience of heading up a company, being mayor of a small town or being governor a state.

gotta fly - keep flinging it.

Here's what a panel of Michigan voter's thought of Gov.Palin's speech...........

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080903/NEWS15/80904002

"my friends"

Damn Bear correct me if I am wrong, but aren't those 2 words when used together express a meaning? What does "uh" mean when said 26 times in reply to 1 question? This man is such an empty, empty suit,. as I have said, been saying for months the only reason he is the D nominee and not HRC is because of the color of his skin, not because of any work he did in the IL state congress or that of a US Senator. No meaningful legislation has come from his office. He is the PC Affirmative Action nominee, DNC style. You know it, everyone knows it, he was pushed to the front of the line over the more qualified candidate.

"...what original new laws any particular legislator thought up on their own..."
flatus, very very few originate ideas and even less than that actually write/draft bills. who authors laws depends on how you define "author" as the term by rule usually means introducing or taking prime responsibility for a bill, not writing it or even thinking it up. generally someone such as a lobbyist, interest group, constituent, major donor or legislative staffer suggests an idea (most come in the form of finished drafts, backup research attached). we're talking here big time ghost writing.

Champ
I was blown away by your review of the Palin speech and your thoughts on this election.I'm also looking forward to hearing how you think Joe Biden should debate Gov.Palin.I confess to being in awe of all the real smart people that post at TM, yes for free.HA.......

too bad impeachment is off the table

Abramoff gets 4 years in prison for corruption

By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, September 4, 2008
...

(09-04) 13:36 PDT WASHINGTON (AP) --
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/09/03/national/w133332D35.DTL&tsp=1
Jack Abramoff, the once powerful lobbyist convicted of illegally trading expensive gifts for political favors, was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday by a federal judge who said the corruption scandal Abramoff spawned had shattered public confidence in the political system.

pogo,

doesn't Obama have the same amount of executive experience as McCain?

You can't even mention BHO's executive experience in the same breath of JM's. BHO has ZERO executive experience.

I know you weren't in the military but JM command a fighter squadron, and with that position comes executive duties and accountability. He was responsible for every nut, washer bolt, fuel, training, up keep of every plane and everyone under his command, and he has a budget which he has to live under.

Being in the military hardly qualifies as "chief executive" experience. So he managed a budget and bought nuts and bolts... Big deal ! If you said he had been a Chairman of the Joint Chiefs or a Secretary of State you might have offered something impressive.

Does McCain have the temperament to be President? I doubt it.

CBS Poll: McCain, Obama Tied
McCain Closes Eight-Point Gap From Poll Taken Last Weekend
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/opinion/polls/main4416798.shtml

Katherine,

Impeachment may be off the table, however, Joe Biden may be keeping open the option to pursue criminal charges against the Bush administration. Hard to say whether his comments are just campaign pander or not.

At an appearance in Deerfield Beach, FL he was asked whether he would pursue the violations that have been made against our Consitution by the present administration. Biden answered 'yes'. But qualified the response.

There is a video of the comments.

http://wjno.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=244038&article=4190828

"Palin criticizes Obama again in solo appearance"
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080904/D93043G80.html
Did McCain hit paydirt in the attack dog department?Is Joe Biden waiting to respond until after the Republican convention?Maybe I've missed him though....

Coreen
Hi. Thanks for the comments and link. I hope he isn't pandering. Biden voted the correct way (imo) on FISA and he seems to respect the constitution.

I hope they televise the hearings...like watergate...
Could he be the next Sam Ervin?

One of the more dangerous conversations going on --is the one where we talk about the need to reach across the isle --the post partisan hooey. I think Democrats should reach across the isle and smack Republicans.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a7xV7AwmIgCw&refer=us

Posted by: tonyb39 Author Profile Page | September 4, 2008 5:16 PM

Senator Biden said he was raised to discuss issues and not attack people on a personal basis.

Something everybody has missed on Palin. Alaska gets large amounts of revenue from oil. It is easy being a tax cutting conservative when you are recieving all those petrodollars.

Jack

TV viewership was 37.2 million for last night's RNC featuring Gov. Palin. That is 55% higher than Day 3 of the DNC when both Joe Biden & President Clinton
spoke (24 million).

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a7xV7AwmIgCw&refer=us

Well this self described Obamacan might being going home after last night's speech. Don't get me wrong, I still like Obama, just not into all that comes with him. I will say that the I totally understand how those who supported Hillary felt about the coverage she recieved now. I was not sold on Palin at first ( thought maybe gimmiky), but the way she was treated was dispicable, I mean hello..... those so called professional women in the media were completely hypocritcal. Who the hell does the media think it is assuming a job would be overwhelming for a woman because she has kids. Well, after her speech last night I'm sold on her, she is what was missing from my party- somebody with fire and passion, and real.

Just had to share...

Jack,

Here is a link to the full comments by Anne Kilkenny. (It's from Andrew Sullivan's blog.)

These are specifics, Jack -- lots of detail, perspective and nuance which are things you like on other topics.

Here is the first paragraph:

"Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents. During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign. Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%."

Ms. Kilkenny is a Wasilla resident. Her opinions seem backed with facts.

You may notice that the rich and the large companies did not increase Wasilla's tax base a jot.

It was ordinary citizens and government workers the reformer preferred to tax and, apparently, bully to the point of threats and extortion..

Please look into her pretty dreadful economic approaches to financing -- particularly turning surplus into debt in ways that almost anyone else would have let a smarter, more experienced, less autocratic exec improve on.

Sarah Palin "Winged" Her Speech Because of "Broken" Teleprompter

"According to sources close to the McCain campaign, the teleprompter continued scrolling during applause breaks. As a result, half way through the speech, the speech had scrolled significantly from where Governor Palin was in the speech.

Unfazed, Governor Palin continued, from memory [and relying on her printed text, clearly looking down occasionally at the printed page], to deliver her speech without the teleprompter cued to the appropriate point in her speech.

Contrast this to Barack Obama who, when last his teleprompter malfunctioned, was left stuttering before a crowd unable to advance his speech until the problem was resolved.

Sarah Palin. Winner."

http://www.redstate.com/diaries/redstate/2008/sep/04/breaking-sarah-palin-winged-her-speech-bec/

JennBe, I wasn't going to link this article, but it sounds so much like what you just said.

Sarah Palin gets the spiteful Margaret Thatcher treatment
"There are few sights more bloodcurdling than the liberal pack in full cry. The viciousness of the attacks on Sarah Palin is a testimony to the degree of panic her appointment has generated in Leftist circles."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/09/04/do0404.xml

Ms. Kilkenny is a Wasilla resident.

Is she?

She is certainly all over the left blogs.
Yet for a person who claims to have attended every city council meeting -- not a single picture, letter to the editor etc at the time. Not involved in the "recall."

Are you sure Dave Sirota didn't write it?.

GORDO,

Ever watch Fractured Fairy Tales on Rocky and Bullwinkile?

One of the best ever was their version of Pinocchio.

"A TV star not using idiot cards??? That's the BRAVEST thing I've ever heard!"

BHO on Bill O'Reilly tonight.

Did any of you see the "dust up" between Chris and Buchanan just now on Hardball.? Bravo to Pat when he accused Chris of having a problem with strong women like Hillary and Sarah. What do you all think. I believe chris is really out of control!

Evans camp linked to 'cybersmear' in Phila. race
Rod Kurtz (The Daily Pennsylvanian)

State Rep. Dwight Evans' campaign manager resigned and an aide was fired over a fake Web site created to hurt rival John White.

Mayoral candidate and State Rep. Dwight Evans accepted the resignation of his campaign manager and fired another top aide after discovering a connection between his office and a bogus World Wide Web site designed to damage a rival candidate.

Campaign Manager Jack Fugett resigned Friday at the same time as Evans fired Deputy Campaign Manager David Sirota, a 23-year-old Northwestern University graduate, after learning that an acquaintance of Sirota's had created the controversial site, which posed as rival John White's official campaign page.

saucy goose,

A very appealing conservative Wisconsin blogger named Cindy Kilkenny confirmed that an actual email was sent by an Anne Kilkenny of Wasilla to friends.

http://fairlyconservative.com/the-race-for-president/a-chat-with-anne-kilkenny-from-alaska/

"I said there would be truth somewhere in this one. (See the previous entry.) I did a little detective work (update: this means I had a few e-mails back and forth with Anne and she sent the text below) and confirmed the original version Anne e-mailed to friends. You’ll note that she asked her e-mail not be used, so I won’t. Others haven’t been so respectful. The version posted on the Washington Independent Web site is the original, but was not posted by Anne."

Someone there found a posting by Anne Kilkenny against the opening of a local Wal-Mart.

Congrats on opposing Wal-Mart!
As you know, I oppose
ALL “Big Box” stores. They destroy the local economy, do not proivide living wage jobs and homogonize the retail environment.
For those of you out there in ‘blog land’ check out www.wakeupwalmart.com to find out all about what this organization does to communities, local economies and their employees.
In the state of Arkansas, home of Wal-Mart, 1/2 of all the people on the state’s welfare are Wal-Mart employees.
YES! it is true.
Anne Kilkenny

Posted by: Anne Kilkenny | Jun 17, 2005 12:42:11 PM

What do you all think. I believe chris is really out of control!
Posted by: jane

Jane, Chris has been out of control for a long time.
Good for Pat setting him straight. Not that it'll do any good.

saucy goose,

One of the consistent qualities of Gov. Palin reported on in Alaska is her bullying.

She intimidates people through that -- and not through "strength".

reported by whom?
a blogger? For all we know it's someone from NYC

One person writes an undocumented email and suddenly it's the holy grail?

The reporting from Alaska seems to indicate the people there like her and are proud of her accomplishments.

I'm sure if someone asked Jack Ryan what he thinks of Obama's senate record and morality you would not like the answer.

The Implosion of TalkLeft

"How bad are things at TalkLeft, Jeralyn Merritt’s once erudite and inclusive blog? In a word, bad.

But among the TL community many weren’t ready to “get on board” and many probably never will be and so there was some pushback. And that then led to Jeralyn’s decision to limit if not quell any criticism of the Democratic ticket. Valuable members of the community were no longer welcomed. Their opinion no longer valued. An asset destroyed. It’s her blog, she can destroy it if she wants to."

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/09/04/the-implosion-of-talkleft/#more-4565

Thanks Chloe, that was a good one.

Though I share no common ground with the views of Gov. Palin, I do believe she will relate with many voters.

The media attack in particular by "feminists" like Sally Quinn & Gloria Steinem has been to say the least disappointing.

This column by Kirsten Powers (yes a FOX News host) is very effective.

"A Feminist dream at the GOP"

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09042008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/a_feminist_dream_at_the_gop_127413.htm

Gordo
It looks like talkleft has recovered

http://www.talkleft.com/

Plus Merrit also banned comments about Palin's children and personal life.(later rescinded by still bans name calling and inappropriate comments) She did NOT ban comments about Obama that were issue based she just called a halt to chattering and reliving the past.

Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton. Her down-home, divisive and deceptive speech did nothing to cosmeticize a Republican convention that has more than twice as many male delegates as female, a presidential candidate who is owned and operated by the right wing and a platform that opposes pretty much everything Clinton's candidacy stood for -- and that Barack Obama's still does. To vote in protest for McCain/Palin would be like saying, "Somebody stole my shoes, so I'll amputate my legs."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-steinem4-2008sep04,0,7915118.story

The Palin pick is not about Clinton voters....but keep telling yourself that

She energized the Republican Party and united the fiscal conservatives and the religious right allowing McCain to keep his maverick status.

Keep whining about the Clinton voters...and people will think you are looking for a scape goat.

Reid spokesman said sanctions would not be imposed against Lieberman until after elections, but he is put on notice that his appearance on RNC and comments "went too far", and he would probably be stripped of his committees..
reported on Fox 5:32 pm by Brit H.

Jane: I haven't watched MSNBC for almost 4 months, but my daughter was over and had it on. Chris was so irrate with Pat, but Pat stood his ground. Chris is so pissed that the media was brought up in a couple of speeches last night for their coverage. He was upset with the crowd behind him too, kept turning around and giving them a look. MSNBC is definitely going to go after the McCain campaign as they don't like when anyone says anything negative about their coverage. I think it will be war!

That is the difference between the Republicans and the Democrats, the DNC NEVER stood up for Hillary. The Democrats eat their own, when the Repulicans stand by and protect.

Frydaddy: You said it so well "he was pushed to the front of the line over the more qualified candidate".

Coreen, Thanks for linking that Kirsten Powers piece.
Boy, seeing what Buchanan said about Hillary in '92 surprised me. He's really changed.

Katherine, I think I saw earlier that you saw Bottle Shock. I liked it a lot too. There's been a few really good movies coming out lately.

Thanks Dog! I will watch tonight, to see what McCain has to say. He still is not my guy, but atleast with Palin I see that my Party is concerned about its future. I would have also loved to have seen Tom Ridge chosen to be on the ticket, though I don't think he could've have been nearly as exciting.

I watched all last week, too. Loved Barack's speech. I just don't want him to go too far left because he thinks he will win no matter what. Does that make sense?

After watching the first three days of the Dem. Convention, I had to go to CSPAN to watch. The fawning over everthing by the press was sickening. And the continually belittling of everything at the Rep. Convention sent me to CSPAN last night. I've decided no more MSM filtering. I'll just make my own decisions.

I also think that media today, trying to say they were just asking tough questions that should be asked, is (as Peggy Noonan would say) BullShit. When the morning shows are holding round table discussions about a whether or not a mother of a special needs child is being a neglectful mother because she is running for office is over the line. Can you tell I'm a bit fired up?

Frydaddy- Thank You, it needed to be said. It Split the party and is liable to be a loser..
in a earlier post said:

"my friends"

Damn Bear correct me if I am wrong, but aren't those 2 words when used together express a meaning? What does "uh" mean when said 26 times in reply to 1 question? This man is such an empty, empty suit,. as I have said, been saying for months the only reason he is the D nominee and not HRC is because of the color of his skin, not because of any work he did in the IL state congress or that of a US Senator. No meaningful legislation has come from his office. He is the PC Affirmative Action nominee, DNC style. You know it, everyone knows it, he was pushed to the front of the line over the more qualified candidate.

Warren

There are a number of reasons that people voted for Clinton. the writer missed an obvious. a good many of the clinton votes were an anti left wing/Kennedy vote There is a sizable chunk of that group who will not vote for Obama. Many of them may find themselves open to the maverick challenge of McCain Palin. those are the Clinton voters who will vote McCain. Not the angry feminist types. they just may stay home if any more of this silly anti woman crap keeps coming out of the netroots.

Jack

Anti ad on McCain considered a "nightmare" for Obama
http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/anti-mccain-ad-a-nightmare-2008-09-04.html

I don't disagree with what anyone said. But this is gonna be a close race - and getting some of the angry feminist types to vote for Obama rather than stay home will be important.

Chloe,

You are welcome. Since I only drop by off & on, just want you to know that I too enjoy your postings & certainly respect you & your views.

And, to date I have still not decided who I would vote for, I may not vote for either. Just do not really know.

Barracuda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCs-mceaTjU

Here is a real question for the BHO fans among us.

BHO wants to create more manufacturing jobs. I like that idea, my question is manufacture what? What jobs would he be bringing back to the Rustbelt. Steel, cars? What jobs is he going to bring back to the Carolinas. Textile? He promises new manufacturing jobs, but doesn't say what they will be, or how long it will take for those new jobs to return if ever. Concord and Kannapolis NC were the homes of 2 of the biggest names in textile. Both shut down, closed forever never to return. Reason is simple the American household can not afford to pay a preium price for a towel, because the company is paying their employees $15 to $18 an hour with full benefits, and expect to compete against foreign firms making the same towel using the same cotton and having them sell that towel here in the US for 1/3 the price. Same for cars here in the US, very hard for US car manufactures to make compete against the Asian car manufactures. They have a vast amount of cheap labor, and no unions. Those 2 components alone saves them billions of dollars a year. So the question is what manufacturing jobs is BHO going to bring back to the USA, how long will this take, what will these jobs pay, how many will be union jobs, and finally, whatever it is they are going to manufacture will the US consumer be able to afford it, or will they look for a similar product of equal quality, at a cheaper price but made in a foreign country? I think the latter, and then all those union jobs BHO brought back will completely disappear because if a company can't compete and make money, then it is left no other choice but to close it's doors.

Today the DOW was down some 350 points, but that had to do with a world wide downturn, not just what is happening here in the USA.

Sorry if this has already been covered- just finished a 12 hour day so I missed most of the posts
Obama May Bring Criminal Charges Against Bush
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/bush_criminal_charges/2008/09/04/127696.html?s=al&promo_code=6944-1

So what do you all think of that?

Jack...

Too bad Heart didn't record a song called "Hockey Mom" in the early 80s. It would be all over but the shoutin'.

Fry

A world wide down turn is some what trouble some. A lot of our high paying jobs are services we export. I know a number of small engineering and archtecture firms that do business world wide. My wife has do marketing for several and it has put more than a few beans on the table. So far her industry seems to be imune to the down turn. They are still dealing with a labor shortage of skilled talent. If you want steady work and good advancement become an engineer.

Jack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9w0FBgTg2Lk

ET, they still are silly names. Thanks for the history.

tt

In case it hasn't been noted here, Palin had her first child 7.5 months after eloping.

She, too was one of those nasty BAD girls.

tt

Abstenentially challenged.

LOL
Lardo, I see you had convention on too.

They seem to be having fun , we'll see what the hangover looks like next week.
Got your hazmat gear on? I think it is going to get toxic both conventions seem to believe in ginning up the base this year.
What's your bet, does McCain go red meat or noble warrior?

Jack

he has red meat advisors and handlers

no point in letting them go to waste......

Well I'm glad to see the girl carrying on a family tradition.

More than a little rebel in the blood of that family.

I do think it is a modern tradition, seems to be in my family. Out of the three weddings we've had so far in this family 2 of the brides were showing.
I'm a seven month baby myself.

Jack

Fry:

If we take the lead in energy - and start manufacturing windmills, solar panels and energy efficient cars - we can sell them both here and abroad.

The crazy hats, paraphrenalia(sp) and costumes are wild. Does anyone else besides myself enjoy watching these? Love to people watch.

julie

Just to show how much my b- i -l loves his daughter he missed the first day of deer season just to walk her down the aisle, then missed the last weekend just to hang around and look at his first grandson. It was close we got her married just in time.

Jack

Julie

I love the spectecle, Set up and watched the role call last night, after all the speechs. I wish the Democrats had a respect for tradition like the Republicans. It was a real role call with all the delegates counted.

Jack

Hey Jamie
Its looks like you get your wish, Hillary's comin to Florida for Obama! Oh Craig,maybe Hillary's still on board!!

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/hillary_to_campaign_for_obama_1.php

Warren

All of those can be done in an overseas factory just as soon as the die molds are made. Process manufacturing will continue to go overseas. There is a surplus of trainable labor over seas. We will always do manufacturing in the US. Right now we are a manufacturing power. but we need to assess where we can most efficiently fit in.

Jack

I manifest, therefore I am, I think........

Jack

Watched the RNC website for live show of Sarah Palin , also had the TV on and I was getting two different dialogues after about the middle of the speech. It was weird. Yes I watched the roll call vote also.
I hope they have McCains daughters on tonight. You know it takes a special parents to adopt, and especially a child from another race and country. Takes patience, love and a lot of financial. Have always thought Cindy and Mac really loving parents I think the adopted daughter does not like to be on public display..
Julie

Sturge...

You're a damn poet and you don't even knowit.

Or something...

On an unrelated note: Why doesn't anyone ever talk about Erasmus anymore? I mean, No One ever talks about him on the Internet. He was a great guy. Would have been a helluva blogger.

NEW THREAD

Champ, it's just that I've heard enough BS from the Repubs in the past 8 years to last me a lifetime. They're a mean spirited bunch and have all but taken away our rights.

If I'm rabid, it's because I'm giving back to them the kind of BS I've had to listen to from them. And it didn't matter if it was the truth or taken out of context.

It's fine with me if everyone wants to have and keep their babies. I'm NOT telling anyone to ABORT their child.

Therefore, I don't want anyone to tell me that I HAVE to have the child.

I've never had an abortion. I don't know if I would. I've had 2 pregnancies and 2 live births. So it's not that I have a dog directly in this fight. It's just holier than thou people telling me what to do.

Rights, baby, rights!!

tt

OK friends,
Today at 4:45 I was called into a conference room with Human Resources, the Manufacturing Manager and our General Manager. I like and respect these people. Judging from the dour looks on their faces, they telegraphed the conversation we were about to have.

Bottom line, my position (Quality, Safety and Environmental Supervisor) is an indirect labor cost which is being eliminated. The reason for this is complicated but valid. (the company is losing money)
Print products are under incredible price pressure because of alternative methods of distributing information and data, margins are disappearing because of competition from digital distribution methods, offshore competition, predatory pricing...

I have known for a long time that print will not be the long term dominate method for information dissemination.

That is the bad news, the good news, is that I have been offered a pressroom supervisor position. So if I accept that position I will be on the"D" shift. 6PM to 6 AM Wed- Sat one week, Thurs - SAT the next week.

So let me make this very clear. Neither McCain nor Obama are going to help me on this one. But I have a plan, I am going to take care of myself and my family knowing that we can do it better than what either of these people can do for us.

Jack,

We are talking manufacturing jobs, not marketing jobs, not engineer jobs. BHO specifically said, manufacturing jobs. So since he is so specific on bringing back manufacturing jobs, all I was asking which manufacturing jobs. It won't be steel, it won't be cars, it won't textile, it won't be anything that can be purchased from foreign that is of equal quality and can be purchased at a lower price. Not to long ago one of the last great American names in home products could no longer hold out, Hoover Vacuum Cleaners of N. Canton, OH, sent their manufacturing end to Mexico. They didn't want to, but Dirt Devil was kicking their butts selling a similar product for $150 cheaper. Hoover will not be returning to N. Canton. At some point a company has to ask themselves how many times can we withstand for our ledgers to end up in the red. Look at a non-manufacturing job, airlines. They have reduced the number of employees, they have cut back or eliminated benefits, they have reduced their retirements, they have started charging passengers for everything over and above their basic seat. Some have even gone as far as not taking off with a full tank of fuel to try and save overhead. Yet they are still losing $$$$ hand over fist.

This country runs on fossil fuels and to think you can just stop using them and still stay the worlds only true power is just plain foolishness. As TBoone Pickens said, while building and new sources of energy, wind, solar, thermal, nuclear, cng, etc, we still need to drill, drill, drill.

From the desk of the always fair and even journalist, Jonathan Alter. And you ask if their is a media bias. LMFAO. If only the MSM had looked into the BHO's life with as much vigor. It is what it is, just have to deal with it.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/156982/page/2

Bowmanc,

Good for you. Great attitude. Change sucks, but what can you do?

Craig,

I usually really like your smart commentary, but I didn't find Palin one bit charming or funny. Mean-spirited, divisive, empty rhetoric, even when delivered by a perky, chipper messenger with mom hair and glasses, is still mean-spirited, divisive, empty rhetoric. And it's even more dangerous than the obvious variety. C'mon, call deceptive fear-mongering for what it is.