Breaking News: The McCain campaign intends to attack the personal character of Barack Obama. Just heard that on the TV, but it must be my hearing. I mean that would be much like having O.J. Simpson conducting a seminar on good citizenship and behavior. NO, I just heard it again! I am speechless!
Do you seriously believe we will that happen? Obviously not Jack. Obviously not.
Look at the Obama family compared to McCain’s. It was McCain who decided that his seriously injured wife had gained a few pounds. It was McCain who then went looking for something thinner and younger and richer. And John McCain is going to stand next to Obama and attack his character? Do you not realize John that the proof is out here that not only did you decide to cast off family number one – but you began the search for the new one well before you were divorced? Such wonderful character John. That’s the way we all want our kids to turn out.
Was it Obama who was involved up to his neck with Lincoln S&L and its criminal head – Keating? Pardon me – I believe that was John McCain. Had the Senate not been so terrified that others would be discovered in other scandals – Mr. McCain might well have joined long time pal Charlie in prison. Most people know exactly how you managed to get out of that one Mr. Good Character.
Which of the two Senators running for President has been in the pockets of lobbyists for a quarter of a century? Let’s all say McCain together! THEN he hired about seventy of them to run his campaign. Yes they are still there, regardless of what Mr. Truth might say.
Wasn't it pure John who literally turned his back on POW/MIA families who asked for his help? Why yes it was. Sorry John, the archives are full of the information on your despicable treatment of these families. You once pushed a man in a wheelchair so hard he hit the wall! (He was there to ask some questions about a missing family member).
And John ……..we know how you have led the fight to let no more information come out of North Viet Nam. That information is also in the archives. Ready for retrieval.
Oh John, this is getting painful. We also know about your gambling problem. We even have a couple of your aids speaking on the subject. I suppose so long as it’s Cindy’s money we can overlook it. Don’t count on it.
John I read an article by one of your own just last week about your little old temper. People on your floor of the Senate Office Building actually evacuated because of their fear of you? Guess you didn’t earn the title “White Tornado” just by chance.
Are we quite sure we want to use character in the campaign? There is a ton more Johnny. Just waiting for folks like me to dust off and drag up. Hate to see a campaign descend to the bottom – but that will be your’s and of course Rick’s call. Pretty sure he is not far from making news himself (Rick Davis in an orange jump suit) Nice.
Conclusion: I wrote most of this very early this morning. I was going to close it by saying of course Barack would not get down in the gutter with the opposition. However, I have now heard Sarah as much as call Barack a terrorist in her school-girl style. I took another anti-acid as I do every time I see “that woman”. Then, before the meds took effect, there is this Republican spokesman by the name of Glen who went way over the top. Called Barack every name in the book. Now I have to reconsider the close. I will bet Barack does not get in the gutter. But I can. In fact I’m there. I am mad as hell.
It does appear John is in such desperate trouble; not to mention early onset senility – that the filth path will be the one he travels. Let Barack stay above this. But WE can call McCain out. Find the media if it takes hundreds of calls. Demand to know why they are hiding the truth about McCain and Palin. This Glen guy says they are going to be showing Rev. Wright clips over and over. DO WE NOT HAVE ANY 527’S TO BRING UP JOHN’S DIRT?
Robert Boseley
rboseley@tampabay.rr.com
Text 863 307 9244
Rolling Stone is out with a scathing expose of John McCain called "Make-Believe Maverick." It's fairly long, but quite a fascinating read. An excerpt:
Then there's torture — the issue most related to McCain's own experience as a POW. In 2005, in a highly public fight, McCain battled the president to stop the torture of enemy combatants, winning a victory to require military personnel to abide by the Army Field Manual when interrogating prisoners. But barely a year later, as he prepared to launch his presidential campaign, McCain cut a deal with the White House that allows the Bush administration to imprison detainees indefinitely and to flout the Geneva Conventions' prohibitions against torture. What his former allies in the anti-torture fight found most troubling was that McCain would not admit to his betrayal. Shortly after cutting the deal, McCain spoke to a group of retired military brass who had been working to ban torture. According to Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former deputy, McCain feigned outrage at Bush and Cheney, as though he too had had the rug pulled out from under him. "We all knew the opposite was the truth," recalls Wilkerson. "That's when I began to lose a little bit of my respect for the man and his bona fides as a straight shooter." But perhaps the most revealing of McCain's flip-flops was his promise, made at the beginning of the year, that he would "raise the level of political dialogue in America." McCain pledged he would "treat my opponents with respect and demand that they treat me with respect." Instead, with Rove protégé Steve Schmidt at the helm, McCain has turned the campaign into a torrent of debasing negativity, misrepresenting Barack Obama's positions on everything from sex education for kindergarteners to middle-class taxes. In September, in one of his most blatant embraces of Rove-like tactics, McCain hired Tucker Eskew — one of Rove's campaign operatives who smeared the senator and his family during the 2000 campaign in South Carolina. Throughout the campaign this year, McCain has tried to make the contest about honor and character. His own writing gives us the standard by which he should be judged. "Always telling the truth in a political campaign," he writes in Worth the Fighting For, "is a great test of character." He adds: "Patriotism that only serves and never risks one's self-interest isn't patriotism at all. It's selfishness. That's a lesson worth relearning from time to time." It's a lesson, it would appear, that the candidate himself could stand to relearn. "I'm sure John McCain loves his country," says Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism czar under Bush. "But loving your country and lying to the American people are apparently not inconsistent in his view."
Then there's torture — the issue most related to McCain's own experience as a POW. In 2005, in a highly public fight, McCain battled the president to stop the torture of enemy combatants, winning a victory to require military personnel to abide by the Army Field Manual when interrogating prisoners. But barely a year later, as he prepared to launch his presidential campaign, McCain cut a deal with the White House that allows the Bush administration to imprison detainees indefinitely and to flout the Geneva Conventions' prohibitions against torture.
What his former allies in the anti-torture fight found most troubling was that McCain would not admit to his betrayal. Shortly after cutting the deal, McCain spoke to a group of retired military brass who had been working to ban torture. According to Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former deputy, McCain feigned outrage at Bush and Cheney, as though he too had had the rug pulled out from under him. "We all knew the opposite was the truth," recalls Wilkerson. "That's when I began to lose a little bit of my respect for the man and his bona fides as a straight shooter."
But perhaps the most revealing of McCain's flip-flops was his promise, made at the beginning of the year, that he would "raise the level of political dialogue in America." McCain pledged he would "treat my opponents with respect and demand that they treat me with respect." Instead, with Rove protégé Steve Schmidt at the helm, McCain has turned the campaign into a torrent of debasing negativity, misrepresenting Barack Obama's positions on everything from sex education for kindergarteners to middle-class taxes. In September, in one of his most blatant embraces of Rove-like tactics, McCain hired Tucker Eskew — one of Rove's campaign operatives who smeared the senator and his family during the 2000 campaign in South Carolina.
Throughout the campaign this year, McCain has tried to make the contest about honor and character. His own writing gives us the standard by which he should be judged. "Always telling the truth in a political campaign," he writes in Worth the Fighting For, "is a great test of character." He adds: "Patriotism that only serves and never risks one's self-interest isn't patriotism at all. It's selfishness. That's a lesson worth relearning from time to time." It's a lesson, it would appear, that the candidate himself could stand to relearn.
"I'm sure John McCain loves his country," says Richard Clarke, the former counterterrorism czar under Bush. "But loving your country and lying to the American people are apparently not inconsistent in his view."
First, some good news from the new Quinnipiac poll of battleground states. Let's keep up the good work:
From Quinnipiac University poll:FLORIDA: Obama 51, McCain 43OHIO: Obama 50, McCain 42PENNSYLVANIA: Obama 54, McCain 39Dates conducted: Sept. 27-29. Error margin: 3.4 percentage points.
From Quinnipiac University poll:
FLORIDA: Obama 51, McCain 43
OHIO: Obama 50, McCain 42
PENNSYLVANIA: Obama 54, McCain 39
Dates conducted: Sept. 27-29. Error margin: 3.4 percentage points.
Also, some striking video evidence of John McCain's temper. Recently he spoke before the Des Moines Register on a campaign trip to Iowa. Look at how testy he gets with the questions. It's not a pretty sight.
Jonathan Martin, who's been covering McCain for nearly two years, writes that the tape of his meeting yetserday with the Des Moines Register shows "a hard-edged McCain that is rarely seen on film."He's strikingly testy, though -- and perhaps I'm projecting -- he may be thinking, "What am I doing in a state I may not be able to win with a newspaper that will never endorse me?"One edgy moment: When he was asked if he had enjoyed taxpayer-backed health care throughout his life, McCain made abundantly clear what he thought of the question."You know that's an interesting statement, isn't it?" he observed. "And I have never been an astronaut, but I think I know the challenges of space. And i have never done a lot of things in my life that I think I am familar with."
Jonathan Martin, who's been covering McCain for nearly two years, writes that the tape of his meeting yetserday with the Des Moines Register shows "a hard-edged McCain that is rarely seen on film."
He's strikingly testy, though -- and perhaps I'm projecting -- he may be thinking, "What am I doing in a state I may not be able to win with a newspaper that will never endorse me?"
One edgy moment: When he was asked if he had enjoyed taxpayer-backed health care throughout his life, McCain made abundantly clear what he thought of the question."You know that's an interesting statement, isn't it?" he observed. "And I have never been an astronaut, but I think I know the challenges of space. And i have never done a lot of things in my life that I think I am familar with."
Several state GOP chairmen in interviews urged the McCain campaign to be more aggressive in hitting Obama’s vulnerabilities, such as his past relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and other problematic associations from Chicago. (Taken from The Politico – Oct 1)
None of us will soon forget the uproar we have already experienced on the above. Now they want to reopen it? I have been talking about Sarah Palin’s “Pastor Problem” for weeks. It has not made one single major news program. You Tube has many clips which show some very disturbing scenes – including witchcraft. My other recent rant campaign has been how the media avoids anything negative about John McCain. True this is Sarah – not John – but why no coverage of her Pastor Problem?
Six weeks of non-stop Rev Wright – zero on whatever the other pastor’s name is. I don’t feel like looking it up. Watch it on You Tube.If I could only afford to establish my one web site and maintain it – what I wouldn’t accomplish! I’m sure all of us have had the same thought.
I, as do you, work so very hard for the best presidential candidate of my lifetime – and I now include JFK in that group. Yet when it comes to being heard? I may as well be out hunting moose. MSNBC – why did you find Rev. Wright so interesting, but an actual witchcraft pastor laying hands on Sarah Palin off-limits? But here I am again. I type a line here on my little read blog. HOW DO I GET TO MSNBC? Trust me; I have used every email address possible. Phone calls? Forget it.
The Politico article also mentioned “problematic associations from Chicago”. You bet the media will run down those “associations”. But the 26 year history of McCain rubbing more that shoulders with the most powerful lobbyists and other persons – that will go silent.
Why? Why? Why? Is it the fact that the media is owned and operated by persons who are hardly Obama supporters? We have the age old argument that the media is liberally biased. Fox pretty much ended that debate, so how that the cat is out of the bag, are the media executives now free to go easy on the conservative side?
Beware. I am already reading and hearing reports that two weeks out from November 4th – the “win at all cost” folks over at McCain Central – where ever that is – will hit Obama with a bomb. Two weeks out, it makes no difference at all that the bomb is made from kitty litter, and is blatantly false. Much damage can be done – and Rove, Davis and their slaves have proven that in the past.
To end – I want to renew my plea to all – to contact the media about negative McCain stories. Then throw in the witchcraft for good measure. Warning: Forget emails. Get in touch with a local news outlet and place a phone call. Ask for the Program Director. You have a one-in-twenty chance of getting through – but it can be rather fun.
JOHN MCCAIN PROVES AGAIN HE IS AS LOW AS LOW GETS
Breaking News! John McCain is going to Washington “to work on the economic mess”. He wants to postpone Friday’s debate.
Citizens of Mother Earth to John McCain:
Now get this John. JUST BUTT OUT. Let others, who were not directly involved in creating the crisis handle this. They most certainly do not need you. Go to Latin America and see Spain.
This is one of the cheapest political ploys ever. So you think people are going to respond by thinking “Wow, what a leader”. You are using one of the most serious situations ever to face your country – IN ORDER TO SCORE A POINT OR TWO. SHAME ON YOU JOHN MCCAIN. I HOPE THIS FINALLY WAKES EVERYONE UP TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE.
Washington can’t solve this without you? Are you serious? Go somewhere. Any where. Let others do this. YOU CAUSED IT – WHAT PART OF THAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?
Your rich buddies are at this moment living the good life, knowing old John will take care of them. The only reason you could be needed – is to make sure the CEOs and other executives don’t get hurt. What to HELP Americans? How about health care? How about getting those troops out of Iraq NOW?
Good news coming out of Virginia tonight:
Virginia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction and its first lady will campaign for Democratic president candidate Barack Obama in southwest Virginia. Former Governor Linwood Holton is the father-in-law of Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the first governor outside of Obama's home state of Illinois to endorse the senator. Holton will campaign on Obama's behalf with his daughter, First Lady Anne Holton, today and tomorrow. They will visit Wise, Abingdon, Galax, Wytheville, Christiansburg and Roanoke.
Virginia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction and its first lady will campaign for Democratic president candidate Barack Obama in southwest Virginia.
Former Governor Linwood Holton is the father-in-law of Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, the first governor outside of Obama's home state of Illinois to endorse the senator.
Holton will campaign on Obama's behalf with his daughter, First Lady Anne Holton, today and tomorrow. They will visit Wise, Abingdon, Galax, Wytheville, Christiansburg and Roanoke.
Here we go again. Already I am reminded of Nixon’s notorious pick For VP. Complete with charges, countercharges, investigations, and all that goes with it. Custody disputes and a threatened shooting. They are calling it Trooper gate up in the northland.
We need spend no more than a little time on Sarah Palin. This is about John McCain. He makes his first major decision – and promptly goes past dozens of qualified persons, including several women – to pick Sarah Palin. What it proves is what we all have known for years. John McCain’s temperament. If he can’t possibly have his way – such as Joe Lieberman – then he gets his nose out of joint and goes off to do whatever he pleases.
Trust me – I’m not complaining about the selection in terms of what it means for November. However, I know strange things can happen in any election. I do not trust John McCain to lead this nation. Do some homework if you have not done so. McCain has a long history of doing things which make no sense – purely to throw stones at someone or some group. At any top level meeting he may attend should he become President – he is likely to go off like a cannon.
Again sticking with judgment – does he think Hillary supporters are going to come flocking simply because she is a woman? I actually can not think of a single issue on which Hillary would agree with Sarah. Not one. This is to say nothing of the huge insult to Hillary supporters.
Trying to reinforce his standing with the Religions Right? HE ALREADY HAS THEM!
Hunters: He already has them. Pass the Jack Daniels, the guide has one propped up kill..
The NRA. Please keep them. Let them have their AK-47’s to get those mean rabbits.
So called Pro Lifers? He already has them – and we don’t want them.
John McCain - Maverick. No John, you are no longer a maverick. You are a sore loser with extremely poor judgment.
Oil Drillers? AH now we hit the nerve. Alaska for sale to the big oil interests who already control the place.(And Sarah, don’t you and your oil buddies understand – WE WANT TO GET OFF OIL – NOT JUST KEEP ENRICHING THE OIL INTERESTS TO KEEP IT COMING! What part of renewable sources of energy is it you have trouble with? Drill Alaska dry, and you don’t solve the problem.
As a well-know female Republican Senator said throwing up her hands: “I am at a total loss for words”. AND as an equally well-know Republican male Senator said: “John, John, John – I will never understand him”. Should I mention that Alaska’s two largest newspapers question her selection? OK. I won’t mention it.
Now for the message to Chicago. You have been given another gift. Get a stand-in for Sarah and have Joe practice until he has no practice left. Not the issues, but how to gently make the points. God knows he must not raise his voice to Sarah. Mother of five (loads of time for presidential duties; under investigation; save the fetus, kill mommy; sports reporter; stood up to Senator Stevens. FLASH – EVERY MEMBER OF THE SENATE STOOD UP TO THAT CROOK!
One more word or two about PRO-LIFERS. Actually they are not pro life at all. Depends on whose life one is speaking of. Seems OK with them to plant bombs in health clinics and kill dozens of those folks. To many of them, including Sarah, it’s OK to let Mommy die to save the fetus.
Interesting piece from Michael Kinsley in Slate magazine:
It seems like just yesterday that the Republican Party was complaining about Barack Obama's lack of foreign-policy "experience." As a matter of fact, as I write (on Friday, Aug. 29) it actually was just yesterday. Even now, the Republican National Committee's main anti-Obama website has the witty address www.notready08.com. The contrast in experience, especially foreign-policy experience, between McCain and Obama was supposed to be the central focus of McCain's campaign.But that's so five minutes ago, before Sarah Palin. Already, conservative pundits are coming up with creative explanations for McCain's choice of a vice presidential running mate with essentially no foreign policy experience. First prize so far goes to Michael Barone, who notes on the U.S. News & World Report blog that, "Alaska is the only state with a border with Russia. And it is the only state with territory, in the Aleutian Islands, occupied by the enemy in World War II." I think we need to know what Sarah Palin has done, in her year and change as governor of Alaska, to protect the freedom of the Aleutian Islands, before deciding how many foreign policy experience credits she deserves on their account.The official response to the question of experience emerged within hours and is only slightly more plausible: She may not have foreign policy experience, but -unlike Obama, Joe Biden or even John McCain-she has had executive experience. Why, before her stint as governor of Alaska, population 670,000, she was mayor of a town of 9,000. Remember when the Republicans mocked Bill Clinton for being governor of a "small state"? That would be Arkansas, population 2.8 million. As it happens, 670,000 is the population of metropolitan Little Rock.
It seems like just yesterday that the Republican Party was complaining about Barack Obama's lack of foreign-policy "experience." As a matter of fact, as I write (on Friday, Aug. 29) it actually was just yesterday. Even now, the Republican National Committee's main anti-Obama website has the witty address www.notready08.com. The contrast in experience, especially foreign-policy experience, between McCain and Obama was supposed to be the central focus of McCain's campaign.
But that's so five minutes ago, before Sarah Palin. Already, conservative pundits are coming up with creative explanations for McCain's choice of a vice presidential running mate with essentially no foreign policy experience. First prize so far goes to Michael Barone, who notes on the U.S. News & World Report blog that, "Alaska is the only state with a border with Russia. And it is the only state with territory, in the Aleutian Islands, occupied by the enemy in World War II." I think we need to know what Sarah Palin has done, in her year and change as governor of Alaska, to protect the freedom of the Aleutian Islands, before deciding how many foreign policy experience credits she deserves on their account.
The official response to the question of experience emerged within hours and is only slightly more plausible: She may not have foreign policy experience, but -unlike Obama, Joe Biden or even John McCain-she has had executive experience. Why, before her stint as governor of Alaska, population 670,000, she was mayor of a town of 9,000. Remember when the Republicans mocked Bill Clinton for being governor of a "small state"? That would be Arkansas, population 2.8 million. As it happens, 670,000 is the population of metropolitan Little Rock.
A heartbeat away.... 1) She is presently under investigation in Alaska for abuse of power 2) She strongly supports big oil (her husband works for oil company BP) 3) On August 14, 2008, she claimed she really doesn't know what "the plan" is or too much about Iraq or foreign policy. Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4) She is adamantly opposed to reproductive rights for women. She is against abortion even in cases of rape an incest. 5) She's willing to pump out 5 kids as long as the nanny will raise them while she's away doing government business. 6) She is pro-war, pro gun and . . . pro life? 7) She believes creationism should be taught in public schools 8) She supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and anywhere else big oil wants 9) She supports Pebble Mine which will destroy the richest salmon run in the world 10) She supports aerial shooting of bears and wolves in Alaska 11) She believes global warming is a farce and is opposed to listing the polar bear as an endangered species 12) She has no federal or international experience. Prior to being governor (for less than two years) she was only the mayor of a small town and a beauty pageant contestant! 13) She stands for everything that Hillary Clinton stood against.
14) And she says "NOOK-ya-ler" and "EYE-RACK" just like BUSH!
I don't often quote from the conservative National Review, but this is proof that even some conservative pundits are worrying about the choice of Sarah Palin:
The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me. And I increasingly doubt that it will prove good politics. The Palin choice looks cynical. The wires are showing. John McCain wanted a woman: good.He wanted to keep conservatives and pro-lifers happy: naturally.He wanted someone who looked young and dynamic: smart.And he discovered that he could not reconcile all these imperatives with the stated goal of finding a running mate qualified to assume the duties of the presidency "on day one." Sarah Palin may well have concealed inner reservoirs of greatness. I hope so! But I'd guess that John McCain does not have a much better sense of who she is, what she believes, and the extent of her abilities than my enthusiastic friends over at the Corner. It's a wild gamble, undertaken by our oldest ever first-time candidate for president in hopes of changing the board of this election campaign. Maybe it will work. But maybe (and at least as likely) it will reinforce a theme that I'd be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it's John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance.
The longer I think about it, the less well this selection sits with me. And I increasingly doubt that it will prove good politics. The Palin choice looks cynical. The wires are showing.
John McCain wanted a woman: good.
He wanted to keep conservatives and pro-lifers happy: naturally.
He wanted someone who looked young and dynamic: smart.
And he discovered that he could not reconcile all these imperatives with the stated goal of finding a running mate qualified to assume the duties of the presidency "on day one."
Sarah Palin may well have concealed inner reservoirs of greatness. I hope so! But I'd guess that John McCain does not have a much better sense of who she is, what she believes, and the extent of her abilities than my enthusiastic friends over at the Corner. It's a wild gamble, undertaken by our oldest ever first-time candidate for president in hopes of changing the board of this election campaign. Maybe it will work. But maybe (and at least as likely) it will reinforce a theme that I'd be pounding home if I were the Obama campaign: that it's John McCain for all his white hair who represents the risky choice, while it is Barack Obama who offers cautious, steady, predictable governance.
Maureen Dowd of the NY Times weighs in on the Palin pick.
It’s easy to see where this movie is going. It begins, of course, with a cute, cool unknown from Alaska who has never even been on “Meet the Press” triumphing over a cute, cool unknowable from Hawaii who has been on “Meet the Press” a lot. Americans, suspicious that the Obamas have benefited from affirmative action without being properly grateful, and skeptical that Michelle really likes “The Brady Bunch” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” reject the 47-year-old black contender as too uppity and untested. Instead, they embrace 72-year-old John McCain and 44-year-old Sarah Palin, whose average age is 58, a mere two years older than the average age of the Obama-Biden ticket. Enthusiastic Republicans don’t see the choice of Palin as affirmative action, despite her thin résumé and gaping absence of foreign policy knowledge, because they expect Republicans to put an underqualified “babe,” as Rush Limbaugh calls her, on the ticket. They have a tradition of nominating fun, bantamweight cheerleaders from the West, like the previous Miss Congeniality types Dan Quayle and W., and then letting them learn on the job. So they crash into the globe a few times while they’re learning to drive, what’s the big deal? Obama may have been president of The Harvard Law Review, but Palin graduated from the University of Idaho with a minor in poli-sci and worked briefly as a TV sports reporter. And she was tougher on the basketball court than the ethereal Obama, earning the nickname “Sarah Barracuda.” The legacy of Geraldine Ferraro was supposed to be that no one would ever go on a blind date with history again. But that crazy maverick and gambler McCain does it, and conservatives and evangelicals rally around him in admiration of his refreshingly cynical choice of Sarah, an evangelical Protestant and anti-abortion crusader who became a hero when she decided to have her baby, who has Down syndrome, and when she urged schools to debate creationism as well as that stuffy old evolution thing.
It’s easy to see where this movie is going. It begins, of course, with a cute, cool unknown from Alaska who has never even been on “Meet the Press” triumphing over a cute, cool unknowable from Hawaii who has been on “Meet the Press” a lot.
Americans, suspicious that the Obamas have benefited from affirmative action without being properly grateful, and skeptical that Michelle really likes “The Brady Bunch” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” reject the 47-year-old black contender as too uppity and untested.
Instead, they embrace 72-year-old John McCain and 44-year-old Sarah Palin, whose average age is 58, a mere two years older than the average age of the Obama-Biden ticket. Enthusiastic Republicans don’t see the choice of Palin as affirmative action, despite her thin résumé and gaping absence of foreign policy knowledge, because they expect Republicans to put an underqualified “babe,” as Rush Limbaugh calls her, on the ticket. They have a tradition of nominating fun, bantamweight cheerleaders from the West, like the previous Miss Congeniality types Dan Quayle and W., and then letting them learn on the job. So they crash into the globe a few times while they’re learning to drive, what’s the big deal?
Obama may have been president of The Harvard Law Review, but Palin graduated from the University of Idaho with a minor in poli-sci and worked briefly as a TV sports reporter. And she was tougher on the basketball court than the ethereal Obama, earning the nickname “Sarah Barracuda.”
The legacy of Geraldine Ferraro was supposed to be that no one would ever go on a blind date with history again. But that crazy maverick and gambler McCain does it, and conservatives and evangelicals rally around him in admiration of his refreshingly cynical choice of Sarah, an evangelical Protestant and anti-abortion crusader who became a hero when she decided to have her baby, who has Down syndrome, and when she urged schools to debate creationism as well as that stuffy old evolution thing.
That was quick. This morning, an ad from Sarah Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign featuring an endorsement from scandal-plagued Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was available on Palin's campaign Web site.
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/08/palin_ad_starring_ted_stevens.php
What goes around comes around, Karl Rove:
"I think [Obama's] going to make an intensely political choice, not a governing choice," Rove said. "He's going to view this through the prism of a candidate, not through the prism of president; that is to say, he's going to pick somebody that he thinks will on the margin help him in a state like Indiana or Missouri or Virginia. He's not going to be thinking big and broad about the responsibilities of president." Rove singled out Virginia governor Tim Kaine, also a Face The Nation guest, as an example of such a pick. "With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America."
Rove singled out Virginia governor Tim Kaine, also a Face The Nation guest, as an example of such a pick.
"With all due respect again to Governor Kaine, he's been a governor for three years, he's been able but undistinguished," Rove said. "I don't think people could really name a big, important thing that he's done. He was mayor of the 105th largest city in America."
Presumably this still holds true? (For comparison, Palin was mayor of a town that is not one of the ten largest in Alaska.)
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/211583.php
Good Salon.com article about the Palin pick:
When CNN political correspondent Dana Bash interviewed McCain last April, she mentioned his joke that one of the two main tasks of the vice president is to check on the president's health every day, a job of particular importance in his case. What did he mean by that? It was just a humorous remark, he said. But when she pressed him further, McCain said: "I think about whether that person who I select would be most prepared to take my place. And that would be the key criteria [sic]." Sometime between then and now, a focus group must have told McCain and his handlers that the experience argument wasn't cutting against Barack Obama, that the nomination of Joe Biden as Obama's running mate had eviscerated it completely -- and that instead he and his consultants had better find a way to corral disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters, or forget about winning come November. Clearly nobody in the Republican camp is concerned that Palin would be clueless in a national security crisis, should a 72-year-old or older President McCain abruptly die or become disabled. Perhaps the GOP will have to mothball all those "Country First" banners along with the experience meme, because no candidate who puts the security of the nation above politics would ever contemplate this maneuver. Even as a political tactic, choosing Palin may well backfire. Presumably the same Clinton voters who were willing to vote for McCain mostly to vote against Obama -- despite the Arizona senator's right-wing record on reproductive rights and pay equity -- will be pleased by the choice of Palin. But by definition those voters were already attracted to the Republican side. The calculation is that millions of undecided Hillary backers will cross partisan lines because a woman is on McCain's ticket. But will they believe that Palin is comparable to Clinton just because both happen to be female? Or will they regard that comparison as an insult to their heroine?
When CNN political correspondent Dana Bash interviewed McCain last April, she mentioned his joke that one of the two main tasks of the vice president is to check on the president's health every day, a job of particular importance in his case. What did he mean by that? It was just a humorous remark, he said. But when she pressed him further, McCain said: "I think about whether that person who I select would be most prepared to take my place. And that would be the key criteria [sic]."
Sometime between then and now, a focus group must have told McCain and his handlers that the experience argument wasn't cutting against Barack Obama, that the nomination of Joe Biden as Obama's running mate had eviscerated it completely -- and that instead he and his consultants had better find a way to corral disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters, or forget about winning come November.
Clearly nobody in the Republican camp is concerned that Palin would be clueless in a national security crisis, should a 72-year-old or older President McCain abruptly die or become disabled. Perhaps the GOP will have to mothball all those "Country First" banners along with the experience meme, because no candidate who puts the security of the nation above politics would ever contemplate this maneuver.
Even as a political tactic, choosing Palin may well backfire. Presumably the same Clinton voters who were willing to vote for McCain mostly to vote against Obama -- despite the Arizona senator's right-wing record on reproductive rights and pay equity -- will be pleased by the choice of Palin. But by definition those voters were already attracted to the Republican side. The calculation is that millions of undecided Hillary backers will cross partisan lines because a woman is on McCain's ticket. But will they believe that Palin is comparable to Clinton just because both happen to be female? Or will they regard that comparison as an insult to their heroine?
Perhaps that question might be getting answered right now:
A counter to the outpouring of pro-Palin people from Dem campaign sources in Ohio: "We've had multiple diehard Hillary supporters come into our office yesterday and today and say that HRC's speech didn't sway them and neither did Obama's, but they resent the Palin pick as trying to manipulate them and think it's insulting to compare her to Hillary, and they have gone from sitting this out to volunteering for Barack. There is a backlash we're seeing among HRC supporters who are now coming over."
A counter to the outpouring of pro-Palin people from Dem campaign sources in Ohio:
"We've had multiple diehard Hillary supporters come into our office yesterday and today and say that HRC's speech didn't sway them and neither did Obama's, but they resent the Palin pick as trying to manipulate them and think it's insulting to compare her to Hillary, and they have gone from sitting this out to volunteering for Barack. There is a backlash we're seeing among HRC supporters who are now coming over."
Interesting article from Jonathan Alter in Newsweek recently:
Happy birthday, Johnny Mac! You're 72 now, a cancer survivor, and a presidential candidate who has said on many occasions that the most important criteria for picking a vice president is whether he or she could immediately step in if something happened to the president. Your campaign against Barack Obama is based on the simple idea that he is unready to be president. So you've picked a running mate who a year and a half ago was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 8,500 people. You've selected a potential leader of the free world who knows little or nothing about the major issues of the day beyond energy. Oh, and she's being probed in her state for lying and abuse of power....Reporters are already winging their way to Alaska to probe what Alaskans call "Wootengate," the story of the dismissal of former Public Safety commissioner Walt Monegan, who says he was pressured to dismiss state trooper Mike Wooten. Wooten was engaged in a nasty custody fight with his ex-wife, who is Palin's sister. As soon as Palin was selected, the Web was already buzzing with Monegan's claims that Palin is lying about her role in the personnel matter. And the beautifully named Steve Branchflower, the special counsel appointed by the state legislature to probe the mess, has opened a tip line for Alaskans who might know if the governor and possible vice president of the United States abused her power....It's hard to know how many women will flock to the GOP ticket because of Palin. She is a far-right conservative who supported Pat Buchanan over George W. Bush in 2000. She thinks global warming is a hoax and backs the teaching of creationism in public schools. Women are not likely to be impressed by her opposition to abortion even in the case of rape and incest. In 1984, Ronald Reagan carried 56 percent of female voters, despite Ferraro's candidacy on the Democratic side. The balance between work and family, always a ticklish issue, will be brought into bold relief by the fact that the Palins' fifth child, Trig, was born with Down syndrome in April. Todd Palin, a commercial fisherman, may shoulder the bulk of the child-rearing duties in their family. But many voters will nonetheless wonder whether Palin should undertake the rigors of the vice presidency (and perhaps the presidency) while caring for a disabled infant. The subject will no doubt arise on "Oprah" and in other venues.
Happy birthday, Johnny Mac! You're 72 now, a cancer survivor, and a presidential candidate who has said on many occasions that the most important criteria for picking a vice president is whether he or she could immediately step in if something happened to the president. Your campaign against Barack Obama is based on the simple idea that he is unready to be president. So you've picked a running mate who a year and a half ago was the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, a town of 8,500 people. You've selected a potential leader of the free world who knows little or nothing about the major issues of the day beyond energy. Oh, and she's being probed in her state for lying and abuse of power.
...
Reporters are already winging their way to Alaska to probe what Alaskans call "Wootengate," the story of the dismissal of former Public Safety commissioner Walt Monegan, who says he was pressured to dismiss state trooper Mike Wooten. Wooten was engaged in a nasty custody fight with his ex-wife, who is Palin's sister. As soon as Palin was selected, the Web was already buzzing with Monegan's claims that Palin is lying about her role in the personnel matter. And the beautifully named Steve Branchflower, the special counsel appointed by the state legislature to probe the mess, has opened a tip line for Alaskans who might know if the governor and possible vice president of the United States abused her power.
It's hard to know how many women will flock to the GOP ticket because of Palin. She is a far-right conservative who supported Pat Buchanan over George W. Bush in 2000. She thinks global warming is a hoax and backs the teaching of creationism in public schools. Women are not likely to be impressed by her opposition to abortion even in the case of rape and incest. In 1984, Ronald Reagan carried 56 percent of female voters, despite Ferraro's candidacy on the Democratic side. The balance between work and family, always a ticklish issue, will be brought into bold relief by the fact that the Palins' fifth child, Trig, was born with Down syndrome in April. Todd Palin, a commercial fisherman, may shoulder the bulk of the child-rearing duties in their family. But many voters will nonetheless wonder whether Palin should undertake the rigors of the vice presidency (and perhaps the presidency) while caring for a disabled infant. The subject will no doubt arise on "Oprah" and in other venues.
The Obama campaign has released clips from Alaska newspapers in a missive titled "How's It Playing?"
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (EDITORIAL): She has never publicly demonstrated the kind of interest, much less expertise, in federal issues and foreign affairs that should mark a candidate for the second-highest office in the land. Republicans rightfully have criticized the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, for his lack of experience, but Palin is a neophyte in comparison; how will Republicans reconcile the criticism of Obama with the obligatory cheering for Palin?…Most people would acknowledge that, regardless of her charm and good intentions, Palin is not ready for the top job. McCain seems to have put his political interests ahead of the nation’s when he created the possibility that she might fill it. It’s clear that McCain picked Palin for reasons of image, not substance.Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Lately her reputation within the state has been bit by allegations of mixing political and family business, and by mistreating one of the state’s premier marine mammals. Palin’s catch-phrase of “openness and transparency” has been tarnished by revelations that staff members tried to have Palin’s former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper. Also, the governor of the only state with polar bears has adamantly opposed listing the animals as a threatened species, despite strong evidence that global warming has devastated their sea ice environment off Alaska’s coast. Dermot Cole, a longtime columnist for Alaska’s second largest newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, called McCain’s choice of Palin “reckless” and questioned her credentials. “Sarah Palin’s chief qualification for being elected governor was that she was not Frank Murkowski,” Cole said of her enormously unpopular predecessor, who lost favor with Alaskans in part because of unpopular budget cuts. “She was not elected because she was a conservative. She was not elected because of her grasp of issues or because of her track record as the mayor of Wasilla.”
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (EDITORIAL): She has never publicly demonstrated the kind of interest, much less expertise, in federal issues and foreign affairs that should mark a candidate for the second-highest office in the land. Republicans rightfully have criticized the Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, for his lack of experience, but Palin is a neophyte in comparison; how will Republicans reconcile the criticism of Obama with the obligatory cheering for Palin?…Most people would acknowledge that, regardless of her charm and good intentions, Palin is not ready for the top job. McCain seems to have put his political interests ahead of the nation’s when he created the possibility that she might fill it. It’s clear that McCain picked Palin for reasons of image, not substance.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner: Lately her reputation within the state has been bit by allegations of mixing political and family business, and by mistreating one of the state’s premier marine mammals. Palin’s catch-phrase of “openness and transparency” has been tarnished by revelations that staff members tried to have Palin’s former brother-in-law fired from his job as an Alaska state trooper. Also, the governor of the only state with polar bears has adamantly opposed listing the animals as a threatened species, despite strong evidence that global warming has devastated their sea ice environment off Alaska’s coast. Dermot Cole, a longtime columnist for Alaska’s second largest newspaper, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, called McCain’s choice of Palin “reckless” and questioned her credentials. “Sarah Palin’s chief qualification for being elected governor was that she was not Frank Murkowski,” Cole said of her enormously unpopular predecessor, who lost favor with Alaskans in part because of unpopular budget cuts. “She was not elected because she was a conservative. She was not elected because of her grasp of issues or because of her track record as the mayor of Wasilla.”
The critical factor for getting our man elected is the right running mate. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida is the one to pick for VP. The demographic Nelson appeals to is exactly the one that Obama needs, namely: old(er) school democrats, white blue collar workers, and women. Also, Nelson can balance the ticket by bringing experience (legislator since 1972), and a long and distinguished record of service to the public (including insurance protections, the space program, & pro-environmental initiatives, to name a few).
A number of colleagues told me that they would vote for Obama if he chose Bill Nelson as his running mate. These colleagues -- mainly conservative democrats and/or liberal republicans who had said they would NOT vote for Obama previously -- now say that they definitely WOULD if Nelson were on the ticket!
Finally, Florida will continue to be a major decider in presidential elections -- the decider in 2000 -- so the way Florida votes may well swing the election.
I am putting out some feelers and feedback is welcome. Whaddya think?
Janina
Obama is up with a new radio ad aimed at those Sturgis motorcycle riders:
“But when it comes to his record, American-made motorcycles like Harleys don’t matter to John McCain...It's time to hear the roar of the strong American economy again, and stop John McCain from taking our jobs overseas."
http://s4.video2.blip.tv/0620000161255/Tpmtv-ObamaRadioAdSturgis993.mp3
The storm raged outside young Justin's window. The thunder sounded like explosions and rattled the old wood frame windows. The lightening threw frightening shapes on the wall in his bedroom just long enough to make his heart skip a beat wondering if what he had seen was real or imaginary. He wanted this night to be over. He wanted to run and crawl in bed with his parents but his ego wouldn't allow it. He was a big boy now and had finally gotten his own room separate and apart from his baby brother Adam. No, he would tackle this fear of storms and the dark by himself.
Thank heavens he had his trusty Monster Shield quilt, handmade for him by his Aunt who had also been afraid of the dark and storms as a child. She told him it would ward off monsters and evil spirits. That it would keep him safe until the morning light. He snuggled further down under his Monster Shield quilt, pulling it up over his nose. He dared not cover his eyes with it in case something lurked in a dark corner and he couldn't see it.
His Aunt had sewn a special token onto each square to combat any type of monster there may be stalking children in the night, in the storms. There were scenes of sunny days, prayers to keep one safe, hearts to radiate love and friendship. She gave him a special prayer to recite in his head, "Lord, keep us safe this night, secure from all our fears; may angels guard us while we sleep,till morning light appears."
The morning broke with radiance and birdsong, streams of sun pouring through the window. Justin awakened and realized he was safe and had weathered the monsters and the storm alone...with the help of his angels and his special Monster Shield quilt. Proud of his accomplishment, he silently thanked his angels and his Aunt for their help while he made his bed and headed down for breakfast.
Remember when a quilt could make you feel safe, and warm, and comfy? Well a group of talented ladies across this great country have been hard at work making a quilt for one lucky Obama supporter who will win this special treasure in a drawing. While it will be warm and comfy, it won't bring back the memory of fighting monsters in the night but it will make you proud to be an American voting for Obama, voting to take this country in a new direction. It will be a Presidential collectible for sure. Check it out here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/maingroup/QUILTERSFOROBAMA
Posted July 10, 2008 | 04:39 PM (EST)
This is the week that should have effectively ended John McCain's efforts to become the next president of the United States. But you wouldn't know it if you watched any of the mainstream media outlets or followed political reporting in the major newspapers.
During this past week: McCain called the most important entitlement program in the U.S. a disgrace, his top economic adviser called the American people whiners, McCain released an economic plan that no one thought was serious, he flip flopped on Iraq, joked about the deaths of Iranian citizens, and denied making comments that he clearly made -- TWICE. All this and it is not even Friday! Yet watching and reading the mainstream press you would think McCain was having a pretty decent political week, I mean at least Jesse Jackson didn't say anything about him.
But let's unpack McCain's week in a little more detail.
2. McCain's top economic policy adviser calls Americans a bunch of "whiners" for being worried about the slumping economy. Words cannot fully explain how devastating this statement should be from Phil Gramm. You would think it would be enough to sink McCain's campaign. Of course McCain only thinks that the economic problems are psychological.
3. Iraqi leaders call for a timetable for U.S. withdrawal, McCain gets caught in a bizarre denial and flip flop. The Iraqis now want us to begin planning our withdrawal - McCain however wants to stay foooorrreeevvveerrrr. So what does McCain say - First, he refuses to accept Maliki's statement as being true. Then he concedes that it was an accurate statement, but was probably just a political ploy to curry favor with his own people and WOULD NOT influence his determination to keep US troops in Iraq indefinitely. Yet, McCain in 2004 at the Council on Foreign Relations said that if the Iraqis asked us to leave, we would have to go. No matter what. But that was apparently a younger and less experienced John McCain.
But let's just look at his comment that Maliki's statement is "just politics." If that is true, then it must also be true that the American military presence in Iraq is so unpopular with Iraqis that the government is forced to push for a timetable in order to survive at the ballot box. That's a reason to stay for 100 years.
4. McCain's economic plan to cut the deficit has no details and is simply not believable. There are so many things here. McCain pledges he would eliminate the deficit by the end of his first term (the campaign latter flip flop flipped about whether it was four years or eight years), but does not provide any details about how he would do it. Economists on both sides of the political aisle said that this was simply not believable, especially given McCain's other proposals to a) cut individual and corporate taxes even further, b) extend the Bush tax cuts and c) massively increase defense spending on manpower (200,000 more troops) and d) maintain a long-term sizable military presence in Iraq. 5. McCain's deficit plan includes bringing the troops home represents a major Iraq flip-flop. Speaking of the long-term military presence - a story that has gotten absolutely no attention is that McCain now believes the war will be over soon. The economic forecasts made by his crack team of economists predict that there will be significant savings during McCain's first term because we will have achieved "victory" in Iraq and Afghanistan. The savings from victory (ie the savings from not having our troops there) will then be used to pay down the deficit. The only way this could have any impact on the deficit in McCain's first time is if troop withdrawals start very soon. So McCain believes victory is in our grasps and we can begin withdraw troops from Iraq pretty much right away -- doesn't sound that different from Obama's plan does it. Someone should at least ask McCain HOW HE DEFINES VICTORY - and why he thinks we will achieve it in the next couple of years.
6. McCain campaign misled about economists support. In the major press release the McCain campaign issued to tout its Jobs for America economic plan that would balance the budget in 4 years, it included the signatures of more than 300 economists who the campaign claimed to support the plan. Only problem is that the economists were actually asked to sign up to SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. Um, hello?
7. McCain makes a joke about killing Iranians. Haha... that's just McCain being McCain. I am sure that is exactly how it is being reported in Tehran. This guy is running for President not to become a talk radio pundit. Yet according to the AP this was just a humanizing moment between candidate and spouse - I am not sure when joking about the deaths of civilians became humanizing.
8. McCain denies, flatly, that he ever said that he is not an expert in economics. Are you kidding?
9). McCain distorts his record on veterans benefits in response to a question from Vietnam Veteran, who then proceeds to call McCain out on it.
10.) McCain demonstrates he knows nothing about Afghanistan and Pakistan. McCain said "I think if there is some good news, I think that there is a glimmer of improving relationship between Karzai and the Pakistanis." Pat Barry notes how crazy this comment is..."Just what "glimmer" is McCain talking about?? Maybe he's referring to President Karzai's remarks last month, which threatened military action in Pakistan if cross-border attacks persisted? Or maybe McCain is talking about Afghanistan's allegations that Pakistan's ISI was involved in a recent assassination attempt on Karzai? Maybe in McCain's world you could call that a silver-lining, but in reality-land I'd call it something else."
Any one of these incidents and comments would dominate the news cycle if they came from the Obama campaign. Yet McCain barely gets a mention. The press like to see themselves as political referees - neutral observers that call them like they see em'. But they want this to be a horse race and so all the calls right now are going one way. How else can you explain the furor last week over the Obama "refine" comment - which represented zero change in Obama's position on Iraq - and the "swift boat" mania over Wesley Clark's uncontroversial comments (psss... by the way McCain exploits his POW experience in just about every ad - yet he says he doesn't like to talk about it).
