...yeah, it was SO weird. A Democrat won the election. In a big way. He even won in Indiana.
And here's the REALLY weird thing:
It was a BLACK guy.
How strange. I mean, that would be so cool if it happened but, I mean come on, what are the odds?
Excuse me?
Say what?!?! Come onnnn, man...you think I am that gullible?
Wait...seriously? SERIOUSLY??!?!?!?!??
Wow.
What a country.
Time to roll up our sleeves, folks.
This was not a top -down campaign. And it's not going to be a top-down solution. We will have to work on all of this, all of us. Our congressional representatives will need to hear from us. And our senators. We have to make this work. And that will require work and sacrifice.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
So, ummm...
...looks like we got us a black President.
HELL yes, we just did.
What grace from both men in their speeches.
And what a lot of work we have ahead of us.
Is this a great country, or what?
HELL yes, we just did.
What grace from both men in their speeches.
And what a lot of work we have ahead of us.
Is this a great country, or what?
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Socialism, Spreading the Wealth, and McCain/Palin
The definition of socialism, courtesy of the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary:
1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
Hmm, so was McCain a Socialist when he supported the bailout plan? The US has effectively nationalized, in part, the banking system. The Federal Government now owns a portion of a number of financial institutions, or will shortly. Who knew Bush was a Socialist?
Now let's talk about spreading the wealth around. Conservatives and McCain supporters are acting as if Obama was channeling Karl Marx when he talked to Joe the Non-Licensed Plumber, who wasn't buying a business but told Obama he was. ( I believe the technical term for that is lying.) Obama used the phrase "spread the wealth around". Oh, the humanity! It proves he's a Socialist!
Except...what does ANY tax plan do but spread wealth around? Even Bush's tax plan spreads the wealth around...it just spreads it more to people who are already wealthy.
Now let's take a look at Sarah Palin's record as Governor. She increased the taxes on oil companies, and gave the money to every man, woman, and child in Alaska. Each resident in Alaska got $4200. Just for living there. How is that NOT "spreading the wealth" around?
Moreover, if you were a child, and did no labor at all, you STILL got the check. See definition #3 above. How is that NOT Socialism?
They are going for the "I don't know what Socialism is, but I sure know it's bad" vote.
1: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3: a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
Hmm, so was McCain a Socialist when he supported the bailout plan? The US has effectively nationalized, in part, the banking system. The Federal Government now owns a portion of a number of financial institutions, or will shortly. Who knew Bush was a Socialist?
Now let's talk about spreading the wealth around. Conservatives and McCain supporters are acting as if Obama was channeling Karl Marx when he talked to Joe the Non-Licensed Plumber, who wasn't buying a business but told Obama he was. ( I believe the technical term for that is lying.) Obama used the phrase "spread the wealth around". Oh, the humanity! It proves he's a Socialist!
Except...what does ANY tax plan do but spread wealth around? Even Bush's tax plan spreads the wealth around...it just spreads it more to people who are already wealthy.
Now let's take a look at Sarah Palin's record as Governor. She increased the taxes on oil companies, and gave the money to every man, woman, and child in Alaska. Each resident in Alaska got $4200. Just for living there. How is that NOT "spreading the wealth" around?
Moreover, if you were a child, and did no labor at all, you STILL got the check. See definition #3 above. How is that NOT Socialism?
They are going for the "I don't know what Socialism is, but I sure know it's bad" vote.
My troll
I have a troll. A troll is someone who monitors a blog and comments about it in opposition to the blog, or the candidate supported by the blog, or other blog contributors or commenters.
My troll has repeatedly made requests that I say something nice about my candidate instead of bashing McCain and Palin. So, in the spirit of reaching across the aisle, here goes:
Barack Obama is intelligent, inspirational, and articulate. He talks about, and finds ways to, unite people rather than divide them. He talks about working for ALL of America, not just "the real Americans" or "America loving" parts of a state. He is steady and thoughtful. He represents the very essence of the American Dream, coming up from a working class background to the heights of achievement in academics and in politics, by virtue of hard work, skill, and talent.
His tax plan will give Sarah Palin a tax cut. Cindi McCain's taxes will go up, and Senator McCain's taxes will go down marginally, based on his US Senator pay.
Barack Obama will conduct a foreign policy that relies on the best people out there, not people with whom the President finds comfort. His foreign policy will be tough without being combative, unless necessary. It will also be inclusive, recognizing that globalization of the economy requires globalized responses to terror and anti-democratic challenges. It will not be erratic, impulsive, and arrogant.
Barack Obama understand what life is like in working and middle class families. He did not grow up with the advantages of someone whose father and grandfather could grease the skids for him. He had to earn his way to everything he has achieved, and understands the struggles of people who face enormous challenges every day of their lives.
Barack Obama has proven himself as a skillful executive. His campaign has been the most brilliant I have seen in my lifetime. They have anticipated and met every challenge, they have built the mother of all ground operations, they have inspired and mobilized a new generation of voters, and they will win a victory of historic proportions that will realign American politics for years to come.
America will overwhelmingly elect a liberal Senator from Chicago who is not, in fact, entirely white.
Lee Atwater and Jesse Helms, among others, are doing the Tilt-A-Whirl in their graves.
My troll has repeatedly made requests that I say something nice about my candidate instead of bashing McCain and Palin. So, in the spirit of reaching across the aisle, here goes:
Barack Obama is intelligent, inspirational, and articulate. He talks about, and finds ways to, unite people rather than divide them. He talks about working for ALL of America, not just "the real Americans" or "America loving" parts of a state. He is steady and thoughtful. He represents the very essence of the American Dream, coming up from a working class background to the heights of achievement in academics and in politics, by virtue of hard work, skill, and talent.
His tax plan will give Sarah Palin a tax cut. Cindi McCain's taxes will go up, and Senator McCain's taxes will go down marginally, based on his US Senator pay.
Barack Obama will conduct a foreign policy that relies on the best people out there, not people with whom the President finds comfort. His foreign policy will be tough without being combative, unless necessary. It will also be inclusive, recognizing that globalization of the economy requires globalized responses to terror and anti-democratic challenges. It will not be erratic, impulsive, and arrogant.
Barack Obama understand what life is like in working and middle class families. He did not grow up with the advantages of someone whose father and grandfather could grease the skids for him. He had to earn his way to everything he has achieved, and understands the struggles of people who face enormous challenges every day of their lives.
Barack Obama has proven himself as a skillful executive. His campaign has been the most brilliant I have seen in my lifetime. They have anticipated and met every challenge, they have built the mother of all ground operations, they have inspired and mobilized a new generation of voters, and they will win a victory of historic proportions that will realign American politics for years to come.
America will overwhelmingly elect a liberal Senator from Chicago who is not, in fact, entirely white.
Lee Atwater and Jesse Helms, among others, are doing the Tilt-A-Whirl in their graves.
Sarah's Excellent Shopping Spree
Oh, my goodness, children. She is truly the gift that keeps on giving. First there is the revelation that The First Hockey Mom had $150,000 spent for her wardrobe, and her family's wardrobe, by the Republican National Committee. Someone has pointed out that $150K is more than the average American family from a God-and-America-loving state would spend on clothing in 80 years. No word on what the rate would be for those America-hating Godless liberals. Of course, for Cindy McCain, that would be what she spends in about 45 minutes.
Then there is the delightful picture of her speaking with a very patriotic scarf about her neck. The scarf probably cost $400 and is red, white, and blue, with a motif of stars and stripes and parading animals which appear to be...wait for it...YES! Donkeys! Nary an elephant in sight!
Now, if you'll recall, Rachel Ray did an ad for Dunkin' Donuts in which she was seen wearing a black and white patterned scarf, which some people said looked like a kaffiyeh, a scarf worn by many Palestinians, most famously Yassir Arafat. The people who thought this way railed against Dunkin'Donuts because they thought Rachel Ray was supporting terrorists, and DD pulled the ad.
So, clearly, Sarah Palin is secretly in league with socialists and terrorists- loving-America-Hating-Godless-Liberal-Democrats! Off with her head!
Oh, and by the way...the expenditures are probably illegal, too.
My God, who ARE these morons???
Then there is the delightful picture of her speaking with a very patriotic scarf about her neck. The scarf probably cost $400 and is red, white, and blue, with a motif of stars and stripes and parading animals which appear to be...wait for it...YES! Donkeys! Nary an elephant in sight!
Now, if you'll recall, Rachel Ray did an ad for Dunkin' Donuts in which she was seen wearing a black and white patterned scarf, which some people said looked like a kaffiyeh, a scarf worn by many Palestinians, most famously Yassir Arafat. The people who thought this way railed against Dunkin'Donuts because they thought Rachel Ray was supporting terrorists, and DD pulled the ad.
So, clearly, Sarah Palin is secretly in league with socialists and terrorists- loving-America-Hating-Godless-Liberal-Democrats! Off with her head!
Oh, and by the way...the expenditures are probably illegal, too.
My God, who ARE these morons???
Sunday, October 19, 2008
So Much for the Bradley Effect
From Craig Hickman's blog (I have no idea where he got it):
-So a canvasser goes to a woman's door in Washington, Pennsylvania. Knocks. Woman answers. Knocker asks who she's planning to vote for. She isn't sure, has to ask her husband who she's voting for. Husband is off in another room watching some game. Canvasser hears him yell back, "We're votin' for the n***er!"
Woman turns back to canvasser, and says brightly and matter of factly: "We're voting for the n***er."
In this economy, racism is officially a luxury.-
Somewhere, Tom Bradley is having a good laugh.
I see that FOX and the Republicans are calling Obama a "Socialist". Apparently, "liberal" as an epithet has lost its sting.
Which administration was it that effectively nationalized the banking system? Would that be the Republicans? Isn't that sort of government intervention the very definition of Socialism?
Joe Scarborough has memory issues, or he's a complete moron. Perhaps both. In a panel this morning on "Meet the Press" he talks about the possibility that the House, the Senate, and the President could all be from the same party for the first time since 1936, raising the specter of FDR.
Seems to forget that Bush had the House and Senate solidly in Republican hands for most of his two terms. Not to mention the Supreme Court. Another Joe, another putz.
Speaking of Joes, the most famous plumber in the world since Super Mario is whining that he was treated unfairly by the media. What, he thought he could get the camera time and not have the media ask questions? And why not blame the McCain camp for putting him out there, unvetted? If anybody is to blame, it's the McCain people for making him the centerpiece of their campaign, and leaving him out to face the media without media handlers, a la Palin.
Shame on the media for actually asking questions.
-So a canvasser goes to a woman's door in Washington, Pennsylvania. Knocks. Woman answers. Knocker asks who she's planning to vote for. She isn't sure, has to ask her husband who she's voting for. Husband is off in another room watching some game. Canvasser hears him yell back, "We're votin' for the n***er!"
Woman turns back to canvasser, and says brightly and matter of factly: "We're voting for the n***er."
In this economy, racism is officially a luxury.-
Somewhere, Tom Bradley is having a good laugh.
I see that FOX and the Republicans are calling Obama a "Socialist". Apparently, "liberal" as an epithet has lost its sting.
Which administration was it that effectively nationalized the banking system? Would that be the Republicans? Isn't that sort of government intervention the very definition of Socialism?
Joe Scarborough has memory issues, or he's a complete moron. Perhaps both. In a panel this morning on "Meet the Press" he talks about the possibility that the House, the Senate, and the President could all be from the same party for the first time since 1936, raising the specter of FDR.
Seems to forget that Bush had the House and Senate solidly in Republican hands for most of his two terms. Not to mention the Supreme Court. Another Joe, another putz.
Speaking of Joes, the most famous plumber in the world since Super Mario is whining that he was treated unfairly by the media. What, he thought he could get the camera time and not have the media ask questions? And why not blame the McCain camp for putting him out there, unvetted? If anybody is to blame, it's the McCain people for making him the centerpiece of their campaign, and leaving him out to face the media without media handlers, a la Palin.
Shame on the media for actually asking questions.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Joe the Horticulturist
...is what the McCain campaign should have called him, because he was a plant.
Check this out:
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/joe-the-plumber-admits-he-wasn.html
Now, this guy is going to be on all the morning shows...wonder how long this will take to blow up in McCain's face? Karl Rove used to be better at this stuff. Guess the kid, Steve Schmidt, just hasn't got the Old Man's chops.
McCain did well on debating points, probably better than he has all season. But his angry expressions, little outbursts, and general appearance of agitation didn't help him one bit. I have said all along that this was Kennedy/Nixon all over again, and last night proved it. McCain didn't look like the guy you want steering the ship. Obama did.
Toast. Look it up in the dictionary, you'll see McCain's picture.
Alternate meaning: toast- as in what we will do with champagne when Obama is elected. He clearly had a better grasp of the economy, and foreign policy, and domestic issues as a whole throughout the debates. He'll make a fine president of these United States.
Get used to the idea, folks. As Curtis Mayfield said, " A change is gonna come."
Check this out:
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/10/joe-the-plumber-admits-he-wasn.html
Now, this guy is going to be on all the morning shows...wonder how long this will take to blow up in McCain's face? Karl Rove used to be better at this stuff. Guess the kid, Steve Schmidt, just hasn't got the Old Man's chops.
McCain did well on debating points, probably better than he has all season. But his angry expressions, little outbursts, and general appearance of agitation didn't help him one bit. I have said all along that this was Kennedy/Nixon all over again, and last night proved it. McCain didn't look like the guy you want steering the ship. Obama did.
Toast. Look it up in the dictionary, you'll see McCain's picture.
Alternate meaning: toast- as in what we will do with champagne when Obama is elected. He clearly had a better grasp of the economy, and foreign policy, and domestic issues as a whole throughout the debates. He'll make a fine president of these United States.
Get used to the idea, folks. As Curtis Mayfield said, " A change is gonna come."
Thursday, October 9, 2008
What Do We Really Know About John McCain?
...is what the ads would look like if Steve Schmidt were runnng Obama's campaign.
OMINOUS VOICE: What DO we know...about John McCain?
OMINOUS MUSIC CUE: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: He tells us he spent five years in a *prison camp* in the 60's...but he was surrounded by Commnists all that time. What did they do to him? What did they do to his mind? One of his jailers said he would make a good President...but he didn't say * of what*.
AVERAGE AMERICAN: I don't know where McCain really was all that time. He's never given us a lot of detail. And he was endorsed by the Communists? How can we trust him?
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain disobeyed orders and flew lower than he was supposed to on that mission. Nobody actually saw his plane hit by a missile.
OMINOUS MUSIC: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain. Disobeyed orders. Stayed in a hotel for 5 years with Communists. Can we really trust him?
Of course they have to resort to crap like this. Liberal isn't scary enough, when the economic situation your pals caused is what's scaring people. And they can't come right out and say " Jesus Christ, you can't vote for him, HE"S BLAAACCCKKKK!!!"
So they use this "terrorist" horse manure.
Let's review: At the time of Obama's birth, Saddam Hussein was as well known in Iraq as Hank Rebouzniak is now in Hollywood. Who is Hank Rebouzniak? Exactly. Nobody had heard of Saddam Hussein at the time of Obama's christening, not even in Iraq. So to suggest that somehow Obama's dad knew that someday this unknown guy was going to become dictator of a country, 15 years before it happened, makes as much sense as Bat Boy being the father of Bristol Palin's baby.
It is ugly, and has no place in the debate, to suggest that Obama is a terrorist. It's an easy way to justify anything that happens to him, in the eyes of some people. Some might even think it was their patriotic duty to prevent him from becoming President by any means, legal or otherwise.
If Obama is a terrorist, then Nancy Reagan is a terrorist, for having met and dined with King Hussein of Jordan. So were Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon.
These rumors need to be squashed. Let's have a debate on the issues. If you can't debate the issues, then shut the f*** up.
OMINOUS VOICE: What DO we know...about John McCain?
OMINOUS MUSIC CUE: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: He tells us he spent five years in a *prison camp* in the 60's...but he was surrounded by Commnists all that time. What did they do to him? What did they do to his mind? One of his jailers said he would make a good President...but he didn't say * of what*.
AVERAGE AMERICAN: I don't know where McCain really was all that time. He's never given us a lot of detail. And he was endorsed by the Communists? How can we trust him?
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain disobeyed orders and flew lower than he was supposed to on that mission. Nobody actually saw his plane hit by a missile.
OMINOUS MUSIC: ka-chungggg!!!
OMINOUS VOICE: John McCain. Disobeyed orders. Stayed in a hotel for 5 years with Communists. Can we really trust him?
Of course they have to resort to crap like this. Liberal isn't scary enough, when the economic situation your pals caused is what's scaring people. And they can't come right out and say " Jesus Christ, you can't vote for him, HE"S BLAAACCCKKKK!!!"
So they use this "terrorist" horse manure.
Let's review: At the time of Obama's birth, Saddam Hussein was as well known in Iraq as Hank Rebouzniak is now in Hollywood. Who is Hank Rebouzniak? Exactly. Nobody had heard of Saddam Hussein at the time of Obama's christening, not even in Iraq. So to suggest that somehow Obama's dad knew that someday this unknown guy was going to become dictator of a country, 15 years before it happened, makes as much sense as Bat Boy being the father of Bristol Palin's baby.
It is ugly, and has no place in the debate, to suggest that Obama is a terrorist. It's an easy way to justify anything that happens to him, in the eyes of some people. Some might even think it was their patriotic duty to prevent him from becoming President by any means, legal or otherwise.
If Obama is a terrorist, then Nancy Reagan is a terrorist, for having met and dined with King Hussein of Jordan. So were Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon.
These rumors need to be squashed. Let's have a debate on the issues. If you can't debate the issues, then shut the f*** up.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Baby Got Perk
Gosh she is perky. And she sure has gumption.
And if there is anything this country needs in these perilous times...
...it sure as hell ain't perkiness and gumption. I don't want to be winked at, no matter how fetching the winker.
And I especially don't want someone who says " I'll answer the questions *I* want to answer, and the hell with the media." Oh yeah, and the bit about wanting more power than the Vice President already has, in the age of Cheney as Puppeteer-in-Chief? Not so desirable.
I want someone who understands the issues, knows some history, can remember more than one Supreme Court case, and can remember the name of one news organ that she reads. I want someone who actually understands foreign policy issues, not just memorizes talking points. I want someone who isn't going to look into the camera and lie through her teeth.
Here is the perfect Palin moment in the debate, for me: She chides Biden for dwelling on the past, using Ronald Reagan's line " There you go again...". Talk about dwelling on the past, trying to conjure up Reagan at his Great Communicator best in a debate, as a way of ginning up the base. Take that, Kathleen Parker.
Both did a great job, for what they had to do. Biden was a convincing President-in-waiting, if the need should arise. Palin staunched the hemorrhaging of support, and didn't throw up on the podium. Anybody who had concerns about the candidates' capabilities had their questions answered last night.
On to Tuesday's debate.
And if there is anything this country needs in these perilous times...
...it sure as hell ain't perkiness and gumption. I don't want to be winked at, no matter how fetching the winker.
And I especially don't want someone who says " I'll answer the questions *I* want to answer, and the hell with the media." Oh yeah, and the bit about wanting more power than the Vice President already has, in the age of Cheney as Puppeteer-in-Chief? Not so desirable.
I want someone who understands the issues, knows some history, can remember more than one Supreme Court case, and can remember the name of one news organ that she reads. I want someone who actually understands foreign policy issues, not just memorizes talking points. I want someone who isn't going to look into the camera and lie through her teeth.
Here is the perfect Palin moment in the debate, for me: She chides Biden for dwelling on the past, using Ronald Reagan's line " There you go again...". Talk about dwelling on the past, trying to conjure up Reagan at his Great Communicator best in a debate, as a way of ginning up the base. Take that, Kathleen Parker.
Both did a great job, for what they had to do. Biden was a convincing President-in-waiting, if the need should arise. Palin staunched the hemorrhaging of support, and didn't throw up on the podium. Anybody who had concerns about the candidates' capabilities had their questions answered last night.
On to Tuesday's debate.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
You Have Been Warned, Ms. Ifill
Well. Gwen Ifill, moderator of this Thursday's debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin, has a broken foot. Seems she fell down some stairs while studying for the debate. ( One wag said " she was carrying 20 pounds of Sarah Palin's bullshit.")
Does anybody know where Tanya Harding was last night? How long has she been working for McCain?
I can see it now: as Ifill writhes on the floor, groaning, a shadowy figure appears and in a hoarse whisper says "Let this be a little warning to youse, Ms. Ifill. We're watching youse. If youse play any 'gotcha' games with your little debate questions, youse will have to answer some questions. And we might not be so gentle next time like we wuz tonight...got it?"
Of course, it's only the merest of coincidences that one of McCain's crafty minions essentially threatened Ifill the other night if she didn't play nice with Governor Palin.
But it does make a person wonder...how desperate ARE these guys, anyway?
WHAT MCCAIN SAID ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE BAILOUT PLAN TO PASS IN CONGRESS:
"Now is not the time for blame."
WHAT MCCAIN MEANT:
" I already blamed Obama. THAT was the time for blame. Not now."
McCain, by the way, showed stellar leadership when he was able to persuade half, that is, 50%, of the Arizona delegation to support the bailout bill. Half. In his home state. The state of which he is the senior member of the delegation.
That's still a lot better than W. did. He called and strongarmed all 19 members of the Texas delegation. Got 4 votes. 4. Out of 19. Former Governor of Texas, current President of the United States, and he can't persuade HIS OWN FREAKING PEOPLE, TEXANS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, to vote for his bill.
Yep, all Pelosi and Obama's fault. Damn those anybody but America first liberals.
Does anybody know where Tanya Harding was last night? How long has she been working for McCain?
I can see it now: as Ifill writhes on the floor, groaning, a shadowy figure appears and in a hoarse whisper says "Let this be a little warning to youse, Ms. Ifill. We're watching youse. If youse play any 'gotcha' games with your little debate questions, youse will have to answer some questions. And we might not be so gentle next time like we wuz tonight...got it?"
Of course, it's only the merest of coincidences that one of McCain's crafty minions essentially threatened Ifill the other night if she didn't play nice with Governor Palin.
But it does make a person wonder...how desperate ARE these guys, anyway?
WHAT MCCAIN SAID ABOUT THE FAILURE OF THE BAILOUT PLAN TO PASS IN CONGRESS:
"Now is not the time for blame."
WHAT MCCAIN MEANT:
" I already blamed Obama. THAT was the time for blame. Not now."
McCain, by the way, showed stellar leadership when he was able to persuade half, that is, 50%, of the Arizona delegation to support the bailout bill. Half. In his home state. The state of which he is the senior member of the delegation.
That's still a lot better than W. did. He called and strongarmed all 19 members of the Texas delegation. Got 4 votes. 4. Out of 19. Former Governor of Texas, current President of the United States, and he can't persuade HIS OWN FREAKING PEOPLE, TEXANS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, to vote for his bill.
Yep, all Pelosi and Obama's fault. Damn those anybody but America first liberals.
Monday, September 29, 2008
McCain is Flailin', Is Palin Bailin'?
Hoo boy. McCain must be having flashbacks: " I'm hit! We're going down! NOOOOooooooo...."
His campaign is approaching terminal velocity on the way to auguring in. And now his choice of Sarah Palin as the Wing Person (no, too easy, not going to make any hardware references...) is going to be showcased on Thursday.
And her flight training is not going well. In aviator terms, she is washing out. Apparently her debate training went so poorly that a mock debate left a senior campaign staffer saying, " My God...what are we going to do?"
Given the response to Friday's debate, it is intriguing to note that with only 6 Sundays left before the election, Palin and McCain had no events scheduled yesterday. None. No talk shows, no rallies, no public appearances whatsoever.
What were they doing? What were they talking about? Were they even in the same place?
Here is my suspicion: They are planning the Hail Mary of the Week: Palin bails on the debate because of a "family issue" of some kind, or she bails on the campaign altogether, again because of family concerns.
An alternate possibility is that they are working on a plan to lower expectations so much that if she doesn't soil herself on camera, she appears to have won the debate.
One suggestion: emergency dental surgery, so that her replies to Gwen Ifill consist of "Errr...glurgh ufh ghaa sheesh Putin hufh hurfh prijj ta nohair nunh unh".
Which will make Joe Biden look like a beast for even responding with teeth in his head.
It's their only hope.
His campaign is approaching terminal velocity on the way to auguring in. And now his choice of Sarah Palin as the Wing Person (no, too easy, not going to make any hardware references...) is going to be showcased on Thursday.
And her flight training is not going well. In aviator terms, she is washing out. Apparently her debate training went so poorly that a mock debate left a senior campaign staffer saying, " My God...what are we going to do?"
Given the response to Friday's debate, it is intriguing to note that with only 6 Sundays left before the election, Palin and McCain had no events scheduled yesterday. None. No talk shows, no rallies, no public appearances whatsoever.
What were they doing? What were they talking about? Were they even in the same place?
Here is my suspicion: They are planning the Hail Mary of the Week: Palin bails on the debate because of a "family issue" of some kind, or she bails on the campaign altogether, again because of family concerns.
An alternate possibility is that they are working on a plan to lower expectations so much that if she doesn't soil herself on camera, she appears to have won the debate.
One suggestion: emergency dental surgery, so that her replies to Gwen Ifill consist of "Errr...glurgh ufh ghaa sheesh Putin hufh hurfh prijj ta nohair nunh unh".
Which will make Joe Biden look like a beast for even responding with teeth in his head.
It's their only hope.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ummm...WTF?
Now, let me get this straight: This economic crisis is so great that John McCain has to be in Washington on Friday night, and can't make it to the debate. And he wants to do a make-up debate that will occur instead of the vice-presidential debate.
A little history, Senator McCain. Abraham Lincoln ran a campaign for president during the Civil War. There were three elections during the Great Depression. There was an election during World War 2.
And this is more of a calamity than those three events?
First of all, who the hell will even be IN Washington at 9 p.m. on a Friday night? Are you kidding me? A third of the Senate is running for re-election. They will be out campaigning.
Second of all, you haven't voted on anything in 5 months. People losing their houses, you're out campaigning. People going broke trying to pay for gas, you're out campaigning. People losing their jobs, unemployment rising, you're out campaigning. A bunch of your Wall Street supporters in danger of losing a whole lot of their money, well, Katy bar the door, NOW there is a problem, and you're going to go to D.C. to solve it.
There is a word for this, Senator. I'll be polite and make it 2 words: Bovine excrement.
There is, of course, a simple solution to this dilemma. If it is absolutely imperative for you to deal with a crisis, then do what any President would do: send in the V.P. as a surrogate. After all, Sarah Palin is fully vetted, and fully qualified to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Who better to speak on John McCain's behalf than his running mate? She doesn't have to be in Washington. In fact, there would be nothing for her to do there. So she can fill in for you, Senator McCain.
Sure she can.
Senator McCain, and all your supporters, answer me this: How is it that you can stand up to the North Vietnamese, but you can't bear to face Jim Lehrer...of PBS? How is it that Senator Obama, who you claim is inexperienced and untested, and has no accomplishments in the Senate of which to speak, is too terrifying to debate? On the subject in which you claim to have the greatest expertise? This should be a cakewalk for you, Senator, if all of what you say is true.
Unbelievable. "Elect us to lead you. We don't need to answer any questions or talk to the press."
Now on to something even more laughable: The rumor that Obama is not legally qualified to be President because he was actually born in Kenya, and his mom flew him to Hawaii right after his birth to get a fake birth certificate.
In order for that to be true, Mrs. Obama would have had to know that her son wanted to one day be President of the United States. Yeah, that was a pretty plausible supposition in 1961, when many blacks couldn't even legally vote. Barack would of course automatically be a US citizen no matter where he was born. He just wouldn't be able to run for President if he were born in Kenya.
Now, let's take a look at the logistics of travel in 1961. If Mrs' Obama had been lucky, she might have been able to fly on a Boeing 707, with a top speed of about 530 knots. if she got on a Lockheed Constellation, the speed would have been about 250 knots at best. Given the amount of travel involved in flying between Kenya and Hawaii, she would have had to fly about 12,000 miles going east. Kenya was not exactly a major jet-set route, so the number of stops and layovers would have been daunting for a healthy woman traveling by herself.
And of course, she would have just given birth...ALWAYS a fun time in 1961. She would have been traveling with an infant. There were no Pampers in 1961, so she would have been dealing with cloth diapers. On the plane. In the airport. No wet-wipes then, either.
Ever traveled with a newborn on an airplane? They cry the entire time because they can't clear their ears. Now imagine that air travel takes 50% longer for a 707, probably 100% longer for a Lockheed Constellation, than what we are used to now.
And why go 12,000 miles to the east to go to Hawaii. when New York City would be much easier to get to, faster, more cheaply, at only about 5000 miles away?
Clearly, this cockamamie idea was hatched by a guy. A woman would have known that no woman would have put herself or her baby through that ordeal, even if she somehow had been able to divine that 48 years later, her child would be the Democratic nominee for President.
It's even dumber than the idea that Obama's middle name, Hussein, has something to do with Saddam Hussein. Who the hell had heard of Saddam Hussein in 1961? Hell, he was almost totally unknown in IRAQ in 1961, let alone Kenya or the U.S.
Yet there are people who give this crap credence. They believe that humans and dinosaurs coexisted, so why couldn't this happen? Oddly, the fact that there exists no birth certificate for John McCain doesn't faze them in the least.
But the fact that there is no birth certificate leads inescapably to one, and only one, conclusion: John McCain wasn't born on this planet. He is an alien from another galaxy. Which explains a lot.
A little history, Senator McCain. Abraham Lincoln ran a campaign for president during the Civil War. There were three elections during the Great Depression. There was an election during World War 2.
And this is more of a calamity than those three events?
First of all, who the hell will even be IN Washington at 9 p.m. on a Friday night? Are you kidding me? A third of the Senate is running for re-election. They will be out campaigning.
Second of all, you haven't voted on anything in 5 months. People losing their houses, you're out campaigning. People going broke trying to pay for gas, you're out campaigning. People losing their jobs, unemployment rising, you're out campaigning. A bunch of your Wall Street supporters in danger of losing a whole lot of their money, well, Katy bar the door, NOW there is a problem, and you're going to go to D.C. to solve it.
There is a word for this, Senator. I'll be polite and make it 2 words: Bovine excrement.
There is, of course, a simple solution to this dilemma. If it is absolutely imperative for you to deal with a crisis, then do what any President would do: send in the V.P. as a surrogate. After all, Sarah Palin is fully vetted, and fully qualified to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. Who better to speak on John McCain's behalf than his running mate? She doesn't have to be in Washington. In fact, there would be nothing for her to do there. So she can fill in for you, Senator McCain.
Sure she can.
Senator McCain, and all your supporters, answer me this: How is it that you can stand up to the North Vietnamese, but you can't bear to face Jim Lehrer...of PBS? How is it that Senator Obama, who you claim is inexperienced and untested, and has no accomplishments in the Senate of which to speak, is too terrifying to debate? On the subject in which you claim to have the greatest expertise? This should be a cakewalk for you, Senator, if all of what you say is true.
Unbelievable. "Elect us to lead you. We don't need to answer any questions or talk to the press."
Now on to something even more laughable: The rumor that Obama is not legally qualified to be President because he was actually born in Kenya, and his mom flew him to Hawaii right after his birth to get a fake birth certificate.
In order for that to be true, Mrs. Obama would have had to know that her son wanted to one day be President of the United States. Yeah, that was a pretty plausible supposition in 1961, when many blacks couldn't even legally vote. Barack would of course automatically be a US citizen no matter where he was born. He just wouldn't be able to run for President if he were born in Kenya.
Now, let's take a look at the logistics of travel in 1961. If Mrs' Obama had been lucky, she might have been able to fly on a Boeing 707, with a top speed of about 530 knots. if she got on a Lockheed Constellation, the speed would have been about 250 knots at best. Given the amount of travel involved in flying between Kenya and Hawaii, she would have had to fly about 12,000 miles going east. Kenya was not exactly a major jet-set route, so the number of stops and layovers would have been daunting for a healthy woman traveling by herself.
And of course, she would have just given birth...ALWAYS a fun time in 1961. She would have been traveling with an infant. There were no Pampers in 1961, so she would have been dealing with cloth diapers. On the plane. In the airport. No wet-wipes then, either.
Ever traveled with a newborn on an airplane? They cry the entire time because they can't clear their ears. Now imagine that air travel takes 50% longer for a 707, probably 100% longer for a Lockheed Constellation, than what we are used to now.
And why go 12,000 miles to the east to go to Hawaii. when New York City would be much easier to get to, faster, more cheaply, at only about 5000 miles away?
Clearly, this cockamamie idea was hatched by a guy. A woman would have known that no woman would have put herself or her baby through that ordeal, even if she somehow had been able to divine that 48 years later, her child would be the Democratic nominee for President.
It's even dumber than the idea that Obama's middle name, Hussein, has something to do with Saddam Hussein. Who the hell had heard of Saddam Hussein in 1961? Hell, he was almost totally unknown in IRAQ in 1961, let alone Kenya or the U.S.
Yet there are people who give this crap credence. They believe that humans and dinosaurs coexisted, so why couldn't this happen? Oddly, the fact that there exists no birth certificate for John McCain doesn't faze them in the least.
But the fact that there is no birth certificate leads inescapably to one, and only one, conclusion: John McCain wasn't born on this planet. He is an alien from another galaxy. Which explains a lot.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I think I found the problem...
So, I go into a bank today to get some change for the store where I work. I ask the teller for $150 in $10 bills.
She counts them out: " 60, 70, 80, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150."
I think, maybe she counted 2 at once...so I recount the money. Sure enough, I'm $10 short.
I point this out to her, and she says, " Oh, I am sorry, I am SO bad with tens."
She works in a bank. She is bad with "tens". What, they are heavier than ones? Does she get hypnotized by the zero?
What the hell has happened to this country when a BANK TELLER HAS TROUBLE WITH TENS??!?!?
I'm thinking that's what got the country's economy so messed up. We have banking types who have trouble with 10's, with 1,000's, with freaking BILLIONS....
And am I the only one who is thinking, hmmm...did they do this on purpose so they could totally bankrupt the US government, basically to make it, in the memorable words of Neo-conservative Grover Nordquist, "small enough to drown in the bathtub."? It is, after all, the Republican Party's wet dream to totally hobble the Federal Goverment. And by giving one man, ONE MAN, the ability to write $700 billion in TAXPAYERS MONEY with absolutely no repercussions if he uses it to, say, buy back Sarah Palin's state airplane, or invest heavily in hookers and cocaine, or buy Lithuania for the hell of it. He can do so with no possibility of oversight, accountability, or even civil or criminal penalties. He can do WHATEVER THE HELL HE WANTS TO with taxpayer dollars that our GRANDCHILDREN will have to pay. And guess what? It's going to be a loan...so who gets the interest on $700 billion? BANKS!!!!!!! The ones who lobbied for the deregulation that got us into this mess.
Oh yeah, and it's the Chinese who will buy up all the paper. Smooth. And if they decide to call in the loans..we're toast.
Without them ever having to fire a shot.
AAAAARRRRGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Thank you, Phil Gramm. Thank you, John McCain. Thank you, Susan Collins. Thank you, George W. Bush.
Could somebody analyze the Bush DNA and find out what it is that causes enormous government bailouts of incompetent bankers at taxpayers' expense? In Poppy's administration it was the Savings and Loan scandal. Piffle, Dad, says W. That was a paltry $85 billion or so. This Bush is going to screw the American Taxpayers to the tune of $700 billion.
If this were any other country in the world, there would be rioting in the streets.
She counts them out: " 60, 70, 80, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150."
I think, maybe she counted 2 at once...so I recount the money. Sure enough, I'm $10 short.
I point this out to her, and she says, " Oh, I am sorry, I am SO bad with tens."
She works in a bank. She is bad with "tens". What, they are heavier than ones? Does she get hypnotized by the zero?
What the hell has happened to this country when a BANK TELLER HAS TROUBLE WITH TENS??!?!?
I'm thinking that's what got the country's economy so messed up. We have banking types who have trouble with 10's, with 1,000's, with freaking BILLIONS....
And am I the only one who is thinking, hmmm...did they do this on purpose so they could totally bankrupt the US government, basically to make it, in the memorable words of Neo-conservative Grover Nordquist, "small enough to drown in the bathtub."? It is, after all, the Republican Party's wet dream to totally hobble the Federal Goverment. And by giving one man, ONE MAN, the ability to write $700 billion in TAXPAYERS MONEY with absolutely no repercussions if he uses it to, say, buy back Sarah Palin's state airplane, or invest heavily in hookers and cocaine, or buy Lithuania for the hell of it. He can do so with no possibility of oversight, accountability, or even civil or criminal penalties. He can do WHATEVER THE HELL HE WANTS TO with taxpayer dollars that our GRANDCHILDREN will have to pay. And guess what? It's going to be a loan...so who gets the interest on $700 billion? BANKS!!!!!!! The ones who lobbied for the deregulation that got us into this mess.
Oh yeah, and it's the Chinese who will buy up all the paper. Smooth. And if they decide to call in the loans..we're toast.
Without them ever having to fire a shot.
AAAAARRRRGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
Thank you, Phil Gramm. Thank you, John McCain. Thank you, Susan Collins. Thank you, George W. Bush.
Could somebody analyze the Bush DNA and find out what it is that causes enormous government bailouts of incompetent bankers at taxpayers' expense? In Poppy's administration it was the Savings and Loan scandal. Piffle, Dad, says W. That was a paltry $85 billion or so. This Bush is going to screw the American Taxpayers to the tune of $700 billion.
If this were any other country in the world, there would be rioting in the streets.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Lawyer Up!
McCain's campaign has sent an anti-terrorism prosecutor to Alaska to quash the investigation into Troopergate. They don't want anything to get out. Nobody is cooperating, even though Sarah Palin once filed an ethics complaint against herself in the matter, the better to get it behind her.
If she didn't do anything wrong, why the high-powered mouthpiece? Surely the whole story was thoroughly discussed in the vetting process, and finding nothing to worry about, Gov. Palin was chosen to make McCain her running mate. ( Yes, she did refer to a Palin/McCain administration in an event yesterday. Might be the first time she's told the truth since this thing started.)
Or, perhaps, just maybe, NOBODY VETTED HER WORTH A DAMN, and they just said, "Hey, nice rack"...and I am of course referring to the moose head mounted on her wall, you lipstick-less chauvinist pigs.
And at some point, she had to tell Steve Schmidt and Karl Rove, " Umm, boys? I think there may be a teeny little problem with what's out there."
Much smacking of hands against foreheads later, the lawyer was dispatched. Smooth.
At least we now know what kind of transparency to expect from a Palin/McCain administration.
OMG, FINALS ARE NEXT WEEK AND I HAVEN'T OPENED A BOOK!
President Palin has canceled numerous rallies and fundraisers for the next couple of weeks. I guess her wranglers have decided that she is not yet ready for prime time, and she needs to know a whole bunch of stuff to not look like a total idiot in the Vice-Presidential debate. Like, you know, the meaning of the Bush Doctrine...and energy policy...and, like, where the hell IS Spain, anyway? So she can cue McCain the next time.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST ( if you read it...)
Hmm, so Sarah Palin tells Sean Hannity that her ex-brother-in-law is a big, mean guy...hmmm, where have I heard that before...wait! Right here in this very blog! See August 29th post on here, "I Can Dissect That Nomination In Three Words". ("When this gets out, you can be certain that her defense will be: ' Listen, buster, I was just trying to protect my sister and her kids from a large, powerful man with a badge and a gun.' ")
Damn, I'm good. ;)
If she didn't do anything wrong, why the high-powered mouthpiece? Surely the whole story was thoroughly discussed in the vetting process, and finding nothing to worry about, Gov. Palin was chosen to make McCain her running mate. ( Yes, she did refer to a Palin/McCain administration in an event yesterday. Might be the first time she's told the truth since this thing started.)
Or, perhaps, just maybe, NOBODY VETTED HER WORTH A DAMN, and they just said, "Hey, nice rack"...and I am of course referring to the moose head mounted on her wall, you lipstick-less chauvinist pigs.
And at some point, she had to tell Steve Schmidt and Karl Rove, " Umm, boys? I think there may be a teeny little problem with what's out there."
Much smacking of hands against foreheads later, the lawyer was dispatched. Smooth.
At least we now know what kind of transparency to expect from a Palin/McCain administration.
OMG, FINALS ARE NEXT WEEK AND I HAVEN'T OPENED A BOOK!
President Palin has canceled numerous rallies and fundraisers for the next couple of weeks. I guess her wranglers have decided that she is not yet ready for prime time, and she needs to know a whole bunch of stuff to not look like a total idiot in the Vice-Presidential debate. Like, you know, the meaning of the Bush Doctrine...and energy policy...and, like, where the hell IS Spain, anyway? So she can cue McCain the next time.
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST ( if you read it...)
Hmm, so Sarah Palin tells Sean Hannity that her ex-brother-in-law is a big, mean guy...hmmm, where have I heard that before...wait! Right here in this very blog! See August 29th post on here, "I Can Dissect That Nomination In Three Words". ("When this gets out, you can be certain that her defense will be: ' Listen, buster, I was just trying to protect my sister and her kids from a large, powerful man with a badge and a gun.' ")
Damn, I'm good. ;)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A Football Analogy
Apparently there is some simmering doubt and resentment over the "Spygate" scandal involving the New England Patriots' videotaping of opposing teams in inappropriate ways. Some people are even maintaining that this proves that the NFL is rigged in the Pats' favor.
In order to clean house, to bring about the change that is needed in pro football, and to shake things up, I recommend that the Patriots fire Bill Belichek. In his place, they should hire the head football coach of the Duxbury High School football team. Let's face it, a high school football coach has just as much responsibility for winning as an NFL coach. He has meaningful, valuable experience, as well as small town values. Football is football, right? And Duxbury is pretty close to Foxborough, so that obviously helps.
Of course, you can't get rid of the entire coaching staff. So the offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator would have to stay, even though they and the rest of the coaching staff benefitted from the results of the taping. After all, somebody has to make sure that the new coach knows where to go, how things work, and above all, how to deal with the media. It's a high-pressure situation, dealing with Boston media, so the new coach might need a little media training.
But with the small town values, the executive experience, sufficient media training, and, you know, the guy looks pretty good in a suit...shouldn't be any problem for the Patriots OR their fans, especially the season ticket holders...right? I mean, the fans oughta LOVE the change...right?
Sure they would. If my kids' future somehow depended on the results of the Pats' season, I'd be perfectly comfortable with that situation.
Uh huh.
Face it, there would be rioting in the streets of Foxborough and Boston if that happened. Putting the Patriots' future in the hands of someone charming, attractive, with small town values, but a ridiculously small amount of experience in the things that matter, would not be accepted warmly by sports fans.
Now change the team to the Dallas Cowboys. Or the Denver Broncos. Or the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Cleveland Browns. ( Ok, maybe it wouldn't matter with the Browns.) The BUCKEYES! What if it happened with the Buckeyes? Forget it, the people responsible in these states would be hanged in effigy.
And yet, some of these same people are enthralled by Sarah Palin, she who governed a state that is arguably the wealthiest in the nation. How wealthy? She sent every man, woman, and child a check for $1200 from the proceeds of royalties and taxes on the oil industry. That is in addition to the $3000 annually that every man, woman, and child receives in Alaska from the state, also from the oil industry revenue.
As one wag put it, she sends out checks for a total of $4200 annually to everybody in the state...and she only has an 80% approval rating??? How bad do you have to be to pull that off?
It's the American Idol-ization of politics. And the fact that it's FOX's show makes me wonder...
VOTER SUPPRESSION
If you want a quick read on the latest Republican voter suppression tactics, go to www.jackandjillpolitics.com. They are cataloging the attempts in each state. Good reading there too.
In order to clean house, to bring about the change that is needed in pro football, and to shake things up, I recommend that the Patriots fire Bill Belichek. In his place, they should hire the head football coach of the Duxbury High School football team. Let's face it, a high school football coach has just as much responsibility for winning as an NFL coach. He has meaningful, valuable experience, as well as small town values. Football is football, right? And Duxbury is pretty close to Foxborough, so that obviously helps.
Of course, you can't get rid of the entire coaching staff. So the offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator would have to stay, even though they and the rest of the coaching staff benefitted from the results of the taping. After all, somebody has to make sure that the new coach knows where to go, how things work, and above all, how to deal with the media. It's a high-pressure situation, dealing with Boston media, so the new coach might need a little media training.
But with the small town values, the executive experience, sufficient media training, and, you know, the guy looks pretty good in a suit...shouldn't be any problem for the Patriots OR their fans, especially the season ticket holders...right? I mean, the fans oughta LOVE the change...right?
Sure they would. If my kids' future somehow depended on the results of the Pats' season, I'd be perfectly comfortable with that situation.
Uh huh.
Face it, there would be rioting in the streets of Foxborough and Boston if that happened. Putting the Patriots' future in the hands of someone charming, attractive, with small town values, but a ridiculously small amount of experience in the things that matter, would not be accepted warmly by sports fans.
Now change the team to the Dallas Cowboys. Or the Denver Broncos. Or the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Cleveland Browns. ( Ok, maybe it wouldn't matter with the Browns.) The BUCKEYES! What if it happened with the Buckeyes? Forget it, the people responsible in these states would be hanged in effigy.
And yet, some of these same people are enthralled by Sarah Palin, she who governed a state that is arguably the wealthiest in the nation. How wealthy? She sent every man, woman, and child a check for $1200 from the proceeds of royalties and taxes on the oil industry. That is in addition to the $3000 annually that every man, woman, and child receives in Alaska from the state, also from the oil industry revenue.
As one wag put it, she sends out checks for a total of $4200 annually to everybody in the state...and she only has an 80% approval rating??? How bad do you have to be to pull that off?
It's the American Idol-ization of politics. And the fact that it's FOX's show makes me wonder...
VOTER SUPPRESSION
If you want a quick read on the latest Republican voter suppression tactics, go to www.jackandjillpolitics.com. They are cataloging the attempts in each state. Good reading there too.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Gotta Laugh Part 2:
Read this article about a GOP lawyer at the RNC, who thought he was going to score...and GOT scored.
http://www.twincities.com/ci_10472581?source=most_viewed
And ask yourself this question: $4000 earrings? Whose were they?
http://www.twincities.com/ci_10472581?source=most_viewed
And ask yourself this question: $4000 earrings? Whose were they?
Sometimes You Just Gotta Laugh
Ok, here is a fun video, by a group calling itself "Hockey Moms Against Palin". It's actually a riff on the Swift Boat ads in 2004, produced by the parody site "News Groper".
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/hockey_moms_against_palin.html?nav=rss_blog
So, apparently the Palin bounce has run into another of those scientific "theories"...you know, the one about gravity. Two weeks ago Palin's favorable/unfavorable ratio was + 17. Now it's down to +1.
So, looks like the bounce is over for PantsOnFire/SkirtsOnFire '08.
Geriatric/Lipstick '08?
I welcome your suggestion for other bumper sticker ideas.
McCain's Health Care Tax-
McCain's health care "plan" is to tax your health care benefits. The amount that your employer pays for your health plan will be treated as taxable income, and the tax on that taken out of your paycheck. Every paycheck.
Wonderful. Force people out of workplace plans and into private plans. Hey, I hear AIG is good insurance firm...
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/hockey_moms_against_palin.html?nav=rss_blog
So, apparently the Palin bounce has run into another of those scientific "theories"...you know, the one about gravity. Two weeks ago Palin's favorable/unfavorable ratio was + 17. Now it's down to +1.
So, looks like the bounce is over for PantsOnFire/SkirtsOnFire '08.
Geriatric/Lipstick '08?
I welcome your suggestion for other bumper sticker ideas.
McCain's Health Care Tax-
McCain's health care "plan" is to tax your health care benefits. The amount that your employer pays for your health plan will be treated as taxable income, and the tax on that taken out of your paycheck. Every paycheck.
Wonderful. Force people out of workplace plans and into private plans. Hey, I hear AIG is good insurance firm...
Monday, September 15, 2008
Is This What October '29 Felt Like?
Wow, waking up to find out that Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch have gone belly up is more than a little boggling. Imagine all the MBA's who were counting on large paychecks and bonuses, suddenly finding themselves and their skills as much in demand as a blacksmith. Maybe less.
And gee, isn't it a shame that Bush and McCain and the Republicans weren't able to successfully privatize Social Security? Why, I am sure those nice people in the banking and financial management industry would have been able to handle Grandma's survival money MUCH better than those government bureaucrats.
And how interesting that those same people who have largely financed Republican candidates who hate big government suddenly want the government to intervene and bail them out.
This is the doing of the Republicans, with occasional assistance from some Democrats. Many of the financial safeguards left over from the FDR administration were done away with in the years since the Republican takeover of Congress in '94. Banks could sell insurance, insurance companies could become financial houses, and there was a general environment of "What business can we expand into?"
It's going to be hard for the Republican party to explain this away. It's going to be harder for them to convince people that they are the best people to get us out of this situation.
But jeez, this is scary.
And gee, isn't it a shame that Bush and McCain and the Republicans weren't able to successfully privatize Social Security? Why, I am sure those nice people in the banking and financial management industry would have been able to handle Grandma's survival money MUCH better than those government bureaucrats.
And how interesting that those same people who have largely financed Republican candidates who hate big government suddenly want the government to intervene and bail them out.
This is the doing of the Republicans, with occasional assistance from some Democrats. Many of the financial safeguards left over from the FDR administration were done away with in the years since the Republican takeover of Congress in '94. Banks could sell insurance, insurance companies could become financial houses, and there was a general environment of "What business can we expand into?"
It's going to be hard for the Republican party to explain this away. It's going to be harder for them to convince people that they are the best people to get us out of this situation.
But jeez, this is scary.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Voter Suppression, or Why Republicans Suck
This is why I hate the Republican Party:
The Republican Party in Ohio has sent out 1 million absentee ballot applications. The application looks exactly like the typical form that has been sent out in the past...except that there is a new feature, hidden near the bottom: a box to check off next to a line that says " I am eligible to vote in this election."
If you don't check off that box, you are saying you are not eligible to vote.
And therefore, you cannot be sent an absentee ballot. By the time one figures that out, it's too late to vote.
Ohio's Secretary of State is screaming mad about this, but her hands are tied. Anybody who neglects to check off that box will not be allowed to have an absentee ballot.
The ballot for the state of Mississippi is being challenged because the line for the special election to replace Trent Lott is at the bottom of a very long ballot. State law says that the line for Senate Elections has to be near the top, with other Federal offices. The line for the regularly scheduled Senate race is right where it belongs. But Governor Haley Barbour's Secretary of State has opined that because it's a special election, it can have special placement.
The latest news is a setback for Barbour and the other R's. A judge has ruled that the ballot is illegal, and that statutes make it very clear that both Senate ballot lines must be at the top of the ballot.
Barbour is appealing the ruling to a State Court, where elected judges, mostly Republican, are likely to vote in favor of the scheme. Barbour, by the way, is the former chair of the National Republican Party.
These people will lie, cheat, and steal to win. This is blatant thievery. What would happen if a similar operation happened here in Maine? Think Susan Collins would be upset if every Republican voter in Maine got a similar absentee ballot application form? Maybe we should find out.
At the very least, she needs to be asked to publicly repudiate her party's actions in MS and OH.
The Republican Party in Ohio has sent out 1 million absentee ballot applications. The application looks exactly like the typical form that has been sent out in the past...except that there is a new feature, hidden near the bottom: a box to check off next to a line that says " I am eligible to vote in this election."
If you don't check off that box, you are saying you are not eligible to vote.
And therefore, you cannot be sent an absentee ballot. By the time one figures that out, it's too late to vote.
Ohio's Secretary of State is screaming mad about this, but her hands are tied. Anybody who neglects to check off that box will not be allowed to have an absentee ballot.
The ballot for the state of Mississippi is being challenged because the line for the special election to replace Trent Lott is at the bottom of a very long ballot. State law says that the line for Senate Elections has to be near the top, with other Federal offices. The line for the regularly scheduled Senate race is right where it belongs. But Governor Haley Barbour's Secretary of State has opined that because it's a special election, it can have special placement.
The latest news is a setback for Barbour and the other R's. A judge has ruled that the ballot is illegal, and that statutes make it very clear that both Senate ballot lines must be at the top of the ballot.
Barbour is appealing the ruling to a State Court, where elected judges, mostly Republican, are likely to vote in favor of the scheme. Barbour, by the way, is the former chair of the National Republican Party.
These people will lie, cheat, and steal to win. This is blatant thievery. What would happen if a similar operation happened here in Maine? Think Susan Collins would be upset if every Republican voter in Maine got a similar absentee ballot application form? Maybe we should find out.
At the very least, she needs to be asked to publicly repudiate her party's actions in MS and OH.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Obama's Tax Cut
53% of Americans believe that Obama's tax plan will raise their taxes.
The reality is, most Americans will have their taxes cut by Obama's plan. And now there is a nifty new site, not connected to the Obama Campaign, that helps you compute your tax savings in about 30 seconds. And it's pretty amazing.
Go to ObamaTaxCut.com, and check it out. You'll be amazed.
Sarah Palin Interview-
Charlie Gibson interviewed her, lobbing softballs her way as if she were David Ortiz at batting practice.
Some highlights? Georgia joins NATO, Russia attacks Georgia, we're at war with Russia. Finally, we'll get to use those nukyoular weapons that have been sitting around gathering dust.
How does she feel about the Bush Doctrine. "The whaaa?" See the video on Talking Points Memo.
So, all you who are freaking about national polls: Chill. Work. Remember it's 50 national polls, and Obama is doing well enough to win just with the states in which he is polling ahead, let alone the states where the spread is within the margin of error. Obama's people have registered hundreds of thousands of voters in swing states, most of whom would not show up on a pollster's data base
And they have a turnout machine that is unrivaled.
Doesn't mean it will be easy. Doesn't mean it won't get wicked ugly...ok, uglier even than now, hard as it is to imagine. But at some point McCain has to explain how someone who has been part of the problem the last 8 years is going to change the game in Washington, with the sidekick who is less than plausible.
Oh yeah, and then there is the whole economy in the toilet thing. Hard for McCain to overcome that.
We'll win, if we all get out there and work for it.
The reality is, most Americans will have their taxes cut by Obama's plan. And now there is a nifty new site, not connected to the Obama Campaign, that helps you compute your tax savings in about 30 seconds. And it's pretty amazing.
Go to ObamaTaxCut.com, and check it out. You'll be amazed.
Sarah Palin Interview-
Charlie Gibson interviewed her, lobbing softballs her way as if she were David Ortiz at batting practice.
Some highlights? Georgia joins NATO, Russia attacks Georgia, we're at war with Russia. Finally, we'll get to use those nukyoular weapons that have been sitting around gathering dust.
How does she feel about the Bush Doctrine. "The whaaa?" See the video on Talking Points Memo.
So, all you who are freaking about national polls: Chill. Work. Remember it's 50 national polls, and Obama is doing well enough to win just with the states in which he is polling ahead, let alone the states where the spread is within the margin of error. Obama's people have registered hundreds of thousands of voters in swing states, most of whom would not show up on a pollster's data base
And they have a turnout machine that is unrivaled.
Doesn't mean it will be easy. Doesn't mean it won't get wicked ugly...ok, uglier even than now, hard as it is to imagine. But at some point McCain has to explain how someone who has been part of the problem the last 8 years is going to change the game in Washington, with the sidekick who is less than plausible.
Oh yeah, and then there is the whole economy in the toilet thing. Hard for McCain to overcome that.
We'll win, if we all get out there and work for it.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
If her lips are movin'...
...then you know it can be proven that she's saying a lie, saying a lie. Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah saying a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeee....
( Apologies to whoever wrote "Staying Alive")
Sooo, Sarah Palin, the maverick reformer and opponent of earmarks and the fabled Bridge to Nowhere, she who opposes government waste:
Washington Post: Governor Palin billed the state of Alaska for 317 nights travel and lodging expense...to stay in her own home. Travel expense, possibly ethical, possibly legal. Lodging expense for staying in your own damned house??? Probably neither. Jeez, did she declare that as rental income?
She also charged the state for a trip to a church, where she told the congregation to pray for an Alaskan pipeline. To Canada. Drill baby drill, so we can send the oil to countries other than the US.
AP is reporting that Sarah Palin and John McCain criticized Obama's earmarks to Illinois, yet Alaska citizens got 10 times as much per capita under Palin, as did citizens of Wasilla after she hired a lobbyist.
She "stopped the Bridge to Nowhere" according to McCain ads. But she demonstrably supported it only until it was clear Congress wasn't paying for it. Then she withdrew support.
And kept all those US taxpayer dollars ( $298 million) and used them for projects around the state. She didn't save taxpayers a dime, except perhaps Alaskan state taxpayers.
The only Straight Talk in the McCain/Palin campaign is, they lie straight to your face.
Off to 3 days of manager training. Don't know how much I'll be able to write. Jobs are pesky things, at times.
( Apologies to whoever wrote "Staying Alive")
Sooo, Sarah Palin, the maverick reformer and opponent of earmarks and the fabled Bridge to Nowhere, she who opposes government waste:
Washington Post: Governor Palin billed the state of Alaska for 317 nights travel and lodging expense...to stay in her own home. Travel expense, possibly ethical, possibly legal. Lodging expense for staying in your own damned house??? Probably neither. Jeez, did she declare that as rental income?
She also charged the state for a trip to a church, where she told the congregation to pray for an Alaskan pipeline. To Canada. Drill baby drill, so we can send the oil to countries other than the US.
AP is reporting that Sarah Palin and John McCain criticized Obama's earmarks to Illinois, yet Alaska citizens got 10 times as much per capita under Palin, as did citizens of Wasilla after she hired a lobbyist.
She "stopped the Bridge to Nowhere" according to McCain ads. But she demonstrably supported it only until it was clear Congress wasn't paying for it. Then she withdrew support.
And kept all those US taxpayer dollars ( $298 million) and used them for projects around the state. She didn't save taxpayers a dime, except perhaps Alaskan state taxpayers.
The only Straight Talk in the McCain/Palin campaign is, they lie straight to your face.
Off to 3 days of manager training. Don't know how much I'll be able to write. Jobs are pesky things, at times.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Rule Number One
Rule Number One in dealing with uncomfortable issues is: The coverup will always hurt you more than the original offense.
Rule Number Two: Politicians always forget Rule Number One.
Sarah Palin, President-In-Waiting, has an ethics issues in Troopergate, the alleged firing by Palin of Alaska's State Police Commissioner for personal reasons relating to the divorce of her sister.
She had previously vowed to cooperate with investigators from Alaska's Republican-controlled legislature. She is now stonewalling, and 7 of her employees have canceled appointment with investigators.
So much for an open and transparent government.
A bank in Arizona failed this week. McCain's adult son Andrew was on the board of directors until a month ago. Why does this sound so familiar? Oh yeah...the bank that Charles Keating was involved in that went belly-up in Arizona. Keating went to jail for influence-peddling, and among the peddlees was Sen. John McCain.
McCain's people say Sarah Palin is ready to be President, if necessary. They also say she is not quite ready for prime time in meeting with reporters and journalists, so she is going to get a 2 week training period.
Ready to deal with Putin...not ready to deal with Larry King. Okaaayyy.
Tom Friedman makes an interesting point in today's New York Times. John McCain has missed 8 chances to vote on alternative energy proposals this year. He also makes the point that Russia gets a lot of its worldwide power through oil, and American progress on alternative energy design and production would seriously threaten that.
Drill, baby, drill!
Rule Number Two: Politicians always forget Rule Number One.
Sarah Palin, President-In-Waiting, has an ethics issues in Troopergate, the alleged firing by Palin of Alaska's State Police Commissioner for personal reasons relating to the divorce of her sister.
She had previously vowed to cooperate with investigators from Alaska's Republican-controlled legislature. She is now stonewalling, and 7 of her employees have canceled appointment with investigators.
So much for an open and transparent government.
A bank in Arizona failed this week. McCain's adult son Andrew was on the board of directors until a month ago. Why does this sound so familiar? Oh yeah...the bank that Charles Keating was involved in that went belly-up in Arizona. Keating went to jail for influence-peddling, and among the peddlees was Sen. John McCain.
McCain's people say Sarah Palin is ready to be President, if necessary. They also say she is not quite ready for prime time in meeting with reporters and journalists, so she is going to get a 2 week training period.
Ready to deal with Putin...not ready to deal with Larry King. Okaaayyy.
Tom Friedman makes an interesting point in today's New York Times. John McCain has missed 8 chances to vote on alternative energy proposals this year. He also makes the point that Russia gets a lot of its worldwide power through oil, and American progress on alternative energy design and production would seriously threaten that.
Drill, baby, drill!
Friday, September 5, 2008
My God, I Had No Idea...
Did you hear this? John McCain...was a POW! In VietNam! Yeah, apparently his plane got hit by a missile and he crashed and was imprisoned for, like, 5 years. And it was really, really bad. I mean, freaking awful. Nothing like we're putting those guys in Guantanamo through, but still, wicked heinous. I mean, seriously.
And, though it was awful, and a formative experience...IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO! ENOUGH ALREADY! What are you going to actually DO for me? How are you going to get me affordable health care? How are you going to make it so I can afford to buy gas for my car and oil for my furnace THIS winter, not 10 years from now when the first oil would be flowing from Florida? How are you going to make it so I can afford to send my child to college? How are you going to make it so I can stay in my house and not lose it because of predatory lending?
How are you going to care for veterans of this and past and future wars and occupations? What are you going to do to get us out of Iraq? How are you going to make us energy independent? How will you keep all the lobbyists on your staff from making laws that will help their industries and stockholders, at the expense of taxpayers?
You didn't say a word about that, John McCain, when you had your chance. You told us you had been a POW. Jeez Louise, like we didn't %^&$*#% KNOW that already??? We know your tragic story, and how you overcame your captors to return to America, the land which you learned to love, divorce your wife because she gained weight and lost height, and start a career in politics.
John...have you ever punched a time clock? Have you ever cashed a paycheck that wasn't drawn on the U.S Treasury? That wasn't paid for by U.S. taxpayers? There isn't any dishonor in that, it's just that, well, most people don't live like that. Most people wouldn't be able to spend $300,000 on an outfit for their wives. That's a home purchase for most people, John. In some cases enough for 2 homes. That's 20 years' salary for someone making the minimum wage, John. You know, that thing you vote against every single time you have had the chance.
So, here's a question for you, John: How much money should someone make in this country, at a minimum? What's the least it would be fair to ask an employer to be required to pay an employee? And don't give me any crap about "let the market decide". Give me a number. What's the minimum a worker should expect to make?
And is this an amount that can support a decent living?
Let's hear it, John. We already know about the POW thing. Tell us what you're going to fix. Tell us how you're going to fix it. Tell us how you're going to make this a better country, not how you're going to fight fight fight.
And, keep in mind this little bon mot: Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a Governor.
And, though it was awful, and a formative experience...IT WAS 40 YEARS AGO! ENOUGH ALREADY! What are you going to actually DO for me? How are you going to get me affordable health care? How are you going to make it so I can afford to buy gas for my car and oil for my furnace THIS winter, not 10 years from now when the first oil would be flowing from Florida? How are you going to make it so I can afford to send my child to college? How are you going to make it so I can stay in my house and not lose it because of predatory lending?
How are you going to care for veterans of this and past and future wars and occupations? What are you going to do to get us out of Iraq? How are you going to make us energy independent? How will you keep all the lobbyists on your staff from making laws that will help their industries and stockholders, at the expense of taxpayers?
You didn't say a word about that, John McCain, when you had your chance. You told us you had been a POW. Jeez Louise, like we didn't %^&$*#% KNOW that already??? We know your tragic story, and how you overcame your captors to return to America, the land which you learned to love, divorce your wife because she gained weight and lost height, and start a career in politics.
John...have you ever punched a time clock? Have you ever cashed a paycheck that wasn't drawn on the U.S Treasury? That wasn't paid for by U.S. taxpayers? There isn't any dishonor in that, it's just that, well, most people don't live like that. Most people wouldn't be able to spend $300,000 on an outfit for their wives. That's a home purchase for most people, John. In some cases enough for 2 homes. That's 20 years' salary for someone making the minimum wage, John. You know, that thing you vote against every single time you have had the chance.
So, here's a question for you, John: How much money should someone make in this country, at a minimum? What's the least it would be fair to ask an employer to be required to pay an employee? And don't give me any crap about "let the market decide". Give me a number. What's the minimum a worker should expect to make?
And is this an amount that can support a decent living?
Let's hear it, John. We already know about the POW thing. Tell us what you're going to fix. Tell us how you're going to fix it. Tell us how you're going to make this a better country, not how you're going to fight fight fight.
And, keep in mind this little bon mot: Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a Governor.
Waiiiiit a minute...
Ok, you know how something happens, and later, maybe much later, you stop and say 'waaaiiiittt a minute..." because something was off, or you just realized there was an issue of some sort?
" You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick."
Great laugh line in Palin's speech. Anybody else kinda wonder at the comparison with a female human and a canine?
As in the term, "bitch"?
I'm just saying, struck me as odd, but it took awhile.
The Sarah Palin stuff is coming so fast and furious it's hard to keep current with it all. Jeez, some of us have jobs, you know? It's a full time job just to keep UP with all this. There is some wild talk out there, some of it pretty vile. If it is true, it's despicable. I'll wait to comment on it if it gets sourced more thoroughly. Poor woman has enough trouble, I don't want to add to it...unless it's properly sourced.
CIndy McCain's outfit on Thursday night: $300,000.
Value of McCain's houses: $10 Million ( easily!)
Sending John McCain back to Arizona to retire and Sarah Palin back to Alaska to hunt moose? Priceless.
How out of touch do you have to be to wear $300,000 of ANYTHING to a convention? How out of touch to OWN anything like that? Sheesh.
" You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick."
Great laugh line in Palin's speech. Anybody else kinda wonder at the comparison with a female human and a canine?
As in the term, "bitch"?
I'm just saying, struck me as odd, but it took awhile.
The Sarah Palin stuff is coming so fast and furious it's hard to keep current with it all. Jeez, some of us have jobs, you know? It's a full time job just to keep UP with all this. There is some wild talk out there, some of it pretty vile. If it is true, it's despicable. I'll wait to comment on it if it gets sourced more thoroughly. Poor woman has enough trouble, I don't want to add to it...unless it's properly sourced.
CIndy McCain's outfit on Thursday night: $300,000.
Value of McCain's houses: $10 Million ( easily!)
Sending John McCain back to Arizona to retire and Sarah Palin back to Alaska to hunt moose? Priceless.
How out of touch do you have to be to wear $300,000 of ANYTHING to a convention? How out of touch to OWN anything like that? Sheesh.
McCain;s Speech, The Cliff's Notes Version:
"Change Change Fight Change Fight Fight Change Fight Fight Fight Change Change Change POW Fight Change FIght FIght Fight Change God Bless America."
McCain's big speech opportunity was, according to many pundits, a blown opportunity to reach out to undecided voters. He said he would change Washington. He just didn't say what he would change, or how. I predict a 2 point bounce, at best, for McCain. in fact, I would bet an equal amount that he drops 2 points once his speech is factored in.
President Palin is doing for the Democrats what Hillary Clinton would have done for the Republicans: raise great gushing gouts of money. Remember, McCain gets to spend a total of $85 million on his campaign. The response to President Palin's speech garnered approximately $10 million just yesterday. At that rate, Obama will match McCain's money before President Palin comes back next week from Alaska for her campaign training, and to see off her son before he goes to Iraq. ( oops, I forgot, I'm supposed to ignore her family. Sorry.)
CNN and the Obama campaign discuss President Palin's problems with veracity in her speech. Go to The Jed Report for the CNN version, and the Obama Campaign report can be found here:
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/09/fact-checking-the-bridge-to-no.html
According to Electoral-Vote.com, Obama is up 3 points in North Dakota. North Freaking Dakota. He is behind McCain in Indiana by 3 points, pretty much the margin of error. Bush won Indiana by 21 points in 2004, and something like 16 in 2000. If McCain has to campaign in Indiana...Peggy Noonan is right, despite her convoluted explanation that she didn't say what we heard her say: It's Over. The Adipose Diva is a long way from doing her vocal warmups, but she will indeed break forth in a swan song for the McCain-Palin ticket.
Off to work...
McCain's big speech opportunity was, according to many pundits, a blown opportunity to reach out to undecided voters. He said he would change Washington. He just didn't say what he would change, or how. I predict a 2 point bounce, at best, for McCain. in fact, I would bet an equal amount that he drops 2 points once his speech is factored in.
President Palin is doing for the Democrats what Hillary Clinton would have done for the Republicans: raise great gushing gouts of money. Remember, McCain gets to spend a total of $85 million on his campaign. The response to President Palin's speech garnered approximately $10 million just yesterday. At that rate, Obama will match McCain's money before President Palin comes back next week from Alaska for her campaign training, and to see off her son before he goes to Iraq. ( oops, I forgot, I'm supposed to ignore her family. Sorry.)
CNN and the Obama campaign discuss President Palin's problems with veracity in her speech. Go to The Jed Report for the CNN version, and the Obama Campaign report can be found here:
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/09/fact-checking-the-bridge-to-no.html
According to Electoral-Vote.com, Obama is up 3 points in North Dakota. North Freaking Dakota. He is behind McCain in Indiana by 3 points, pretty much the margin of error. Bush won Indiana by 21 points in 2004, and something like 16 in 2000. If McCain has to campaign in Indiana...Peggy Noonan is right, despite her convoluted explanation that she didn't say what we heard her say: It's Over. The Adipose Diva is a long way from doing her vocal warmups, but she will indeed break forth in a swan song for the McCain-Palin ticket.
Off to work...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
GA Congressional Rep. Call Obama "Uppity"
Yes, folks, a Georgia Congressman called Senator Barack Obama "Uppity".
Could have been worse.
He could have called him "Hannity". Now THAT would have been an insult.
Uppity, as in " This Nigra doesn't know his PLACE."
Gonna get some ugly now. The season is upon us, and we are going to see fountains of flung fecal matter from the other side.
The good news is, we're still going to bury them at the ballot box.
But it's still going to be some ugly.
Could have been worse.
He could have called him "Hannity". Now THAT would have been an insult.
Uppity, as in " This Nigra doesn't know his PLACE."
Gonna get some ugly now. The season is upon us, and we are going to see fountains of flung fecal matter from the other side.
The good news is, we're still going to bury them at the ballot box.
But it's still going to be some ugly.
Live Blogging McCain's Speech
So, they showed video of 9/11. Graphic video. Broke an unwritten taboo: Don't politicize these deaths.
Let's remind people that we still haven't got the guys who DID this...
10:24 Looks like they have the teleprompter working. It wasn't earlier this evening.
10:26. he's saying "Hey, my mom is 96, I'll last through the first term."
10:28: Get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace...like the Republicans FAILED to do for the last 8 years.
10:30 Protesters carried out. "Americans want us to stop yelling at each other." All those "USA" chants are going to send McCain over out of prime time.
10:32: She's tackled energy independence??? From an Oil State? Wait, did he just say she works with her hands and nose?
10:35: I've fought corruption. ( See Keating, Charles)
10:36: Fought lobbyists? He has more lobbyists on his campaign than anybody!
10:39: Bad housing market...wonder where McCain voted on deregulation of the mortgage industry? FightFightFightFight...how about WORKING for us?
10:42: "We're all Americans". Let's see how long that lasts.
10:44 "My health care plan"...John McCain wouldn't be covered by his own health care plan.
10:45 oh forget it, I can't type fast enough to keep up with all the bovine excrement.
10:49 "Education is the Civil Rights Issue of this century". Dog whistle speak for "I will see to it that you get vouchers so you don't have to send your kids to schools that are desegregated."
10:51: We'll drill oil well now. With what, might I ask? There is a world wide shortage of drilling rigs.
10:52; Obama believes we can deal with energy by not drilling and no nuclear, but "Americans know better than that". I guess that "we're all Americans" schtick didn't last long. 10 minutes, by my count.
10:56: Oh, lordy, he is reminding us that he remembers Pearl Harbor. Not smart.
10:57: He is talking to the base, and trying to talk to the independents...not sure it's connecting.
11:09 Fight with me, fight, fight, fight...
11:10. Again with the "We're all just raising McCain" song...
11:11. Hmm. He brought it back to the Hanoi Hilton. But I don't think he fired up anybody but the base. Methinks it's their best moment, and it's pretty much downhill from here.
I noticed earlier this evening that the crawl underneath "The O'Reilly Factor" kept talking about how some Democratic candidates got bigger bounces out of conventions than Republicans, but eventually lost.
11:14 Oh dear lord, they are playing " Barricuda" by Heart, in tribute to Palin's nickname, "The Barricuda". Wonder if they got permission from Heart.
Balloons and confetti...and video of fireworks. Man, we had REAL fireworks at our convention. And, like last night, "September" by Earth Wind and Fire. Gee, wonder who the brothers in EWF are voting for??? And did the R's get permission to use that music?
Wonder what the Nielsen rating was for this? I can't see what the talking heads are saying, because I am watching a live feed thru MSNBC. But I can't imagine there is going to be a big bounce out of this campaign for McCain. All they have managed to do is piss off a bunch of Democratic women, and apparently the D's raised over $10 million just today in reponse to Palin's speech. And that was as of 6 p.m.
I can't say I had a "gulp" moment, one where I thought, oh jeez, that hurts us. For all of McCain's talk of shaking up Washington, he voted with Bush 90% of the time. Which of his votes will he repudiate? He wants us to remember 40 years ago when he was in Hanoi, he doesn't want us to remember 20 years ago when he was embroiled in the Savings and Loan debacle and the Keating Scandal.
I have to say, tepid. Not intrepid.
And now he has $85 million to spend. We raised $10 million *today*. I will predict over 300 Electoral College votes.
Providing that there is, in fact, an election on November 4th.
Let's remind people that we still haven't got the guys who DID this...
10:24 Looks like they have the teleprompter working. It wasn't earlier this evening.
10:26. he's saying "Hey, my mom is 96, I'll last through the first term."
10:28: Get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace...like the Republicans FAILED to do for the last 8 years.
10:30 Protesters carried out. "Americans want us to stop yelling at each other." All those "USA" chants are going to send McCain over out of prime time.
10:32: She's tackled energy independence??? From an Oil State? Wait, did he just say she works with her hands and nose?
10:35: I've fought corruption. ( See Keating, Charles)
10:36: Fought lobbyists? He has more lobbyists on his campaign than anybody!
10:39: Bad housing market...wonder where McCain voted on deregulation of the mortgage industry? FightFightFightFight...how about WORKING for us?
10:42: "We're all Americans". Let's see how long that lasts.
10:44 "My health care plan"...John McCain wouldn't be covered by his own health care plan.
10:45 oh forget it, I can't type fast enough to keep up with all the bovine excrement.
10:49 "Education is the Civil Rights Issue of this century". Dog whistle speak for "I will see to it that you get vouchers so you don't have to send your kids to schools that are desegregated."
10:51: We'll drill oil well now. With what, might I ask? There is a world wide shortage of drilling rigs.
10:52; Obama believes we can deal with energy by not drilling and no nuclear, but "Americans know better than that". I guess that "we're all Americans" schtick didn't last long. 10 minutes, by my count.
10:56: Oh, lordy, he is reminding us that he remembers Pearl Harbor. Not smart.
10:57: He is talking to the base, and trying to talk to the independents...not sure it's connecting.
11:09 Fight with me, fight, fight, fight...
11:10. Again with the "We're all just raising McCain" song...
11:11. Hmm. He brought it back to the Hanoi Hilton. But I don't think he fired up anybody but the base. Methinks it's their best moment, and it's pretty much downhill from here.
I noticed earlier this evening that the crawl underneath "The O'Reilly Factor" kept talking about how some Democratic candidates got bigger bounces out of conventions than Republicans, but eventually lost.
11:14 Oh dear lord, they are playing " Barricuda" by Heart, in tribute to Palin's nickname, "The Barricuda". Wonder if they got permission from Heart.
Balloons and confetti...and video of fireworks. Man, we had REAL fireworks at our convention. And, like last night, "September" by Earth Wind and Fire. Gee, wonder who the brothers in EWF are voting for??? And did the R's get permission to use that music?
Wonder what the Nielsen rating was for this? I can't see what the talking heads are saying, because I am watching a live feed thru MSNBC. But I can't imagine there is going to be a big bounce out of this campaign for McCain. All they have managed to do is piss off a bunch of Democratic women, and apparently the D's raised over $10 million just today in reponse to Palin's speech. And that was as of 6 p.m.
I can't say I had a "gulp" moment, one where I thought, oh jeez, that hurts us. For all of McCain's talk of shaking up Washington, he voted with Bush 90% of the time. Which of his votes will he repudiate? He wants us to remember 40 years ago when he was in Hanoi, he doesn't want us to remember 20 years ago when he was embroiled in the Savings and Loan debacle and the Keating Scandal.
I have to say, tepid. Not intrepid.
And now he has $85 million to spend. We raised $10 million *today*. I will predict over 300 Electoral College votes.
Providing that there is, in fact, an election on November 4th.
Excellent News...FOR MCCAIN!
Those who follow Talking Points Memo get the reference. For the rest, I'll explain. Talking Points Memo is a great blog off the Washington Post. What makes it good reading is that people who work in Washington and have access to a lot of brain power and inside knowledge contribute as readers, sometimes with remarkable information.
In threads during the primary season, someone with the handle "Idiotic" would respond to every post that reported polling numbers that favored Obama with the line "This is excellent news...FOR HILLARY!" It became a running gag, and Idiotic eventually had to disappear because of it, or got bored with the schtick.
So, Palin's speech is excellent news...for McCain! The good news? She energized the base. The bad news? Our base. Apparently, the phones are ringing off the hook at Obama headquarters across the country with women and independents calling and saying PUT ME TO WORK! WHAT CAN I DO?
And for a funny, clever look at Palin's speech, I have to recommend Gail Collins' article in the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/opinion/04collins.html
One of the Hillary Clinton delegates in the Maine delegation sent out a letter saying that because the US does such a poor job of putting women in legislative positions, she is supporting Sarah Palin. I am guessing she will vote for Susan Collins too. Turns out she was only a Democrat for 7 months, had always been an "independent" before that.
Now, she is welcome to her opinion, and she can vote anyway she wants. But it's a damned shame that she took up the space of a real Democrat for a once-in-a-lifetime shot at attending such a historic convention. I have suggested to her that when she gets her tickets to the Inaugural Ball, she should have the decency to give them away to real Democrats.
On the subject of the Maine US Senate race, we all have to get out and work for Tom Allen. Now, Tom's a nice guy. Not bold, not inspiring, and a bit of a Portland Blue Blood, but we HAVE to get rid of Susan Collins. She voted with Bush about 80% of the time, and when she didn't, it was because the Republican leadership let her because it wouldn't matter to the outcome. If you like Bush's policies, you like Susan Collins. Period.
She's a woman? Feh. She votes against women's issues most of the time, especially economic issues. She voted for the two recent Supreme Court nominees. Her gender hasn't given her any real appreciation of the needs of working women, and men, and if it has, she still voted the wrong way. Just about every time it mattered, she voted with Bush.
I have worked for women in office all my political life, from Bonnie Titcomb to Dale McCormick to Peggy Pendleton to Monica McGlocklin to Susan Longley. I am as feminist as just about any guy you'll find out there. But a woman who votes against women is no better than a man who votes against women. Just having the right plumbing doesn't do it for me.
So Tom Allen doesn't thrill you? Too bad. Hold your nose and vote for him. If the Republicans can filibuster everything that Obama tries to pass to undo the wretched excess of Bush and Co., they will prevent or water down important legislation. And the only way we can prevent that is to get to 60 in the Senate.
And the only way we can do that is to get Tom Allen elected. If you can't volunteer, give him money, any amount. Talk to your friends. Talk to your neighbors. Put on a bumper sticker or put out a sign. But find a way to help.
In threads during the primary season, someone with the handle "Idiotic" would respond to every post that reported polling numbers that favored Obama with the line "This is excellent news...FOR HILLARY!" It became a running gag, and Idiotic eventually had to disappear because of it, or got bored with the schtick.
So, Palin's speech is excellent news...for McCain! The good news? She energized the base. The bad news? Our base. Apparently, the phones are ringing off the hook at Obama headquarters across the country with women and independents calling and saying PUT ME TO WORK! WHAT CAN I DO?
And for a funny, clever look at Palin's speech, I have to recommend Gail Collins' article in the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/04/opinion/04collins.html
One of the Hillary Clinton delegates in the Maine delegation sent out a letter saying that because the US does such a poor job of putting women in legislative positions, she is supporting Sarah Palin. I am guessing she will vote for Susan Collins too. Turns out she was only a Democrat for 7 months, had always been an "independent" before that.
Now, she is welcome to her opinion, and she can vote anyway she wants. But it's a damned shame that she took up the space of a real Democrat for a once-in-a-lifetime shot at attending such a historic convention. I have suggested to her that when she gets her tickets to the Inaugural Ball, she should have the decency to give them away to real Democrats.
On the subject of the Maine US Senate race, we all have to get out and work for Tom Allen. Now, Tom's a nice guy. Not bold, not inspiring, and a bit of a Portland Blue Blood, but we HAVE to get rid of Susan Collins. She voted with Bush about 80% of the time, and when she didn't, it was because the Republican leadership let her because it wouldn't matter to the outcome. If you like Bush's policies, you like Susan Collins. Period.
She's a woman? Feh. She votes against women's issues most of the time, especially economic issues. She voted for the two recent Supreme Court nominees. Her gender hasn't given her any real appreciation of the needs of working women, and men, and if it has, she still voted the wrong way. Just about every time it mattered, she voted with Bush.
I have worked for women in office all my political life, from Bonnie Titcomb to Dale McCormick to Peggy Pendleton to Monica McGlocklin to Susan Longley. I am as feminist as just about any guy you'll find out there. But a woman who votes against women is no better than a man who votes against women. Just having the right plumbing doesn't do it for me.
So Tom Allen doesn't thrill you? Too bad. Hold your nose and vote for him. If the Republicans can filibuster everything that Obama tries to pass to undo the wretched excess of Bush and Co., they will prevent or water down important legislation. And the only way we can prevent that is to get to 60 in the Senate.
And the only way we can do that is to get Tom Allen elected. If you can't volunteer, give him money, any amount. Talk to your friends. Talk to your neighbors. Put on a bumper sticker or put out a sign. But find a way to help.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
That's some spunky gal.
She just gave a great speech. Gotta hand it to her, she did a great job of delivering the speech that was written for her. Then again, she has been a media type in Alaska, and she knows how to handle a teleprompter.
But she strayed into territory that will come back to haunt her. Again, it's all about the Hanoi Hilton. And her assertion that she went against earmarks is not borne out by the record.
But she did what she needed to do tonight to save her candidacy. Now McCain is joined to her. Game on.
Of course, the end of her speech wasn't in time for the 11 o'clock news. So much for Republican precision.
Ok, here we go, Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy and somebody RIch. Cpwboy Troy is, I have to say it, a token African American on the stage. Sure are a lotta white folks in that hall. Hell, I had more minorities in my room at the hotel in the Democratic National Convention than most of the Republican state delegations have.
Oh lordy, they are still harping on the POW thing. That was 40 years ago, for cryin' out loud. Enough. What's he going to do in 2009?
Go back to the Senate, apparently...because he isn't likely to win.
But she strayed into territory that will come back to haunt her. Again, it's all about the Hanoi Hilton. And her assertion that she went against earmarks is not borne out by the record.
But she did what she needed to do tonight to save her candidacy. Now McCain is joined to her. Game on.
Of course, the end of her speech wasn't in time for the 11 o'clock news. So much for Republican precision.
Ok, here we go, Gretchen Wilson, Cowboy Troy and somebody RIch. Cpwboy Troy is, I have to say it, a token African American on the stage. Sure are a lotta white folks in that hall. Hell, I had more minorities in my room at the hotel in the Democratic National Convention than most of the Republican state delegations have.
Oh lordy, they are still harping on the POW thing. That was 40 years ago, for cryin' out loud. Enough. What's he going to do in 2009?
Go back to the Senate, apparently...because he isn't likely to win.
Reagan's Speechwriter, Peggy Noonan, Declares "It's Over"
Many outlets are showing 2 Republicans in their own Jesse Jackson moment. Peggy Noonan and Republican flack Mike Murphy, discussing the pick of Sarah Palin, for VP, declared "It's over." Murphy called the pick "gimmicky". Noonan said "...they went for the narrative, which is, excuse me, political bullshit..."
Now that's what I call "Straight Talk"!
So Palin is going to attack the media and " Washington elite". Perfect. The media which was McCain's biggest ally is going to be their punching bag. That will turn a lot of votes their way.
No more Palin family matters. Just the facts of her record, ma'am, just the facts. Better yet, keep the focus on McCain and his policies and judgement.
I am watching portions of the RNC online. I am struck by how empty the hall is much of the time. Contrast that with the mob scenes inside the DNC last week.
Bring it on, Sarah. Bring it on.
Now that's what I call "Straight Talk"!
So Palin is going to attack the media and " Washington elite". Perfect. The media which was McCain's biggest ally is going to be their punching bag. That will turn a lot of votes their way.
No more Palin family matters. Just the facts of her record, ma'am, just the facts. Better yet, keep the focus on McCain and his policies and judgement.
I am watching portions of the RNC online. I am struck by how empty the hall is much of the time. Contrast that with the mob scenes inside the DNC last week.
Bring it on, Sarah. Bring it on.
Straight Talk Part Deux
oops, I almost forgot...
McMinions: She was against pork, as evidenced by her opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere" championed by Ted Stevens.
Anchorage Daily News, USAToday, Politifact.com: Bullsh*t.
ADN: Part of her platform in running for governor was "build the Bridge". She later used the money for other projects. USAToday: She backed federal funding of the bridge project, and as Mayor of Wasilla, hired one of Jack Abramoff's lobbyists to promote earmarks for Wasilla, to the tune of $8 million. Politifact: She turned it down only after the money for it had been canceled by Congress. Though she said on Friday in her introduction " If we wanted a bridge, we would have built it ourselves", she earlier had said "we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge..."
And for sheer crass entertainment value, I have to recommend the store at www.VPILF.com ( yeah, you read that right. Don't ask me to explain. It's one of those internets things.) A sample: photo of Palin with the caption "Babe-raham Lincoln!". Don't say I didn't warn you.
McMinions: She was against pork, as evidenced by her opposition to the "Bridge to Nowhere" championed by Ted Stevens.
Anchorage Daily News, USAToday, Politifact.com: Bullsh*t.
ADN: Part of her platform in running for governor was "build the Bridge". She later used the money for other projects. USAToday: She backed federal funding of the bridge project, and as Mayor of Wasilla, hired one of Jack Abramoff's lobbyists to promote earmarks for Wasilla, to the tune of $8 million. Politifact: She turned it down only after the money for it had been canceled by Congress. Though she said on Friday in her introduction " If we wanted a bridge, we would have built it ourselves", she earlier had said "we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it's clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge..."
And for sheer crass entertainment value, I have to recommend the store at www.VPILF.com ( yeah, you read that right. Don't ask me to explain. It's one of those internets things.) A sample: photo of Palin with the caption "Babe-raham Lincoln!". Don't say I didn't warn you.
So much for the Straight Talk Express
McMinions: She was vetted by the FBI.
FBI. Huh? Not us. Never happened.
McMinons: She is fully qualified to be Vice President, and a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
Alaska Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing: issued a "certificate of involuntary dissolution" ( Translation: the State of Alaska, Sarah Palin, Governor, is shutting your car wash down, Ms., I mean Governor, Palin.) Sarah Palin started a car wash in Wasilla as part-time mayor. So she has executive experience as a businesswoman, too. Except she didn't pay fees and file paperwork, and the state of Alaska sent her that notice, with her name on the LETTERHEAD, for crying out loud. ( Source: Washington and Fitzgerald, www.alternet.com)
She can't even run a car wash. ( See? Nothing to do with family. Whew. )
McMinions: She has experience from her travels abroad
Me: See previous post.
Tune in tonight, folks. Should be a helluva speech. She can read a teleprompter well, and apparently is a good debater, too. Seriously. No snark here. I just wish I could hear Patrick Buchanan respond to this speech.
Speaking of speeches, Carol Marin of suntimes.com, reports in St. Paul that at least a half dozen times she has been asked by Republican legislators questions along the lines of "Were you there? Was it amazing?", referring to Obama's Thursday speech at INVESCO field. Speech envy.
My friends, they have only to look to this Thursday, when John McCain will blow Obama off the rhetorical playing field. Ok, THAT is snark. Just testing.
FBI. Huh? Not us. Never happened.
McMinons: She is fully qualified to be Vice President, and a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
Alaska Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing: issued a "certificate of involuntary dissolution" ( Translation: the State of Alaska, Sarah Palin, Governor, is shutting your car wash down, Ms., I mean Governor, Palin.) Sarah Palin started a car wash in Wasilla as part-time mayor. So she has executive experience as a businesswoman, too. Except she didn't pay fees and file paperwork, and the state of Alaska sent her that notice, with her name on the LETTERHEAD, for crying out loud. ( Source: Washington and Fitzgerald, www.alternet.com)
She can't even run a car wash. ( See? Nothing to do with family. Whew. )
McMinions: She has experience from her travels abroad
Me: See previous post.
Tune in tonight, folks. Should be a helluva speech. She can read a teleprompter well, and apparently is a good debater, too. Seriously. No snark here. I just wish I could hear Patrick Buchanan respond to this speech.
Speaking of speeches, Carol Marin of suntimes.com, reports in St. Paul that at least a half dozen times she has been asked by Republican legislators questions along the lines of "Were you there? Was it amazing?", referring to Obama's Thursday speech at INVESCO field. Speech envy.
My friends, they have only to look to this Thursday, when John McCain will blow Obama off the rhetorical playing field. Ok, THAT is snark. Just testing.
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
My, my, isn't this a fascinating time in which we live? The revelations about President Palin ( think about that for a moment...then move on) just get better and better...unless you think about the actual ramifications for our country, which John McCain always puts first. Unless Karl Rove tells him to do otherwise.
So, as Governor of Alaska, President Palin slashed funding for a teenaged mothers program. Perfect. Now it appears she tried to get her daughter to get married right after the convention. Her people say the young couple planned to marry all along. So, umm, why didn't President Palin introduce her as " my engaged daughter"?
Scott Simon of NPR interviewed a Palin spokesperson over the weekend, asking about President Palin's foreign travel. The flack, whose name I can't recall, answered that she had traveled abroad and seen other countries besides Germany and Kuwait, where President Palin had visited Alaska National Guard troops. Initially evasive when pressed to say which other countries, the flack finally answered "She''s been to Ireland."
And indeed she has. In the airport. On the stopover to Germany. The sum of her overseas experience is an Irish airport, an Army base in Germany, and an Army base in Kuwait.
Hey, that's a thick enough foreign policy resume for ME...but what do *I* know?
President Palin's campaign people have said that her daughter and the young man she is going to marry, Levi Johnston, should be left alone and should have their privacy. Which is why President Palin's campaign is bringing Levi Johnston's family to the convention. To the Republican National Convention. Where there are, ohhh, I dunno, 14,853 journalists and photographers, news crews from around the world, ( even Ireland! Where President Palin has been!), and talking heads of every stripe. So they can get some privacy.
( I wonder if FOX News, they of the "fair and balanced", will refer to Bristol Palin as Levi johnston's "baby mama"? Wanna take a bet?)
My guess is, they are hoping that the media frenzy surrounding them will disgust people. Whether that will translate into votes for McCain is debateable.
But lawdy, ain't they cynical?
Now on to John McCain's family values. People Magazine has a cover story on the Palin and McCain families, with pictures of the families. Wait a second...what's wrong with this picture?
Where's Bridget?
You know, Bridget McCain, his daughter adopted from Bangladesh, the one Karl Rove and Steve Schmidt, McCain's campaign manager, called his "illegitimate black baby" in South Crolina in 2000?
Why isn't Bridget in the picture? More importantly, who made that decision to leave her out of the family portrait that would be prominently displayed in every supermarket aisle in America? Did Steve Schidt say "Senator, we can't have her in the picture. It just won't fly in middle America"? And McCain said yes? So McCain, the maverick, is getting told what to do by Steve Schmidt? Or McCain, the maverick, made the decision as a dad to leave his daughter out of the picture.
Either way, what a guy. As a father of a daughter by adoption, let me just say I am appalled.
Now, let's talk about families for a moment. Barack Obama is absolutely right that children should be off limits when we discuss the presidential race.
But as Barney Frank says today in the Boston Herald, they are the ones who brought up her family, and family values, as part of her qualifications for the Presidency. And the Republican party has for years presented themselves as the arbiter of American Family Values. Heck, even James Dobson, right wing religious fanatic, leads a group called Focus on the Family.
So, it's a conundrum. Is it legitimate to ask how effective abstinence only sex education is when the daughter of a vigorous proponent of abstinence, as in President Palin, gets pregnant out of wedlock? Is it fair to use her as an example?
Or should we leave them alone, and focus on the fact that a President McCain is likely to lead to a President Palin? And that their policies will just continue Bush's policies in education, energy, foreign policy, and tax policy?
I have to admit, it's always delicious to dish on Republican hypocrisy. But I am not sure it really gets us further down the road. So, I will attempt to avoid concentrating on the continuing President Palin Soap Opera.
But don't hate me for occasionally straying if it gets REALLY juicy. I'm only human.
So, as Governor of Alaska, President Palin slashed funding for a teenaged mothers program. Perfect. Now it appears she tried to get her daughter to get married right after the convention. Her people say the young couple planned to marry all along. So, umm, why didn't President Palin introduce her as " my engaged daughter"?
Scott Simon of NPR interviewed a Palin spokesperson over the weekend, asking about President Palin's foreign travel. The flack, whose name I can't recall, answered that she had traveled abroad and seen other countries besides Germany and Kuwait, where President Palin had visited Alaska National Guard troops. Initially evasive when pressed to say which other countries, the flack finally answered "She''s been to Ireland."
And indeed she has. In the airport. On the stopover to Germany. The sum of her overseas experience is an Irish airport, an Army base in Germany, and an Army base in Kuwait.
Hey, that's a thick enough foreign policy resume for ME...but what do *I* know?
President Palin's campaign people have said that her daughter and the young man she is going to marry, Levi Johnston, should be left alone and should have their privacy. Which is why President Palin's campaign is bringing Levi Johnston's family to the convention. To the Republican National Convention. Where there are, ohhh, I dunno, 14,853 journalists and photographers, news crews from around the world, ( even Ireland! Where President Palin has been!), and talking heads of every stripe. So they can get some privacy.
( I wonder if FOX News, they of the "fair and balanced", will refer to Bristol Palin as Levi johnston's "baby mama"? Wanna take a bet?)
My guess is, they are hoping that the media frenzy surrounding them will disgust people. Whether that will translate into votes for McCain is debateable.
But lawdy, ain't they cynical?
Now on to John McCain's family values. People Magazine has a cover story on the Palin and McCain families, with pictures of the families. Wait a second...what's wrong with this picture?
Where's Bridget?
You know, Bridget McCain, his daughter adopted from Bangladesh, the one Karl Rove and Steve Schmidt, McCain's campaign manager, called his "illegitimate black baby" in South Crolina in 2000?
Why isn't Bridget in the picture? More importantly, who made that decision to leave her out of the family portrait that would be prominently displayed in every supermarket aisle in America? Did Steve Schidt say "Senator, we can't have her in the picture. It just won't fly in middle America"? And McCain said yes? So McCain, the maverick, is getting told what to do by Steve Schmidt? Or McCain, the maverick, made the decision as a dad to leave his daughter out of the picture.
Either way, what a guy. As a father of a daughter by adoption, let me just say I am appalled.
Now, let's talk about families for a moment. Barack Obama is absolutely right that children should be off limits when we discuss the presidential race.
But as Barney Frank says today in the Boston Herald, they are the ones who brought up her family, and family values, as part of her qualifications for the Presidency. And the Republican party has for years presented themselves as the arbiter of American Family Values. Heck, even James Dobson, right wing religious fanatic, leads a group called Focus on the Family.
So, it's a conundrum. Is it legitimate to ask how effective abstinence only sex education is when the daughter of a vigorous proponent of abstinence, as in President Palin, gets pregnant out of wedlock? Is it fair to use her as an example?
Or should we leave them alone, and focus on the fact that a President McCain is likely to lead to a President Palin? And that their policies will just continue Bush's policies in education, energy, foreign policy, and tax policy?
I have to admit, it's always delicious to dish on Republican hypocrisy. But I am not sure it really gets us further down the road. So, I will attempt to avoid concentrating on the continuing President Palin Soap Opera.
But don't hate me for occasionally straying if it gets REALLY juicy. I'm only human.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Here We Go
Police in Minnesota invaded homes of suspected protesters, dressed in SWAT gear, arresting people who merely asked if they had a warrant, and bradishing automatic weapons. You can find the story on Salon.com.
This, folks, is merely practice. if they can pre-emptively raid otherwise peaceful and law abiding households, handcuff them, and take their computers and journals without showing a warrant, then they can pretty much do the same to me for writing this blog, and to you for reading it. I'll be amazed if we have an election on Nov. 4th.
Good news for New Orleans about Gustav. I'm waiting to see how Houma and environs fared.
More tonight, off to work.
This, folks, is merely practice. if they can pre-emptively raid otherwise peaceful and law abiding households, handcuff them, and take their computers and journals without showing a warrant, then they can pretty much do the same to me for writing this blog, and to you for reading it. I'll be amazed if we have an election on Nov. 4th.
Good news for New Orleans about Gustav. I'm waiting to see how Houma and environs fared.
More tonight, off to work.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
At last, the reason she was picked
This pretty much says it all...
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/08/john-mccains-wandering-eyes-ne.html
Sorry didn't write yesterday, travel day. Working today. Back to the real world. Siiigghhhh...
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/08/john-mccains-wandering-eyes-ne.html
Sorry didn't write yesterday, travel day. Working today. Back to the real world. Siiigghhhh...
Friday, August 29, 2008
I Can Dissect That Nomination in Just Three Words!
Dan.
Quayle.
Lite.
Except that her qualifications make Dan Quayle look like the love child of Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.
My god, she even says "nuke-you-ler" weapons.
Ok, so here is how cynical this nomination is: Racial warfare may not be enough, so let's re-ignite the gender wars. It's also another example of Republican Affirmative Action, a la Clarence Thomas. Let's put an intellectually not-particularly-gifted black guy on the Supreme Court. The Democrats, led by Joe Biden on the judiciary committee, caved in the face of being accused of performing a "high-tech lynching", once Anita Hill made her allegations of sexual misconduct. Joe Biden, in the eyes of many of the women of that era, did not acquit himself well on the Judiciary Committee.
So what happens if Joe Biden, in attack dog mode, goes after Sarah Palin in the VP debates? He looks like a cad and a bully. The thinking goes that the working women of Pennsylavania and Ohio and Virginia will see her as one of their own, a "Red-Neck Woman" in the song by Gretchen Wilson, and will turn on the Democrats.
And, in true Karl Rove fashion, it's a 2-fer. When Rove attacks, he attacks the strong point, and whenever possible, gets a side benefit. The forged Air National Guard documents revealed on CBS news in 2004 not only discredited the idea of W as a deserter, it cost Dan Rather his job. A Rovian 2-fer.
So, at some point, the Democrats are going to bring up the inconvenient truth that Gov. Palin is under investigation for getting a state police officer fired for personal reasons. The officer in question was the Governor's brother-in-law, married to her sister. There was a nasty custody battle. The Governor intervened in ways that seem to ignore a sentence or two in the Alaskan Legal System. ( Never mind any general ethical standard.)
When this gets out, you can be certain that her defense will be: " Listen, buster, I was just trying to protect my sister and her kids from a large, powerful man with a badge and a gun." The women referenced above in the swing states will rise up in sisterhood and turn out by the pickup truck load.
Faux News repeatedly describes her as having "impeccable ethics". This is part of the setup. Damn those nasty Democrats, attacking her ethics!
It is so breathtakingly cynical. It's Clarence Thomas Redux, except in this case it's not an unqualified black man they are putting forth as The Best Possible Person For The Job, it is a former beauty queen, who spent a brief stint as the ceremonial mayor of a village of 9,000 people, before spending a whopping 18 months as Governor of Alaska, and its 638,954 citizens.
And it's on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Heckuva job, McCain. You sure nailed the whole judgement thing.
But you know, it's so crazy, it just might work.
On the other hand, the 12,563,498 next-most-qualified Republican women might just get so cranky at being passed over by McCain's vetting team, that they will decide to vote for someone else...or not at all.
In fact, I would recommend that every Republican female officeholder who thinks she is more qualified than Sarah Palin write a letter to the editor: Why Not Me? Better yet, a series of You Tube videos: Republican women with stronger qualifications than Sarah Palin.
I am going to have to watch the Republican convention to see them praising her skills and qualifications. Oughta be a hoot. I can't wait to hear the comparisons between Joe Biden's speech and hers.
Maybe the few Republicans who actually attend the convention will revolt, declare a do-over, and draft Kay Bailey Hutchinson as the candidate. And as the next VP nominee?
I hear Quayle is tanned, rested, and ready.
Quayle.
Lite.
Except that her qualifications make Dan Quayle look like the love child of Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.
My god, she even says "nuke-you-ler" weapons.
Ok, so here is how cynical this nomination is: Racial warfare may not be enough, so let's re-ignite the gender wars. It's also another example of Republican Affirmative Action, a la Clarence Thomas. Let's put an intellectually not-particularly-gifted black guy on the Supreme Court. The Democrats, led by Joe Biden on the judiciary committee, caved in the face of being accused of performing a "high-tech lynching", once Anita Hill made her allegations of sexual misconduct. Joe Biden, in the eyes of many of the women of that era, did not acquit himself well on the Judiciary Committee.
So what happens if Joe Biden, in attack dog mode, goes after Sarah Palin in the VP debates? He looks like a cad and a bully. The thinking goes that the working women of Pennsylavania and Ohio and Virginia will see her as one of their own, a "Red-Neck Woman" in the song by Gretchen Wilson, and will turn on the Democrats.
And, in true Karl Rove fashion, it's a 2-fer. When Rove attacks, he attacks the strong point, and whenever possible, gets a side benefit. The forged Air National Guard documents revealed on CBS news in 2004 not only discredited the idea of W as a deserter, it cost Dan Rather his job. A Rovian 2-fer.
So, at some point, the Democrats are going to bring up the inconvenient truth that Gov. Palin is under investigation for getting a state police officer fired for personal reasons. The officer in question was the Governor's brother-in-law, married to her sister. There was a nasty custody battle. The Governor intervened in ways that seem to ignore a sentence or two in the Alaskan Legal System. ( Never mind any general ethical standard.)
When this gets out, you can be certain that her defense will be: " Listen, buster, I was just trying to protect my sister and her kids from a large, powerful man with a badge and a gun." The women referenced above in the swing states will rise up in sisterhood and turn out by the pickup truck load.
Faux News repeatedly describes her as having "impeccable ethics". This is part of the setup. Damn those nasty Democrats, attacking her ethics!
It is so breathtakingly cynical. It's Clarence Thomas Redux, except in this case it's not an unqualified black man they are putting forth as The Best Possible Person For The Job, it is a former beauty queen, who spent a brief stint as the ceremonial mayor of a village of 9,000 people, before spending a whopping 18 months as Governor of Alaska, and its 638,954 citizens.
And it's on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Heckuva job, McCain. You sure nailed the whole judgement thing.
But you know, it's so crazy, it just might work.
On the other hand, the 12,563,498 next-most-qualified Republican women might just get so cranky at being passed over by McCain's vetting team, that they will decide to vote for someone else...or not at all.
In fact, I would recommend that every Republican female officeholder who thinks she is more qualified than Sarah Palin write a letter to the editor: Why Not Me? Better yet, a series of You Tube videos: Republican women with stronger qualifications than Sarah Palin.
I am going to have to watch the Republican convention to see them praising her skills and qualifications. Oughta be a hoot. I can't wait to hear the comparisons between Joe Biden's speech and hers.
Maybe the few Republicans who actually attend the convention will revolt, declare a do-over, and draft Kay Bailey Hutchinson as the candidate. And as the next VP nominee?
I hear Quayle is tanned, rested, and ready.
This Just In:
RedState.com is reporting that McCain has chosen Tim Pawlenty as his running mate. Quick, who was Bob Dole's running mate in '96? That's where Pawlenty is going to end up.
Debate between Biden and Pawlenty? Pawlenty would be better off getting waterboarded. It won't be as uncomfortable for him. Watch for the McMinions to set the bar so low for Pawlenty's performance that it will be considered a victory if he doesn't soil himself on national television.
This Just In Part 2: Since I started writing this, Karl Rove has leaked the name of Sarah Palin, beleaguered governor of Alaska, as the VP choice. Keep the pundits talking about the VP choice, not Obama's speech. Won't work well.
Obama's speech last night was not what I had expected. I noticed myself thinking part way through it " Why am I strangely unmoved by this?"
But he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to the naysayers, the curious tuning in for the first time, the undecideds who had heard this guy was all rhetoric, and no substance.
Well, the boy had substance in spades.
So, did you gasp when you saw that? or guffaw? Why? All I said was "the boy had substance in spades." What's wrong with that? Men often call each other "boy", and having something "in spades" just means there is a lot of it. Right? Wait, you're telling me I am using racist language? There you go, dealing out the race card again.
And that, children, is what it will be like in the next two months. All the coded language will be brought out. And everytime they get called on it, we will be the ones called out for playing the race card. Just a little hint. Look for a running glossary of Dog-Whistle terms to show up here soon.
Anyway, back to the speech. Imagine you're John McCain watching this thing. Obama looks right into the camera and calls you out on questioning his patriotism. To paraphrase: "Don't mess with me, suckah. I'm coming for you."
Now, if you're John McCain, you've just been challenged to a fight, mano a mano. Obama is all up in your grill, and the veins in your neck are starting to throb, and steam is starting to come out of your ears. Your cage has been thoroughly rattled. McCain in fight mode doesn't engage the brain so thoroughly, and the remark about "I have the temperament, and judgement, to be President" just stokes the boiler.
And rest assured, we will hear a lot about temperament, and McCain voting with Bush 90% of the time. Expect to see photos of McCain and Bush in a man-hug in just about every ad you see.
Things You Probably Didn't See on TV:
There were celebrities of every description in the hall. We constantly had people coming by and getting mobbed by people who wanted pictures of themselves with What's-His-Name, which is who most of them were to me. I did have fun meeting Mike Dukakis, though. I introduced myself: "Governor, I'm Chris O'Brien, from Duxbury. I have always been a huge fan. Great to see you!"
( For the non-O'Briens reading, my brother Chris has the same deep and abiding affection for Dukakis that I have for Dick Cheney.)
Anyway, I was constantly taking pictures of other delegates with famous politicos, media types, TV actors and actresses, most of whom I didn't recognize.
Case in point: Wandering around behind the media booths, getting a look behind the scenes, I found myself standing next to this nattily dressed young African-American man. He was sporting a fedora, a long jacket resembling a nehru coat, and blue jeans. We nodded to each other, and I moved on. I saw him a little later, on the stage, singing with John Legend. Yeah, I was hangin' with Will.I.Am, who did the "Yes We Can" video, and didn't have a clue. ( So what else is new?)
The california delegation was in front of us, and one of the actresses from one of the CSI shows was there, apparently a delegate. Damned if I can remember her name. She's one of the lab types, I think, the one with the short brown hair and radiant smile. She was a good sport about getting pictures taken with her, and seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself like a regular person.
The Absolute Best Moment I Wish I Had on Video:
Between speeches, they often play music so the crowd can get up and dance. They played "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", and of course I was up and dancing. Turned around, and saw that everybody, and I mean everybody, in the CBS booth was up and dancing. The makeup person, camera operators, director, CBS news executive types, didn't matter the pay grade, they were ALL up and shakin' it. And I am not talking about just tapping their feet and bobbing their heads, they were all WORKING it, baby. Looked over to NBC, CNN, FOX, ABC...sitting there, stonefaced, watching the proceedings. Meanwhile the CBS crew was interacting with the delegates, waving and winking and looking like they wanted to come down and dance with us. After the song was over, they cheered wildly, we cheered wildly, and chants erupted from 4 delegations: "CBS! CBS! CBS!"
I know which network *I'm* watching from now on.
Here is how smart the Obama people are: One of the organizers from Colorado got onstage and urged everyone to text "DNC" and their first name to 62262 (OBAMA) and add a little message about why they got involved. 84,000 people in the hall. Subtract from that maybe 30,000 delegates, media, family members, etc. Now you have 54,000 people. If half of them actually text to Obama, that's 24,000 cell phone numbers Obama's campaign has captured, most from the swing state of Colorado. Those are numbers that they can text to get out news, requests for volunteers, and get-out-the-vote information.
Brilliant.
ok, off to read some reactions to the speech. I wanted to write before I was tainted by talking heads.
Debate between Biden and Pawlenty? Pawlenty would be better off getting waterboarded. It won't be as uncomfortable for him. Watch for the McMinions to set the bar so low for Pawlenty's performance that it will be considered a victory if he doesn't soil himself on national television.
This Just In Part 2: Since I started writing this, Karl Rove has leaked the name of Sarah Palin, beleaguered governor of Alaska, as the VP choice. Keep the pundits talking about the VP choice, not Obama's speech. Won't work well.
Obama's speech last night was not what I had expected. I noticed myself thinking part way through it " Why am I strangely unmoved by this?"
But he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to the naysayers, the curious tuning in for the first time, the undecideds who had heard this guy was all rhetoric, and no substance.
Well, the boy had substance in spades.
So, did you gasp when you saw that? or guffaw? Why? All I said was "the boy had substance in spades." What's wrong with that? Men often call each other "boy", and having something "in spades" just means there is a lot of it. Right? Wait, you're telling me I am using racist language? There you go, dealing out the race card again.
And that, children, is what it will be like in the next two months. All the coded language will be brought out. And everytime they get called on it, we will be the ones called out for playing the race card. Just a little hint. Look for a running glossary of Dog-Whistle terms to show up here soon.
Anyway, back to the speech. Imagine you're John McCain watching this thing. Obama looks right into the camera and calls you out on questioning his patriotism. To paraphrase: "Don't mess with me, suckah. I'm coming for you."
Now, if you're John McCain, you've just been challenged to a fight, mano a mano. Obama is all up in your grill, and the veins in your neck are starting to throb, and steam is starting to come out of your ears. Your cage has been thoroughly rattled. McCain in fight mode doesn't engage the brain so thoroughly, and the remark about "I have the temperament, and judgement, to be President" just stokes the boiler.
And rest assured, we will hear a lot about temperament, and McCain voting with Bush 90% of the time. Expect to see photos of McCain and Bush in a man-hug in just about every ad you see.
Things You Probably Didn't See on TV:
There were celebrities of every description in the hall. We constantly had people coming by and getting mobbed by people who wanted pictures of themselves with What's-His-Name, which is who most of them were to me. I did have fun meeting Mike Dukakis, though. I introduced myself: "Governor, I'm Chris O'Brien, from Duxbury. I have always been a huge fan. Great to see you!"
( For the non-O'Briens reading, my brother Chris has the same deep and abiding affection for Dukakis that I have for Dick Cheney.)
Anyway, I was constantly taking pictures of other delegates with famous politicos, media types, TV actors and actresses, most of whom I didn't recognize.
Case in point: Wandering around behind the media booths, getting a look behind the scenes, I found myself standing next to this nattily dressed young African-American man. He was sporting a fedora, a long jacket resembling a nehru coat, and blue jeans. We nodded to each other, and I moved on. I saw him a little later, on the stage, singing with John Legend. Yeah, I was hangin' with Will.I.Am, who did the "Yes We Can" video, and didn't have a clue. ( So what else is new?)
The california delegation was in front of us, and one of the actresses from one of the CSI shows was there, apparently a delegate. Damned if I can remember her name. She's one of the lab types, I think, the one with the short brown hair and radiant smile. She was a good sport about getting pictures taken with her, and seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself like a regular person.
The Absolute Best Moment I Wish I Had on Video:
Between speeches, they often play music so the crowd can get up and dance. They played "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", and of course I was up and dancing. Turned around, and saw that everybody, and I mean everybody, in the CBS booth was up and dancing. The makeup person, camera operators, director, CBS news executive types, didn't matter the pay grade, they were ALL up and shakin' it. And I am not talking about just tapping their feet and bobbing their heads, they were all WORKING it, baby. Looked over to NBC, CNN, FOX, ABC...sitting there, stonefaced, watching the proceedings. Meanwhile the CBS crew was interacting with the delegates, waving and winking and looking like they wanted to come down and dance with us. After the song was over, they cheered wildly, we cheered wildly, and chants erupted from 4 delegations: "CBS! CBS! CBS!"
I know which network *I'm* watching from now on.
Here is how smart the Obama people are: One of the organizers from Colorado got onstage and urged everyone to text "DNC" and their first name to 62262 (OBAMA) and add a little message about why they got involved. 84,000 people in the hall. Subtract from that maybe 30,000 delegates, media, family members, etc. Now you have 54,000 people. If half of them actually text to Obama, that's 24,000 cell phone numbers Obama's campaign has captured, most from the swing state of Colorado. Those are numbers that they can text to get out news, requests for volunteers, and get-out-the-vote information.
Brilliant.
ok, off to read some reactions to the speech. I wanted to write before I was tainted by talking heads.
The Speech
Without going into too much detail right now, because I am exhausted, here is what you need to know if you didn't see or hear The Speech:
Patrick Buchanan, speechwriter for Richard Milhouse Nixon, erstwhile Presidential candidate, ultra conservative talking head for MSNBC, spent so much time praising the speech that he had to be cut off because he was taking up too much time.
Patrick Bleeping Buchanan, raving about how great the speech was...amazing.
These guys are so damned smart.
Patrick Buchanan, speechwriter for Richard Milhouse Nixon, erstwhile Presidential candidate, ultra conservative talking head for MSNBC, spent so much time praising the speech that he had to be cut off because he was taking up too much time.
Patrick Bleeping Buchanan, raving about how great the speech was...amazing.
These guys are so damned smart.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
After last night's speech, is Bill Clinton "Black" again?
Umm...no.
But at least he is no longer a scumbag.
Off to INVESCO. I'll have the Downeast Beverage martini-in-a-lobster-claw hat on, a green shirt with a red tie...and a kilt. Shouldn't be too hard to spot, but we're off in the bulrushes somewhere between Arkansas and Oklahoma, so might be hard to find.
Can't wait!
But at least he is no longer a scumbag.
Off to INVESCO. I'll have the Downeast Beverage martini-in-a-lobster-claw hat on, a green shirt with a red tie...and a kilt. Shouldn't be too hard to spot, but we're off in the bulrushes somewhere between Arkansas and Oklahoma, so might be hard to find.
Can't wait!
God Must Be a Democrat and other random ruminations
Focus on the Family's Stuart Shepherd has been asking Christian folks to pray for rain on Obama's speech tonight. They even made a video, which has since been pulled from their website.
The National Weather Service precipitation prediction for today in Denver: 0% chance of rain. That's zero, folks. Maybe they should have prayed a *little* bit harder. Or maybe they don't really have enough faith. Or maybe, just maybe, God don't truck with no nonsense like this.
( Understand, I have been living this week with Craig Hickman, a poet/performance artist/Bed and Breakfast owner. Black, gay, dreadlocked and outspoken, he has been just the perfect roommate for this week. I have been blessed, as he would say. Classic Craig-ism of the week, upon seeing Michelle Obama, beaming in the audience, when Barack came out onstage last night: " That Michelle, she luuuvvv her some BarACK!" He's blogging for the Kennebec Journal. Check him out.)
For many of the speeches, there are little musical introductions, snippets of musical cues. It has been heavy on Motown and 80's pop, leading to some peculiar, if downright thoughtless juxtapositions.
For instance, just before Clinton's speech, the musical number for people to get up and groove to was Aretha's " Chain of Fools". Hmm. Is there a message there? But more bizarre was following Bill Clinton's speech with "Addicted to Love". I wanted to dope slap the musical director and shout "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??!?!"
To all the people I said I would call from INVESCO Field today: Ain't gonna happen. I will text message people to the extent that I can, but if 80,000 cell phones called friends and family at once, it would shut down cell service all over Denver, which we can agree would be a bad thing. People can try calling in, but it might not work. So, be not offended if I don't get through to you.
Almost Immortal Alert: There is a great picture of a woman on the front page of the NY Times today. I was standing 2 feet behind her at that very moment. Another foot closer and I woulda been immortalized!
There are still lots of events going on. Panels, forums ( forae?), demonstrations, fairs...and I just don't have the energy to get out there. In 2012, I am going into quarantine 2 weeks before the convention so I don't have to worry about getting sick again.
I will shop for a hat to wear. We will be out there with no shade. I am buying a 5 gallon jug of SPF 9,000 sun block so I don't come home as Democrat jerky ( yeah, I know, already a jerky Democrat...)
Looking forward to some good music at the event. Rumored performers include Sheryl Crowe, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Wonder. Wicked cool.
So, everybody get together with friends, and people who don't know about Obama, or aren't sure. Watch. Listen. And get ready for some history to be made.
And can I just say, to all the folks who helped me to get here, I am so very honored to be in this place. Thank you.
The National Weather Service precipitation prediction for today in Denver: 0% chance of rain. That's zero, folks. Maybe they should have prayed a *little* bit harder. Or maybe they don't really have enough faith. Or maybe, just maybe, God don't truck with no nonsense like this.
( Understand, I have been living this week with Craig Hickman, a poet/performance artist/Bed and Breakfast owner. Black, gay, dreadlocked and outspoken, he has been just the perfect roommate for this week. I have been blessed, as he would say. Classic Craig-ism of the week, upon seeing Michelle Obama, beaming in the audience, when Barack came out onstage last night: " That Michelle, she luuuvvv her some BarACK!" He's blogging for the Kennebec Journal. Check him out.)
For many of the speeches, there are little musical introductions, snippets of musical cues. It has been heavy on Motown and 80's pop, leading to some peculiar, if downright thoughtless juxtapositions.
For instance, just before Clinton's speech, the musical number for people to get up and groove to was Aretha's " Chain of Fools". Hmm. Is there a message there? But more bizarre was following Bill Clinton's speech with "Addicted to Love". I wanted to dope slap the musical director and shout "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??!?!"
To all the people I said I would call from INVESCO Field today: Ain't gonna happen. I will text message people to the extent that I can, but if 80,000 cell phones called friends and family at once, it would shut down cell service all over Denver, which we can agree would be a bad thing. People can try calling in, but it might not work. So, be not offended if I don't get through to you.
Almost Immortal Alert: There is a great picture of a woman on the front page of the NY Times today. I was standing 2 feet behind her at that very moment. Another foot closer and I woulda been immortalized!
There are still lots of events going on. Panels, forums ( forae?), demonstrations, fairs...and I just don't have the energy to get out there. In 2012, I am going into quarantine 2 weeks before the convention so I don't have to worry about getting sick again.
I will shop for a hat to wear. We will be out there with no shade. I am buying a 5 gallon jug of SPF 9,000 sun block so I don't come home as Democrat jerky ( yeah, I know, already a jerky Democrat...)
Looking forward to some good music at the event. Rumored performers include Sheryl Crowe, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Wonder. Wicked cool.
So, everybody get together with friends, and people who don't know about Obama, or aren't sure. Watch. Listen. And get ready for some history to be made.
And can I just say, to all the folks who helped me to get here, I am so very honored to be in this place. Thank you.
Here It Comes
Yesterday our joy at the proceedings here in Denver was tempered by news that a threatening email was sent to one of the members of our delegation, saying that all the black people of Maine were going to be killed. The perpetrator also sent the message to Gov. Baldacci's office. State police and Secret Service jumped on it, and a suspect was arrested last night.
Folks, it will get ugly. Be prepared. Go forth and work in hope and strength, but be ready. It's coming, and we will have to be strong, and better than them.
And on that note...Obama has to win. Must. If he doesn't win, he loses Secret Service protection. If he wins, he and his family get that for the rest of their lives.
Now for some fun inside baseball: While the roll call votes were being taken, I stood close to the CNN stage. James Carville, one of Hillary Clinotn's biggest supporters and advocates, was standing there surveying the crowd. I leaned over and said " Mr. Carville!" and extended my hand. He smiled, expecting a fan. As I shook his hand, I asked "Did you ever think it would come to this?" He lost his smile, looked away, and sat down.
Contrast that with Donna Brazile's response. Donna Brazile was an Al Gore campaign manager, and is currently a pundit for CNN. I first came across her in the 1984 Jesse Jackson campaign, and she was tough as nails then.
When Obama went over the top, she was on the edge of the CNN stage, pumping her fists, cheering loudly, whooping it up. She started leading cheers of "Yes We Can!" pointing back into the crowd, and generally carrying on. We locked eyes for a moment, and it was clear she was enjoying every bit of this. Then she had to scurry back into her chair so she could be the reserved pundit again.
If anybody was watching the roll call, they saw the usual bloviation of the delegation spokespeople as they rumble " The great stae of *****, home of the 1958 Junior Tiddlywink Champion Armadillos, proudly casts its votes for Candidate X!" This is a tradition, and people try to make the most of it.
Maine, however, took it to a whole new level. Our chair, John Knutsen, rambled on and on, losing track at one point and saying " Whatever.."...and rambled some more. It was somewhat embarrassing...unless you knew what was behind that performance. Originally the plan was for Illinois to pass on casting its votes, all the other states were to be skipped, and Hillary Clinton would announce from her delegation that all of NY's votes were to be cast for Obama, and would urge the convention to nominate Obama by acclaim.
But Hillary was late. So they went on to include other states. Just as Knutsen was about to go on, the phone rang, and the Obama campaign asked him "Can you talk for an extra couple of minutes?" So he had to fill in off the top of his head. Makes sense now, but at the time I thought " Great. We'll forever be known as the 'Whatever' state.
Folks, it will get ugly. Be prepared. Go forth and work in hope and strength, but be ready. It's coming, and we will have to be strong, and better than them.
And on that note...Obama has to win. Must. If he doesn't win, he loses Secret Service protection. If he wins, he and his family get that for the rest of their lives.
Now for some fun inside baseball: While the roll call votes were being taken, I stood close to the CNN stage. James Carville, one of Hillary Clinotn's biggest supporters and advocates, was standing there surveying the crowd. I leaned over and said " Mr. Carville!" and extended my hand. He smiled, expecting a fan. As I shook his hand, I asked "Did you ever think it would come to this?" He lost his smile, looked away, and sat down.
Contrast that with Donna Brazile's response. Donna Brazile was an Al Gore campaign manager, and is currently a pundit for CNN. I first came across her in the 1984 Jesse Jackson campaign, and she was tough as nails then.
When Obama went over the top, she was on the edge of the CNN stage, pumping her fists, cheering loudly, whooping it up. She started leading cheers of "Yes We Can!" pointing back into the crowd, and generally carrying on. We locked eyes for a moment, and it was clear she was enjoying every bit of this. Then she had to scurry back into her chair so she could be the reserved pundit again.
If anybody was watching the roll call, they saw the usual bloviation of the delegation spokespeople as they rumble " The great stae of *****, home of the 1958 Junior Tiddlywink Champion Armadillos, proudly casts its votes for Candidate X!" This is a tradition, and people try to make the most of it.
Maine, however, took it to a whole new level. Our chair, John Knutsen, rambled on and on, losing track at one point and saying " Whatever.."...and rambled some more. It was somewhat embarrassing...unless you knew what was behind that performance. Originally the plan was for Illinois to pass on casting its votes, all the other states were to be skipped, and Hillary Clinton would announce from her delegation that all of NY's votes were to be cast for Obama, and would urge the convention to nominate Obama by acclaim.
But Hillary was late. So they went on to include other states. Just as Knutsen was about to go on, the phone rang, and the Obama campaign asked him "Can you talk for an extra couple of minutes?" So he had to fill in off the top of his head. Makes sense now, but at the time I thought " Great. We'll forever be known as the 'Whatever' state.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Drama Si, Trauma No.
Mercy sakes, what a night!
So, everybody wondered about how Bubba's speech would play. Would he get on board?
Get on board? He was Casey Freakin' Jones! Who knew that he could be that generous?
The veterans' tributes had me teary, Beau Biden's tribute to his dad was a two hanky moment.
Joe Biden was fabulous. John Kerry was surprisingly good. Tammy Duckworth was killer. It was a powerful, powerful night.
More tomorrow, I'm exhausted. What a night. How hard must it be to be John McCain tonight?
So, everybody wondered about how Bubba's speech would play. Would he get on board?
Get on board? He was Casey Freakin' Jones! Who knew that he could be that generous?
The veterans' tributes had me teary, Beau Biden's tribute to his dad was a two hanky moment.
Joe Biden was fabulous. John Kerry was surprisingly good. Tammy Duckworth was killer. It was a powerful, powerful night.
More tomorrow, I'm exhausted. What a night. How hard must it be to be John McCain tonight?
What They Ask Of Us
Just got back from the Denver Coliseum, where Rage Against The Machine is playing, sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War. The hall was filled with young people, protesting the war and the general political situation in this country. Tattoos, piercings, inflammatory t-shirts and signs, a telephone number written on many arms, the easier to get bailed out if there is an arrest.
Ah, the passions of youth.
And yet...
...some of those youths have been to Iraq and Afghanistan. They have seen it all and more. The IVAW crowd are soldiers who oppose war, based on their experience of war. They know whereof they speak in a way that no politician or theorist or talking head can.
They also know of war in a way that nobody who flew jet fighters and bombers can. I don't care how many years you spent in a prisoner of war camp, you haven't been there. You have been somewhere, it's true...but you haven't been there.
It takes a remarkable amount of courage for these veterans to stand up for what they believe in, facing the obstacles and derision they face from some quarters. What they ask of us, simply, is to listen to them. Hear their side of the story. And then act.
I am one of 4500 delegates. I don't have a lot of influence. All I can do is stand in the convention center with my IVAW t-shirt on, and perhaps engage someobdy in a conversation that will have an effect somewhere. But I at least have to do that. Maybe it will get shown on TV, or someone will take a picture, and someone will see it...and at least they will know they had one voice in the hall for them.
A vignette from yesterday: I was eating lunch at a local landmark, Sam's 3. As I sat at the counter a man sat down next to me. I asked if he was a delegate. He said no, he was a security guard from Philly, just here to take in some of the action. I asked him where he was staying. He said he didn't know, but he just had to be here to be a part of this.
Just found out the roll call vote hs been moved to 3. Gotta fly.
Ah, the passions of youth.
And yet...
...some of those youths have been to Iraq and Afghanistan. They have seen it all and more. The IVAW crowd are soldiers who oppose war, based on their experience of war. They know whereof they speak in a way that no politician or theorist or talking head can.
They also know of war in a way that nobody who flew jet fighters and bombers can. I don't care how many years you spent in a prisoner of war camp, you haven't been there. You have been somewhere, it's true...but you haven't been there.
It takes a remarkable amount of courage for these veterans to stand up for what they believe in, facing the obstacles and derision they face from some quarters. What they ask of us, simply, is to listen to them. Hear their side of the story. And then act.
I am one of 4500 delegates. I don't have a lot of influence. All I can do is stand in the convention center with my IVAW t-shirt on, and perhaps engage someobdy in a conversation that will have an effect somewhere. But I at least have to do that. Maybe it will get shown on TV, or someone will take a picture, and someone will see it...and at least they will know they had one voice in the hall for them.
A vignette from yesterday: I was eating lunch at a local landmark, Sam's 3. As I sat at the counter a man sat down next to me. I asked if he was a delegate. He said no, he was a security guard from Philly, just here to take in some of the action. I asked him where he was staying. He said he didn't know, but he just had to be here to be a part of this.
Just found out the roll call vote hs been moved to 3. Gotta fly.
The Lean Times
Oh lordy, no lobbyists to pay for breakfast this morning. Bagles and fruit, not even a toaster. What's a poor delegate to do?
Not only that, but the receptions with food and drink are starting to dry up. Delegates are having to face the grim reality that they will actually have to pay for meals and liquor. Oh, the humanity.
So, I got lucky in the elevator. ( No, not that way.) I met someone from Kentucky ( we share hotel with their delegation.) We exchanged the usual " where you from" chat, then I joked that the Maine delegation had been hoping that the Kentucky delegation would bring bourbon samples to give to us. The guy winks and says " Follow me". We go to his room, and he hands me a goody bag with gift samples of 5 different Kentucky Bourbons. A discussion of the various merits of each product followed, along with an offer that if he ever comes to Maine, I'll treat him to lobster.
( Ken Bosley, whose wife is a delegate, runs a place called Moonlite Bar-B-Q. He also sells BBQ stuff, www.moonlite.com. Hey, least I can do is promote his website.)
I voted for Barack Obama this morning. We were given a sheet to vote with. The roll call results will be later today. Sen. Clinton is meeting with her delegates later this afternoon, so at 3 p.m. local time, they will vote based on how those discussions came out. I predict that Senator Clinton will get at least 2 votes from the Great State O' Maine.
So, Mark Penn is going to write Bill Clinton's speech. Wonderful. I'll be watching to see if he will be as supportive of Obama as his wife was. I'll also be watching to see if Clinton goes too long, forcing Biden's speech to get off schedule.
A tidbit on Clinton that didn't show up on TV: Deval Patrick, governor of Massachusetts, was giving a speech. In the middle of it, Bill Clinton gets up and starts to acknowledge the crowd. The Arkansas delegation starts to chant "Bill! Bill!" Part of the California and New York delegations chime in. Sort of makes it hard for people near those delegations to pay attention to Gov. Patrick's speech. I'm sure the fact that it was during the speech of a prominent black politician who supported Obama was the merest coincidence. It's all about the Clintons.
Heard a great symposium yesterday on media and politics. Basically, the problem with "new media" is that so many people just talk to or read the blogs of people who reinforce what they already believe, leading to more hardened, extreme positions on both sides. With the diminished role of network news, and the fragmented sources of information available to people, debates on any issue can't even include the same set of facts over which to argue.
At the delegation breakfast this morning we heard an Obama advisor on environment and energy. Damned if I can remember his name. He essentially explained that Obama's energy policy sees offshore drilling as a possible small part of a component of an overall energy strategy that will focus mainly on alternatives to fossil fuels.
If I were advising them, I'd say " What would we drill with? There is a world-wide shortage of oil rigs. They take 2 years to build. What do we do between now and 2010?"
There was also a woman who spoke in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act. People need to be reminded that the current system allows employers to delay elections and pressure employees into voting against a union. The new plan allows them to sign a card, and if there are enough signed cards, that signifies a pro-union vote. It's no more invasive than asking someone to declare a party preference when they register to vote, which everybody does.
ok, off to today's events, and the search for sustenance.
Not only that, but the receptions with food and drink are starting to dry up. Delegates are having to face the grim reality that they will actually have to pay for meals and liquor. Oh, the humanity.
So, I got lucky in the elevator. ( No, not that way.) I met someone from Kentucky ( we share hotel with their delegation.) We exchanged the usual " where you from" chat, then I joked that the Maine delegation had been hoping that the Kentucky delegation would bring bourbon samples to give to us. The guy winks and says " Follow me". We go to his room, and he hands me a goody bag with gift samples of 5 different Kentucky Bourbons. A discussion of the various merits of each product followed, along with an offer that if he ever comes to Maine, I'll treat him to lobster.
( Ken Bosley, whose wife is a delegate, runs a place called Moonlite Bar-B-Q. He also sells BBQ stuff, www.moonlite.com. Hey, least I can do is promote his website.)
I voted for Barack Obama this morning. We were given a sheet to vote with. The roll call results will be later today. Sen. Clinton is meeting with her delegates later this afternoon, so at 3 p.m. local time, they will vote based on how those discussions came out. I predict that Senator Clinton will get at least 2 votes from the Great State O' Maine.
So, Mark Penn is going to write Bill Clinton's speech. Wonderful. I'll be watching to see if he will be as supportive of Obama as his wife was. I'll also be watching to see if Clinton goes too long, forcing Biden's speech to get off schedule.
A tidbit on Clinton that didn't show up on TV: Deval Patrick, governor of Massachusetts, was giving a speech. In the middle of it, Bill Clinton gets up and starts to acknowledge the crowd. The Arkansas delegation starts to chant "Bill! Bill!" Part of the California and New York delegations chime in. Sort of makes it hard for people near those delegations to pay attention to Gov. Patrick's speech. I'm sure the fact that it was during the speech of a prominent black politician who supported Obama was the merest coincidence. It's all about the Clintons.
Heard a great symposium yesterday on media and politics. Basically, the problem with "new media" is that so many people just talk to or read the blogs of people who reinforce what they already believe, leading to more hardened, extreme positions on both sides. With the diminished role of network news, and the fragmented sources of information available to people, debates on any issue can't even include the same set of facts over which to argue.
At the delegation breakfast this morning we heard an Obama advisor on environment and energy. Damned if I can remember his name. He essentially explained that Obama's energy policy sees offshore drilling as a possible small part of a component of an overall energy strategy that will focus mainly on alternatives to fossil fuels.
If I were advising them, I'd say " What would we drill with? There is a world-wide shortage of oil rigs. They take 2 years to build. What do we do between now and 2010?"
There was also a woman who spoke in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act. People need to be reminded that the current system allows employers to delay elections and pressure employees into voting against a union. The new plan allows them to sign a card, and if there are enough signed cards, that signifies a pro-union vote. It's no more invasive than asking someone to declare a party preference when they register to vote, which everybody does.
ok, off to today's events, and the search for sustenance.
Hillary's Speech
Well. Didn't she acquit herself well? The consensus seems to be that she did what she needed to do to help the ticket. One observer, noted on www.Electoral-Vote.com, suggested that her endorsement was something shy of ringing. She never came out and praised his virtues, leadership ability, or vision. She essentially said "he'll fight for the things I believe in, so support him". But she at least said it enthusiastically, and without any irony or undercurrent.
It will do the job for most of Senator Clinton's supporters. There will undoubtedly be some dead-enders who will never, ever give up. oh well.
There will be a brief hiatus while I traipse downstairs. Some lunatic ( I'm looking at you, David Bright), called me at 6:15 a.m. to ask me to distribute some DVD's to the delegation. I croaked something resembling a positive response. An hour later his local contact calls me breathlessly to ask if she can come up to the room and drop the packages off. I suggested that the whole not- wearing -clothing thing might be an issue. She chirped " That's ok, nothing I haven't seen before." I suggested that it would be better for all, (especially my roomate, livid at being awakened) if I met her in the lobby. She proceeded to give me a detailed description of what she was wearing. As if there would be a flock of people with crates of DVD's in the lobby...
I can't repeat my roommate's observations on this episode. They were colorful.
Off to breakfast and whatever fresh hell this DVD escapade entails.
It will do the job for most of Senator Clinton's supporters. There will undoubtedly be some dead-enders who will never, ever give up. oh well.
There will be a brief hiatus while I traipse downstairs. Some lunatic ( I'm looking at you, David Bright), called me at 6:15 a.m. to ask me to distribute some DVD's to the delegation. I croaked something resembling a positive response. An hour later his local contact calls me breathlessly to ask if she can come up to the room and drop the packages off. I suggested that the whole not- wearing -clothing thing might be an issue. She chirped " That's ok, nothing I haven't seen before." I suggested that it would be better for all, (especially my roomate, livid at being awakened) if I met her in the lobby. She proceeded to give me a detailed description of what she was wearing. As if there would be a flock of people with crates of DVD's in the lobby...
I can't repeat my roommate's observations on this episode. They were colorful.
Off to breakfast and whatever fresh hell this DVD escapade entails.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday
Sorry I haven't been writing. I have been spending a lot of time sleeping, trying to get over this cold. I'm functional, if not exactly healthy.
I'l try to go more or less chronologically, though I may wander.
Sunday night was the opener, with the big New Orleans party. As I was standing on front of the stage dancing to Tab Benoit and the Save the Wetlands All-Stars ( there's a catchy name for you), I was struck by the marvelous diversity of the delegates: a black couple from Alaska, the Hawaiian delegation in matching Hawaiian shorts/pantsuits, people of every shape and description all dancing and cheering for New Orleans recovery and Democratic candidates. I couldn't help but compare our party to the other party- and we do look more like America than the Republicans do.
Monday morning we had our first delegation breakfast, sponsored by Tyco Electronics. They make mobile communication devices, and would like to sell some to Maine. I have decided that I will try to ask every sponsor of an event for our delegation what exactly they hope to get out of sponsorship. Tyco is pretty straightforward, they just want to get their brand name out there. Other sponsors are less forthcoming; more on that later.
Insert random celebrity sighting here: Sunday night, at a reception for civil rights organizations, Danny Glover. I don't know whether I'm numb from all the fatigue and cold medicines, or whether I am just jaded, but I find it amusing the extent to which celebrities get some people all ga-ga and frantic to get a picture taken with them or of them.
As long as we're talking celebrities, here's who I have seen so far, in no order at all: Caroline Kennedy, Howard Dean ( breakfast this morning), Chris Matthews, Sen. Joe Biden ( I was nearly knocked over a man in a wheelchair by the Secret Service), Bill Richardson, some famous talking head whose name I can't recall, and probably dozens of celebriities I have seen but didn't recognize.
Here's a little bit of what a convention is like: You try to find your way to an event, on the way you meet someone from somewhere, and have a fascinating 5 minute discussion, whereupon everybody moves on. You pick up material that you hope to read, which of course you'll never get a chance to read because there are so many other things going on.
Another piece of the convention experience: swag. Eveyrbody is promoting their company/product/organization, so one is given all sorts of free stuff. When we went to pick up our credentials, we were all given a bag full of goodies. The bag itself is union-made, natch, assembled by Goodwill Industries, and features the AT&T logo on one side, the Coca-Colo logo on the other.
Inside we find:
-an AT&T ringtone gift card,
-a Ford Escape Hybrid green whistle, compass, and flashlight keyring,
-a couple of cans of Joint Juice, a dietary supplement with glucosamine ( what, they think we're all arthritic?),
-a VISA/US Bank Nalgene water bottle, with health and enviironment tips,
-a miniature emergency radio from Protecting America.org,
- a foam lump of coal from Peabody Coal Co. ("Coal Can Do That"),
-the ever-popular Kraft Macaroni and Cheese "Democrats in 2008" with stars and donkey dinner,
-coupons from lots of local merchants,
-SEIU refrigerator magnet slogan composition kit,
- a glossy catalog promoting Cherry Creek Mall, featuring an ad for the PUMA store ( was that deliberate?)
-JARGON ALERT: PUMA stand for "Party Unity My Ass", the Hillary Clinton dead-enders.
-a box of Ibuprofen from Walgreens
-a UPS envlope and labels,
-FedEX lip balm,
- an AT&T pin,
-an invitation to Solar Fest, a solar power fair at Coors Field,
-a blurb from The CELL ( Center for Empowered Living and Learning), talking about worldwide terrorism,
-mints from ProLogis and UPS,
-and more paper advertising than I care to catalog.
Everywhere one turns, there is advertising. Attractive young women in crisp white shirts and khakis pass out icy cold water bottles touting how clean coal is. ( Bet they have never shoveled coal.) Street teams publicizing products or websites are everywhere. It all becomes a blur, at least to me. Again, could be fatigue and cold medicines, but I am thinking a lot of money is getting spent on ads that nobody will pay attemtion to.
Starting to fade here, more later.
I'l try to go more or less chronologically, though I may wander.
Sunday night was the opener, with the big New Orleans party. As I was standing on front of the stage dancing to Tab Benoit and the Save the Wetlands All-Stars ( there's a catchy name for you), I was struck by the marvelous diversity of the delegates: a black couple from Alaska, the Hawaiian delegation in matching Hawaiian shorts/pantsuits, people of every shape and description all dancing and cheering for New Orleans recovery and Democratic candidates. I couldn't help but compare our party to the other party- and we do look more like America than the Republicans do.
Monday morning we had our first delegation breakfast, sponsored by Tyco Electronics. They make mobile communication devices, and would like to sell some to Maine. I have decided that I will try to ask every sponsor of an event for our delegation what exactly they hope to get out of sponsorship. Tyco is pretty straightforward, they just want to get their brand name out there. Other sponsors are less forthcoming; more on that later.
Insert random celebrity sighting here: Sunday night, at a reception for civil rights organizations, Danny Glover. I don't know whether I'm numb from all the fatigue and cold medicines, or whether I am just jaded, but I find it amusing the extent to which celebrities get some people all ga-ga and frantic to get a picture taken with them or of them.
As long as we're talking celebrities, here's who I have seen so far, in no order at all: Caroline Kennedy, Howard Dean ( breakfast this morning), Chris Matthews, Sen. Joe Biden ( I was nearly knocked over a man in a wheelchair by the Secret Service), Bill Richardson, some famous talking head whose name I can't recall, and probably dozens of celebriities I have seen but didn't recognize.
Here's a little bit of what a convention is like: You try to find your way to an event, on the way you meet someone from somewhere, and have a fascinating 5 minute discussion, whereupon everybody moves on. You pick up material that you hope to read, which of course you'll never get a chance to read because there are so many other things going on.
Another piece of the convention experience: swag. Eveyrbody is promoting their company/product/organization, so one is given all sorts of free stuff. When we went to pick up our credentials, we were all given a bag full of goodies. The bag itself is union-made, natch, assembled by Goodwill Industries, and features the AT&T logo on one side, the Coca-Colo logo on the other.
Inside we find:
-an AT&T ringtone gift card,
-a Ford Escape Hybrid green whistle, compass, and flashlight keyring,
-a couple of cans of Joint Juice, a dietary supplement with glucosamine ( what, they think we're all arthritic?),
-a VISA/US Bank Nalgene water bottle, with health and enviironment tips,
-a miniature emergency radio from Protecting America.org,
- a foam lump of coal from Peabody Coal Co. ("Coal Can Do That"),
-the ever-popular Kraft Macaroni and Cheese "Democrats in 2008" with stars and donkey dinner,
-coupons from lots of local merchants,
-SEIU refrigerator magnet slogan composition kit,
- a glossy catalog promoting Cherry Creek Mall, featuring an ad for the PUMA store ( was that deliberate?)
-JARGON ALERT: PUMA stand for "Party Unity My Ass", the Hillary Clinton dead-enders.
-a box of Ibuprofen from Walgreens
-a UPS envlope and labels,
-FedEX lip balm,
- an AT&T pin,
-an invitation to Solar Fest, a solar power fair at Coors Field,
-a blurb from The CELL ( Center for Empowered Living and Learning), talking about worldwide terrorism,
-mints from ProLogis and UPS,
-and more paper advertising than I care to catalog.
Everywhere one turns, there is advertising. Attractive young women in crisp white shirts and khakis pass out icy cold water bottles touting how clean coal is. ( Bet they have never shoveled coal.) Street teams publicizing products or websites are everywhere. It all becomes a blur, at least to me. Again, could be fatigue and cold medicines, but I am thinking a lot of money is getting spent on ads that nobody will pay attemtion to.
Starting to fade here, more later.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Random thoughts upon arrival in Denver
You know you're in a different place from Maine when the sign on the Men's Room door in the Denver Airport says "Tornado Shelter".
There is a lof ot flat between the airport and the Rockies.
Arrived at the room, crashed as much as I could. Thought I was getting over the cold, I was wrong.
Decided to attempt going to the Friends of New Orleans reception at the Convention Center. What to my wondering ears should appear but, not only the Big Chief Crewe from New Orleans, but the Friends of the Wetlands All-Stars, featuring Tab Benoit, and other stalwarts of the NEw Orleans music Scene.. A little gumbo, a little Tab Benoit, and I was restored, dancing in front of the stage, glorying in the music, Special guests like Marcia Ball and Irma Thomas added to the festivities.
Then Randy Newman comes out with one of the Marsalis brothers and does a song...marvelous. Then Howard Dean comes out to speak.
More later, I am almost comatose.
There is a lof ot flat between the airport and the Rockies.
Arrived at the room, crashed as much as I could. Thought I was getting over the cold, I was wrong.
Decided to attempt going to the Friends of New Orleans reception at the Convention Center. What to my wondering ears should appear but, not only the Big Chief Crewe from New Orleans, but the Friends of the Wetlands All-Stars, featuring Tab Benoit, and other stalwarts of the NEw Orleans music Scene.. A little gumbo, a little Tab Benoit, and I was restored, dancing in front of the stage, glorying in the music, Special guests like Marcia Ball and Irma Thomas added to the festivities.
Then Randy Newman comes out with one of the Marsalis brothers and does a song...marvelous. Then Howard Dean comes out to speak.
More later, I am almost comatose.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
My Delegate Condition
One last day of work, and I am off to Denver in the morning. Hope it goes quickly, so I can get some sleep. Nothing like a good summer cold to get you in a traveling mood...
So it's Biden. That's a good choice, I think. I was impressed with him in the debates. He's got more Senate experience than McCain, and is "clean as a hound's tooth" according to Electoral-vote.com. ( Don't want to be accused of plagiarizing...)
Speaking of which, that isolated incident was in the same era as McCain's bribery scandal. McCain was one of the Keating 5, Senators accused of taking bribes from Charles Keating, a wealthy banker. If the R's want to re-visit the 80's, "bring it on", as George W. Bush would say. ( OK, enough with the quotes and referencing.)
With the Biden choice comes this odd sense of calm before the storm. We know who our team will be. We'll hear the plagiarism talk, and the "he's clean" remark at the beginning of the primary season that effectively killed his campaign, ad nauseam. There will be the lame name gags ( Biden: His Time, Biden off more than he can chew, blah blah ) and then we'll get a chance to hear how thoughtful, knowledgable, and experienced he is. He's a fine debater, will make a great attack dog as long as he doesn't say something stupid, and will give Romney fits during their VP debate. ( I am assuming McCain will pick Romney.)
The Clinton wing of the party won't be happy, but nothing short of Senator Clinton on the ticket will make them happy. As long as they can get on board by October, I'm happy. Sooner is better, but I'll settle for October.
Time to go to work.
So it's Biden. That's a good choice, I think. I was impressed with him in the debates. He's got more Senate experience than McCain, and is "clean as a hound's tooth" according to Electoral-vote.com. ( Don't want to be accused of plagiarizing...)
Speaking of which, that isolated incident was in the same era as McCain's bribery scandal. McCain was one of the Keating 5, Senators accused of taking bribes from Charles Keating, a wealthy banker. If the R's want to re-visit the 80's, "bring it on", as George W. Bush would say. ( OK, enough with the quotes and referencing.)
With the Biden choice comes this odd sense of calm before the storm. We know who our team will be. We'll hear the plagiarism talk, and the "he's clean" remark at the beginning of the primary season that effectively killed his campaign, ad nauseam. There will be the lame name gags ( Biden: His Time, Biden off more than he can chew, blah blah ) and then we'll get a chance to hear how thoughtful, knowledgable, and experienced he is. He's a fine debater, will make a great attack dog as long as he doesn't say something stupid, and will give Romney fits during their VP debate. ( I am assuming McCain will pick Romney.)
The Clinton wing of the party won't be happy, but nothing short of Senator Clinton on the ticket will make them happy. As long as they can get on board by October, I'm happy. Sooner is better, but I'll settle for October.
Time to go to work.
Friday, August 22, 2008
McCain and "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques"
Andrew Sullivan had a piece yesterday about how the Bush definition of torture would apply to McCain's experiences.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/was-mccain-tort.html
Basically, he says that inder the Bush/Gonzalez definitoin of torture, what happened to John McCain at the "Hanoi Hilton" did not qualify as torture.
One wonders if McCain thought of that when he supported Bush's torture bill. Something to ponder: If torture works, then McCain collaborated with the enemy, in all likelihood. he can't be blamed for that, he was tortured. But if torture doesn't work, then it does more harm to us than good, because we act on information that is probably inaccurate.
When I was a kid, I learned, and believed, that America was better than the "bad guys" because we didn't torture POWs. I cannot fathom how badly America's image in the world has suffered because of this. We didn't torture Russian or Soviet-bloc spies when we were threatened with nuclear annhilation. Why would we start now?
These people who put forth this policy are the real un-Americans, and are as criminal as the "unlawful enemy combatants". I can't wait to see them gone, and I hope they can be prosecuted. Send Bush, Cheny, Rumsfeld, and Gonzales to Gitmo for a few days. See if they think that's torture.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/was-mccain-tort.html
Basically, he says that inder the Bush/Gonzalez definitoin of torture, what happened to John McCain at the "Hanoi Hilton" did not qualify as torture.
One wonders if McCain thought of that when he supported Bush's torture bill. Something to ponder: If torture works, then McCain collaborated with the enemy, in all likelihood. he can't be blamed for that, he was tortured. But if torture doesn't work, then it does more harm to us than good, because we act on information that is probably inaccurate.
When I was a kid, I learned, and believed, that America was better than the "bad guys" because we didn't torture POWs. I cannot fathom how badly America's image in the world has suffered because of this. We didn't torture Russian or Soviet-bloc spies when we were threatened with nuclear annhilation. Why would we start now?
These people who put forth this policy are the real un-Americans, and are as criminal as the "unlawful enemy combatants". I can't wait to see them gone, and I hope they can be prosecuted. Send Bush, Cheny, Rumsfeld, and Gonzales to Gitmo for a few days. See if they think that's torture.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
What the world really needs is another Obama Blog...
...and yet here I am with my very own blog.
OK, for starters, if you know about this, you probably are from Peaks Island, or a family member, or one of my friends/bandmates/acquaintances. If you're not any of the above, welcome anyway.
This is my first blog, so be gentle.
I'm setting this up so I can let people know about my experiences at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO, 8/25-8/28. I will also use this blog to help people learn about the Electoral College and my experiences being a Presidential Elector.
First of all, I want to take this opportunity to thank Rita Kissen for her help in setting up a fund-raiser for me to help defray my travel expenses to Denver. Delegates travel on their own nickel, so every nickel helps. And the generous people of Peaks Island have made it possible for the trip to be a lot more affordable. Thank you, one and all, for your generosity. I'll try not to blow it all on lottery tickets in the airport.
In addition, I want to thank musicians Kevin Attra, Ronda Dale, Nancy 3 Hoffman, and Mike Richards for generously providing entertainment for the evening. We're lucky to have so much talent on the island.
At this point, everybody is waiting to hear who the VP nomination will go to. Although, I suspect that Obama wants to hold off, and not step on the media's interest in McCain's inability to recall just how many houses he owns. Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't houses, you know, big, lumpy, hard to misplace items?
" Honeyyy...have you seen the condo? I can't find it anywhere..."
His press flack's response was along the lines of " Hey, he was in one house for 5 years...IN NORTH VIETNAM!"
Anybody else see that as a bad excuse for putting this guy in charge of things that are a little more complicated than REMEMBERING HOW MANY DAMN HOUSES YOU OWN????
Imagine what that does to someone who lost her house because of the subprime mortgage meltdown?
"Uh, excuse me, Senator? Would it be okay if my family lived for awhile in one of the houses you can't remember is yours? You can have it back if you need it...and remember it belongs to you."
All right, enough screed. It's late. The next 2 days will pass ssslllowwwlllyy...but off to Denver soon! I will do my best to keep people updated.
Thanks for tuning in.
OK, for starters, if you know about this, you probably are from Peaks Island, or a family member, or one of my friends/bandmates/acquaintances. If you're not any of the above, welcome anyway.
This is my first blog, so be gentle.
I'm setting this up so I can let people know about my experiences at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, CO, 8/25-8/28. I will also use this blog to help people learn about the Electoral College and my experiences being a Presidential Elector.
First of all, I want to take this opportunity to thank Rita Kissen for her help in setting up a fund-raiser for me to help defray my travel expenses to Denver. Delegates travel on their own nickel, so every nickel helps. And the generous people of Peaks Island have made it possible for the trip to be a lot more affordable. Thank you, one and all, for your generosity. I'll try not to blow it all on lottery tickets in the airport.
In addition, I want to thank musicians Kevin Attra, Ronda Dale, Nancy 3 Hoffman, and Mike Richards for generously providing entertainment for the evening. We're lucky to have so much talent on the island.
At this point, everybody is waiting to hear who the VP nomination will go to. Although, I suspect that Obama wants to hold off, and not step on the media's interest in McCain's inability to recall just how many houses he owns. Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't houses, you know, big, lumpy, hard to misplace items?
" Honeyyy...have you seen the condo? I can't find it anywhere..."
His press flack's response was along the lines of " Hey, he was in one house for 5 years...IN NORTH VIETNAM!"
Anybody else see that as a bad excuse for putting this guy in charge of things that are a little more complicated than REMEMBERING HOW MANY DAMN HOUSES YOU OWN????
Imagine what that does to someone who lost her house because of the subprime mortgage meltdown?
"Uh, excuse me, Senator? Would it be okay if my family lived for awhile in one of the houses you can't remember is yours? You can have it back if you need it...and remember it belongs to you."
All right, enough screed. It's late. The next 2 days will pass ssslllowwwlllyy...but off to Denver soon! I will do my best to keep people updated.
Thanks for tuning in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)