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Her backdrop is the endless void of the soul. This is a good start.
Why do they keep using McCain’s middle initial?
Did you know that McCain was in the military and supported the war in Iraq? Because I was confused. I thought he was a community organizer.
Unlike Barack Obama, Sarah Palin was born to human beings.
Even Newt Gingrich doesn’t care.
If you could bottle and sell smarm, I think that Palin would be the world’s richest person.
Palin just completely lied about Obama’s legislative record. And attacked the columns that nobody in their right mind gave a shit about. This is a speech to Michelle Malkin’s fucking comments section.
...And POW. There’s a level of shittiness that few reach and even fewer strive for. Sarah Palin went sailing by that ten minutes ago. More POW!
What I learned from this speech: the middle of America is looking for someone who can take on the corruption and incompetence of the Bush years by blaming liberals for wanting to raise your taxes. It takes a maverick!
MCCAIN IS HERE! Would’ve been more special if CNN hadn’t put up a chyron saying he was on his way 40 minutes ago. I think he just asked Headlicker Palin what her name was, but I’m not sure.
According to the cable newsers, this was a great speech that she “nailed”. These people are apparently functionally incapable of rational thought.
Posted by
Jesse Taylor on 08:29 PM •
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Who the hell designs these horrible backgrounds?
Did they learn nothing from the puke green background debacle?
Why do they keep using McCain’s middle initial?
To point out he has the manly Christian middle name of Sidney and not the wimpish Islamic middle name of Hussein.
Seriously, that’s what it is—to make people think about Obama’s “terrorist” middle name.
really not supposed to talk about deployment dates.
Actually, I think they’re trying to make his name sound “old-school presidential” (Think Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy). Remember, this is a crowd with the scariest ‘50s fetish that you can possibly imagine.
Did Republicans just cheer for Unions? They have that kind of audacity? RLY?
I’m 1/55th Powhatan. That doesn’t make you Native American, Sarah.
If Sarah Palin ever becomes President, can my state secede again?
At least then we would be doing it for a good reason.
Hell, Ben, if Sarah Palin becomes President, MY state will secede. And we never tried it before.
Oooh, “community organizer” in a major metapolitian city is way less important that mayor of a pop. 4,000 fishing village...oh, she’s got sass. Actually, I know the mayor of a town of 15,000 and the position is practically ceremonial. Although, I do understand that she fired the head Librarian, so she must have had REAL power--you know, to get the town in a book burning frenzy.
That ginormous screen backdrop just makes everything else look freakishly small. And also, too much Citizen Kane.
No shit your state has a surplus. You’re state is SWIMMING in oil money! It’s like saying the Emir of Kuwait is a good executive because Kuwait has a surplus.
Did Palin just crap on private jets when her running mate owns a private jet.
Also, did Republicans just cheer windfall profits taxes?
I missed the speech where Obama introduced Biden. Did he give the exact same speech that day as he did at the DNC?Cause parts of this are word for word the same. I mean, I know they always talk about the same stuff, but they usually switch it up a bit.
Quite apart from anything she’s actually talking about, her oratory is so boring that any nice rhetorical touches in her speech just fall totally flat.
This woman is classless. And a liar.
Did she just basically say we should stay in Iraq because we are close to winning?!?!?!
I thought McCain said those Michigan jobs weren’t coming back.
Didn’t the repubs spend all weekend asking for privacy for the Palin family? And now she spends the first 20 minutes of her speech talking about her family?
And you know what? I could give a flying fuck about her family. I want to know more about HER. And the more I find out, the scarier she gets.
Although, I do understand that she fired the head Librarian, so she must have had REAL power--you know, to get the town in a book burning frenzy.
Actually, she tried to fire the librarian, but the town came out in force against it and she backed down. So, Sarah Palin didn’t even have the will to face down a significant portion of the residents of Wasila, AK.
Everything I’m learning about her from this speech, Kristen, is that she’s a mean-spirited, lying, jingoistic Trojan Horse who has no integrity.
Holy cow! I didn’t know that John McCain was a POW! Why doesn’t he talk about this?
“There is only one man in this election who fought in a place where winning means survival and losing means death.”
John McCain fought in the Thunderdome?
She does seem to have mastered the Bush tactic of pausing and sneering on her laugh lines.
This will, in fact, be a winning speech for a certain portion of the electorate.
Unfortunately for them, it’s the same portion of the electorate who would vote for Republicans if Republicans killed their dog on election morning.
Someone please comfort me. People are going to eat this shit up with a spoon, and I am terrified.
This is infuriating. Its that much worse to see a woman working against women. And she is playing into a terrible stereotype of the bitchy liar. Yeesh.
Glad I spent a few hours today volunteering for Obama and donated to moveon yesterday.
I don’t understand why any one here is even slightly exercised by this speech. Obama/Biden is a sure thing, no doubt about it. Just don’t read or watch MSM. You don’t have to be exposed to all the Republican unpleasantness. They can’t win. No one likes them. No one listens to them. There are too few of them. You will win. Go about your day with calm and serenity. All is well.
Venus and Serena are amazing!
Honestly, why would I listen to a lying, corrupt, fearmongering, bigoted wingnut when I’ve got amazing tennis to watch? No throwing things at the TV. No listening to lies. Just amazing tennis. An evening well spent.
“Join our cause . . . and help America elect [a ratfucker who got us into this mess in the first place].”
“Unfortunately for them, it’s the same portion of the electorate who would vote for Republicans if Republicans killed their dog on election morning.”
Canicide is an important National issue? I thought we were sticking to the issues of Hope and Change?
Crap! I forgot about the US Open.
Good point Isopluvial.
CNN says “Palin comes out throwing punches.” Which doesn’t sound nearly as good as Obama makes a call to arms or whatever they said after his speech. I forget the wording but it was something like that.
Isopluvial, do you not remember the Reagan administration? It was exactly eight years of this speech: stupid, snarky put-downs that made no sense at all and could be seen through by anyone with half a brain. The bastard was re-elected with 49 states.
So yeah, until the polls prove otherwise, I’ll be afraid. I’ve seen this before.
Canicide is an important National issue? I thought we were sticking to the issues of Hope and Change?
Well, Horace, would you vote for a party which had killed your dog earlier in the day?
“Hillary Clinton and [Sarah Palin] have nothing in common"--Tweety
No shit, sherlock.
Everyone who predicted she would knock it out of the park and change the dynamics of the race, even temporarily, ought to go hang his/herself.
She’s only convinced the basest of the base, and she may have de-convinced even a few of them. Epic Fail!
Chris Matthews actually just said something very smart about her being a “cultural challenge” to the Obamas.
well, she’s got the smirk down, that’s for sure.
Oh good lord, it’s like listening to a high school principal at a pep rally.
I told you guys--KULTUR WAR and bio. That’s it. That is all they have left.
That and being Change Lite, and people generally choose the real thing over the store brand.
The closing song is giving me the heebie jeebies. White trash meets bad performance art. Eew.
Mediocre delivery but better than I expected. A very tedious voice. She has that smart ass, well-off soccer mom voice that demands extra “service” at Nordstrom because she’s a paying customer.
The constant stream of oxymorons, lies and strawmen plays well in the convention hall because those people are thoroughly conditioned to react every time someone barks, “lower taxes” or “less goverment” but I don’t see it playing the same way out in the world. In the end, these two are more of the same. They are another extension of the bush government. I think voters get that.
Zandar, it is EXACTLY like that. I was trying to figure out how to say something like that without making it sound like I was commenting on her PTA past, but that works.
I wish this election was decided on who has better music.
We would win every time in a landslide.
Calm and serenity…
Fearless prediction:
Obama/Biden 52% popular vote vs McCain/Palin 47%
Obama/Biden 45 states electoral college, McCain/Palin 5 states
Nothing to worry about!
Let me try to guess the 5 states:
1)Utah
2)Idaho
3)Arizona
4)Alaska
5)Alabama
For myself, I was very inspired by her speech. I was inspired to donate to the Obama campaign.
She is all sneer and snark. And, as someone said above, what is it with the applause lines? I kept asking myself “This is what they cheer about? Are they so desperate they’ll cheer anything?”
I don’t understand. It’s like we’re watching different speeches. Like anybody cares that she lies about Obama’s resume or whatever. She hit all the right notes to appeal to the demographics she needed to appeal to.
She’s dangerous,and it turns out that she’s also very good. Her daughter issues are not going to drag her down for long, you know. Bringing the boyfriend into the family picture was also a great move.
Anyone else noticing the only thing she shares with Obama?
She is sarcastic, and Obama has a sarcastic side sometimes. Generational thing? I notice it much more than with the Boomers.
Mandos, unfortunately, the demographics she appeals to are the 27% of people who wouldn’t vote for Obama if John McCain kidnapped a bus of Boy Scouts and sold them into slavery.
The truth is, I think this speech did what it was supposed to do-- got the base excited about the VP candidate, kept the insults coming, and didn’t embarrass the campaign. Nothing of any substance to it, of course-- it was just another in a litany of speeches about McCain’s character, America is great, blah blah blah. She did as good a job as Thompson, Giuliani, Huckabee, et al. So, as far as right-wingers are concerned, it’s a roaring success.
As a piece of rhetoric, though… not so much. There was nothing in this speech-- or any other speech delivered so far-- that would persuade a neutral or hostile audience (the purpose of argument, as I keep telling my students). But I guess, as a lefty, I’m starting to understand that rhetoric means something different to conservative voters-- they’re not interested in persuasion, they’re interested in reaffirming the prejudices and “conventional wisdom” of the true believers. And that’s something that McCain’s not always good at.
So, the intelligent (I flatter myself to think) citizen in me found the speech to be quite stupid, but the observer of politics and language in me thinks that it might have been kinda brilliant, in terms of being effective in its ambitions. But, of course, anyone who doesn’t burst into tears or nervous giggles or accidentally drop her notes and yell “Motherfucker!” could, I suppose, deliver such a generic stump speech competently.
Win or lose, she is now a permanent national figure.
I didn’t watch because i couldn’t bear the inevitable gushing of how her speech was the greatest since Lincoln’s Gettysburg Addres, by the talking heads of the liberal media.
Yea, I’m always hearing about Bensten and Jack Kemp.
I don’t know how she fails to turn anyone off when she says “there’s a time for politicking and a time to put country first” immediately after Rudy 9u11iani called all Democrats traitors. Someone please tell me how that makes sense.
Bentsen vs. Quayl and Gore vs. Kemp were two of the biggest debate blow outs in electoral history.
Now that Palin has decided to be the hatchet woman, can we finally put to rest this “poor little woman” stuff and hope for a repeat of the above mentioned debates?
I don’t know how she fails to turn anyone off when she says “there’s a time for politicking and a time to put country first”
That’s when my mom yelled “Before or after you succeed from the union, asshole?”
I wonder why she didn’t feel it necessary to mention that she cut state money to organizations like Covenant house, but she supports young women that aren’t her daughter right?
“Win or lose, she is now a permanent national figure.”
...so is William Hung…
MikeEss-- Now that’s just not fair. William Hung appeared on Arrested Development, which proves he’s at least got a better sense of humor than anyone who tells a “hockey mom” joke.
William Hung appeared on Arrested Development, which proves he’s at least got a better sense of humor than anyone who tells a “hockey mom” joke.
American Idol.
Palin can only aspire to Arrested Development.
If Palin becomes VP I will seriously write a letter to John McCain and ask if secession is now legal in the United States.
Seriously. Unless she implodes horribly in the VP debate, she’s going to make a strong run for President in 2012 (if they lose) or 2016 (if they win). I didn’t see that coming 3 days ago.
Mandos, unfortunately, the demographics she appeals to are the 27% of people who wouldn’t vote for Obama if John McCain kidnapped a bus of Boy Scouts and sold them into slavery.
You’d think so, but I think she appealed to the mysterious Swing Voter better than Obama or Biden will be able to.
Arrested Development too. He was the bandleader on Mock Trial With Judge Rheinhold (William Hung and the Hung Jury).
Like I said, William Hung’s awesome like that. And I’m kinda lame, for knowing something so useless.
Uh Oh!! Obama’s going to need more than a sorry little 5 point bump. Well, maybe he can run again in 2012 since he won’t be seeing the inside of the White House this time, at least not as President.
McCain/Palin 08’
She won’t make it past Bobby Jindal in 2012, no way.
But the Bluths aren’t as dysfunctional or corrupt as the Palins.
Loser VP candidate goes on to win the White House. Happens all the time. Like… ahh… there must be somebody??
This is a kamikaze run for Palin.
She is sarcastic, and Obama has a sarcastic side sometimes. Generational thing? I notice it much more than with the Boomers.
As another member of Generation Jones, I see it as a feature and not a bug.
“Loser VP candidate goes on to win the White House. Happens all the time. Like… ahh… there must be somebody?? “
Dick Nixon. That is the only one that comes to mind.
“This is a speech to Michelle Malkin’s fucking comments section. “.
*THANK* you. I said something similar at Kos. Does the Average Joe actually get all of these Right-Wing talking point/code words in this speech? Same goes for Rudy’s.
The convention went nuts, but I think the poli-pop-culture-reference usage should have been toned down unless/until they bring in Tarantino to re-write the motherfucker.
Isopluvial and Ben D.--
A 5% EV win is exceedingly unlikely to translate to 45 states. Dukakis was able to win 10 states with an 7% loss (and his was an unusual situation because he got close in a lot of states; usually a 7% loss will mean a lot more than 10 states won.) Likewise, Bush41 and Dole got way more than 10 states against Clinton despite losing by 6% and 9%.
I still think it will be pretty close electoral-vote wise, maybe Kerry states + IA, NM, CO, OH, VA, NV, maybe Florida. Montana, NC, IN, and MO are the only other ones I see going down unless it gets totally out-of-hand (and I actually wouldn’t put either Alaska or Arizona in the bottom 5.)
I do think Obama will clear 50% even after Barr, Nader and McKinney get a percent or two between them, with McCain around 47%.
(Yes, I read fivethirtyeight obsessively.)
You’d think so, but I think she appealed to the mysterious Swing Voter better than Obama or Biden will be able to.
Who is this mysterious Swing Voter and how did she appeal to him/her?
I know Calvinhobbes, I’m just wondering if they ever did wear the Republicans down to five states it was a fun mental exercise to try to figure who would be the hold outs. Here are my various scenarios for Obama:
--Bush 2004-style Victory-
Kerry states + Ohio, or Kerry states + Iowa, New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada
--Clinton 1996-style Victory-
All above states+ Virginia, Indiana, Missouri, Florida
--Bush Sr. 1988-style Victory-
All above states+ North Carolina, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, and some random red state that leaves everyone guessing
I had only read about her and seen stills until I watched this tonight. While I’m mildly fearful that she’s going to appeal to avverj Mericannns, I can’t get the picture of Dana Carvey as The Church Lady out of my head. The smarmy, judgemental PTA matriarch routine is not going to play well over time.
I would really, really like to see Palin deliver a speech written by Tarantino. That would be some funny shit.
That wasn’t a Mysterious Swing Voter speech. That was full-on Nixonland culture war Bush/2004 energize the base speech.
Obama is up 15 in Iowa and 14 in New Mexico...wow...and (although it’s an internal union poll) he’s up in North friggin’ Dakota now...ahahahahaha. But the fact that he’s only up 2 in Ohio at the crest of the convention bounce is troubling.
My bottom 5 would switch Arizona and Alaska for Wyoming and Oklahoma. OK is one of the only states that I think Obama will lose ground compared to Kerry (the others being maybe AZ for obvious reasons, TN and KY--he’ll be the first President in ~50 years to win without those two.) I’d put Nebraska 6th, but in an extreme landslide I think he’d take one or two of the split-district votes.
I agree with other posters: this will do well for the base.
But, don’t forget, I think she has that hockey mom charm that would appeal to some people on the fence and I wouldn’t be surprised if McCain gets a nice bump in the polls for having her on the ticket.
The McCain campaign always suffered from the lack of personal emotional appeal to people that Obama has in abundance. Now, they have it. No denying it. I watched that speech and I know there are people who are really, really going to like her and they are not all rapid right-wingers. Some of them might even be conservative Democrats. They might be convinced to pull the lever for Palin (and not that scary black guy with a funny name) because they think she is just like them.
Voters need to be reminded that, no, Palin is not like them. She’s a nutcase Fundie who believes in the end times. Really. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG1vPYbRB7k
People need to know that when they are voting for Palin, they are getting a televangelist and not a nice, moderate, charming hockey mom.
Er, I meant “rabid” right-wingers.
Though, some of them are rapid.
Just not Jonah Goldberg.
Dick Nixon. That is the only one that comes to mind
Dick lost at the top of the ticket. He was a two time VP winner with Ike.
Negative feedback loop. The good VP choices can smell a losing campaign from miles away. Trying to square the circle of disgruntled constituent groups and party power bases with weak VP candidates is an American electoral tradition.
People need to know that when they are voting for Palin, they are getting a televangelist and not a nice, moderate, charming hockey mom.
Yep, and I agree that it cant be said often enough
But I dont understand this:
I think she has that hockey mom charm that would appeal to some people on the fence and I wouldn’t be surprised if McCain gets a nice bump in the polls for having her on the ticket.
People thought she was a joke before her speech, now after her debut speech you think people will think she has charm?
McCain/Palin 08’
I doubt the ticket lasts the week, honestly. She’s off by Monday.
Every mention of her public speaking prowess in the media is going to be tempered by the immediate mention that this speech was prepared for whoever McCain picked; as a result, it’s going to cement the narrative that she’s completely without substance.
And that’s a sticky narrative. It’s taken Obama months to shrug it. She’s got six weeks.
I doubt the ticket lasts the week, honestly. She’s off by Monday.
He’s stuck with her
First, its not up to him, otherwise it would have been Lieberman
Second, if he dumps her I just reinforces that he made a boneheaded move by picking her in the first place
The S isn’t for Sahid? Wull, dayum.
People thought she was a joke before her speech, now after her debut speech you think people will think she has charm?
Yes. She reminds me a lot of the suburban moms I grew up with. She has that sort of Super-Duper Suburban Mom appeal.
I know the tabloids are tearing her to shreds right now and I agree that volume of scandals coming out of Alaska is huge, but I think her speech tonight might convince some voters to take another look at her. They might be convinced that the Big Bad Media is going after a poor li’l hardworking hockey mom from a small town who has reformed Alaska with her mavericky multi-tasking-mom ways.
That woman is the love child of Peggy Hill and the school principal from South Park.
This was her only chance to make that important first impression. She just didn’t seem like a very nice person. A bitch, in fact, if I may be so bold.
According to the cable newsers, this was a great speech that she “nailed”. These people are apparently functionally incapable of rational thought.
What you are not understanding is that a huge, ginormous slice of the American electorate is also incapable of rational thought.
She did what she needed to do. It’s trouble. While I’m confident the Obama campaign will handle this competently (what haven’t they?) the response is going to require a very delicate balance of happy viciousness.
Y’all can kill the talk of McCain dumping her, too, unless something truly even more hideous comes out.
I broke a pledge tonight. After Obama abandoned me on FISA, I said all my contributions this cycle would go to the ACLU.
$100 to Obama tonight. He’s going to need it. And $10 to ActBlue, too.
I’m scared. I may go broke misunderestimating the intelligence of the American electorate, but this one is important.
Keep wishing, McCain isn’t going to dump Palin. I know you Libs would love that. She has you scared as hell. Run, run while you have the chance. No. You won’t run. You’ll stick around because you actually believe Obama has a chance. Tonight was the beginning of the end for Obama/Biden.
McCain/Paliin 08’
Yes Jason, and there will never be any American infidels in Baghdad, either.
Yes. She reminds me a lot of the suburban moms I grew up with. She has that sort of Super-Duper Suburban Mom appeal.
I dont see it
This was her only chance to make that important first impression. She just didn’t seem like a very nice person.
Yeah, thats what I saw
Of course she didnt write the speech, but she came off as snotty
and of course for most people the Republican spin of “those mean ol’ libruls are pickin’ on her” hard to swallow when shes out there attacking Dems
First, its not up to him, otherwise it would have been Lieberman
No, it must have been up to him, otherwise they would have gone with Romney. I mean there’s absolutely no reason not to have - he brings money, he brings the fundie base, he brings the fact that he was basically second runner-up.
It’s just that McCain absolutely can’t stand him. Since that personality conflict is the only reason he’s not on the ticket, we know that it was, essentially, McCain’s decision. And come on - they had three months to decide, remember? But they only started vetting Palin the day before they announced?
The only reason that could happen is if the campaign was thrown for a loop by, I don’t know, someone at the top with a history of reckless, gut decision-making? Don’t know who that could have been, I guess.
She has you scared as hell.
What am I supposed to be scared of, again? Obama’s eleven-point lead? Or his two-to-one fundraising advantage? His 50-state GOTV ground plan? The fact that he’s picking up North Carolina, of all states?
Or the fact that Sarah Palin just proved that she can’t give a speech? Is that what I was supposed to be afraid of? I’ve seen better delivery from a FedEx truck.
Sarah Palin is the gift that will keep on giving. She’s like the Michelle-Obama “Whitey” tape, except her tapes actually exist. You know, like the videotape she had made especially for her Alaskan Seperatist’s Militia meeting.
Run, run while you have the chance.
If you insist. We’re running a successful campaign for the White House over here. Don’t know what the hell your guy thinks he’s doing.
Did Alaska elect Ann Coulter governor?
jeff452--
I agree with you. But, you and I are progressives. We see things from a different lens and it is not necessarily the way independent/swing voters see things. She has the sort of appeal Dubya had to a lot of people.
That was one ugly hour.
I don’t think there’s enough of the rabid base to win the election. And that’s all they’re relying on. If there is, America’s fucked regardless. I do think they’re setting up a culture war in opposition.
But that was an hour from a rump party. America’s schizoid at the best of time, but I think the lucid hours last longer than the nasty ones.
A delegate just came back from the convention to my place of work and told me that i “sound like Sarah Palin.” I know he meant it as a compliment but… ouch.
Oh you should have seen the live discussion over at RedState. Those men were so fired up, I really felt like I needed prophylactic barrier protection over my laptop screen to avoid the, er, biohazard. Do they sell such a thing?
It got really bad at moments. ___ILF jokes, one guy saying he would carry a sword for Palin. It was straight out of 9th grade. At least now I can say I have observed (NOT attended) a virtual circle jerk.
And they say we’re in love with Obama. Wow.
I don’t know why they think shes so damn physically attractive. I don’t see anything special.
Let me try to guess the 5 states: ... 1)Utah
Sigh - it’s true. Fivethirtyeight.com consistently shows a 0% chance that Obama will win here in Utah. I’m surprised it’s that high, to be honest.
Did she say anything about spitballs? Because the reviews make her performance sound a lot like the Zell Miller speech from ‘04.
Hey, Jason figured out how to spell Sarah Palin! Good for him.
UPDATE: And then he fails it again. Sad sad.
Weird question ... what the heck were those yellow hankies they were waving around in the crowds? I can’t find anything about it anywhere. Anyone know?
I’m sure it was a highly stirring speech to people who don’t find something distinctly odd about a representative of the party that has been in power for almost a decade talking about “going to Washington” to “shake up the status quo” and “challenge the entrenched interests”, but I was somewhat surprised that a hall full of Republican delegates would respond so positively to negative comments about oil company lobbyists.
“There is only one man in this election who fought in a place where winning means survival and losing means death.”
John McCain fought in the Thunderdome?
No, Vietnam. Where, it may surprise her to learn, although we lost, McCain didn’t die. So WTF was she talking about? By the way, only the late Don Lafontaine could do justice to that line.
I don’t know why they think shes so damn physically attractive. I don’t see anything special.
Don’t forget, their only other sex symbols are Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter.
“There is only one man in this election who fought in a place where winning means survival and losing means death.”
That, I believe. It was the Roman Colosseum.
“These people are apparently functionally incapable of rational thought. “
No, that is properly descriptive of you and those of like mind. I know Amanda has mommy and daddy issues and Pam has sexuality issues, but what is your particular mental illness (other than being a dunce)?
“Palin just completely lied about Obama’s legislative record.”
Please elaborate. I haven’t heard anything about Obama’s legislative record, other than his claim to have worked with Republicans on one ethics matter in Congress. I haven’t heard that he did anything useful in the Illinois Legislature, or in Congress, nor have I heard that he did anything bad, either. What did he do? McCain, Palin, and Biden done things that are identifiable—good, bad or indifferent, you can find stuff they’ve done. If he did great stuff, why not put it out there? Hell, my dad was in the state legislature for four years, and I can think of at least two major things he pushed that are now law. He wasn’t a major leader by any means, but had the initiative to come up with some good ideas. My point is that you don’t have to be a shining star in a state legislature to be a force for good.
What has Obama done? I really don’t know. I’d probably disagree with what he did, but at least he would have done something.
Here’s my one concern about Palin and this speech tonight… this is the first time in this entire cycle that I’ve seen Republicans appear to be excited about the election on any level. They barely had a pulse a week ago.
I don’t think that she’ll be a game changer, and I still expect an Obama win. However, the angry message riled up the crazies in the base and got them hooting and hollering tonight in a way I haven’t seen all year. Fear not, as the mushy middle (who will decide the election) won’t be biting at anything thrown to them by the GOP this year. Truthfully, I think the party insiders view and have always viewed John McCain as their sacrificial lamb in an election that they know deep inside that they were destined to lose.
That said… I think we’re looking at the 2012 GOP Nominee tonight. And God help us if Obama is perceived as our Jimmy Carterwhile positioning her as this generation’s Ronald Reagan.
Jerome Armstrong (who has pissed me off with his tepid Obama support) makes a compelling argument over at MyDD…
http://mydd.com/story/2008/9/4/11655/53023#commenttop
Robert writes:
I know Amanda has mommy and daddy issues and Pam has sexuality issues
And at the putative Republican moment of triumph, the best the above one can do is call people fags. I feel better!
I missed nearly all the blog coverage of the Democratic convention--but did get to watch Obama’s acceptance speech with other supporters, which was great fun. And I wasn’t really planning to pay close attention to the Republican convention. Listening to the commentary here, it doesn’t seem like I’m missing much. I think I’ll let the rest of you wade through the bullshit for a while without me.
Am somewhat concerned that Palin will click with a bunch of people. On the other hand, most of the folks I know who I imagine would vote for her would have voted McCain anyway--or at least not Obama. On the gripping hand, I have a friend who’s somewhat liberal but doesn’t really follow politics or think it makes much difference which politician gets in--and she was gobsmacked at Palin’s lack of experience. So it will be interesting to see how it turns out.
Obama/Biden ‘08! (Hey, adding your politicians to the end of a post is a bit stupid, but I figure I might as well balance the ratios out. 
)
I don’t know why they think shes so damn physically attractive. I don’t see anything special.
She’s attractive for politics, which really isn’t saying much. She looks like a pretty average suburban mom to me, except skinnier than most suburban moms her age.
Checking the records of he 109th and 110th Congresses, this is the only bill sponsored by Obama that passed the House and the Senate
6. [109th] S.2125 : A bill to promote relief, security, and democracy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Sponsor: Sen Obama, Barack [IL] (introduced 12/16/2005) Cosponsors (12)
Committees: Senate Foreign Relations; House International Relations
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 109-456 [GPO: Text, PDF]
In the same time period, four bills sponsored by McCain—all of which relate to matters within the State of Arizona—passed the House and Senate. The first bill benefits a developer by accepting crap land he owns in exchange for federal land adjacent to Interstate Highways. http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF2101/Olsen/Olsen.html Another cancels a debt owed by an Indian tribe, one allows tribes to buy land parcels inherited by too many tribe members to split up sensibly, and the fourth moves a date out by a year.
So, while Obama uses taxpayer money to help the poor in Congo, McCain uses taxpayer property to help the wealthy in Arizona.
3. [109th] S.161 : A bill to provide for a land exchange in the State of Arizona between the Secretary of Agriculture and Yavapai Ranch Limited Partnership.
Sponsor: Sen McCain, John [AZ] (introduced 1/25/2005) Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Senate Reports: 109-40
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 109-110 [GPO: Text, PDF]
8. [109th] S.1481 : A bill to amend the Indian Land Consolidation Act to provide for probate reform.
Sponsor: Sen McCain, John [AZ] (introduced 7/26/2005) Cosponsors (None)
Committees: House Resources
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 109-157 [GPO: Text, PDF]
11. [109th] S.1892 : A bill to amend Public Law 107-153 to modify a certain date.
Sponsor: Sen McCain, John [AZ] (introduced 10/19/2005) Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Indian Affairs
Senate Reports: 109-201
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 109-158 [GPO: Text, PDF]
13. [109th] S.2464 : A bill to revise a provision relating to a repayment obligation of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation under the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act of 1990, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen McCain, John [AZ] (introduced 3/28/2006) Cosponsors (1)
Committees: Senate Indian Affairs; House Resources
Senate Reports: 109-284
Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 109-373 [GPO: Text, PDF]
Pam has sexuality issues
Huh? I’m pretty sure Pam is a happily married lesbian. What sexuality issues could she have?
RobertO, it may surprise you all to learn, has been banned, which means we’ll never get to the bottom of what his issues are.
If we’re lucky.
I found her angry, bitter and sarcastic. I just spent a few minutes on CNN’s comments sections and a lot of nonpartisan independent types are saying that she turned them off.
I think they made a big mistake introducing her this way-- the room already loved her without all the nasty, derisive comments. It was NOT a good introduction to the world. Part of being a maverick is supposed to be about crossing party lines-- she seemed like someone who wouldn’t even shake a democrat’s hand. She didn’t seem like someone who loved America as much as she hates democrats. Not exactly a “unity ticket.”
I think they really screwed it up with independents and moderate dems. Also, what about appealing to Hillary supporters? If Hillary showed the least bit of anger she was called a “ballbuster.” Not to mention if Michelle Obama showed 1/10th of the anger that Palin expressed she would be portrayed as a scary, angry black woman.
Some of this thread will probably put Pandagon on the permanent Shakesville shitlist, if it’s not there already… but Sarah Palin just defined herself as Ann Coulter with glasses and a dopey accent. The majority of America hates Ann Coulter, and after this performance the majority of America will probably hate Sarah Palin.
Evidence? Search for “Ann Coulter” on Google. After three results Google suggests, dont’cha know:
See results for: ann coulter sarah palin
Yup? Yup.
“Some of this thread will probably put Pandagon on the permanent Shakesville shitlist, if it’s not there already”
Wait, did somebody say something mildly positive about Obama without a discraimer that he is still probably totally evil and nobody should feel in any way inclined to vote for him?
Yeah, that gets them riled up over there.
she reminds me of my friend’s mom in highschool, who in response to her daughter lying to her, chased me down the street calling me a tramp and who threw her own daughter out of the house at 16, she also reminds me of my high school boyfriend’s mother, who woke him up by slapping him in the face and then proceeded to start smashing his record collection, for no reason at all, except maybe the sky was blue that day.
if they thought palin would bring any youth vote at all, they epic fail yet again. she gives me the same heebie jeebies i got every time i was at the home of a friend with a really strict ultra-religious parent. even my nazarene friends are freaked out by parents like that.
i get the feeling she’s going to start screaming at me to go clean my room or eat my veggies or something else i don’t wanna. she is NOT likable.
Looks like the coronation of the Obamessiah will not be a foregone conclusion.
This will be fun watching Feminists and Progressives contort themselves over criticising a soccer mom VP pick.
What about a “soccer mom” do you think is so sacred to either Feminists or Progressives that we would have such trouble criticizing one?
Totally snarkish and juvenile observation…
John McCain wants Marge Gunderson to be the next Vice-President of the United States of America.
There. I said it.
Looks like the coronation of the Obamessiah will not be a foregone conclusion.
This will be fun watching Feminists and Progressives contort themselves over criticising a soccer mom VP pick.
Didn’t we know this by the weeks of polls that had him and McCain always within 3 points of each other?
calvinhobbes wrote:
My bottom 5 would switch Arizona and Alaska for Wyoming and Oklahoma. OK is one of the only states that I think Obama will lose ground compared to Kerry (the others being maybe AZ for obvious reasons, TN and KY--he’ll be the first President in ~50 years to win without those two.) I’d put Nebraska 6th, but in an extreme landslide I think he’d take one or two of the split-district votes.
Who do you got winning Missouri?
In every election since 1900, only once has the eventual winner claimed the Presidency without carrying the Show-Me State (Dwight Eisenhower lost MO to Adlai Stevenson in 1956)… flyover country that we are, MO has an uncanny ability to be a predictor of the presidential election. How Missouri goes, so goes the nation, as they say.
I think that history might get a little revision in 2008, however. I can see Barack Obama being the first candidate since Eisenhower to win the Presidency without carrying the state of Missouri.
McCain is currently up here 48-44. We’ll see how it goes. Would be nice if my state behaved blue this year.
Nenya wrote:
Am somewhat concerned that Palin will click with a bunch of people. On the other hand, most of the folks I know who I imagine would vote for her would have voted McCain anyway--or at least not Obama.
‘Zactly.
I don’t think McCain gained any votes at Obama’s expense tonight, meaning I don’t think that anyone will cross over nor do I think anyone who is truly undecided will hop aboard the Bullshit Express; what I do see happening is a whole lot more of the party faithful deciding to vote - I think she could be their best weapon to date on a GOTV effort. The hardcore party loyalists seem to love this woman, and have been talking about her, dare I say, as if she’s “The One”.
I am strangely, unsettlingly amused by the t-shirt ad above this post (at time of viewing) in which the t-shirt model looks rather like a somewhat younger but-same-hair-stylist Palin. omg she’s everywhere! and she sells funny t-shirts to the masses!
Last night I sent another donation to Obama. That marks twice I’ve ever donated to anyone, both to Obama. Game on I say: kick their asses!
“Hey, Jason figured out how to spell Sarah Palin! Good for him.
UPDATE: And then he fails it again. Sad sad. ”
Look, dammit! It’s not easy to type with one hand!…
The speech did what it was supposed to: appeal to the party’s Know-Nothing Xtian fantasist base—basically peasants like Jason. They have the low standards born of factory schools and fundie churches and lots of da telebision, so what can you expect?
Credit to the neoCon-men for bringing back some of the suckers for yet another game of 3-Card Monte, though. They definitely won back some of the McCain-hating Bush base with Palin, but ultimately that amounts to a bump of about 1% of the popular vote that would have otherwise stayed hom—significant, but not game-changing.
Swing voters (AKA low-info voters)? I doubt they could pull themselves away from reality TV to watch the convention, despite the temptation of seeing a real-life version of the teary end to a Lifetime Movie. And if they did, they would have been disappointed.
Younger voters? Let’s just say Palin’ll remind them of their moms—and not in a good way. Leave it to the GOP to find a “fresh young face” who’ll actually repel unaffiliated Xers and Millenials.
Women voters? Let’s just say you’d have to be a “special” kind of feminist to vote for Palin, and leave it at that.
The MSM? They’re to focused on novelty and inside baseball and themselves to offer a substantive critique of any speech, from either party. In cases where must watch TV coverage, go for CSPAN or PBS if possible. And turn them off when the pundits and callers come on.
Liberals and progressives? It’s fairly useless for the reality-based community to mock this smug exurban safety mom with a jones for the blonde blue-eyed Jeebus—but who says fun has to be useful? Good comments.
I’m just surprised McCain seeing it through with Palin—best thing the Dems can do know is use the extensive evidence hammer home the message that she’s the nastiest sort of book-banning, anti-choice, self-righteous fundie. Follow by noting her “extensive” governing experience and her propensity to try to fire civil servants who disagree with her. And always end by noting that she’s a septugenarian heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
I can’t believe she used that “hockey mom = pit bull with lipstick” joke. Not only is it nearly twenty years old, it started as a coded way for Quebec Nordiques fans to call Eric Lindros’s mother Bonnie a bitch. Is she really that ignorant?
According to the cable newsers, this was a great speech that she “nailed”. These people are apparently functionally incapable of rational thought.
Of course, after Chuck Todd’s little encounter with an open mike, we know what they REALLY think. Heh.
DTG--I think for Missouri Ben’s analysis of “tiers” of possible scenarios of states is pretty close, and like I said it’d probably be the next one to go after the ones that are clearly purple ("Kerry states + IA, NM, CO, OH, VA, NV, maybe Florida. Montana, NC, IN, and MO are the only other ones I see going down unless it gets totally out-of-hand” was my quote, which was pretty similar to his.)
It voted 3-4% more Republican than the national average in the last 3 elections, so unless there was a huge change in the state, that’s about the national margin we’ll have to see for it to flip.
It’d be nice to see Rush Limbaugh’s home state vote for Obama, but it doesn’t look like he’s targeting it that closely, if only because he wins it he’ll already have the election in the bag. No reason that he can’t win it with it being a border state and McCaskill winning it.
It’d be nice to see Rush Limbaugh’s home state vote for Obama, but it doesn’t look like he’s targeting it that closely, if only because he wins it he’ll already have the election in the bag. No reason that he can’t win it with it being a border state and McCaskill winning it.
Well, for whatever it’s worth, while we have consistently voted for the eventual victor in in 25 out of the last 26 elections, the last 2 Democrats this state supported were both Southern white guys, one from a neighboring state. The two blue dots on opposite ends of the state aside (STL & KC, also known as Miz-er-E) notwithstanding, most of this state is pretty red (Miz-er-UH).
This morning’s news coverage of Sarah Palin’s speech seemed ostensibly positive, such as with that joke she made about the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull being lipstick; ostensibly positive in that nobody brought up the fact that Palin had just compared herself to a dog with a bad reputation for killing small children and babies. Oy.
My dad was a hockey coach and my brothers both played--one got a hockey scholarship to Miami of Ohio.
“Hockey mom” is not the same thing as “soccer mom”. “Hockey mom” is an insult. “Hockey moms” are the ones that are vicious and screaming all the time while not understanding any of the rules of the game. The absolute worst stereotype of ‘stage mom’ crossed with ‘former athlete reliving childhood through his offspring’ screaming at the coach.
Dad is truly confused that any woman would willingly identify as one. I’m sure it plays as “soccer mom” to most folks, but ‘pit bull with lipstick’ is apt. Sarah Palin seems to know what it means, which makes her self-IDing as such more confirmation that she’s not a nice person.
You know, as if the book-burning, pregnant-teenage-mom-fund-stripping, fire-my-ex-BIL-or-else stuff didn’t already prove that.
Anybody catch Michelle Bachman on C-Span’s Washington Journal this morning sloshing and wetting herself over McCain/Palin? Why are so many republican women crazier than fucking bedbugs?
If McCain is elected, this pitbull in lipstick is one infarction away from the fucking presidency. And none of the republicans I’ve heard talk about it find that frightening. Seriously. What is wrong with so many people in this country? Have we really gone that damn stupid?
The Dems gotta get HRC out there to refute everything that Palin spoke about last night. And the GOP using her reminds me of the way terrorists use women as human bombs: we don’t really like them, but they come in handy here.
Whats the difference between a hockey puck and Dick Cheney? Sarah Palin. POW!!!
That was easy, but I bet someone can do better. Your turn.
What am I supposed to be scared of, again? Obama’s eleven-point lead? Or his two-to-one fundraising advantage? His 50-state GOTV ground plan? The fact that he’s picking up North Carolina, of all states?
The fact that Diebold voting machines are being used.
RobertO, it may surprise you all to learn, has been banned, which means we’ll never get to the bottom of what his issues are.
Besides being known as the Stupidest Man on the Internet?
I’ll be curious to see if the ratings stay like this, but Night 2 of the Republican Convention drew about 5 million fewer viewers than the Democratic Convention. I’m assuming ratings will be a bit higher for last night, but I don’t think those will be out until tomorrow.
I’m sure the base loves Palin, but the base is a lot smaller than it used to be and she doesn’t seem to be winning over independents, much less conservative Democrats. McCain actually lost independent women votes with Palin; the only group whose support increased was Republican women.
I don’t know, Chet, Jason keeps putting the apostrophe after the ‘08 in 2008.
I don’t know, Chet, Jason keeps putting the apostrophe after the ‘08 in 2008.
Yeah, I know that’s pretty stupid, but maybe you don’t know about Robert O’Brian.
We’re talking weapons-grade nuclear stupidity. The kind of stupid you actually have to have some brains to achieve.
Mnemosyne, the base doesn’t need to watch the RNC. How they will vote is determined by a bunch of angry white men in suits and delivered through the designated channels on Sunday morning. Besides, reruns of American Gladiator are on another channel.
Some of the low information voters in my vanpool were very impressed by Palin, even one with a gay son (sigh).
The absolute worst stereotype of ‘stage mom’ crossed with ‘former athlete reliving childhood through his offspring’ screaming at the coach.
That’s precisely the vibe I get from Gov. and Mr. Palin. Meddling, petty, smug and power-trippy. Bullies.
Nailing a speech, by cable pundit criteria:
Not cussing or saying the N-word or S-word or W-word.
Not looking or sounding flustered.
Not looking or sounding professorial or more intelligent than the average viewer.
Not having a wardrobe malfunction.
Not crying.
Not stuttering out of control.
There is no requirement that she actually understand her own speech, or that the speech makes sense or has measurable issue content.
The liberals are sputtering their typical ugly smears. The democrats control the Senate and the House, but Harry and Nancy have accomplished nothing nor changed anything. The Democrats were in power for many years before Ronald Reagan was elected. There was a lot of corruption and decisions were made behind closed doors. In Texas, the Dems had the Jim Crow laws, lynching and poll taxes to vote. I’m 74 years old, I remember those times well. Both parties have had corrupt politicians, but I have always thought the Dems used particularly ugly smear tactics. I am an Independent. I listen then vote for the candidates I think will do the best job. I am voting for McCain-Palin this election. Obama has a very thin resume to be at the top of the Dem ticket. Joe Biden is not a bad guy, just babbles too much. Incidentally, Obama is not the first black candidate to win the nomination. He is the first biracial candidate to win the nomination. I believe Sarah Palin will be the first woman elected to be Vice President. Way to go, John McCain (a true hero) and Sarah Palin!
Harry and Nancy have accomplished nothing nor changed anything.
You’re probably disappointed they didn’t support Kucinich’s H Res 333, either. But I figure, what the hey, Bush/Cheney will be out of office soon. So long as they don’t launch a pre-emptive strike on Iran, precipitating WW III, I think we’re good.
And the GOP using her reminds me of the way terrorists use women as human bombs: we don’t really like them, but they come in handy here.... Neil C.
So the big bad Repubs are hiding behind their womenfolk these days? They send out the little woman to do their damage and then say she’s untouchable ‘cause she’s a woman. Am I the only one who got a “isn’t the fiesty little gal cute?” vibe from the pundit’s comments? And I’m pretty sure that if by some accident she did become VP (or God forbid, prez), that the powers-that-be will be patting her on the head and telling her to sit down, sweetheart, and shut up since she won’t be needed any more. No amount of “pit bull in lipstick” schtick is going to overcome that.
In Texas, the Dems had the Jim Crow laws, lynching and poll taxes to vote. I’m 74 years old, I remember those times well.
Do you also remember that those corrupt and racist southern Democrats became, what’s the word, Republicans? It’s called the Southern Strategy.
the powers-that-be will be patting her on the head and telling her to sit down, sweetheart, and shut up since she won’t be needed any more.
That’s why one of the key questions for Palin should be whether she subscribes to the idea that the Vice Presidency is a fourth branch of government. I have a hard time picturing her being able to say with a straight face that she believes she deserves less power.
Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski (D) portrayed herself in ads not too long ago as a “pit bull in pearls.” It’s an image that works because it acknowledges that, if she’s tough enough to get things done, a woman in politics will probably be called a bitch.
Palin was a newscaster and therefore can read off the teleprompter. Whee.
The democrats control the Senate and the House,
“Control” is a funny word to use to describe “not having enough votes in either the House or the Senate to pass legislation over the objections of Republicans and the President.”
There’s really no way that Democrats currently control either house of Congress. And even if they did, the President still has a pretty big veto pen.
I agree with you. But, you and I are progressives. We see things from a different lens and it is not necessarily the way independent/swing voters see things. She has the sort of appeal Dubya had to a lot of people
Cat Ion,
independent/swing voters aren’t stupid, they just don’t pay attention
Sure, a good progrom will distract them from the fact that the Czar’s government is corrupt and his ministers are inefficient cronies, and a witch-hunt will make them forget that the colony is being run by tired old men out of touch with the needs of the majority of colonists…….but not forever
Not because the they suddenly develop enlightened attitudes, but because they just get tired of it
That’s why George Orwell was wrong. We’ve had boots in the face before, and no doubt we’ll have them again, but never forever
I heard the same thing in 92, the same culture war crap that worked so well in 72 and 80
TV pundits how great the Republican convention was, my friends moaned about how the great unwashed would be fooled again, we were doomed
It was only after Bush started sinking in the polls did anybody in the press start mentioning that maybe swing voters were turned off by that hate fest
I was wondering about that middle initial. It would make more sense if he went by the first name Jack. Because he is kind of a Jack S.
My reply to FlipYrWhig and Chet: I first commented after I read some of the comments on this blog. I thought most of the comments were hateful and some of the comments used vulgar words--I don’t believe many are well read. I can’t immagine that most have read, for example, the beautifully written novels of Joseph Conrad or the beautiful thoughts of American Poet Emily Dickinson or the English poet John Keats’ “Truth is beauty, Beauty truth...” Have any of the female commentors read Virginia Wolf’s “To the Lighthouse”? To comment that the old Democrats fled to the Republican party, this is a tactic Dems use a lot--tell a lie often enough then most people will believe it is true. Both major political parties inspire “herd thinking.” I am sad to say that my adult children (although well educated, intelligent (high SAT scores, 1 is a National Merit Scholar and all 3 can express their thoughts without the use of vulgarity), believe a lot of these untruths. I like to believe that I am an Independent who is financially conservative but on social issues, liberal. I cry when I hear our national anthem sung, and place my right hand on my heart when I see our flag. I am an American!
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Who the hell designs these horrible backgrounds?
Did they learn nothing from the puke green background debacle?