Sooner Be Blue

From time to time, over the last 20 or so months, Barack Obama has demonstrated an ability to use humor very effectively. When he campaigned in NC the other day he added a new paragraph to his stump speech:

 

"[B]ecause he knows his economic theories don't work he's been spending these last few days calling me every name in the book," Obama said. "Lately, he's called me a 'socialist' for wanting to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans so we can finally give tax relief to the middle class. I don't know what's next. By the end of the week, he'll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten. I shared my peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

 

 

I love his laugh at the end...he is truly tickled with how ridiculous his opponent's campaign has become.

 

It shows class when Obama doesn't use the angry tactics Republicans use to demonize Democrats. Mockery has the multiple advantages of being gentler, more effective and oh, so satisfying.

 

Columnist Molly Ivins once said that ridicule is the most powerful political weapon. She ought to know because she was a master of the art. I miss her so, she would be going crazy over this election.

 

Even during the primaries, Obama always preferred a humorous response instead of an angry one. His wonderful sense of irony and use of humor is a great way to fight back against the right-wing smear machine without getting defensive or falling into the "angry black man" stereotype. No politician has used humor as effectively since Reagan.

 

Obama's incredibly comfortable in his own skin, a trait that makes me comfortable with him.

 

I really like his way with people, period. One time a very elderly black man at a campaign rally presented Obama with a walking stick, something this old timer had taken a long time to create.

 

Obama grabbed the stick, commented on it's craftsmanship, thanked him and said something along the lines of -- "If Congress doesn't pass my healthcare program, I'll take this stick and give 'em a whuppin."

 

One of my favorite Obama lines came before he announced his VP pick. He refused to give a name but guaranteed that his VP wouldn't be one of those fourth branch of government vice presidents.

 

Hallelujah on that.

 

 

Barack Obama closed the deal with his 30 minute TV ad last night. He went face-to-face with the American people and showed that he has compassion and understanding for their struggles and problems. He spoke of his plans to reform education, health care, and energy independence, as well as end the war in Iraq and keep America secure.

 

The most effective part of the ad was when Obama was talking about his ideas and the "human interest" angle worked very, very well. Those vignettes about real people packed a wallop.

 

His extraordinarily positive vision was aimed directly at undecideds and skeptics. No ideology, no GOP bashing, no talking about McCain. Just Obama making his case using real examples of the challenges many Americans face in 2008.

 

Brilliant...on a par with Reagan's "Morning in America."

 

Obama made clear his commitment to the American people and now voters should understand exactly what his priorities are and what his values are.
This "closing argument"  will solidify support for Obama among those who may have been leaning in his direction, and it may coax more fence sitters to his side of the fence.

 

For the final four minutes, they went live to a rally in Florida packed to the rafters for the wrap-up. A very uplifting and emotional half hour. I can't imagine the McCain camp crafting such a well-produced and soul-lifting message.

 

Money well spent. The GOP will trash it mercilessly because that's all they have. But our side took the moral and political high road last night, no question.

 

Here it is in case you missed it:

 

 

You can’t help but compare it to the way McCain and Palin have been campaigning lately with all their screeching and negative attacks. McCain couldn't pull this off. He doesn’t have the ideas...or the temperament.

 

McCain's got nothing but blather.

 

Would you put your financial future in the hands of a man who said economics wasn't exactly his strong suit?

 

Whose first decision was to pick a vice presidential candidate who doesn't even know what the vice president does?

 

Obama plays this game heads and shoulders above the seasoned beltway folk...and it is driving them crazy.

 

 

The McCain camp is looking for reasons to blame anyone but themselves for the failure of his campaign. Their favorite whipping post? Sarah Palin.

 

The Politico's Mike Allen reports:

"ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, on a “demoralized” McCain campaign: “Palin is going to be the most vivid chapter of the McCain campaign's post-mortem. …

 

Those loyal to McCain believe they have been unfairly blamed for over-handling Palin.

 

They say they did the best they could with what they got.” ***In convo with Playbook, a top McCain adviser one-ups the priceless “diva” description, calling her “a whack job"[..]"

 

 

'Whack job'?...hmm...she seems like a normal Republican to me. Actually I like 'whack job' much better. "Diva" was sexist.

 

They shoulda asked me, I could see she was a whack job right away. Too bad McCain misunderestimated her ambition...and her ignorance. A dangerous mix.

 

Notice how nothing is EVER the fault of the Republicans? After they get through blaming Palin they'll turn on ACORN, Obama, lefty bloggers, Bill Clinton (they love to blame him!), Senator Reid and House Leader Pelosi, me, you, your Mom, and of course that good old standby, the wascally wiberul media.

 

Aren't they conveniently forgetting that McCain was taking a dive before they brought Palin on board? He barely registered with the party faithful before Palin gave him a boost. Without her the campaign would've surely tanked.

 

Now that the blush is off the rose, the irony is that they are probably tanking *because* of Palin.

 

Sure they're wondering what would've happened if McCain had made a more responsible choice. Kay Bailey Hutchison would've struck fear in Democrat hearts. But now, we will never know.

 

No matter...it's McCain who ends up holding the bag. It's not complicated -- why did McCain pick a whack job to be a 72-year-old heartbeat from the presidency?

 

To blame Palin is to blame McCain...if the campaign's difficulties are her fault, then they're his fault.

 

I suppose we'll see more of this home stretch cannibalism in the coming days. Thing is, I'm not so sure that Obama has this thing wrapped up...people lie to polls all the time. Then there's everything from bad weather to those newly signed up voters not showing up, or showing up and getting bored standing in long lines...

 

McCain could still have a shot...if his aides would quit sniping and blaming and focus on one strong message.

 

Ah well, I'd like to thank the McCain camp for providing all this first-class entertainment for the rest of us...this latest kerfuffle will surely appear on Saturday Night Live soon.

 

It tickles me how the righties disparage Obama as a phony, an opportunist, an eloquent empty-suit celebrity...yet endow him with the sinister strength to bend America to his "socialist" will.

 

The rightwing radio gasbags spend a lot of time pushing the idiotic "Obama is a Marxist" theme.

 

I guess that means the Financial Times likes Marxists:

 

"Obama is the better choice"...October 26 2008...

 

"US presidential elections involve a fabulous expense of time, effort and money. Doubtless it is all too much – but, by the end, nobody can complain that the candidates have been too little scrutinized. We have learnt a lot about Barack Obama and John McCain during this campaign. In our view, it is enough to be confident that Mr Obama is the right choice.[..]

 

In responding to the economic emergency, Mr Obama has again impressed – not by advancing solutions of his own, but in displaying a calm and methodical disposition, and in seeking the best advice. Mr McCain’s hasty half-baked interventions were unnerving when they were not beside the point. [..]

 

The challenges facing the next president will be extraordinary. We hesitate to wish it on anyone, but we hope that Mr Obama gets the job.

 

 

Wow, an anti-tax, pro-business financial publication recognizing Obama as the only man with the necessary level-headed leadership skills required to repair the mess created by Republican policies over the last eight years.

 

No president is perfect, or will have all the answers. BUT, a great leader will gather knowledgeable people and will work with them to make the right decisions...to come up with the best possible plan to improve life for all Americans...not just a few.

 

 

"GOP Insiders Expect Crushing Loss"

 

The Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. They abandoned traditional conservative principles and allowed theocratic neo-cons to take over...which grew government and became corrupt.

 

Maybe a complete loss of power will cause what's left of the Republican Party to regroup and go back its traditional conservative roots.

 

"Aides to George W. Bush, former Reagan White House staff and friends of John McCain have all told The Sunday Telegraph that they not only expect to lose on November 4, but also believe that Obama is poised to win a crushing mandate.

 

...The prospect of an electoral rout has unleashed a bitter bout of recriminations both within the McCain campaign and the wider conservative movement, over who is to blame and what should be done to salvage the party's future.[..]"

 

 

All of you Republicans are to blame. Each and every one of you who sat back and defended everything that the Bushies sent down the pike...from torture to illegal wire-tapping to Iraq to fiscal policy to foreign policy...it's all on your hands.

 

You divided the country with hate...accused American citizens of being anti-American because they held opposing view points from your own.

 

You abandoned the principles that most 'conservatives' held dear...and now they have abandoned you to either vote for Obama, or a third party candidate, or to just stay home.

 

What's most important is that you not let the rabid right led by Palin take control of the party. The only thing theocratic neo-cons have brought to the table is rabid hate and fear.

 

It ain't over yet.

 

The whole world knows that the neo-conservative Bush regime has been a miserable failure...and now there's nothing for them to lose but power. Rove's dream of one-party rule...puff, up in smoke.

 

We know some of the crimes that were committed...but we don't know the half of it yet.

 

So brace yourselves. They will not give up power easily. They will use every nasty trick in the book before this is over, including some we haven't heard of yet.

 

It's certain that they'll claim massive voter fraud if Obama wins. Even though last night CBS News did a story about early voting, how election officials in 17 states said there have been very few problems with fraud or suppression.

 

But the neo-cons will scare up something...they'd rather divide this nation with hatred -- which might spill over into violence -- before they come out with their hands up.

 

John McCain's people are calling her a diva and it's really kind of funny...that's the SAME attack they used on Barack Obama through the summer. Looks like they could come up with new material.

 

The scramble to blame either McCain or Palin in the aftermath of a lost election is going to be so intense that it's already started.

 

It's kind of fascinating to watch, I must admit.

 

Sarah Palin has gone off message and McCain's staffers are rebelling...and they're taking their gripe public. This is the kind of stuff that happens shortly after an election, not before.

 

"ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (CNN) – With 10 days to go until election day, long brewing tension between Sarah Palin and key aides to John McCain has become so intense, it is spilling out into the public.

 

Several McCain advisers have suggested to CNN they have become increasingly frustrated with what one aide described as Palin “going rogue” recently, while a Palin associate says she is simply trying to “bust free” of what she believes was a mishandled roll-out that damaged her.

 

McCain sources point to several incidents where Palin has gone off message, and privately wonder if they were deliberate. For example: labeling robo calls “irritating,” even as the campaign was defending the use of them and telling reporters she disagreed with the campaigns controversial decision to pull out of Michigan.

 

A second McCain source tells CNN she appears to now be looking out for herself more than the McCain campaign."

 

 

Looks to me like Palin sees the writing on the wall and wants to jockey for a position of strength and power inside the party. John McCain is not the future of the GOP -- what do you want to bet that he retires next year?

 

What do you want to bet that Sarah Palin is going to use the biggest stage in the world for the next few days to try to set herself up for a run in 2012?

 

Yes, she has certainly captured the hearts of her hardcore base, but her devoted crowd of born-agains probably aren't large enough to launch her national career. Too bad she doesn't notice how most of the rest of the party is running for cover.

 

"One McCain supporter has asked to be removed from campaign committees because of Palin. Charles Fried, a professor at Harvard Law School, and former Solicitor General under Ronald Reagan, asked the McCain-Palin campaign ro remove his name from several committees, mostly because of "the choice of Sarah Palin at a time of deep national crisis."

 

 

So, while Palin mobilized the hardcore right, she has alienated and offended the great national middle...the place where the winning votes are.

 

While campaigning in Iowa she tried to make a connection between Barack Obama's tax policy and a looming communist government...that Obama would create a country "where the people are not free."

 

How batshit is that?

 

Also, in a recent interview she gave a contradictory and nonsensical answer on what constitutes a terrorist. She claims that William Ayers is a terrorist but Eric Rudolph, who bombed the Olympics in Atlanta and those abortion clinics, is not.

 

I guess clinic bombers are doing The Lord’s work when they blow up civilians, women and doctors. See, you have to KILL life to save life…

 

BTW-- the Anchorage Daily News, the largest paper in Sarah Palin's state, endorsed Barack Obama for President.

 

 

 

[Some of the late-night shows have been in re-runs]

 

"The Homeland Security Department said it will not meet a 2012 deadline set by Congress to scan the contents of every cargo container headed to US ports. 'Thanks for the heads up,' said terrorists." --Amy Poehler

 

"It wasn't such a great day for John McCain, who got some support today from an unwanted group. Al Qaeda picked him as their choice for president. Al Qaeda made this announcement on their website, which begs the question: al Qaeda has a website? Can't we use it to find them?" --Craig Ferguson

 

"In this election, Obama is so far ahead now it seems the only way he can lose is if his supporters screw it up. But Obama's supporters have a secret weakness. They're Democrats. They are perfectly capable of screwing this up. I'm not sure if Democrats remember how to win an election. They haven't won an election since 2000." --Craig Ferguson

 

"Anyway, the Democrats better watch out, because the Republicans are going to pull out all the stops. Did you see they spent $150,000 on Sarah Palin's wardrobe? Boy, nothing says hockey mom like dropping six figures on bling." --Craig Ferguson

 

"The Pentagon is buying a portrait of Donald Rumsfeld for $46,000. But it will probably cost 10 times that, serve no real purpose, and never be finished. Remind you of anything?" --Craig Ferguson

 

"Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is taking heat today, because the Republican National Committee has so far spent $150,000 on wardrobe for her and her family. She spent $50,000 at Saks Fifth Avenue, $75,000 at Neiman Marcus and about $5,000 on hair and makeup. Hey, representing small town, common-folk hockey moms isn't cheap, folks." --Jimmy Kimmel

 

"Also yesterday, Palin told a bunch of third graders that the vice president 'runs the Senate,' which the vice president does not do. Not knowing what the job is? Even President Bush will tell you, the vice president doesn't run the Senate. The vice president runs the White House." --Jimmy Kimmel

 

The McCain-Palin campaign is spreading the love to all the middle class [on screen: McCain and Palin mentioning 'Joe the Plumber,' 'Ed the dairy man,' 'Rose the teacher,' 'Phil the bricklayer,' 'Molly the dental hygienist,' and 'Chuck the teacher']... The only person McCain's not talking about is George the President" --Stephen Colbert

 

"Obviously, for the past two months, we have been discussing Republican vice presidential nominee and gift from heaven, Sarah Palin. If there's one message she has been campaigning on, it's this: vote for us! We're just like you [on screen: Sarah Palin saying she and Todd are going through the same things as working-class Americans]... She is a regular guy, girl, average Joe, lady. It's not like that entire facade she has built up can crumble in the space of a single sentence [on screen: reports that the RNC paid $150,000 to outfit Palin and her family for the election]. [Stewart, singing] She was born in a small town. Doesn't shop in a small town. Gets her clothes in a big town. And buys lots of fancy s***. How do you spend $150,000 on clothes in two months? How does someone who just spent more on clothing in six weeks than most Americans make in two years, show that she can still relate to the common folk?" --Jon Stewart

 

"In other words, Sarah is not the only Palin who got an upgrade. Almost $5,000 was spent on clothing for her husband, Todd, and more on the Palin children. Now, that's just one scandal. Palin has also charged the Alaska state government for over $21,000 of airfare for her daughters and $700 hotel rooms and went back and amended the expense reports to justify the payments, not to mention $17,000 in per diems she was paid to live in her own home. My God! They're a family of grifters!" --Jon Stewart

 

"I know how they're doing it. The hot one [on screen: photo of Palin] finds an elderly victim [on screen: photo of McCain]. Then she seduces him with her unfancy-talk and once he pulls out the checkbook, boom! Here come the relatives. The old fart never had a chance!" --Jon Stewart

 

Karl Rove's personal attack strategy is alive and well...but not working.

 

During a debate on Iowa Public Television, Republican Senate candidate Christopher Reed called incumbent Democrat Tom Harkin “Tokyo Rose” and “anti-American” because he provides “aid and comfort to the enemy.”

 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Republican U.S. Senate challenger Christopher Reed accused fellow Navy veteran and Democrat Sen. Tom Harkin of aiding the enemy because of his call to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq on a scheduled timetable.

 

In a taped debate that aired Thursday night on Iowa Public Television, Reed called Harkin the "Tokyo Rose" of al-Qaeda and Middle East terrorism.

 

....Reed specifically said Harkin was "providing aid and comfort to the enemy," language consistent with the U.S. definition of treason. When asked by the moderator whether he was accusing Harkin of treason, Reed replied, ""No. I'm accusing him of giving our enemies the playbook."" [..]"

 

 

After the debate Harkin told Reed, "You're a nice young man and I thought you had a political future ahead of you, but that just ended your political career right there."

 

When the R's are completely out of ideas they resort to personal attacks and buzz words.

 

Can't they see that this kind of "anti-American" attack is not only just wrong, it's politically suicidal -- the latest polls have Harkin leading Reed by 21 points.

 

Hopefully, the rest of the country will get the message. First Michelle Bachmann (a safe incumbent who blew her lead by calling Obama un-American) and now Christopher Reed. At this rate the R's will run out of candidates before they run out of money.

 

The R's just don't get it about Al Qaeda, who wants us to stay there in Iraq, that is their main objective -- for us to stay there and spend a trillion while our economic influence around the world disintegrates, not to mention how it weakens our military.

 

Republicans just can't see that the call to stay in Iraq is obviously against America's best interests...on every level. From putting more young soldiers at risk of dying, to costing us 10 billion dollars a month.

 

The invasion itself was exactly what Al Qaeda wanted. Not only to get an easier shot at killing Americans, but to hamstring us in ONE country while they build cells in 60 countries...all the while driving us into economic ruin.

 

Saddam's Iraq was weak, a non-threat, and the desire for an invasion was NOT in our best interest. It was NOT "patriotic" to push for it or back it or support it.

 

Getting out of Iraq is OBVIOUSLY in our best interest.

 

BTW -- Iraq war vets are sending this around...a video made by the "Whassup?" guys (who once worked for Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser), distributed by Cindy McCain's company).

 

 

Every now and then I see something that causes me to hold out hope... hope that Americans have had it up to here with the politics of hate, division and diversion.

 

Can it be that the long night of oppressive neo-con rule is coming to an end? The GOP's election strategy has been to demonize their opponents since the days of Newt Gingrich.

 

Democrats, they warn, will tax average Americans into poverty.

 

Instead we got "trickle-down" Republican policies that routed the wealth upwards, leaving working-class Americans at the doorstep of poverty.

 

Democrats, they warn, are soft on national defense, will destroy America's military and will strengthen our enemies around the world.

 

Instead we got Republican neo-con policies that botched the real war in Afghanistan, led us into an unnecessary war in Iraq...and has over-stretched the US military to such a point now that America can't even provide the troops and resources to finish the real war in Afghanistan. And Pakistan.

 

Democrats, they now warn, are "socialists"...who will redistribute the wealth.

 

They don't seem to see the contradiction of the Bush White House redistributing nearly a trillion in taxpayer money to Wall Street and banking firms.

 

But hey, I'm supposed to be talking about hope...hope that Americans finally "get it"...even those in Red States. Here's something that sparked a glimmer of hope.

 

Remember Rep. Michele Bachmann, a neo-McCarthyist who said on MSNBC last week that Obama "may have anti-American views" and then called for a media "expose" of anti-American Democrats in Congress?

 

Well, the hopeful part is that the GOP fundraising committee pulled the plug on Bachmann.

 

From The Associated Press: "WASHINGTON (AP) — National Republicans have yanked TV advertising for Minnesota GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann's re-election bid after she suggested Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama may have "anti-American" views and urged an investigation of unpatriotic lawmakers.[..]"

 

 

The most hopeful note of all is that Bachmann's opponent has received $1.3 million from people all over the country since her comments, and it's growing.

 

People all over the country sent over a million dollars to a Minnesota congressional race. Imagine that.

 

 

Ron Howard, Andy Grffith, and Henry Winkler revived some old characters to promote Barack Obama. It's funny, sentimental, and slightly horrifying all at the same time.

 

“I’ve never done this before and I hope never to do it again, but I guess you could say I’m feeling pretty desperate these days,” Howard said in the video. “So, as a demonstration of my sincerity, this is for you America.”

 

Hooray, first Colin Powell, now the Sheriff of Mayberry.

 

Take that, McCain campaign! With these images and endorsements, how can NC NOT vote for Obama?

 

Can't get much more “real American" or "pro-American" than decent, small town Mayberry folk...or "Happy Days" times when teens came home before curfew and The Fonz was as bad as rebels got.

 

 

Yes, yes, I know it probably won't make a whit of difference, but it's still heartening to see.

 

 

 

Joe Biden's big mouth derailed the McCain campaign off their message -- which was to hammer Obama about 'socialism' and higher taxes and redistribution of wealth, who's 'pro-American' and such.

 

So really, Biden's "rhetorical flourishes" (as Obama called them) did Obama a favor.

 

OR...it might've been a stroke of genius by the Obama campaign to have Biden talk about a crisis in an Obama Presidency...

 

"HARRISBURG, Pa. – Republican John McCain told voters in this key electoral state Tuesday he was personally tested by the same kind of crisis that Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph Biden warned Barack Obama will almost certainly face if elected president.

 

McCain recalled being ready to launch a bombing run during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which Biden said over the weekend tested a new President John F. Kennedy and was the template for the kind of "generated crisis" the 47-year-old Obama would face within six months of taking office. [..]"

 

 

Oh good grief. Does McCain really believe that the fate of the world was in his hands in October of '62?

 

Does he want us to believe he was tested by sitting in a cockpit, waiting to be told what to do? Did Kennedy call him for advice? To get his opinion on how to handle Khrushchev?

 

If McCain was tested during those thirteen days, then so were thousands and thousands of American servicemen and women...and I'll bet it never occurred to any them that what they were going through was in any way on a par with what the President and his advisors were going through.

 

Probably be hard to find any of them that vain.

 

All McCain is doing is reminding us that his military experience, however brave, was about taking orders. He wasn't making decisions about international policy during his military service.

 

The headline reads, "McCain reminds Biden he was tested in crisis."

 

Well, he *was* tested...but it was a lot more recently. Last month, in fact. When the financial world was crumbling and threatening to take the country's economy with it, John McCain ran around in circles yelling, Do this! No, do that! No, do both! Wait! Do neither! It was like watching a hyperactive child.

 

That was his big test this campaign. He failed. Calm, cool and collected Obama passed.

 

Biden's remark on Obama being 'tested' by a crisis was not a bad thing. Do the Republicans think that if elected, any potential crisis will magically disappear due to McCain's military service or Palin's direct line to God?

 

So, McCain did us a favor when he reminded voters that JFK, a young and relatively inexperienced President, could be tested in a crisis and come through it just fine.

 

No matter what 'tests' are in the future for the next president, I'm a lot more comfortable with them being met by Obama than by angry McCain or clueless Palin.

 

The candidates are getting tired. I had to laugh at McCain's gaffe while he was talking about PA Dem. Congressman Murtha's latest gaffe. Murtha had said that western PA was redneck or racist country. McCain said, "I couldn't agree with him more"... the crowd was quiet, then he got that deer in the headlights look and kind of meandered around trying to find his talking points again. It was very jumbled before he finally said, "I couldn't agree with him less."

 

Only 11 more days to go...

 

 

Democrats are going to have a lot of fun with this.

 

Talk about your redistribution of wealth. I'll tell you one thing, we can't afford Sarah Palin as Vice President. I mean we literally can't afford it.

 

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

 

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

 

In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.[..]"

 

 

Let them eat cake while I shop at Neiman Marcus ...

 

Actually, $21,000 is chump change compared to what the hockey mom representing small-town real America is charging the RNC for her duds:

 

"The Republican National Committee appears to have spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August."

 

 

I'm sure that over the next few days we'll hear expressions of outrage from all the conservative pundits who were frothing at the mouth about high-priced Clinton and Edwards haircuts.

 

Not!

 

Looks like this would be more than a little humiliating for the GOP. All of those McCain/Palin campaign sound bites -- "elitist," "small-town values," "big spender," "we relate to 'real' America," etc. -- should be are echoing in their ears.

 

$150,000 is a lot of dough to spend on clothes and accessories for Palin and her family in just seven weeks. The figure includes more than $75,000 at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, and nearly $5,000 on hair and makeup. The funds were not just spent by her -- about $5,000 was also spent at Atelier, a high-class shopping destination for men.

 

Did the RNC dress Levi up too? Oh well...welcome to another morning in America where the rich get richer and the poor...shop at Goodwill.

 

Thank you Republicans, for showing us 'real Americans' the big gap between how yall live versus yer hero, "Joe the Plumber."

 

Now I could see the need for a few new things, they travel to lots of different climates, etc...but not $150,000 of other people's money for a whole new wardrobe.

 

And just when she's trying so hard to convince people that she'd be a good steward of other people's money...we learn about official travel for her kids for what's really personal business, about her asking for reimbursement for nights spent in her official residence, and so on...

 

The McCain campaign's spin machine has been very quiet so far...probably struggling to come up with a defense for this. I'm looking forward to hearing what they come up with.

 

I heard someone on TV say that the clothes might be given to charity after the election. I'd like dibs on the red leather jacket she wore the other day...though most of her clothes are a little too sci-fi for me, she looks like that pirate princess on Buck Rogers.

 

They should really let Palin keep the stuff as a consolation prize.

 

Anyway, a wardrobe snit from the media would work in Palin's favor, serving to distract from that interview she gave where she totally mangled her answer about the VP's job, saying the vice president is "in charge of the United States Senate" and "can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes."

 

 

Hmmm...wonder what Cheney's been telling her?

 

 

I don't often read the New York Post, so I was unaware that on October 17th their column Page Six ran a gotcha story about Michelle Obama livin' it up in tough times...ordering lavish room service -- $450 worth of champagne, lobster hors d’oeuvres, whole steamed lobsters and Iranian caviar -- at the Waldorf-Astoria.

 

All the while poor starving peasants were wandering the streets below no doubt...

 

Though I did think the Iranian caviar detail was a nice touch artistically...but a dead giveaway that the story was bogus, concocted by someone trying to stick it to the Obamas.

 

Of course, Rush Limbaugh and the rightwing slime merchants jumped on the story and ran with it as Exhibit A of liberal hypocrisy...braying that this is what the Obamas do with all that cash people send them...that this is how the Obamas live when nobody is looking.

 

Even a P.U.M.A. Web site was promoting the story, they even mocked up a fake receipt signed by Michelle.

 

 

Well, they *say* they're P.U.M.A....

 

Turns out, it was all a lie...a big fat lie. Page Six had to delete that little gossip item because - get this - Michelle Obama was nowhere near NYC on Wednesday...she was in Indiana:

 

 

So, yesterday The New York Post's Page Six had to run a red-faced retraction of its flagrant slur against Michelle:

 

"The source who told us last week about Michelle Obama getting lobster and caviar delivered to her room at the Waldorf-Astoria must have been under the influence of a mind-altering drug. She was not even staying at the Waldorf. We regret the mistake, and our former source is going to regret it, too. Bread and water would be too good for such disinformation."

 

 

BTW, this really made me laugh -- The very next day, someone from the McCain campaign was talking about Cindy McCain and said he'd never seen a Presidential candidate's spouse treated so negatively or so unfairly.

 

But it's sooo nice to see Limbaugh and the rabid righties have to eat crow pie...big slices too. It never ceases to amaze me how gullible they can be...regurgitating every cockamamie rumor that comes down the pike.

 

Yet it's upsetting to see the level of hatred for Barack Obama in the country at large. It makes me nervous and I find it hard to deal with.

 

Hopefully he will survive it.

 

It was the same with Bill Clinton. Right from the start, before he had zipper problems, the Republicans hated and resented him so much. The more moderate wouldn't work with him in Congress, the more hateful spread rumors about him being involved with murder and drug-running. They were just out for blood period, and their desperation to stick it to him spurred them to mount their fatally flawed impeachment campaign.

 

As an amused observer of rightwing crazies, I notice that they grow more dispirited by the prospect of a President Obama -- a Commie dipped in chocolate in their pinwheeling eyes. It did tickle me so when I saw their recent breast-beating because they were out-matched by this:

 

"Barack Obama apparently attracted more people to his rally today in St. Louis than to his August acceptance speech at Invesco Field in Denver.

 

Lt. Samuel Dotson of the St. Louis Police Department placed the crowd count at 100,000 people, according to the campaign...."

 

 

Wingnuts are screeching that if Barack Obama wins a squeaker over John McCain, the United States will have its first socialist president.

 

Only wingnuts have nightmares of creeping socialism. Haven't they heard that socialism is a failure? Even lifelong Communists now accept that wherever socialism has been tried, it has flopped.

 

BTW--it wasn't President Obama who nationalized the banks...the first socialist president goes by the name of George W. Bush.

 

It's so irritating to hear unhinged howls of "Socialist!" at those McCain/Palin rallies. A term revived by rightwing talk radio, Rush Limbaugh in particular, to describe the recent financial bailout -- for which both Obama and McCain voted. Rush brayed against the government passing "a socialism bill" to protect the stock market.

 

So, now the phrase has morphed into a rightie insult aimed not at the government's bailout of banks, but at a government which will take your wealth away from you and give it to others.

 

They'll say this even as they stand in line to receive help for their own failing mortgage or extended unemployment benefits.

 

"A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt..." -- Thomas Jefferson

 

 

...and puts country first.

 

I'm still a little miffed at former Secretary of State Colin Powell for his phony presentation at the UN in 2003, for his part in foisting the unnecessary Iraq war off on us...but his endorsement of Barack Obama for president on "Meet the Press" Sunday was a nice step toward redemption.

 

Republican Powell talked about Obama's "steadiness and an intellectual curiosity" and also mentioned his selection of Sen. Joe Biden as a running mate.

 

He questioned McCain's pick of Sarah Palin as a VP candidate, saying he did not think she was ready to be president. "That raised some questions in my mind as to the judgment Sen. McCain made."

 

John McCain once viewed Powell as a possible running mate, they go back as friends a long way. So Powell was respectful when he said "either one of them would be a good president," but McCain has been "a little unsure" with how to deal with the nation's financial crisis.

 

Powell didn't like that the Republican Party has moved "even further to the right"...or the prospect of additional conservative Supreme Court justices.

 

He criticized the party and the McCain campaign for continuing to talk about 60's radical William Ayers...and for fueling hatred toward Muslims.

 

Powell spoke of a picture he'd seen in a magazine, of a mother grieving over her son’s headstone at Arlington National Cemetery, saying you could see the name of the dead soldier on the headstone -- Kareem Rashad Sultan Kahn -- a Muslim-American, who came to the aid of our country.

 

I kept thinking of that woman at the McCain rally who claimed Barack Obama was an Arab. I wish I could've seen her face when she heard Powell’s narrative of how this young soldier gave his life in defense of her country.

 

Powell said about Obama, "He has both style and substance. He has met the standard of being a successful president, being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming onto the world stage, on the American stage, for that reason, I will be voting for Sen. Barack Obama."

 

 

Get ready for personal attacks on Powell by the righties...he might be called anti-American, and for sure they will say he only endorsed Obama because he is black. They'll forget that they once praised him, many saying he could be the first African-American to have a real chance at the presidency.

 

I especially liked Powell's comments during a quick news conference outside, which were as interesting as what he said on the program.

 

Reporters asked him about the negativity of the McCain campaign, and he didn't try to hide his disappointment. He said that the constant right-wing efforts to falsely label Obama as a Muslim, and to make "Muslim" some kind of slur, not only weakens national unity, but also damages America's standing in the world.

 

He went on to express his disgust for Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-Minn.) neo-McCarthyism..."This business of, for example, a congressman (sic) from Minnesota who's going around saying, 'Let's examine all congressmen to see who's pro-America and who's not pro-America'...

 

Here's what he's talking about--From startribune.com: "Defending the McCain campaign's automated phone calls attacking Barack Obama's judgment and character, Rep. Michele Bachmann on Friday said Obama "may have anti-American views" and called for a news media "exposé" of the views of members of Congress.[..]"

 

 

"We have got to stop this kind of nonsense," Powell said, "pull ourselves together, and remember that our great strength is in our unity and in our diversity."

 

He added, "We can't judge our people and hold our elections on that kind of basis. Yes, that kind of negativity troubled me. And the constant shifting of the argument, I was troubled a couple of weeks ago when in the middle of the crisis the campaign said, 'We're going to go negative,' and they announced it. 'We're going to go negative and attack his character through Bill Ayers.'

 

"And now I guess the message this week is we're going to call him a socialist. Mr. Obama is now a socialist, because he dares to suggest that maybe we ought to look at the tax structure that we have.

 

"Taxes are always a redistribution of money. Most of the taxes that are redistributed go back to those who pay them, in roads and airports and hospitals and schools. And taxes are necessary for the common good.

 

"And there's nothing wrong with examining what our tax structure is or who should be paying more or who should be paying less, and for us to say that makes you a socialist is an unfortunate characterization that isn't accurate."

 

 

Wow, the best explanation I have ever heard of why taxation is necessary was delivered by a Republican as an afterthought.

 

Obama's on a roll... last week conservative radio talk-show host Michael Smerconish endorsed him, as did conservative columnist Christopher Buckley, the son of National Review founder William F. Buckley. Then he was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune, the first time the paper has endorsed a Democrat in its 161-year history.

 

Still...hard work ahead...don't pop the corks yet...

 

The other night, in a post-debate interview, Katie Couric asked Hillary Clinton, "Why do you think Sarah Palin has an action figure and you have a nutcracker?"

 

A lot of people said that Couric hit a new low asking something like that, but I don't agree. I thought it was a playful way of asking why does one strong ambitious woman get treated by the media and half the public as a castrating shrew, while another is embraced as warm, safe, lovable, and cuddly?

 

In case you haven't seen them:

 

 

 

Clinton laughed it off, because she was there to stump for Barack Obama...and if there's one thing Hillary Clinton is good at it's staying focused. Yet, it gave her an opportunity to do something she does even better than stay on point.

 

Laugh.

 

But then I like her laugh.

 

Under other circumstances it could be an interesting and important question and I'd like to hear Clinton answer it. I'd like to know why she thinks she is hated, vilified and feared for doing what other politicians do as standard operating procedure?

 

I'd like to hear her talk about the double-standard she was subjected to. What a perfect opening to speak about the hypocrisy of conservative women like Sarah Palin, who have accused Clinton of "whining" when Clinton cried foul about the sexism and misogyny she had to battle throughout the primaries.

 

The same conservative women, by the way, who are happy to let Hillary do their "whining" and fighting for them, winning them rights and opportunities -- that they then use to empower themselves so they can work to deny women's rights and opportunities to other, less fortunate women.

 

I still can't get over how right-wing men were dumb enough to think they could siphon off female votes from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin. I guess they see all vaginas as interchangeable.

 

It must be said that Sarah Palin has gotten to be an action figure because women like Hillary Clinton had to be nutcrackers.

 

More importantly, how sad that both the nutcracker and the doll reduce the women in question to jokes and toys. The nutcracker is insulting, demeaning, and offensive; the doll is a fantasy figure, a Barbie doll you can dress up in hunter's cammies or a short plaid skirt, knee socks, and a tight white blouse with a red bra peeking out...pick your fetish. Either way, she's a play thing and as dehumanizing as the nutcracker.

 

They are two expressions of the same impulse -- to demean certain women who are stronger, smarter and more competent than certain men by turning such women into jokes.

 

We have such a longer way to go baby...

 

 

John McCain made a speech yesterday where he blamed Barack Obama for outing Joe the Plumber...accused him of violating his privacy.

 

Say what? Is this a parallel universe or something?

 

The facts are that it was McCain who started the media circus around Joe. He even apologized for it on David Letterman...saying, “Joe, if you’re watching, I’m sorry.”

 

Then there's this little tidbit:
"[McCain press secretary Brooke Buchanan] did say that the Arizona Senator invited Ohio’s most famous voter to meet up with the campaign but did not set up any specific stops."

 

 

So let me get this straight -- McCain publicly chastises Obama for intruding on Joe's personal life and bringing media attention to him...McCain then simultaneously calls Joe in the morning and invites him to join the McCain/Palin ticket on the campaign trail?

 

Another thing that McCain has been on about is accusing Democrats and the media of being "condescending" to Joe by pointing out the discrepancies in his story.

 

I guess McCain wanted to just trot out Plumber Joe with no follow-up questions, just for pure propaganda.

 

Another thing I don't understand. Even after Joe's story has been discredited - McCain keeps giving speeches about how Joe is an example of someone who will be hurt under Obama's tax plan...uh, except that we now know that Joe will benefit under Obama's plan.

 

Obama has proposed cutting taxes for low and middle-income families and raising taxes only on households earning more that $250,000 per year.

 

BTW - beats me how anyone could feel sorry for a guy whining about paying taxes on a salary they only wish they could earn every year.

 

By now we all know that Joe can’t afford to buy the business he spoke about to Obama. Joe only makes about 40 thousand a year and the business only makes about 100 thousand per year.

 

Yet McCain still tells Joe's story, well, his fictional story. Good thing that no one other than McCain's base believes it. But then, most of the Republican base only watch Fox News...which is not reporting the truth about good old Joe.

 

And how sad that Joe the Plumber has already spent more time in front of reporters than Sarah Palin has.

 

In case you missed it, here's the funny Saturday Night Live Weekend Update skit, poking fun at political happenings. The best part features the crazy McCain-Palin supporter in a red t-shirt wandering onto the set:

 

 

Just in case you didn't see the original crazy lady video :

 

 

Of course, this is all Obama's fault...because he refused to do eleventy thousand town halls like McCain wanted to.

 

And why am I not surprised that McCain waited until after the last debate to unload his most vile crap.

 

"CARSON CITY, Nev.—Automated phone calls from the McCain camp that began a day after John McCain's last presidential campaign debate with Barack Obama continue the effort to link the front-running Democratic nominee with one-time Weather Underground leader William Ayers.

 

The robo-calls that began Thursday in Nevada, Wisconsin and other targeted states say that Obama "has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge's home and killed Americans." [..] "

 

 

You can listen to one here:

 

 

Wait, there's more, several running in multiple states:

 

* One that questions Obama's patriotism by saying he puts "Hollywood above America" during the financial crisis.

 

* One that says that Obama and Democrats "aren't who you think they are" and claims they merely "say" they want to keep us safe.

 

* And, one which dishonestly paints him as indifferent to the lives of babies.

 

These aren't the work of any fringe groups...every one is paid for by the McCain campaign and the RNC. It looks like there's a huge wave of them blanketing the country.

 

Shows how bloody desperate they are...

 

The Republicans just don't get it -- they are dying because, as they try to stay in power, they have spent all their time, energy and money on this kind of crap...and too little of it on governing.

 

Too long have they ruled by deceit, smear tactics, and character assassination. They are a cancer on a democratic society and cannot be tolerated.

 

I don't want this neo-con theocratic Republican party to simply be defeated in November, I want to see it smashed into little quivery bits...so that it will take years to reconstitute itself, hopefully back into to the old Republican party.

 

No wonder the Republican Party doesn't attract minorities...and no wonder so many decent and fair-minded Republicans are abandoning the party to vote for Obama this year.

 

The negative campaigning of the Republican Party just took another turn for the worst...resorting to racist acts to paint Barack Obama as a no-good, stereotypical black man.

 

So sad and disturbing on so many levels.

 

"The latest newsletter by an Inland Republican women's group depicts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama surrounded by a watermelon, ribs and a bucket of fried chicken, prompting outrage in political circles. The October newsletter by the Chaffey Community Republican Women, Federated says if Obama is elected his image will appear on food stamps -- instead of dollar bills like other presidents. The statement is followed by an illustration of "Obama Bucks" -- a phony $10 bill featuring Obama's face on a donkey's body, labeled "United States Food Stamps." [..]"

 

 

Can't get any more blatantly racist than that, reinforcing the negative stereotypes of black folks...that they're all on welfare and use food stamps.

 

Where's the RNC? If the national party does not want to be thought of as a haven for bigots, they need to come out publicly to condemn this crap...come down like a ton of bricks on the racist who thought this up.

 

But I won't hold my breath...they don't want to upset their base, who eat this racist crap up. Remember the Obama Waffles I wrote about? Sold at a Republican forum where Newt Gingrich spoke? The box played off the old  demeaning stereotype of Aunt Jemima. Obama is portrayed with popping eyes and big, thick lips as he stares at a plate of waffles and smiles broadly.

 

And they can stuff their apologies. Some Republicans have a way of saying the vilest things and then being all cutesy about it, apologizing for whatever has already done immense damage. The "apology" is supposed to absolve them of their bigotry, hatred, and disgusting lack of manners. Their model for this behavior comes straight out of Karl Rove's "play book"...

 

For the third time in as many debates, only one of these two candidates looked Presidential. It ain't the cranky dude.

 

McCain's anger has always bothered me...it seems to seep through everything. Last night when his eyes weren't blinking about 100 times a minute (any good cop knows it's a sign of lying), he looked positively bug-eyed. He came across as angry and dismissive...not just the eye rolls, but throwing his hands in the air, practically spitting in frustration. His demeanor distracted from what he was saying because he looked like he was coming unhinged.

 

That smile thing he does when he's trying to look not-angry is just spooky.

 

The split-screen probably hurt McCain more than anything he said. You could make a constant comparison between calm, cool and collected...and jerky, whiny and volatile.

 

I'll take the guy with the scalpel, not the hatchet, thank you.

 

Again, Obama beat McCain on stature, temperament, and control. Where McCain was nasty, Obama was unflappable. Where McCain was angry, Obama was confident.

 

McCain's attacks were sometimes incoherent -- first he said he didn't care about a warshed-up old terrorist, then he wanted to talk about why that warshed-up old terrorist matters. Obama's response was thorough and rational. It's hard to imagine anyone, anywhere, wanting to continue this line of attack.

 

Hey wait! Barack Obama was wearing a flag pin and John McCain was not!  What does that tell us about McCain's "lack of patriotism."

 

All in all, how did McCain present himself to Americans? As an anti-abortion, conservative who wants to slash federal spending/programs and waste time talking about how mean ol' television ads and T-shirts hurt his poor little feelings.

 

Obama seems to go out of his way to appeal to centrists and independents. While McCain reached out to his base on abortion and vouchers, Obama sought out middle ground on practically every issue.

 

But to be fair, trying to set aside my strongly partisan preference, I think McCain probably did better in this final debate than he did in the others, especially for the first thirty minutes. It was not his worst performance. His supporters wanted him to be more aggressive, and he was...but extremely scattered. He was erratic with his answers on some questions, jumping from tangent to tangent.

 

Obama was, well, Obama. Respectful and calm the entire time with thoughtful answers...just flawless. He was a brick wall, and McCain's punches didn't make a crack.

 

Knock wood, and barring the Bradley effect, this is starting to look ... but, no, let's not get complacent...

 

After it was over, as I channel surfed the commentary, it struck me how desperately the news outlets long for a photo finish. Better for their ratings, see. I almost feel as if a close debate was more important for them than for McCain.

 

Some rightie talking heads were mistaking constant attack for strength and capability. McCain attacked plenty, but he scored few blows. His adamant defense of the people at his rallies, while probably necessary to look good in front of his base, probably did very little to endear him to swing voters. Also, the way he badmouthed the health of the mother exception for abortions probably lost a lot of independent women voters.

 

Other rightie talking heads desperately tried to portray the debate as a tie, saying McCain was "on" and aggressive and this will change the race and narrow Obama's lead. Bill Bennett even had McCain mopping up the floor with Obama.

 

The early polls tell another story:

 

"Fifty-three percent of the uncommitted voters surveyed identified Democratic nominee Barack Obama as the winner of tonight's debate. Twenty-two percent said Republican rival John McCain won. Twenty-five percent saw the debate as a draw."

 

 

Odd thing -- 64 percent of those in the CBS poll believe Obama will raise their taxes - McCain's strongest line of attack - but many of them appear willing to vote for Obama anyway.

 

A couple of observations about the CNN response-o-meter - both sexes disliked ANY attack, any negativity, and both responded most positively when either one of the candidates talked in detail and conviction about an issue. Makes you wonder whether the current reign of negativity may be drawing to a close.

 

Finally, lets all take a moment to feel sorry for Joe the Plumber, whose wife is probably yelling at him right now, asking what the hell he was thinking...as the first of a dozen TV trucks screech to a stop in front of their house....

 

 

"This economy is crazy. Are you with me on that one? This is what I saw today. I saw a Lehman Brothers executive walking around town wearing a sign that read, 'Will work for a seven-figure bonus.'" –David Letterman

 

"Russia apparently has test-fired long-range ballistic missiles. At least that's what Sarah Palin says she saw from her house." --David Letterman

 

"Did you hear what happened at a rally yesterday? Sarah Palin mistook some of her supporters for hecklers. You know, confusion happens in all walks of life. For example, a few weeks ago, John McCain mistook her for a legitimate candidate. It happens." --David Letterman

 

"Tomorrow night is the final presidential debate, and John McCain is going to take this opportunity to unveil his new campaign persona, his new campaign personality, to really energize the last couple of weeks of the campaign: Fighting underdog. And if that doesn't work, then he's going to go to sadistic yard bull." --David Letterman

 

"This week on the campaign trail, John McCain made some news. He talked about his next debate with Barack Obama, and he said, “I'm going to whip his you-know-what.' Then, McCain vowed to 'hit Obama in the whatchamacallit' and 'kick him in the thingamajig.'" --Conan O'Brien

 

"I think the economy is starting to turn around. In fact today, instead of just shooting animals for food, Sarah Palin is back shooting them for fun again." --Jay Leno

 

"The biggest newspaper in Alaska, the Anchorage Daily News, says that Sarah Palin's reaction to this Troopergate report, you know where she was found guilty, was either astoundingly ignorant or downright Orwellian. To which Sarah Palin said, 'Do I have to pick one now, or can I get back to ya?'" --Jay Leno

 

"They began filming a porno movie this week called 'Nalin' Palin.' They've hired a woman who looks like Governor Palin to star in this porn movie. It's called 'Nalin' Palin,' and they expect a lot of guys to go see it. The porn movie nobody wants to see? 'Ridin' Biden.'" --Jay Leno

 

"More charges of voter registration fraud with this group ACORN. Have you heard about this? This is turning into a huge scandal. Apparently, this group has charged with on putting phony names on voter registration cards, including Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse was registered to vote in Florida. Is that so bad? I mean, Goofy has been president for the last eight years." --Jay Leno

 

"So far, more than 10,000 acres have been burned. Yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered a state of emergency to be declared. Or he might have ordered a steak with burgundy and an eclair. It's hard to tell." --Jimmy Kimmel

 

"You probably saw this on the news. A woman at a John McCain rally said that Barack Obama is an Arab. And McCain quickly corrected her. It was really awkward, because McCain had to tell her, 'Look, Governor Palin, you are wrong.'" --Jay Leno

 

"Not been a good weekend for Governor Palin. In a 263-page report, Alaskan officials said she abused the powers of her office, and that was an ethics violation. Wow, she's only been on the national scene a month, already has an ethics violation? Who said she's not ready for Washington?" --Jay Leno

 

"Over the weekend, Sarah Palin was booed at a Philadelphia Flyers hockey game. According to ABC News, the booing was so loud, they cranked the music up to deafening levels to drown it out. And to make it even more awkward, once they cranked up the music, McCain started yelling, 'Turn that crap down!'" --Jay Leno

 

"Today is Columbus Day, which means all the banks are closed. At least I think that's why they're closed. God, you realize Columbus is the only person to have closed more banks than President Bush. Isn't that amazing?" --Jay Leno

 

"The average price of a gallon of gas has had its biggest drop ever this week also. It's now down to $3.30 a gallon. Remember $3.30 a gallon? That's the price you used to get outraged about a year ago." --Jay Leno

 

"The third presidential debate is Wednesday night, and John McCain says he's going to win. Of course, he also told Custer the surge was working." --David Letterman

 

"Bush is trying to reassure Americans that things are going to get better soon. And I was thinking well sure, in three months he'll be out of office." --David Letterman

 

"Naturally the smart thing to do to solve your economic woes is to demonize the Democrats. And of course, Sarah Palin is more than happy to oblige. She's been saying that Obama hangs out with terrorists. And you know, I think the evangelical lady who's in a video getting blessed by a witch doctor, who's married to a secessionist, and can't name a newspaper -- she's right, Obama is scary." --Bill Maher

 

"The question she keeps asking at all of the rallies is, 'Who is Barrack Obama?' You know what, genius, maybe if you'd picked up a newspaper in the last year you'd know. He's the guy who's kicking your ass." --Bill Maher

 

"But all this doesn't matter because Obama keeps pulling away in the polls. Every week, he gets a little more ahead. And with almost all groups. Liberals, of course, always supported him. ... And conservatives like the idea of paying a black man to clean up their mess." --Bill Maher

 

"See, politics is very, very tricky. It's a very, very tricky thing. It's too close to call. Well, Barack is ahead now, but you never know what can happen. You gotta remember: politics is like sex. There's always going to be one side that's horribly disappointed." --Jay Leno

Dang, with friends like ACORN, who needs enemies?

 

If you've been living under a rock, ACORN is Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now...a community-organizing group working out of poor neighborhoods....more typically known for its fights for minimum-wage and housing, but now is being accused by Republicans of committing widespread voter-registration fraud.

 

Sad to say, this is proving to be the case:

 

"Ohio county seeks fraud investigation of ACORN"

 

From bostonherald.com: "CLEVELAND - Election officials in swing state Ohio's most populous county asked a prosecutor Monday to investigate alleged voter-registration fraud, including 73 registrations obtained from one man by an advocacy group under fire in other states.

 

[O]ne of the new voters, Freddie Johnson, 19, of Cleveland, said he signed 73 voter registration forms over a five-month period. In return, ACORN canvassers gave him cigarettes or cash, about $20 in all, he told WEWS-TV in Cleveland.

 

[A]CORN's state director, Katy Gall, watched the board's discussion and said later that ACORN had cooperated with the investigation and would fire anyone soliciting duplicate registrations. She said the organization was proud of its work registering new voters.[..]"

 

 

So...ACORN decided to take a page from the GOP's 2004 election playbook and cook some local voter registration rolls...BUT, it's important that this voter registration fraud be exposed and dealt with so we don't have another election mess like we did in 2000.

 

I, as a Democrat, denounce this kind of fraud loudly and in no uncertain terms. Sleazy politics, no matter the party, is simply sleazy and, in the end, self-defeating.

 

Though, I must stress -- registration fraud and voter fraud are two different things, and that there has been little evidence of the latter.

 

I hate it that fraudulent registrations slow down the processing of those who are legitimately trying to register to vote.

 

I can see how it's possible for a handful of ACORN workers to turn in a couple thousand fake registration forms...wanting to get paid an hourly wage without actually doing the work.

 

On the other hand, IF they got by election officials, it would be a massive job to find and mobilize a couple thousand fake people with fake ID's to vote fraudulently. It would require the work of a small army.

 

It should be noted that ACORN's supporters say the group flags suspicious registration cards for election officials to see...and that no one has shown any link between registration fraud and fraudulent ballots actually being cast on Election Day.

 

Fox News is in heaven, soon to be called the 24/7 ACORN channel. I wonder if they'll show the video of McCain at an ACORN sponsored event saying that they were what makes America special.

 

I keep thinking about that old cynical saying out of Louisiana (a state that knows crooked politics) - "It was just time to turn the fat hogs out and let the lean hogs in."

 

Fat or lean, the last thing this country needs right how are any more hogs -- red hogs, blue hogs, maverick hogs or bleeding heart liberal hogs. No more hogs. And you know, it's funny...this ol' farm girl knows how hogs love Acorns.

 

...for a hit job on Barack Obama.

 

I'm a little late to the party on this, but no less outraged. The recent Sean Hannity "documentary" on Fox about Obama - watched by three million people - trots out the right-wing wackadoodle who originated the “Obama is a secret Muslim” lie that was virally spread to millions around the nation via the Internet.

 

His name is Andy Martin and now he's trying to define any type of political organizing as 'terrorism'...and, get this, claiming that Obama "had once trained to overthrow the [US] government."

 

This is not journalism, it is blatant lies and possible incitement to violence...and has no doubt contributed to the ramped up hatred against Obama of late. Those McCain rally fire-breathers watch a lot of Fox.

 

But first, a bit of background on Andy Martin, check out this NYTimes article about "The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama."

 

"[B]ut an appearance in a documentary-style program on the Fox News Channel watched by three million people last week thrust the man, Andy Martin, and his past into the foreground. The program allowed Mr. Martin to assert falsely and without challenge that Mr. Obama had once trained to overthrow the government.

 

An examination of legal documents and election filings, along with interviews with his acquaintances, revealed Mr. Martin, 62, to be a man with a history of scintillating if not always factual claims. He has left a trail of animosity — some of it provoked by anti-Jewish comments — among political leaders, lawyers and judges in three states over more than 30 years. [..]"

 

 

Yep, during a 1983 bankruptcy case Martin referred to a federal judge as a "crooked, slimy Jew, who has a history of lying and thieving common to members of his race."

 

This is Sean Hannity's idea of a source. This is the kind of guest that Fox is giving big face time ...and not challenging any of his lies.

 

How dare those at Fox declare themselves "fair and balanced"...the audacity! Any news outlet that treats the Andy Martins of the world as legitimate sources should be treated as a joke.

 

Anyway, here it is, just to prove I didn't make this crap up -- Hannity's America, 'Obama And Friends: A History Of Radicalism', aired on Oct. 5:

 

 

The LA Times also weighs in: "Fox News' faux documentary sets new low"

 

"Sean Hannity's Sunday report, 'Obama and Friends: The History of Radicalism,' relied on innuendo and guilt by association to label the Illinois senator a dupe of the shadowy forces of the left."

 

 

A "dupe of the shadowy forces of the left" because Ayres et al somehow knew decades ago - through the spirit plane? a Ouija board? - that Obama would one day run for the presidency, and win?

 

Riiight.

 

After watching TV reports of people in line for a McCain rally, it's plain to see that there's a certain number of folks in the US who will believe Andy Martin just because they want to so badly.

 

But, thank goodness, this kind of stuff won't sway many undecided voters. They have watched the debates, and saw no fire-breathing US government destroying radical. They have seen Obama's ads that stay on the high road despite the McCain spots. They know it's the GOP who preside over their economic problems.

 

It still pisses me off...I wish Obama could take time to sue against this type of libel.

 

It has to stop...this could be extremely dangerous. We've got an economic catastrophe around the corner, people are frightened and angry...and here we have at least a portion of a political party that is focusing not on ANY of the issues of the day, but instead on fueling the fearful into a frenzy.

 

It may be too late...look at what happened when McCain tried to soothe the savage beasts at his own rallies...they booed at him...repeatedly. Those people are on the edge. It will not take much to tip them...not much at all.

 

Everyone needs to send Hannity and Co. the websites www.factcheck.org and www.politifact.com

 

Hmmm...I wonder what would happen if McCain (or any other candidate) burst a blood vessel and was incapacitated just weeks or days before an election? Would the VP jump into his slot? Do they get a do-over? I don't believe this has ever happened before, but with Senator McTemper, who knows?

 

 

Sad to say, but mentally McCain is probably damaged goods, resulting from five years as a POW, all the torture. I am sorry for what he endured, I really am, and I'll be the first to say that he suffered and deserves compassion, but I don't think he should be put near the Red Button.

 

Though he's now trying to back pedal, somehow he transfers this anger to his supporters. A few days ago a McCain/Palin rally was a scary place...they were  whipped-up, unhinged, and out for blood.

 

Or maybe they're just pissed that their guy is being beaten by someone they're calling a "terrorist."

 

The interesting thing is how Obama has mostly avoided the easy shots, even though many people were begging him to go for the throat.

 

That's looking like a smart strategy at the moment. Obama's lack of anger, his very coolness, seems to be making McCain more unhinged. Well...that and his poll numbers.

 

It's fascinating to watch. When Obama does jab, he seems very effective. Calmly asking McCain to face him with accusations is particularly good. That has to be the last thing McCain expected.

 

It's cowardly to say things behind someone's back that you are not willing to say to their face.

 

John McCain is angry, full of cheap stunts and sound bites that mask his weak policies. But he's all the Republicans have. They probably like the idea of John McCain more than the person himself...and they'll just vote for this idea regardless of the man's lack of vision, intellect and temperament.

 

Barack Obama has truly inspired people in a way I haven't seen since Bobby Kennedy. McCain can holler, "Who IS Barack Obama?!" until he's red in the face, but Obama's candidacy is the result of the most serious vetting in the form of a contentious, and ultimately well fought primary.

 

With any luck Obama's presidency will impact the world as positively as Bush's has done negatively...and neo-con Republicans will finally be revealed for the manipulative, greedy, lying, jerks they really are.

 

 

"Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)"

 

Absolutely the worst movie I've ever rented from NetFlix! And yes, it's my fault for seeking out the little independent non-Hollywood type movie.

 

I've always been fascinated by Diane Arbus (the groundbreaking photographer who saw beauty in ugly people and freaks), I'm drawn to Nicole Kidman films, I even admire the work of Robert Downy Jr....but this film was just so dark and ghastly!

 

It's the 50's in Manhattan and Arbus (Kidman) decides to pursue photography on her own instead of just being her husband's assistant. She becomes intrigued by a new neighbor she sees wearing a mask. He lures her to him by stopping up her bathroom pipes with hair and a key.

 

She takes her camera upstairs to his garret where she has seen dwarves, drag queens and circus performers tromping up and down the stairs.

 

The flat is very dark and filled with objets d’exotica...she watches a woman with no arms dust furniture and drink tea using her feet.

 

Arbus is soon drawn into a flirtation with the neighbor (Downy Jr.), who wears a hood because he has a disease that causes thick hair to grow over every inch of his body, including his face. Without the hood he looks a bit like Lon Chaney's Wolfman, or a very large impeccably groomed Shih Tzu.

 

Her husband becomes jealous of his rival and grows a beard. Such a daft psychological touch...and she doesn’t even notice. Made me laugh.

 

The love scenes between Arbus and Fuzzy were done "sensitively"...but I couldn't stop laughing.

 

I might have laughed harder if I could have heard what they were whispering to each other, but damned if I could hear anything...worst sound engineering ever.

 

The only good thing I can say about this film is kudos to name actors for their willingness to appear in small, art house type films. Sometimes these films are little jewels...sometimes they're not.

"Promises civility after days of harsh attacks on rival"

 

Too late old son....like they say, you can't put the genie back into the bottle. After the past few days of you and Winky whipping your crowds into a hateful frenzy, calling Obama a traitor and a terrorist sympathizer, causing your mobs to yell "Kill him," "Terrorist!" and "Treason!"...you may not be able to douse the flames. They're already mentally rounding up pitchforks and torches.

 

Tough cookies, John, you unleashed these forces and you're ultimately responsible for them.

 

See, too many of those rabid righties are energized by hatefests. And with your constant drum beat linking Obama to terrorists - "tell America the TRUTH about Barack Obama" - your base would rather turn on you than shut down their hate. Just listen to the angry boos when you simply said that Obama is a good man.

 

I predicted that this smear tactic would come back and bite you, I gave it a week before it backfired. It didn't even take a week.

 

And on the very same day that you defended Obama to your jeering crowd, your campaign is releasing ads that portray Obama as a terrorist sympathizer. One ad, "Ambition" - a joint spot with the Republican National Committee - starts out, "Obama's blind ambition, when convenient, he worked with terrorist Bill Ayers, when discovered, he lied."

 

After you defended Obama to the woman who called him an Arab, some people might say that you finally saw the error of your ways. But, now, you can have the best of both worlds, can't you? Your crazies get to bring up Ayers and Arabs and I don't know what all...and you get to say, "Now, now, be respectful."

 

BTW - You'd better consult with your co-hort, she's still out on the stump shilling the Obama-pals-around-with-terrorists line of attack.

 

From boston.com: "LAKEVILLE, Minn. - Republican rage against Barack Obama claimed a new victim yesterday: John McCain.

 

A week of growing fury from Republicans aimed at Obama - and allegations from Democrats that McCain and his running mate, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, had fostered a mob mentality at their rallies - ended with boos for McCain from his own supporters after he rebuked one of them for saying he was "scared . . . to bring a child up" under an Obama presidency.

 

....When a woman referred to Obama yesterday as "an Arab," McCain cut her off and seized the microphone from her hands. "No, ma'am," he interjected. "He is a decent family man with whom I happen to have some disagreements." [..]

 

 

So...I'll bet that made Arab fathers feel great...that they're the opposite of decent, family men?

 

Ah well, anything to deflect attention away from the stock market dive and the real problems that working class Americans are experiencing, huh? Concentrate on smearing Obama instead of talking about lost jobs, lost 401K's, lost houses and lost health care.

 

Because we all know that people are far more concerned about Weather Underground bombings in the late 1960s than they are about their life savings dropping into the toilet today.

 

Barack Obama had a few words for the increasingly nasty tone of your campaign rallies:

 

"I think that folks are looking for something different. It’s easy to rile up a crowd by stoking anger and division. But that’s not what we need right now in the United States. The times are too serious. The challenges are too great. The American people aren’t looking for someone who can divide this country – they’re looking for someone who will lead it. We’re in a serious crisis - now, more than ever, it is time to put country ahead of politics. Now, more than ever, it is time to bring change to Washington so that it works for the people of this country that we love."

 

 

My, doesn't he sound presidential?

 

"States Illegally Remove Voters from Rolls"

 

Gah, this is all we need...what with wingnuts already running around ranting about ACORN and how the black/brown hordes are stealing elections and making American unsafe for "real Americans."

 

Damn those unscrupulous ACORN workers who got paid per person, who signed up bogus names from the phone book, the Dallas Cowboys and even a cat...

 

But really, Republicans want to kick up as big a fuss as they can about so-called "voter fraud"...so they can cast doubt on the election results and pave the way for post-election recounts.

 

Yes, this kind of crap goes on in both parties...should I bring up what Kathy Harris and the GOP did in Florida in 2000 -- taking 80,000 (black) people off the voters' lists because they had the same name as a felon?

 

Some cheating and manipulation in a national election is inevitable. As long as the cheating happens in a fairly random manner, it doesn't affect the end result very much, as the law of averages tends to balance everything out.

 

The story below isn't accusing one party or the other. When I read it, it made me shudder, thinking about what could happen election day...flaring tempers...riots...

 

From The New York Times: "Tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law, according to a review of state records and Social Security data by The New York Times.

 

The actions do not seem to be coordinated by one party or the other, nor do they appear to be the result of election officials intentionally breaking rules, but are apparently the result of mistakes in the handling of the registrations and voter files as the states tried to comply with a 2002 federal law, intended to overhaul the way elections are run.

 

[T]he screening or trimming of voter registration lists in the six states — Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina — could also result in problems at the polls on Election Day: people who have been removed from the rolls are likely to show up only to be challenged by political party officials or election workers, resulting in confusion, long lines and heated tempers.

 

Some states allow such voters to cast provisional ballots. But they are often not counted because they require added verification. [..]"

 

 

Folks, if this happens to you, do not accept a provisional ballot...they are often just tossed away due to the work required to process them. Demand to see an election official to remedy the situation.

 

If your state offers early voting, take advantage of it.

 

I will post this again, check your registration status, see if you are on the voter rolls:

 

 

 

[Since my blog host was down for a couple of days, I didn't get to post this...but dang it, I spent time writing it...besides, I want it in my archives]

 

John McCain's YouTube Moment:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed-k1xOCsMs

 

No, I don't think it was racist, but it *was* arrogant and disrespectful.

 

The CNN focus group, especially Independents, didn't like it either. Even the Republican talking heads in the CNN newsroom said McCain was "condescending."

 

His extreme derisiveness towards Barack Obama, unwilling to call him by name, seriously undercuts the notion that McCain can be a cool operator on the world stage.

 

YooHoo John McCain -- you are soon going to call That One "Mr. President."

 

The early polls say Barack Obama came out on top in this debate...that makes it three zip for the Democrats.

 

But we didn't learn anything new. A blah debate, really...mostly stump speeches from both of them.

 

We were promised an interactive "town hall"...where audience member could quiz the candidates live, and Brokaw would channel the questions asked by citizens online. It could've been exciting, with Obama and McCain freed from podiums and mixing it up a bit.

 

Yet, Brokaw complained about time and chided the Senators if they attempted to do something interesting. Odd contrast to the last debate when Lehrer practically begged them to engage with each other.

 

The dozens of town hall "real people" were just TV props, not allowed to make a peep except to ask their questions, let alone a follow-up or reaction shot.

 

So, the debate organizers failed. Considering our national crisis and record voter registration, we voters are paying more attention to this political process than ever before, and we deserved something better...like seeing our candidates put on the spot, to free fall or defend their positions.

 

Too, it must be said that both campaigns negotiated debate rules so that their candidate would not make a mistake.

 

Obama did well, he not only once again spoke directly to the viewers AND the group in the room, repeatedly referring to them as "You"... he also answered the questions thoroughly, with fully formed thoughts, a beginning, middle and an end.

 

McCain was all over the map, shifting focus. I thought he took a hit when he denied the "Bomb Iran" song. I mean, who hasn't seen the tape?

 

Obama is simply outclassing McCain on substance, and also style...both in this debate and the first one. Even a Republican in CNN's newsroom said Obama displayed stature, presidential stature, when McCain attacked him. He sat on that stool and he smiled...proving that he can handle tough moments.

 

One of the debate highlights was when Obama turned McCain's condescending "Senator Obama doesn't understand" against him. Notice how the approval lines go up:

 

 

For me, getting us out of that Iraq mess is the best reason to vote for Barack Obama. Period.

 

McCain has to be the first ever presidential candidate to talk about his need for hair plugs in a debate...and while Obama was speaking, McCain sometimes wandered all over the stage like he was lost. I feel a couple of good SNL debate skits coming on...

 

One thing Barack Obama seems to have learned from Clinton - to hang around after the debate to work the crowd. Maybe McCain walked off the stage and left the hall early because he thought he did poorly in the debate...

 

BTW--I did finally find something that I agree with John McCain on -- that we need a steady hand at the helm, but that hand is Barack Obama's.

 

Don't worry John...you'll soon have time to get that hair transplant. James Carville says you can call the dogs in and wet the fire, this hunt's over.

 

Barring unforeseen circumstances, that is...

 

Not a word from Sarah Palin when a supporter yelled "Kill him!" when she said Barack Obama palled around with terrorists...

 

Not a word from John McCain when one of his supporters yelled that Obama was a "Terrorist!"...

 

Why do McCain and Palin refuse to say no to the hate that's shouted out at their rallies when it's obvious that they hear it?

 

Because, with McCain/Palin falling behind in the polls and the projected electoral votes, they need every hateful inch-brow troglodyte vote they can get.

 

I saw the John McCain rally on the news yesterday. He was doing one of his personal attacks on Barack Obama. Next to McCain's face on the TV screen was a little ticker showing that the stock market was again tanking as he spoke.

 

Perfect...a good reminder of why McCain and his fellow Republicans are trying to distract us with mudslinging.

 

McCain asked the crowd, "Who is Barack Obama?" Right away you hear someone yell "Terrorist!" McCain pauses, the audience laughs, and then McCain continues on, not acknowledging, not correcting.

 

What is really ironic is that McCain says in the next sentence that he's upset about all the "angry barrage of insults." Here he is slinging mud at every wall, seeing what will stick, and *he's* upset about all the "angry barrage of insults."

 

That rally reminded me of old cowboy movies where the crowd gets rowdy and runs out into the night with torches and pitchforks.

 

Meanwhile, back at a Palin rally, it gets worse. The Washington Post reports that one of her supporters yelled out for assassination after Palin, again, told the lie that some of Obama's best friends are terrorists:

 

"..."Now it turns out, one of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers," Palin said.

 

"Boooo!" said the crowd.

 

"And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, 'launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,'" she continued.

 

"Boooo!" the crowd repeated.

 

"Kill him!" proposed one man in the audience. [..]"

 

 

McCain and Palin encourage hatred and negativity by not standing up to it.

 

But don't hold your breath. I'm thinking of the time when an audience member shouted, speaking of Hillary Clinton, "How do we beat the bitch?" McCain grinned and said it was "an excellent question."

 

If McCain can't stand up to the bigotry and hatred of his own crowd, then he is no better than they are.

 

It's scary wondering what McCain/Palin supporters might do next, now that they're being whipped into a frenzy...convinced that Obama is a terrorist. Dangerous stuff.

 

Maybe the Secret Service needs to have a serious talk with the McCain camp. It's one thing to sling mud, it's entirely another to be the one creating the kind of hysteria that might lead to murder. There are nutjobs out there who only need a little push over the edge...

 

If McCain still had any honor, he would take things down a notch...but he lost that some time ago when he developed this obsession with winning at any cost.

 

Somebody in the town hall debate tonight needs to ask McCain if he or his VP choice believe Obama is a terrorist sympathizer...get him, publicly, to take a stand for or against this kind of hate.

 

BTW--if you ever want to contact the mainstream media to complain (or praise):

 

 

 

 

 

From HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher...New Rules:
New Rule: A candidate for president should not be judged by the color of his skin. And to anyone who thinks differently, I say, please do not reject John McCain just because he's white. I think the recent news from Wall Street has made us all less tolerant, and only reinforced the stereotype that white people are shiftless, thieving welfare queens.

 

Now, take a look at these pictures. Here are the CEO's of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG and the Lehman Brothers. I know the first thing that jumps out about these faces is they all happen to be white, and they all happen to be responsible for stealing. But, what you have to understand is that these whites are a product of a society that made them that way.

 

It was the neighborhoods and the schools they went to: Harvard, Yale, the Wharton School of Business.

 

They never learned the value of doing real, actual work. And the first step to fixing that is better role models so kids growing up white today don't think the only way out of Westchester is corporate crime.

 

Or a government handout. Or sailing.

 

So, I get it. The temptation is to look at McCain and vote against him because you don't see an individual; you just see another typical welfare "whitey."

 

And it's true. He spent his entire life shuffling from one low-paying government job to another. Well, except those years he spent in prison. Typical. And, between you and me, he's not very articulate.

 

Oh, he may have some street smarts, but he's not what you'd call an "educated" man. He freely admits he's ignorant about the economy.

 

But, that doesn't mean we should assume all white people are like that just because so many of them are. I believe there is hope. I believe even the stupidest, greediest, laziest whites can break the cycle of dependence, like this November when we finally move George Bush out of public housing.

 

Or, A Taste of Her Own Medicine...

 

Remember Kathleen Parker, the conservative columnist who wrote a column about Palin being a bad choice for VP. This one:

 

 

Well, she sure got some nasty mail from righties for speaking some uncomfortable truths:

 

"WASHINGTON — Allow me to introduce myself. I am a traitor and an idiot. Also, my mother should have aborted me and left me in a Dumpster, but since she didn't, I should "off" myself.

 

Those are just a few nuggets randomly selected from thousands of e-mails written in response to my column suggesting that Sarah Palin is out of her league and should step down.

 

Who says public discourse hasn't deteriorated? [..]"

 

 

Parker ignored that vicious slime when it was being slung at others….and now that she’s in the line of fire, she “feels our pain”?

 

She then goes on to talk about how public discourse has deteriorated...how "...the mailbag is about us, our country, and what we really believe" and that "everyone's to blame."

 

Hey, wait a minute. Seems that the only people Parker quotes, the only ones who've abused her, are righties. Quit talking about "discourse" and put the blame where it actually lies? Rabid wingnuts.

 

Wait, there's more: "The picture is this: Anyone who dares express an opinion that runs counter to the party line will be silenced. That doesn't sound American to me, but Stalin would approve. Readers have every right to reject my opinion. But when we decide that a person is a traitor and should die for having an opinion different than one's own, then we cross into territory that puts all freedoms at risk. (I hear you, Dixie Chicks.)"

 

Well boohoo Parker. Have you listened to right wing talk radio over the past 8 years? Have you heard of Michael Savage? Do you have any idea what Rush spews on a daily basis? Do you watch Sean Hannity… ever?

 

But never mind...Parker is ready to make nice with her post-debate column, "Sarah Palin's Bridge to Somewhere"..."What did they do with the other Sarah Palin?" is Parker's opening line.

 

 

Ah well...what can you expect from a woman who once wrote an entire column in which she claimed she could tell George W. Bush was a good guy because -- I’m not kidding -- he drove a white pickup.

 

The McCain camp is getting desperate. Even after Palin's aw shucks winkin' and blinkin', Obama is still ahead in the polls. So now they have Palin out there accusing Obama of "palling around with terrorists" because he once crossed paths with a former 60's radical.

 

How many days for this strategy to backfire...I say seven.

 

From the Washington Post: "Sen. John McCain and his Republican allies are readying a newly aggressive assault on Sen. Barack Obama's character, believing that to win in November they must shift the conversation back to questions about the Democrat's judgment, honesty and personal associations, several top Republicans said.

 

With just a month to go until Election Day, McCain's team has decided that its emphasis on the senator's biography as a war hero, experienced lawmaker and straight-talking maverick is insufficient to close a growing gap with Obama. The Arizonan's campaign is also eager to move the conversation away from the economy, an issue that strongly favors Obama and has helped him to a lead in many recent polls.[..]"

 

 

A few days ago the Wall Street Journal editorial page ran a piece by conservative writer Stanley Kurtz about Obama's past with 60's-era radical William Ayers. The headline was "Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism on Schools" -- and far-right bloggers wet themselves with joy.

 

But after all that hoopla, Kurtz, after exhaustive research, couldn't find any meaningful dirt, didn't prove that Obama and Ayers had pushed radicalism in schools. The best he could come up with is that Ayers and Obama were both members of Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a nonprofit educational group.

 

That's pretty weak. But remember, this is the same strain of rightie nutocracy that thinks Bill Clinton is a murderer and a drug dealer.

 

BTW--the money for the Annenberg Challenge was given by Walter Annenberg, who was a Republican newspaper publisher who served as Nixon's ambassador to London. I doubt that anything Annenberg was involved in was some sort of radical leftie project.

 

Funny how Republicans remain firmly stuck in the '60's...the simple math that shows Obama was a child then, too young to be a flower child, escapes them.

 

Anyway, so next the New York Times started digging, detailing the "crossed paths" of Obama and Ayers...and yet, again, the Times couldn't find any meaningful dirt, either:

 

"At a tumultuous meeting of anti-Vietnam War militants at the Chicago Coliseum in 1969, Bill Ayers helped found the radical Weathermen, launching a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and United States Capitol.

 

Twenty-six years later, at a lunchtime meeting about school reform in a Chicago skyscraper, Barack Obama met Mr. Ayers, by then an education professor. Their paths have crossed sporadically since then, at a coffee Mr. Ayers hosted for Mr. Obama's first run for office, on the schools project and a charitable board, and in casual encounters as Hyde Park neighbors. [...]

 

[T]he two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called "somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.""

 

 

We have heard for months on end about Obama’s connections, his character, his honesty, his religion, etc. It's sooo old hat, and if McCain is so desperate he wants to rehash it and avoid answering how he will solve the nation’s problems, then let him.

 

I lost the last shred of respect I had for McCain when he handed his campaign over to the Rovians...the same ones who attacked him so unmercifully in 2000, saying he had an illegitimate black baby, which turned out to be his adopted girl.

 

It's pathetic to see McCain now stooping to tactics that he says he's always despised. Watch what he said here:

 

 

About the VP debate last night...Palin for student government president!

 

Republicans are probably breathing a little easier today. Sarah Palin did better in the debate than everyone thought she would -- after all, when the bar is on the floor -- and she disappointed a lot of Democrats because she made no big Couric gaffes.

 

Well, she did keep referring to a NATO commander in the war in Afghanistan as McClellan (a Civil War general), not McKiernan...and she was totally wrong about what the generals in Afghanistan are saying about a surge.

 

Yet, all in all, she probably stopped the bleeding of the McCain campaign, and that's all the GOP bigwigs wanted.

 

I'm glad that Palin had a satisfactory performance...otherwise McCain might have felt that a change might be needed. We Democrats like things just the way they are...

 

I'll tell you one thing -- that winking thing gets really old really fast. This was not "Dancing with the Stars" and being cute does not a Vice President make. The economy is in the tank and war on two fronts and she's hamming it up winking?

 

And maybe it's just me, but "Eye-ran" and "Eye-raq" get on my last nerve...but Bush has said "nukular" so much that I hardly notice when she says it.

 

Okay, that's nit-picking. But, while she didn't fall on her face, she still didn't prove that she is presidential material either. I truly didn't understand half of what she said. She didn't answer half of Gwen Ifill's questions or even pretend to. Maybe because she couldn't?

 

Since Palin wasn't pinned down Couric-style, she ended up chirping random strings of talking points. This was especially true as the night wore on...which made it very difficult to judge the substance of what she believes.

 

So she got away with using unchallenged talking-points and folksiness to fill in her time. I don't know how many people really say "doggone it" in a setting like that, she seemed to be trying too hard to be folksy.

 

Yes, ordinary people eat folksiness up...but enough to put her a heartbeat away? Her obvious lack of command of the issues, paired with her obvious reliance on the stale talking points, probably wasn't all that impressive to people outside her base.

 

I sure didn't like her snark-with-a-smile (and a wink)...and whoever told her to say, "Say it ain't so, Joe" should be looking for a job today.

 

And I got so tired of the "maverick" word. The 'meter line' from people in CNN's sample voter group immediately sank every time Palin mentioned the word, indicating that no one is buying the image of McCain as a maverick these days.

 

Washington, D. C. is filled with John McCain type mavericks...those who will say and do anything to get what they want.

 

Biden was the best I've ever seen him. He had good energy, made his points sharply (thank goodness for the time restraint), and didn't make any mistakes. He was also very good on substance...solid, detailed, knowledgeable, calm, and presidential. My only complaint is that he bordered on being too senatorial...too much Senate-speak.

 

Palin, on the other hand, seemed wound up like someone pumped full of coffee, she might have been better off with a lower key style.

 

Before the debate a lot of people were concerned that if Biden came on too strident he would be seen as attacking poor innocent female Palin. But his approach was genius, very simple -- he went after McCain. When Palin said something foolish or dishonest, he didn't attack her, he called out McCain.

 

Since McCain "tapped" her, all Palin has done is repeat the talking points that McCain's staff wrote for her, and Biden was too smart to waste time arguing with the puppet...he went after the guy behind the curtain.

 

I think Biden won this debate. He didn't overdo things...he was assured, confident and in command of the facts...he defended himself well without seeming overbearing. And he was adept using his own brand of working class folksiness.

 

Of course, I'm a Democrat....but I think the polls will bear me out:

 

"Two quick, post-debate polls agree that Joe Biden was the better performer in his debate Thursday night with Sarah Palin.

 

-- CBS used uncommitted voters, who gave Biden the edge in early numbers, 46-21 percent, over Palin.

 

-- CNN's instant poll of regular voters showed Biden victorious, 51-36."

 

 

One good thing was that Biden made a good debut onto the national stage, he made a good impression. The media hasn't paid much attention to him after the nomination...whereas Palin had two celebrity interviews and, for better or worse, hogged the news every day.

 

Okay...the VP debate is finally over and the McCain camp will hide Palin from the press from now until November 4th. We are going to start looking at McCain again -- how he lies and changes his opinion every five minutes.

 

It's hard to tell if he is senile or completely desperate.

 

...but it's still PORK.

 

All the fat cats can dance and sing again...the Senate voted last night, 74-25, to approve an even bigger bailout/rescue package. It includes not only the original $700 billion blank check, but now it's stuffed with all kinds of pork.

 

John McCain and Barack Obama voted YES.

 

I like the new provision in the bill -- backed by both parties -- that would raise the $100,000 cap on FDIC for deposits to $250,000. But I'm confused about this being only temporary, and not permanent? Anyway, for right now, it will calm voters who are fearful of bank failures and stop any runs on the banks.

 

I do NOT support any giant government spending bill that helps homeless Wall Street executives. I want them to be held responsible for their actions. These same greedy foxes should NOT oversee the hen house again.

 

The Treasury’s first bill was 3 pages long. The House version, which failed, grew to 110. The Senate version now runs over 450 pages...and what are the odds that any of the Senators actually read the bill? What about all this pork?

 

New Tax earmarks in Bailout bill

 

Film and Television Productions (Sec. 502)

 

Wooden Arrows designed for use by children (Sec. 503)

 

6 page package of earmarks for litigants in the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident, Alaska (Sec. 504)

 

Tax earmark “extenders” in the bailout bill.

 

Virgin Island and Puerto Rican Rum (Section 308)

 

American Samoa (Sec. 309)

 

Mine Rescue Teams (Sec. 310)

 

Mine Safety Equipment (Sec. 311)

 

Domestic Production Activities in Puerto Rico (Sec. 312)

 

Indian Tribes (Sec. 314, 315)

 

Railroads (Sec. 316)

 

Auto Racing Tracks (317)

 

District of Columbia (Sec. 322)

 

Wool Research (Sec. 325)

 

 

What does ANY of that have to do with saving the economy?

 

Ah well, at least race tracks and wooden arrow manufacturers got to keep their tax breaks.

 

So, now we wait to see if the House will approve this Senate version. I won't hold my breath waiting for them to do the right thing and strip this pork from the bill...they'll probably load it up with even more pork to guarantee its passage.

 

Here's how everyone voted:

 

 

Uh, can I have that Coke can when you're through with it?

 

Only...I fear that Sarah Palin would be worse than Bush...and that's going some.

 

Who would have thought two months ago that Katie Couric would have been THE journalist to expose that the Republican VP nominee has no clothes?

 

Another part of Couric's interview with Palin. What's stunning about this clip is that Palin can't name a single newspaper she reads...not even the Anchorage Daily News, from which she hired a key staffer:

 

"Couric: And when it comes to establishing your worldview, I was curious, what newspapers and magazines did you regularly read before you were tapped for this to stay informed and to understand the world?

 

Palin: I've read most of them, again with a great appreciation for the press, for the media.

 

Couric: What, specifically?

 

Palin: Um, all of them, any of them that have been in front of me all these years.

 

Couric: Can you name a few?

 

Palin: I have a vast variety of sources where we get our news, too. Alaska isn't a foreign country, where it's kind of suggested, "Wow, how could you keep in touch with what the rest of Washington, D.C., may be thinking when you live up there in Alaska?" Believe me, Alaska is like a microcosm of America."

 

 

Couric must be shaking her head non stop in disbelief that the McCain camp is actually trying to pass Palin off as qualified to be president. The expression on Couric's face around 0:35 is just perfect.

 

It is hard to believe that Palin couldn't answer a simple "getting to know you" type question. The only logical explanation for her non-answer is that she doesn't read ANY newspapers. She probably gets all of her national news from FOX cable news.

 

Maybe we can forgive her not being able to explain the bailout, it makes MY head hurt. Maybe we can forgive her not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is...or for not having her running mate's positions memorized. But come on...the name of a single newspaper?

 

Sarah Palin is a bright and shiny gift to Saturday Night Live and the Daily Show...to help them get through Bush departure withdrawal.

 

Or maybe Tina Fey is paying Palin for all these goodies? How often do you get to do satire that will win you an Emmy without any original writing?

 

Palin reminds me of how the media tried to pin Bush down to substantive answers back in 2000 -- not to mention that back then times weren't as serious as they are now -- when Bush got away with saying, "Jesus changed mah heart," and not being into the book-learning.

 

When Palin started to claim that she got her news from a vast variety of unnamed sources, it brought to mind something Bush once said in an interview:

 

BUSH: I get briefed by Andy Card and Condi in the morning. They come in and tell me. In all due respect, you've got a beautiful face and everything.
I glance at the headlines just to kind of a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves. But like Condoleezza, in her case, the national security adviser is getting her news directly from the participants on the world stage.

 

HUME: Has that been your practice since day one, or is that a practice that you've...

 

BUSH: Practice since day one.

 

HUME: Really?

 

BUSH: Yes. You know, look, I have great respect for the media. I mean, our society is a good, solid democracy because of a good, solid media. But I also understand that a lot of times there's opinions mixed in with news. And I...

 

HUME: I won't disagree with that, sir.

 

BUSH: I appreciate people's opinions, but I'm more interested in news. And the best way to get the news is from objective sources. And the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what's happening in the world.

 

 

And we know how well that worked out...

 

Please, please...Palin just can't be allowed to get near the White House...well, maybe as a tourist.

 

Remember that in Sarah's world, dinosaurs and humans used to hang out together in the Garden of Eden...remember that she's an end-times Pentecostal who believes in The Rapture...

 

We just can't put her a mere heartbeat away from the temptation to launch a full-scale nuclear assault on Russia.

 

BTW--The McCain camp is salivating at the prospect of Palin promoting the shotgun-wedding of her under-aged daughter into a gala affair sometime before the election...their answer to the wedding of Charles and Di... which will draw all the attention away from Obama's message.