Why Barney Frank is in My Top 5

AP: Military Donations Favor Obama Over McCain

Now, I'm just sayin'...

This story was published by the AP in the middle of August. How did we miss this??? Oh, wait - because if we talk about this, we put a dent in the the McCain/POW/war hero narrative. And if we do that, we can't draw our clear line between the two candidates and their military cred (or their lack thereof) - regardless of how many times one of them may have voted against veterans' benefits over the course of his congressional career.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. soldiers have donated more presidential campaign money to Democrat Barack Obama than to Republican John McCain, a reversal of previous campaigns in which military donations tended to favor GOP White House hopefuls, a nonpartisan group reported Thursday.

Troops serving abroad have given nearly six times as much money to Obama's presidential campaign as they have to McCain's, the Center for Responsive Politics said.

I'm just sayin...

Fey/Palin/SNL Redux

1st Debate

Now, I'm just sayin'...

My initial and main impressions:

*Number One With A Bullet: McCain won't make eye contact with his opponent; won't acknowledge his presence in the room; won't give so much as a cursory glance Obama's direction. What does this show? Contempt? Dismissiveness? Is he trying to keep his temper in check? While I expect McCain to correct this by the next debate, I say Obama should have a line ready: monitor whether McCain ever looks at you while criticizing or attacking you and when he doesn't, say, "Senator, where I come from, when you take issue with someone, you say it to their face - you look them in the eyes and tell them what's what." I guaran-damn-tee you Democrats will be on their feet, the McCain supporters will feel shamed and embarassed (and angry), and independents will embrace Obama as strong and honest while rejecting McCain as petty, small, and all bluster.

2. Obama's debate prep was made brilliantly evident by his response to McCain's "bracelet" moment. Without missing a beat, he showed and told his own bracelet story, effectively defusing this favorite McCain prop.

3. While taking a more dignified stance, Obama landed the hardest punches.

4. Obama will be criticized for saying "John's right", "I agree with John in the respect...", etc (there's already an ad out using these statements against Obama), but if you haven't made up your mind about these two guys, which comes across as more credible, more earnest in seeking a positive tone, more knowledgable, and ... wait for it... more likeable? The one who says, "I agree on 'x', but you're wrong on getting to 'x'" or the one who says, "You don't get it. You're wrong, wrong, wrong. Thou shalt have no other way but mine"? ... which segues nicely into...

5. Indepedent and undecided voters connected to Obama. McCain was cold, angry, removed, stubborn, and rude. Obama spoke to the camera, spoke to the moderator, and - as I pointed out in point 1 - spoke to John McCain. He included everyone in the audience in his answers. He talked about the middle class. He talked about kitchen table issues. He related to the problems regular people are facing. Number of time John McCain said "middle class": Zero.

I'm just sayin'...

"Curse You, Red Putin!!!"

"It's very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia as Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where-- where do they go? It's Alaska. It's just right over the border. It is-- from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right here . They are right next to-- to our state." - Sarah Palin, interviewed by Katie Couric

Photo of Palin in action, defending Alaskan airspace from V. Putin (click to enlarge):

Updated: Oh Dear. Couric v. Palin

How long until Katie Couric is branded a "sexist" by the McCain campaign? Seriously, though, Sarah Palin has no business on the national political stage. Just a pa(l)inful performance.

Watch the clip below, but first, grab ya some butter, cuz this b*tch is toast.



UPDATE: Alaska, Russia, and her foreign policy "credentials":

Uhhh! Ummm! Time Out!!!!! (?)

Now, I'm just sayin'...

Here's the scenario: 2 minutes left in the game, you're on defense and you NEED a stop to win:

1st and 10 from their 20, RB breaks off a 25 yard scamper up the gut into the secondary. 1st down.

Next play, same RB runs a counter left side for another 15. 1st down.

Now, you load up 8 men in the box to stop the run, the safety bites on the ensuing play action and the QB fires one down the sideline to a streaking receiver for another 38 yards before help arrives to knock him out of bounds at the 2. 1st and goal.

Now you're winded with your hands are on your hips, all the momentum is against you, and all the offense has to do is punch it in for the score.

What do you do?

Call a time out. Or, perhaps more accurately, flop to the ground, theatrically clutching your knee, and force an injury time out.

Which is precisely what John McCain did today with the poll numbers against him, two days before he was scheduled to debate Barack Obama in what is sure to be one of the most watched debates in history. Acceptable for football. But for a presidential election?

Obama's having none of it.

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama rejected Republican Sen. John McCain’s dramatic call Wednesday to delay Friday’s presidential debate because of the economic crisis.

“This is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person who in approximately 40 days will be responsible for dealing with this mess,” Obama told reporters in Clearwater, Fla.

Obama agreed with McCain on the need for the two men to issue a joint statement of support for legislation to rescue the banking industry, but he declined McCain’s call to postpone the first debate, scheduled for Friday in Jackson Miss.

Meanwhile, Pelosi joined Obama in reminding Senator McCain you need to be able to walk and chew gum:

Barack Obama rejected the proposal -- put forward by John McCain today -- that the two presidential candidates leave the campaign trail, delay Friday's debate, and return to Washington to work on a bailout package for the economy,

"Presidents are going to have to deal with more than one thing at a time," he said, "it is not necessary for us to think we can do only one thing and suspend everything else."

[snip]

"The debate should take place as scheduled," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview with NPR to be broadcast this afternoon. "We have to be able to do a couple of things at once. That's what leadership requires."

Oh, but there's more!

McCain was scheduled to be on Letterman tonight, but cancelled, saying he had to rush away to work on the financial crisis. But then a funny thing happened:

Then in the middle of the taping Dave got word that McCain was, in fact just down the street being interviewed by Katie Couric. Dave even cut over to the live video of the interview, and said, "Hey Senator, can I give you a ride [to the airport]?"

Earlier in the show, Dave kept saying, "You don't suspend your campaign. This doesn't smell right. This isn't the way a tested hero behaves." And he joked: "I think someone's putting something in his metamucil."

"He can't run the campaign because the economy is cratering? Fine, put in your second string quarterback, Sara Palin. Where is she?"

"What are you going to do if you're elected and things get tough? Suspend being president? We've got a guy like that now!"

And as a further demonstration of McCain's commitment to the emergency, just look at what else he did this morning:

The McCain campaign's new urgency about the financial crisis didn't entirely clear his schedule this morning.

My colleague Amie Parnes reports that he made it to his scheduled morning meeting with Lady Lynn de Rothschild, a Clinton backer who recently came out in support of him.

All while Obama was waiting by the phone for a returned call.

I'm just sayin'...

The Unfixable Temperament

A quick update related to today's previous entry: George Will... yes, THAT George Will - Poster Boy for Conservative American Commentary George Will... had this to say in today's Washington Post re: Senator McCain:

McCain Loses His Head

By George F. Will
Tuesday, September 23, 2008; Page A21

"The queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said without even looking around."

-- "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

Under the pressure of the financial crisis, one presidential candidate is behaving like a flustered rookie playing in a league too high. It is not Barack Obama.

Channeling his inner Queen of Hearts, John McCain furiously, and apparently without even looking around at facts, said Chris Cox, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, should be decapitated.

[snip]

In any case, McCain's smear -- that Cox "betrayed the public's trust" -- is a harbinger of a McCain presidency. For McCain, politics is always operatic, pitting people who agree with him against those who are "corrupt" or "betray the public's trust," two categories that seem to be exhaustive -- there are no other people.

[snip]

Conservatives who insist that electing McCain is crucial usually start, and increasingly end, by saying he would make excellent judicial selections. But the more one sees of his impulsive, intensely personal reactions to people and events, the less confidence one has that he would select judges by calm reflection and clear principles, having neither patience nor aptitude for either.

It is arguable that, because of his inexperience, Obama is not ready for the presidency. It is arguable that McCain, because of his boiling moralism and bottomless reservoir of certitudes, is not suited to the presidency. Unreadiness can be corrected, although perhaps at great cost, by experience. Can a dismaying temperament be fixed?

"He Who Drinks Fast, Pays Slow"

Now, I'm just sayin'...

This title borrows from Benjamin Franklin's aphorism, illustrating that short-term benefits may do more harm than good in the future; a quick buzz will get you through the evening, but there'll be hell to pay later.

John McCain's campaign may be on the verge of learning this lesson, again.

While I could cite several minor examples of how McCain has sacrificed good, long-term strategy for the sake of a quick fix, I believe two instances in particular (one major, and one timely) are indicative of the kind of flawed, short-sighted judgment that characterizes the Senator from Arizona: Sarah Palin and, now, the debate scheduling.

Part I: Caribou Barbie Governor Palin

Now, I'm on record as being psyched about Sarah Palin. I thought she was a patronizing, transparently calculated choice and that the shine on the proverbial turd would eventually tarnish:

There will be an initial media infatuation, but the honeymoon will soon be over once she's forced into the limelight.

<\ self back patting>

Sarah Palin was a night of Wild Turkey shots at the bar. You got small doses of good stuff, you felt jollier after each one, and at the end of the evening you felt pretty damn good. But, the next morning, you felt like you'd been hit by a bus, swore off the stuff, and maybe even puked. The short term effect was great, but what did you have to show for it in the morning?

Declining favorability numbers.

When John McCain picked Sarah Palin as his running mate late last month, the Alaska governor quickly became a media phenomenon.

[snip]

But then a funny thing happened: Palin seems to have lost some of her luster...Over the course of a single weekend, in other words, Palin went from being the most popular White House hopeful to the least.

But, as a picture is worth 1,000 words, this chart uses data collected by Survey USA - a nonpartisan organization that ranks as one of the best in the business for polling accuracy (click to enlarge):



Part II: The Debate Schedule

Now, for the timely story. Ignoring the amusing fact that John McCain plans to take a nap before the first debate (presumably to make him less fussy), the topic of the first debate was originally domestic policy.

The first debate, on Friday, will be at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, where in 1962 the enrollment of James Meredith, its first African-American student, touched off a deadly riot. The debate commission had directed that this debate would cover domestic issues, but the two campaigns agreed to change it to foreign policy. Sen. McCain's advisers wanted to lead off with his strong suit, foreign policy. Sen. Obama's advisers wanted to have the last debate center on domestic issues, particularly the economy, which they believe will benefit their candidate. Also, some Obama advisers said they didn't want the issue of race "front and center" during a debate.

So, it would seem that both sides got what they wanted in this respect: McCain leads off with foreign policy, and Obama bats cleanup with domestic. But this is another example of McCain's bad judgment: sacrificing long-term success for quick momentum.

While McCain - who consistently polls ahead of Obama on foreign policy cred and experience - will certainly feel as though he got a shot in the arm from this first debate, how long will it play out? The first debate is this Friday. While record numbers of voters will tune in, headlines and quick talking head reactions from the first debate will be lost to the weekend. The next debate is the next Thursday (October 2) between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin. With all the attention this debate has been given ahead of time - MORE than the presidential debates themselves - the media narrative is likely to shift a day or two in advance, previewing whether Joe Biden will bully poor Sarah, or whether Sarah will come off looking like a novice, or a host of other non-issue-related stories. This leaves a very small window during which a strong performance (which McCain still has to deliver, lest we forget) can be fawned over and inflated.

While I could get into similar projected time frames and prognostications for the VP debate and the presidential town hall debate on Tuesday, October 7 (i.e., McCain prefers town hall style, how previous performance determines tone and behavior, etc), there's a more important factor best described by an old sports adage: "It ain't how you start; it's how you finish." While McCain was focused on getting his foreign policy buzz on, Obama is playing for the long haul. Enter, Wednesday, October 15 at New York's Hofstra University where the presidential candidates will meet for their third and final debate on... domestic issues.

That's right. The last things we'll be talking about coming out of the debates for three weeks - with no other date on the calendar but November 4 - are the economy, health care, education, and other Obama strong suits. Obama will hammer McCain on the dreadful state of the economy, rip the face off his faith-based health care plan ("pray you don't get sick"), call out the lies about his tax plan, and wrap John McCain up in a pretty George Bush/four more years of the same bow.

Now, I'm no dummy. I know the McCain campaign won't sit back and let this story occupy the airwaves for three weeks. That's why the Obama rapid response team has to be on their best game for the inevitable distractions that are bound to happen following the final debate. You can set your watch by it. After the third debate, McCain's team will blow the dam, unleashing a deluge of every ridiculous red herring and allegation they can dream up. And don't be surprised if McCain gets an assist from the Bush White House with a timely terror alert in a desperate attempt to shift the public focus. With time winding down, it will be the responsibility of the Obama campaign, the press (gulp), and us to debunk the lies. In the wake of the debates, a swift and merciless Obama surrogate/spokesman counterattack will be absolutely essential to electoral success.

Strap yourself in. This is going to be intense.

I'm just sayin'...

Which One's the Elitist, Again?

Click image to enlarge

The Best Indicator of Future Behavior...

Now, I'm just sayin'...

The absurdity is just as potent on the 100th repetition as the 1st: "Hi, I've been in Washington for three decades. I have 7 lobbyists running my campaign and writing my policies (including the author of the deregulation bill that has our economy royally screwed). I voted against every financial regulatory measure I support now. But you can sure bet I'm an agent of change and reform and that when you elect me, my advisors and handlers are prepared to be kicked to the unemployment line."

Honestly, it's like stopped trying weeks ago. As recently as today:



If you didn't have time to hear McCain's response, I'll summarize: "Well, Carly's different... because I said so. I think she alone did a good job, unlike any and every other beneficiary of golden parachutes. You see, whereas she ran her company like so many other poop-flinging apes, her poop was much browner and firmer."

For the Republican ticket, "reform" is just a word that sounds pretty, noble, and - most importantly - politically advantageous. The record and the rhetoric just don't match up. For example, when you laud your own efforts at lobbying and securing millions of dollars for a town of only a few thousand (people, not caribou), you're not an "earmark reformer". And yes, that's Palin's handwriting in the document's margin, written with the giddiness of a yearbook-signing teenager - if that teenager is responsible for having secured $27 million for about 5,000 people and then appointed half her friends in the yearbook to state government posts.

Reformer? Please.


(cartoon by Drew Sheneman of the Newark Star Ledger)

I'm just sayin'...

Boredom Remedy #43: Endorsement Lookup

My unfairly selective partial List of Obama presidential campaign endorsements

Zach Braff

John Cleese

George Clooney

Matt Damon

Tom Hanks

Dustin Hoffman

Brad Pitt

Paul Rudd

Ben Stiller

Charlize Theron

Will Ferrell

Hal Sparks (VH1's Best Week Ever)

Stella (Michael Ian Black, David Wain, Michael Showalter)

J.J. Abrams (co-creator of LOST)

Billie Joe Armstrong (lead singer, Green Day)

Dave Matthews

OK GO

Michael Jordan


My unfairly selective partial List of McCain presidential campaign endorsements

Wilford Brimley

Heidi Montag

Patricia Heaton

Dick Van Patten

Rupert Murdoch

Donald Trump

Jeb Bush

4th Branch? Palin Ain't Sayin'

The comparisons between Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney have been mostly contained to the similarities arising in light of Troopergate: stonewalling and blocking investigation, lack of transparency, refusing to allow state employees to testify (reminiscent of phony claims of executive privilege), and attacking the investigators as on a "partisan witch hunt". But today, The Hill reports we can add another tenet of the Cheney Doctrine to Sarah Palin's governing philosophy.

Vice President Dick Cheney has said his office only partially belongs to the executive branch. Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden disagrees and Republican rival Sarah Palin isn’t saying.

[snip]

“Unlike Dick Cheney, Joe Biden won’t have to create a full employment plan for lawyers and scholars to clear up something that was unquestioned for about 200 years. The vice president is part of the executive branch, period. End of story,” said Biden spokesman David Wade.

We all remember the laughable legal conclusion Cheney came up with in order to justify withholding information and avoiding disclosure: essentially, that the Vice President doesn't really belong to the executive branch because he serves as President of the Senate. Constitutional scholars were left with mouths agape and "fourth branch of government" jokes permeated late night talk show scripts.

In turn, a spokesman for the Republican presidential campaign did not answer the question [of whether Palin believes the vice presidency is solely in the executive branch]. Instead, he e-mailed remarks Palin gave at a campaign rally in Golden, Colo., on Monday.

Palin did not say what branch of government she believes the vice president’s office is part of in those remarks. Instead, Palin said she and Republican presidential nominee John McCain had discussed what responsibilities she would take on as his second-in-command.

“My mission is going to be energy, security and government reform and another thing near and dear to my heart: It’s going to be helping families who have special needs and children with special needs,” said Palin.

Avoiding questions and sticking to tangential, empty talking points to mask your contempt for the Constitution? That's not change. That's more of the same. This is just another example of how McCain's judgment will bring us four more years of this nonsense - by picking a VP who leaves the door open to mangling, twisting, or just ignoring the Constitution to fit her politically expedient needs.

Bye, Carly

Now, I'm just sayin'...

Farewell, Carly Fiorina. We hardly knew thee.

Under the headline "Carly Fiorina Says McCain Not Qualified to Run a Corporation", former Hewlett-Packard CEO and current top economic McCain advisor Carly Fiorina told reporters that neither the Republican candidate for president, nor his hockey mom appointee, are qualified to run a major corporation.

However, in an appearance on MSNBC, Fiorina was asked by Washington Correspondent Andrea Mitchell to clarify a statement she made earlier in the day on a St. Louis radio talk show that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate, is not qualified to run a corporation.
Fiorina defended her statement by extending the lack of qualities to John McCain.

"Well, I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation," she told Mitchell.

I'll bet the Obama campaign had something to say in response to that.

"If John McCain's top economic adviser doesn't think he can run a corporation, how on Earth can he run the largest economy in the world in the midst of a financial crisis?" said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor. "Apparently, even the people who run his campaign agree that the economy is an issue John McCain doesn't understand as well as he should."

Now, in a move employing terminology reminiscent of mobsters, McCain's campaign will now "disappear" Fiorina:

A top McCain official contacted by CNN said, on condition on anonymity, "No big deal, but not how you get on the surrogate all-star team. Very Biden-like."

“This campaign source said Fiorina would be discouraged from additional media interviews.

Another top campaign adviser was far less diplomatic.

"Carly will now disappear," this source said. "Senator McCain was furious." Asked to define "disappear," this source said, adding that she would be off TV for a while – but remain at the Republican National Committee and keep her role as head of the party’s joint fundraising committee with the McCain campaign.

Fiorina was booked for several TV interviews over the next few days, including one on CNN. Those interviews have been canceled.

As a (not-so) side note, though: I'm no expert, but isn't being the President of the United States VERY similar to being the CEO of a company, in spite of Carly's assertion to the contrary in the clip above?

The President prepares a budget. The President strategically apportions resources to strengthen the country, solve current problems, and prevent future ones. The President has to forecast economic conditions (along with the Fed, Treasury, etc) in order to formulate sound policies in the financial sector. The President manages and delegates to a Cabinet of executives, each with their own areas of expertise. The President works in cooperation with chief executives of other nations to promote peace and prosperity at home and abroad. The President leads the country in virtually every sense of the word...

You know, John Aravosis put it much more succinctly than I just did:

But fortunately the US government is not a multi-trillion dollar enterprise with hundreds of thousands of employees. Oh wait...

McCain and his team just don't get it.

I'm just sayin'...

Economic Strategery

Now, I'm just sayin'...

Did we mention John McCain doesn't know much about the economy? Not that we need to - he's reminded us often in the past:

January, 2000: Seeking to explain his shift on economic issues, McCain claimed: “I didn’t pay nearly the attention to those issues in the past. I was probably a ’supply-sider’ based on the fact that I really didn’t jump into the issue.”

June 2008: Carly Fiorina, a top McCain adviser, acknowledged that McCain has said he knows little about the economy, noting that “he did say it one time, no question, maybe twice.”

December, 2007: “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,” McCain said. “I’ve got Greenspan’s book.”

Now, that's nice of him to be straight with us on his dearth of economic expertise, but does he really need to keep reminding us? It's really unsettling. This morning, though, during a testy exchange on MSNBC's Morning Joe, McCain gave his book report on Republicanomics:

"...Wall Street has betrayed us. They've broken the social contract between capitalism and the average citizen and the worker, and the workers are paying a very heavy price while a lot of them are not only emerging unscathed, but some of them left with packages of a hundred million dollars or so."

(As an added bonus, watch as McCain gets cranky with Mika, calling her an Obama supporter in an attempt to discredit and marginalize her and then calling it a "cheap shot" when she points out that her brother works for McCain. Joe actually comes to her defense as everyone on set seems a little shocked at McCain's testiness.)

Now, I've racked my brain trying to figure out where amongst this string of b.s. McCain thinks a social contract exists in capitalism. First, let us assume that he has the economic knowledge of a 10th grade civics student and knows that American capitalism is not pure capitalism (though I would love for a reporter to ask him to define and distinguish the two). Deconstructing his statement, there is no other conclusion except McCain believes some social, humanitarian "obligation" exists in American "Capitalism Lite". I can only guess the Senator has been skimming his Adam Smith cliffs notes. Back in the 18th Century, Smith was a fervent advocate of the theory that the free market, pitting rational self-interest and competition against a social framework that values moral responsibility leads to economic prosperity. In short, the "social contract" to which McCain refers is a hope that individuals get tired of acquiring wealth - also known as a "fantasy". Sound familiar? It's Republicanism and Bush Economics at its finest. He's saying that everyone is out to make as much money as they can - until they see they're hurting the little guy and then they benevolently stop and help the market redistribute the wealth. It's bunk. Time and again, self-interest inevitably trumps moral obligation in our economy (e.g., Enron, golden parachutes, Exxon-Mobil windfall profits, skyrocketing cost of living). The fulcrum of McCain's confused and muddled criticism of the economy is a half-hearted and insincere wag of the finger at Wall Street: "Don't be so greedy, markets! Shame on you! (oh, and here, enjoy another big cut in the capital gains tax so you can keep more of the money you made doing nothing!)"

In sum, McCain's economic "philosophy" is exposed again as more of the same: deregulation, less oversight, rich-get-richer, trickle-down voodoo. John McCain may not "get it" when it comes to your kitchen table, but he sure knows on which side his bread is buttered.

Sadly, it doesn't stop there. How can you fix the economy if you don't think it's broken? Flying in the face of reality, McCain cued up his favorite "golden oldie" yesterday morning:

"Our economy, I believe, still, the fundamentals of our economy are strong..."

John McCain said this as Wall Street was in the middle of its worst day since September 11, 2001; on the same day Lehman Brothers (a firm that survived the Great Depression, by the way) filed for Chapter 11 and Merrill Lynch sold out to Bank of America. He said this in the wake of Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG in trouble, nervous eyes on Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley... the list goes on...

Which prompted a hard left hook from the Obama campaign:



One begins to wonder if saying John McCain will continue George W. Bush's economic policies gives McCain too much credit.

I'm just sayin'...

Obama: "I've got a bridge to sell you up in Alaska"

Now, I'm just sayin'...

Ben Smith at Politico reports Obama's latest zinger.

"But now suddenly, John McCain says he is about change, too. He even started using some of my lines. Suddenly he says he wants 'to turn the page.' He had an ad today that he started running that he and Gov. Palin would bring the change that we need. He had this in an advertisement. Sound familiar? Let me tell you something, instead of borrowing my lines he needs to borrow our ideas," Obama said.

He followed up with s dig on lobbyists, saying "if you think those lobbyists are working day and night for John McCain just to put themselves out of business, well then I've got a bridge to sell you up in Alaska."

This, in my opinion, is the most effective form of attacking. It's sarcastic without being snide (there's a difference, Sarah Palin) and it makes the point (while tying in another B story) in a humorous way. I want to see more comments like this on the trail - biting, concise, but fun. If Obama can get his message across, while stoking these kinds of fires and tying McCain to Bush - all while having fun - he's a lead pipe lock with independents.

I think it complements the tone struck in the video ad that came out last week on McCain's savviness with computers and the economy. While many (including myself) bashed the ad as too light and weak, I believe the tone hits nicely with the intended audience. It's not for the choir, it's for the congregation. And hey, if you're stuck in the pews through all this, you appreciate a good laugh.

I'm just sayin'...



UPDATE: My moment in the sun/top of the rec list on DailyKos:

ABC: Fact Check Fail

Well, at least she knows what one can see from Alaska. Great Job, Sarah.

What We Learned: Palin/Gibon Edition, Part 1

Now, I'm just sayin'...

After keeping the Governor of Alaska safely protected from media inquiries for weeks, Charlie Gibson of ABC was finally permitted to ask some questions of the small town mayor who wants to be our president. So, what did we learn about where she stands? What kind of person was the beneficiary of John McCain's judgment?

1. She has the foreign policy credentials of an IHOP coffee mug.

Asked about the Bush Doctrine, Palin is a moose in headlights. Caught off-guard, her snide, exasperated, condescending tone shines through in a sad attempt to mask her panic. Has she been paying attention for the last 8 years? Watch as she stumbles, bumbles, and finally - once she remembers her coaching - bullshits for the remainder of the answer.




2. Iraq and 9/11? Even Bush doesn't believe that anymore.

Front page of the Washington Post:

Gov. Sarah Palin linked the war in Iraq with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, telling an Iraq-bound brigade of soldiers that included her son that they would "defend the innocent from the enemies who planned and carried out and rejoiced in the death of thousands of Americans."

3. War is her first reaction.

This woman is a dyed-in-the-wool hawk.

GIBSON: And under the NATO treaty, wouldn't we then have to go to war if Russia went into Georgia?

PALIN: Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you're going to be expected to be called upon and help.

But NATO, I think, should include Ukraine, definitely, at this point and I think that we need to -- especially with new leadership coming in on January 20, being sworn on, on either ticket, we have got to make sure that we strengthen our allies, our ties with each one of those NATO members.

We have got to make sure that that is the group that can be counted upon to defend one another in a very dangerous world today.

And if Israel is threatened?

GIBSON: What if Israel decided it felt threatened and needed to take out the Iranian nuclear facilities?

PALIN: Well, first, we are friends with Israel and I don't think that we should second guess the measures that Israel has to take to defend themselves and for their security.

GIBSON: So if we wouldn't second guess it and they decided they needed to do it because Iran was an existential threat, we would cooperative or agree with that.

PALIN: I don't think we can second guess what Israel has to do to secure its nation.

GIBSON: So if it felt necessary, if it felt the need to defend itself by taking out Iranian nuclear facilities, that would be all right.

PALIN: We cannot second guess the steps that Israel has to take to defend itself.

"We can't second guess what they need to do to defend themselves?" Translation: "I love me some KA-BOOM!"

Her first reaction - the place where her mind jumps - is not diplomacy, or any other form of working with allies to bring peaceful resolution to a conflict. It's bombs. It's retaliation. It's war. That's not change. That's more of the same. More itchy trigger finger foreign policy. More diplomacy as an afterthought. More war.


4. Her foreign official address book consists of Jose Cuervo and Joe Canadian.

GIBSON: Have you ever met a foreign head of state?

PALIN: I have not, and I think if you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer that I just gave you.

If that sounds wrong to you, it's because it is.

However Palin, who obtained her first passport two years ago, would in fact be the first vice president in 32 years who hadn't met a foreign head of state, if she were elected.

5. She disagrees with John McCain - and agrees with Obama - on taking action against terrorists in Pakistan near the Afghanistan border.

Great summary by John Aravosis at Americablog:

First, here is what Obama said earlier this year:

“Let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains, that murdered 3,000 Americans,” he said, continuing with resolve: “If we have actionable intelligence about high-valued terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will.”

Here is what McCain had to say about Obama:

Obama at the time was talking about attacking known al-Qaeda terrorist targets, not suggesting mounting an attack on the country or government of Pakistan. Still, he caught flak shortly thereafter from some on both sides of the aisle for discussing the merits of attacking a sovereign ally.

And McCain saw no distinction, while speaking with reporters, today. “That’s still bombing Pakistan,” he said when pressed on the topic. McCain then sidestepped, discussing the merits of diplomacy. “The first thing you do is you don’t tell people what you’re going to do; you make plans, and you work with the other country that is your ally and friend, which Pakistan is.”

Here is what Palin said, in [her interview with Charlie Gibson]:

"If there is legitimate and enough intelligence that tells us that a strike is imminent against American people, we have every right to defend our country. In fact, the president has the obligation, the duty to defend."

6. She's fighting a Holy War.

Palin knows she's been exposed as a zealot, trying to backtrack and discredit the messenger, then tries to shine a turd (or put lipstick on a pig, if you prefer), but still directly injects religious conflict into the discussion:

GIBSON: You said recently, in your old church, "Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God." Are we fighting a holy war?

PALIN: You know, I don't know if that was my exact quote.

GIBSON: Exact words.

PALIN: But the reference there is a repeat of Abraham Lincoln's words when he said -- first, he suggested never presume to know what God's will is, and I would never presume to know God's will or to speak God's words.

But what Abraham Lincoln had said, and that's a repeat in my comments, was let us not pray that God is on our side in a war or any other time, but let us pray that we are on God's side.

That's what that comment was all about, Charlie. And I do believe, though, that this war against extreme Islamic terrorists is the right thing. It's an unfortunate thing, because war is hell and I hate war, and, Charlie, today is the day that I send my first born, my son, my teenage son overseas with his Stryker brigade, 4,000 other wonderful American men and women, to fight for our country, for democracy, for our freedoms.

Charlie, those are freedoms that too many of us just take for granted. I hate war and I want to see war ended. We end war when we see victory, and we do see victory in sight in Iraq.

GIBSON: I take your point about Lincoln's words, but you went on and said, "There is a plan and it is God's plan."

PALIN: I believe that there is a plan for this world and that plan for this world is for good. I believe that there is great hope and great potential for every country to be able to live and be protected with inalienable rights that I believe are God-given, Charlie, and I believe that those are the rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

That, in my world view, is a grand -- the grand plan.

Finally, exposed and desperate, she desperately jumps for the nearest exit.

GIBSON: But then are you sending your son on a task that is from God?

PALIN: I don't know if the task is from God, Charlie.

You're Too Stupid To Know What You Mean

Now, I'm just sayin'...

"You're too stupid to know what you mean."

That’s what John McCain is - in effect - saying to people like me from Lebanon, Virginia.

This is personal for me. I grew up in Lebanon, Virginia. It’s a beautiful town in the Appalachian mountains full of honest, hard-working people. It’s an example of America’s greatness and promise – it is the kind of economic success story we as Americans want to see replicated across the country. Lebanon even got special mention in Mark Warner’s keynote address at the DNC for these very reasons.

As an American from Lebanon, Virginia, John McCain has pissed me off royally.

Barack Obama took the time to visit Lebanon on Tuesday, putting a small town in the national limelight like we’ve never known before. This was a very big deal for another reason as well. The common sentiment in southwest Virginia is "Virginia ends at Roanoke". The meaning here is that we're often forgotten by the rest of the state when budget time comes around and, as a region, we're neglected or marginalized nationally. We often feel forgotten - as many do in Appalachian America. And we endure demeaning epithets like "white trash", and "hillbilly" on a regular basis.

During Senator Obama's speech, he used an aphorism immediately familiar to rural Americans – “You can put lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig.” We know what that means. It means trying to present one thing as something better than it is. We grew up with that turn of phrase. We invented that turn of phrase. Hell, we own that turn of phrase.

To hear a man who could be our next president connecting with us, using familiar and identifiable language was exciting and it was wholly appreciated. The audience applauded and cheered.

So imagine my outrage when I hear John McCain and his spokespeople saying, “it’s not what you say, it’s how it’s perceived – the people in the Lebanon High School gym thought he was referring to Sarah Palin – “lipstick on a pig” is an inside-the-beltway term, they don’t know any better.”

Yes, sir, those poor, dumb hicks ain’t never heard of that fancy Washington pig 'n’ makeup gibberish.

That’s an insult to the intelligence of the people of Lebanon, Virginia and to rural America as a whole. Those in the audience understood what Senator Obama meant – he had just spent the last few minutes talking about John McCain presenting old policies in a new “change” wrapping. That’s putting lipstick on a pig. To say we don’t understand our own damn phrase proves to me that John McCain must think we’re stupid.

So as a demonstration to John McCain that yes, Senator, we know that expression and its proper use, I offer you this in closing:



I'm just sayin'...

Stealing the Bat

Now, I'm just sayin'...

Barack Obama in (my very own little hometown of) Lebanon, Virginia yesterday:

"John McCain says he's about change, too. And so, I guess his whole angle is, "watch out George Bush, except for economic policy health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy, and Karl Rove-style politics, we're really gonna shake things up in Washington." That's not change. That's just calling the same thing something different. But you know you can't.. you know, you can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig."

(side note: I'll give you $100 for every mention of Sarah Palin in that quote.)

Folks in Lebanon know what "lipstick on a pig" means. We're no strangers to colloquial aphorisms. Its use here is appropriate and accurate.

John McCain understands its use, too, having employed it in describing Hillary Clinton's health care plan on at least two occasions (one on youtube here). A senior advisor to his staff even wrote a book with the title: "Lipstick on a Pig".

Are any of these uses offensive or wrong? No. At least, not until Barack Obama said it. Now, the McCain campaign is all in a tizzy over the turn of phrase, calling it "offensive", "disgraceful", and a "smear" against Sarah Palin.

And our dear media - with 24-hour cable news networks eager to exaggerate, pontificate, and hyperventilate over anything with a whiff of imaginary controversy in order to generate viewership and ad revenue - swallowed the hook. The breathless conversation this morning now revolves around the question, "Is Obama a sexist?"

If there was ever an example of rank hypocrisy, cynicism, and pathetic, dishonorable political maneuvering, this is it.

And guess what Obama should do?

Wear the phrase as a badge of honor.

I say, use the "lipstick on a pig" aphorism and use it often. Use it proudly.

Regular folks get it. We in the South are no stranger to colloquial turns of phrase. And "lipstick on a pig" is one that resonates - it's pithy, it's memorable, and it's accurate.

This is one area where a traditionally Rovian tactic should be employed by the Obama camp - take a perceived weakness (the quote) and play it as a strength. Say it loud, say it proud, and repeat. "McCain's health care policy? It's George Bush's. It's more of the same. It's lipstick on a pig. McCain's tax policy? It's George Bush's. It's more of the same. It's lipstick on a pig. McCain's foreign policy? It's George Bush's. It's more of the same. It's lipstick on a pig."

If someone's trying to beat you over the head with a bat, you can take the beating, or you can hit back. But if you really want to win, you steal the bat and start swinging.

UPDATE: Obama isn't backing down. He's calling it as it is in Norfolk, VA this morning. Excerpts from speech:

"I love this Country too much to let them take over with lies, misdirection, and swift boating. These are serious times and they call for serious debate".

"Spare me the phony outrage, phony talk about change, we have real problems, we need real answers; not distractions, diversions and manipulations."

And from the article:

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is accusing John McCain's campaign of "lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics" in claiming he had made a sexist comment against vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Obama on Wednesday called the Republicans' criticism of his use of the phrase "lipstick on a pig" a "made-up controversy."

I'm just sayin'...

What's Your Obama Tax Cut?

This is just a fantastic tool. ObamaTaxCut.com

All results are from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.

Pass it on!

John McCain, Reformed Maverick

Why I love Joe Biden - Exhibit A

The Knockoff

Now, I'm just sayin'...

After watching the Redskins horribly mismanage the game clock in the last 5 or so minutes of their opener against the Giants (someone get Jim Zorn and his staff an abacus: down by 9, TD = 7, need *2* scores! How about a little urgency??), I flipped over to watch Sarah Palin's running mate give his speech.

Riveting his audience with all the energy and excitement of watching milk curdle, John McCain gave a vapid address that inspired most who heard it to fall into a coma.

We did learn something interesting about John McCain, though (other than the fact that he was a POW. Side note: why hasn't the POW stuff been mentioned before? It's a terrific story. TIC). Boy howdy, does he love change. Though he couldn't match Obama's 14 uses of "change", he talked about change no less than 10 times throughout the course of his speech. Changing tactics, changing tone, changing Washington, changing a dollar, changing babies, ch-ch-ch-ch-changin, change, change, changidy, change change. If you missed the speech, here's a breakdown of what we heard:

Change - 10 times
Country - 27
Fight - 25
Economy - 7
Iraq - 2
Laura Bush - 1
George Bush - 0
President Bush - 0
George - 0
Specific plans - 1ish ("Doubling the child tax exemption from $3500 to $7000 will improve the lives of millions of American families.")

So John wants change. Change is what we need. He is the change we need... boy, this is sounding familiar... and looking familiar:





Obama : Ipod :: McCain : Zune

I'm just sayin'...

GOP "Box Office Smash"

Now, I'm just sayin'...

Norah O'Donnel, reporting the Nielsen ratings on MSNBC, crowed today about how 37 million people watched Sarah Palin give Steve Schmidt's speech last night, compared to more than 40 million (a record) who watched Barack Obama's.

A cinematic analogy for you:

The House Bunny
Opening week revenues: $14.5 million

The Dark Knight
Revenues in its 5th week: $16.4 million

I'm just sayin'...

Hot, Steamy Hypocrisy

And, as a bonus, Roger Simon of Politico isn't taking this lying down:

On behalf of the media, I would like to say we are sorry.

On behalf of the elite media, I would like to say we are very sorry.

We have asked questions this week that we should never have asked.

We have asked pathetic questions like: Who is Sarah Palin? What is her record? Where does she stand on the issues? And is she is qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

We have asked mean questions like: How well did John McCain know her before he selected her? How well did his campaign vet her? And was she his first choice?

Bad questions. Bad media. Bad.

"For Such a Pretty Lady..."

Now, I'm just sayin'...

This will be relatively short, as one could write a book analyzing the lies (take your pick - Bridge to Nowhere, Obama's patriotism, etc) and polarizing tone of Steve Schmidt's VP acceptance speech delivered by Sarah Palin. On full display throughout the evening was a lineup of speakers hurling political criticism (which is fair) and personal attacks (which should have no place in political discourse) upon Barack Obama and his family. Also on display, however, was a clear difference between acting like an adult and acting like a child. A couple of points stand out to me.

Barack Obama, just days ago:

Let me be as clear as possible," Obama said. "I think people's families are off-limits, and people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as governor or her potential performance as a vice president.

Sarah Palin's response last night? Take a swipe at Michelle Obama:

[Small town people] love their country, in good times and bad, and they're always proud of America.

Sadly, that's only one example of the juvenile, virulent, and whiny attacks on Barack Obama and/or his family made by Sarah Palin in Steve Schmidt's speech.

On community organizers:

Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown.

And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.

I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities.

Now, ignoring the fact that Obama was a community organizer straight out of college and since has taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago, been a civil rights lawyer, been elected to the Illinois Senate, and elected to the United States Senate, it's really no surprise Sarah Palin doesn't know what a community organizer does seeing as she doesn't know what the Vice President of the United States does. Put simply, a community organizer is a hands-on citizen who helps create social change from the ground, up. In the words of David Plouffe:

Both Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin specifically mocked Barack's experience as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago more than two decades ago, where he worked with people who had lost jobs and been left behind when the local steel plants closed.

Let's clarify something for them right now.

Community organizing is how ordinary people respond to out-of-touch politicians and their failed policies.

And it's no surprise that, after eight years of George Bush, millions of people have found that by coming together in their local communities they can change the course of history. That promise is what our campaign has been about from the beginning.

Throughout our history, ordinary people have made good on America's promise by organizing for change from the bottom up. Community organizing is the foundation of the civil rights movement, the women's suffrage movement, labor rights, and the 40-hour workweek. And it's happening today in church basements and community centers and living rooms across America.

No name-calling. No disparagement of character. Once again, in spite of the onslaught from McCain, Schmidt, and Palin, Obama's campaign responds on-message with strength, focus, and maturity.

Spitballing is not leadership. Sarcasm doesn't inspire hope. And nastiness wears well on no one. As we say in the south, "for such a pretty lady, she's an ugly woman."

Stay classy, Sarah.

I'm just sayin'...

Sexism

Now, I'm just sayin'...

From the Washington Post, September 3, 2008

ST. PAUL -- Female Republicans embraced identity politics with gusto today, touting the virtues of presumptive vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and suggesting that any attempts to question her qualifications amounted to blatant sexism.

In a "hear me roar"-style press conference, a parade of elected officials and GOP operatives issued a lengthy defense of the Alaska governor's credentials, and former Massachusetts governor Jane Swift said Palin has been the target of "an outrageous smear campaign."

"She has taken on the corrupt special interests in Washington and Alaska. She has stood up for families and made a difference," Swift said. "She is more prepared than Barack Obama to be the president of the United States. ... The Republican Party will not stand by while Sarah Palin is subjected to sexist attacks."

Our own Sarah Palin, earlier this year:

During the primary Sarah Palin chided Hillary Clinton for complaining about sexism.

"She does herself a disservice to even mention it, really," Palin said. "When I hear a statement like that coming from a woman candidate with any kind of perceived whine about that excess criticism, or maybe a sharper microscope put on her, I think, 'Man, that doesn't do us any good, women in politics, or women in general, trying to progress this country,'" Palin said. "I don't think it bodes well for her."

I'm just sayin'...