9/30/2008
On the lighter side of life, I thought this post from JibJab.com was great. Enjoy!
Of course, yesterday, Speaker Pelosi went on a rant against the President and Republicans for a “do nothing” attitude which she claims led to the crisis. Well, the truth speaks for itself, and this video shows you in no uncertain terms where the problem began.
And please watch the video to the very end when you will see President Clinton, in a recent interview on ABC News, admit the problem resides with the Democrats who resisted efforts to tighten up on Freddie and Fannie. Don’t believe me? You can hear it all for yourself.
9/24/2008
Citing a need to return to Washington to take part in critical negotiations there related to the possible bailout of financial institutions, Senator McCain just announced that he’s suspending his campaign. My initial reaction is that he’s doing the right thing.
If “Country First,” means anything, then this is the only thing he could do. To put meaning behind his message, his campaign has even begun to pull campaign ads from the website!
Of course, Democrats don’t like it. Senator Reid released a statement saying:
While I appreciate that both candidates have signaled their willingness to help, Congress and the Administration have a process in place to reach a solution to this unprecedented financial crisis. I understand that the candidates are putting together a joint statement at Senator Obama’s suggestion. But it would not be helpful at this time to have them come back during these negotiations and risk injecting presidential politics into this process or distract important talks about the future of our nation’s economy. If that changes, we will call upon them. We need leadership; not a campaign photo op. If there were ever a time for both candidates to hold a debate before the American people about this serious challenge, it is now.
So Senator McCain is returning to Washington for a campaign photo op? You know, I’m not sure Senator Reid would know leadership if it fell out of the sky and knocked the few remaining hairs off his head.
What Senator McCain understands, is that the decisions made in Washington over the next several days will play a huge role in defining the next presidency. Only a fool would under estimate what is going on right now and, while Senator McCain is many things, he’s no fool.
The Washington Post and ABC News released poll results today showing Senator Obama ahead by 9 points. Is this an outlier or the current state of the presidential campaign?
My gut tells me that right now, while a bit high, these results are probably more true than false. Senator McCain and Governor Palin have been relentlessly attacked by the media in the past two weeks. Attacks have ranged from substantial to the very petty.
Meanwhile, there have been very few in-depth looks at the Obama Campaign. The fact that Senator Biden has several times contradicted Senator Obama, even speaking out against one of Obama’s attack ads. The fact that Senator Obama has received over $100,000 in donations from Freddie and Fannie, etc.
As usual, the media standard for Democratic candidates is different. Not only does the Obama Campaign have substantial resources for their own ads, but it seems to me, the full force of the mainstream media is now deployed on behalf of the Obama Campaign.
A case in point is Campbell Brown’s silly rant today that Senator McCain is guilty of sexism for, of all things, not allowing the media to hound Governor Palin while she is out campaigning for and with Senator McCain. Granted, Senator Biden talks to the press a bit more, but Senator Obama himself does not give the media all that much access for questions. Both campaigns are controlling media access right now because the race is close and no one wants an accidental slip that would generate negative media buzz.
But in terms of sexist behavior, why not mention all the sexist questions regarding Governor Palin’s “fitness” for the office of VP because she’s a Mom? And why not mention the hateful statements that have been directed at Govenor Palin, such as the comment from Sandra Bernard that she’d better not show up in Manhattan lest she be raped by some of her “Black brothers.” The Washington Post actually wrote a favorable review of Bernard’s performance!
The thing to remember here is that, despite the clear momentum the Obama Campaign has gained recently, this race is far from over. Momentum has shifted back and forth and it will continue to do so.
On Friday, Senator’s McCain and Obama will have their first official debate. There are still many who consider themselves undecided and many who could be persuaded. This debate is hugely important for both campaigns.
9/22/2008
Senator Obama has been lately attacking Senator McCain on his lack of leadership when it comes to reform in Washington. But that’s just partisan politics. Obama knows that McCain is one of the most consistent voices for reform in Washington. Don’t believe me? Well, you don’t have to believe me, you can hear it from Senator Obama Himself.
9/21/2008
James Taranto on Friday pointed out the irony and humor of the latest Obama ad, which “highlights the closure of Corning Inc.’s plant in State College, Pa., and accuses Washington with Sen. John McCain’s help of selling out the workers.” Now, while it is sad that a Corning plant is closing, the fact that Obama would use THIS particular plant for his ad tells me yet again how little time his army of staff members takes to research their material before putting it on air for Americans to view.
What did this Corning plant manufacture? “Glass tubes for television sets and computer monitors.”So, Corning closed a plant that manufactured glass tubes in the new age of LCD and plasma. Unfortunately, they were probably not able to retool that plant to do other things, but blaming Washington and Senator McCain for this?
I have an idea for Senator Obama’s next ad. He should blame Washington and Senator McCain for the iPhone! After all, that utilizes that new-fangled LCD technology which helped close the corning plant AND it’s likely that this kind of technology is eventually going to cause some paper plants to close! The horror…. The horror!
One other quick thought here. What would Senator Obama do to prevent the closure and sale of a plant (all the equipment was shipped off to china) overseas; even some other plant manufacturing relevant materials? I’ve heard that his plan is to “get rid of tax breaks for companies which move overseas.”
But the corning plant wasn’t moving their plant overseas. Rather, they found a Chinese firm that was willing to buy their old equipment, so sold it to make some additional profit. But how can you force companies to stay here in the US?
What McCain has proposed, which makes sense to me, is to give tax breaks for companies who open up plants here in the US. You do that in a very simple way, lower the corporate tax rate from the current rate of 35%, which is the second highest corporate rate in the world, and make it competitive with the world market. Say about 20% or 25%.
Senator Obama doesn’t like this because it means that Washington might take less in on taxes. But it also means, in the long run, more jobs here in the US. American workers are some of the most productive in the world. We work longer hours, and get more done than the most other nations.
So, with a competitive corporate tax rate and a highly productive and plentiful work force, why wouldn’t companies want to move their plants here? So, should we follow Obama’s idea of creating an “Iron Economic Curtain,” or should we tell the world instead that we are open for business?
I know which strategy I prefer!
9/18/2008
The AP is reporting today that “Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said Thursday that paying more in taxes is the patriotic thing to do for wealthier Americans.” Biden went on to say that “we want to take money and put it back in the pocket of middle-class people.”
So, Obama and Biden want to “take money” from one group and “put it back in the pocket” of others. It’s beautiful in its simplicity.
I have to admit being confused by this reasoning. I would be one of those middle-class people that supposedly would get a tax cut, but wouldn’t it COST money to take money from one group and then give it to another? I think what Biden is expressing is the thought that tax hikes on the wealthy will offset the cost of tax breaks for the middle-class.
But I’m not sure how this helps anyone. Why not just cut middle-class taxes and leave those who earn $250,000 or more alone? The top 3% of this country already pay 70% of all taxes, and the top 50% of wage earners pay a whopping 97% of all taxes. This is a system which is already far too top-heavy.
Instead of Democrats insisting that Americans must sacrifice for the government, perhaps the government should sacrifice for America. Perhaps Obama should scale back on his desire to fund every kind of social program you can imagine, including social programs in other countries, and just do better with less.
Just a thought.
9/16/2008
Ever heard the saying, “do as I say, not as I do”? Most everyone has.
The perfect illustration of this addage comes from the left, which endlessly preaches tolerance while endlessly practicing intolerance.
We must be tolerant to all human beings, unless they are conservative, or Christian, or Rebublican.
If you’re an accomplished person of color, then the left celebrates you. As long as you’re also a Democrat. If you’re Colin Powell or Condolleeza Rice, you’re a “house slave,” a token black, an “Uncle Tom,” a traitor.
If You’re an accomplished woman, wonderful! Unless you’re a Republican, in which case you’re a fraud, an ignorant hick, or a mindless puppet.
If you happen to be a white male and a Republican, then you’re the worst sort of human trash. You’re the oppressor, the source of all the world’s ills.
Now, if you think I’m exaggerating on any of this, look long and hard at the photo I’ve posted here. This is a photo from Jill Greenberg, who was actually paid by The Atlantic to do a photo shoot of John McCain for it’s latest edition. Unknown to Senator McCain, Greenberg took photos of McCain in as many unflattering ways as she could.
Not being content with this, she also took several pictures and altered them, adding messages to the pictures such as, “I’m a bloodthirsty warmongerer.” As you can see, Miss Greenberg knows how to use Photoshop, but she needs to work on her spelling.
Miss Greenberg also put up several other photos on her site with horrible messages on some of them. I won’t repeat them because they’re too vile to repeat.
Now, many will say that this whole incident is an anomaly. It’s not.
This is the way the radical left lives, thinks, feels, and responds to anything or anyone who is different. Their view of the world is the only view. If you dare to disagree, you’ll be made to pay.
Ms. Greenberg’s sickness is nothing new. Just days ago, South Carolina Democratic chairwoman Carol Fowler told the press that Governor Palin’s “primary qualification seems to be that she hasn’t had an abortion.”
Carol Fowler is the wife of Don Fowler, the former DNC chair who was recently video-taped by a fellow airline passenger chuckling at the thought of Hurricane Gustav disrupting the GOP convention. “That just demonstrates God’s on our side,” he is overheard saying on the video.
Both the Fowlers apologized later for their remarks. They do make the perfect couple don’t they? And their name fits them perfectly too!
Liberals loathe conservatives. This photo is a window, not to the soul of John McCain, but to the soul of liberals. This is how they see anyone with whom they disagree. You are for them or you are against them. And God help you if you’re against them.
9/15/2008
There’s an article link on Drudge to the Financial Times, a magazine that I enjoy reading. The FT notes in the article that Obama supporters are ready for a fight. Which is about what you would expect of a campaign for President.
What I thought was most interesting about the Drudge link though was this picture. Doesn’t Senator Obama look a tad like “Big Brother,” from Orwell’s book, “1984″? Sorry, but that is just eery.
Can you think of a single campaign EVER that did this kind of thing?
9/14/2008
Nancy Kallitechnis, a supporter of Senator Clinton’s primary bid and member of a pro-Hillary forum site called HillaryClintonForum.net recently compared the questions asked of Governor Palin in her interview with Charlie Gibson to questions asked of Senator Obama by Gibson after he had clinched the Democratic nomination. It’s an elightening review:
Even the camera angle was designed to be prejudiced against Palin. She is filmed from the side and slightly with her back to the camera. Although there are close ups of her face the long shot shows her back to the camera. It seems filming her with her back to the camera was meant to make her appear less likeable. In contrast, the film crew placed the long shot camera facing Obama so at all times when he is speaking the camera looks him in the face rather than looking at his back.
And Obama was asked much easier questions mostly about feelings about winning, breaking the glass ceiling and 2008 campaign decisions. In contrast, Palin was asked numerous specific policy and military strategy questions that required extensive knowledge about treaties, U.S. anti-terrorism strategy and world history. And Gibson misquoted Palin falsely stating that she said our troops were in an alleged holy war when what she said was that she prayed that we were doing God’s will. The following is a breakdown of the questions asked of the nominees:
Obama interview:
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=5000184How does it feel to break a glass ceiling?
How does it feel to “win”?
How does your family feel about your “winning” breaking a glass ceiling?
Who will be your VP?
Should you choose Hillary Clinton as VP?
Will you accept public finance?
What issues is your campaign about?
Will you visit Iraq?
Will you debate McCain at a town hall?
What did you think of your competitor’s [Clinton] speech?Palin interview:
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09…with-abc-news/Do you have enough qualifications for the job you’re seeking? Specifically have you visited foreign countries and met foreign leaders?
Aren’t you conceited to be seeking this high level job?
Questions about foreign policy
-territorial integrity of Georgia
-allowing Georgia and Ukraine to be members of NATO
-NATO treaty
-Iranian nuclear threat
-what to do if Israel attacks Iran
-Al Qaeda motivations
-the Bush Doctrine
-attacking terrorists harbored by Pakistan
Is America fighting a holy war? [misquoted Palin]There’s no doubt the Charles Gibson interviews showed extreme prejudice against Palin and extreme favoritism towards Obama. His manner towards Palin was much more negative. He asked her much more difficult questions and the questions were more adversarial. He constantly questioned her ability to lead but never questioned Obama’s ability to lead, all the more amazing considering that Palin was the only one with executive experience and the presidency is the highest level executive job in politics. The camera angles always focused on Obama’s face when he was talking making him the center of attention yet during Palin’s interview the angle often focused on her back apparently for the purpose of lessening the impact of her presence.
Part of the difference in the line of questioning might be the fact that Palin agreed to an open interview. She allowed Gibson to ask any questions he wanted. The Obama Campaign, however, might have screened Gibson’s questions before-hand and indicated which he was willing to answer. I would love to know for sure if this were the case with the Obama interview; wouldn’t you?
Personally, I don’t think Gibson was over the top in any way, but at times, when he’s sitting with Governor Palin, spectacles half-way down his nose and a sheet of paper on his lap, it looks as if he’s personally conducting a job interview. I’m not sure voters in general trust the media enough these days to trust in their objectivity. Voters will watch the interview and judge for themselves.
Finally, in regards to Palin’s supposed confusion on the “Bush Doctrine,” that’s actually a good thing in my book. If Palin had been intimately acquainted with that doctrine, it would have been used against her by the Obama Campaign. They would have run an ad with it and called her “more of the same,” as they tried to do on the day she was nominated.
9/13/2008
McCain gets emotional at the mention of military families needing food stamps or veterans lacking health care. The outrage comes from inside: McCain’s severe war injuries prevent him from combing his hair, typing on a keyboard, or tying his shoes. Friends marvel at McCain’s encyclopedic knowledge of sports. He’s an avid fan - Ted Williams is his hero - but he can’t raise his arm above his shoulder to throw a baseball.
So, to all those high-paid Obama staffers, and Senator Obama himself, I have a message. Obviously you can use computers, and Blackberries, and all the cool toys most of us use these days. Perhaps, though, before mocking a disabled veteran, you should learn to use your brains.
Just a thought!
9/12/2008
whoopi slavery
by dollarsandsense123
So, while McCain was explaining this position, Whoopie asked the question, “should I be worried about being a slave, about being returned to slavery?” Now, Whoopie is a very smart person, she has to know the difference between the issue of slavery and the issue of abortion; right?
The issue of slavery, and human rights in general, was addressed in a series of constitutional amendments decided at the federal level. Unfortunately, it was also decided in large part with a war between the states, where over 600,000 Americans died to finally rid the country of this evil practice.
The practice of slavery and, later equal rights for all, came from amendments that extended rights to all US citizens at all points in life. In 1973 at the time of the Roe v. Wade decision, about 35 states had abortion laws on their books to regulate the practice, but the decision which came from the US Supreme Court was decided in such a way that the court was acting as a legislative body.
To allow the judical branch to overstep it’s authority and act in a legislative manner is a threat to any democracy. What conservatives want to see is a restoration of the boundaries between the branches, and the only way to do that is to appoint judges who understand their role in the democratic process.
Of course, many disagree on this issue, but that’s the argument in a nutshell. What Whoopie was doing, unfortunately was trying to hit Senator McCain with a “gotcha,” which is unfortunate.
Such is life in the world of liberal media.
9/10/2008
ABC News is reporting tonight that Senator Biden, Obama’s running mate, told an audience that Senator Clinton might have been a better pick for the VP slot:
At a rally in Nashua, N.H., a man in the audience told Biden how glad he was that Obama picked him over Hillary, “not because she’s a woman, but because, look at the things she did in the past.”
“Make no mistake about this,” Biden responded. “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Let’s get that straight. She’s a truly close personal friend, she is qualified to be president of the United States of America, she’s easily qualified to be vice president of the United States of America, and quite frankly, it might have been a better pick than me. But she’s first rate, I mean that sincerely, she’s first rate, so let’s get that straight.”
You can expect Biden to modify this statement right away to say that he was only defending a senate colleague. And that might actually be the case. Certainly, Senator Biden is well liked by his Democratic colleagues and there’s no reason to think the feeling isn’t mutual.
That said, you know this will be fodder for the next couple of days at least. Expect at least one ad from the McCain Campaign highlighting this quote.
This quote will hurt Senator Obama, mainly because it will underscore to Senator Clinton’s die-hard supporters that Senator Obama went against all common sense (from their point of view) to pass over Clinton without at least giving her some consideration. I happen to believe Senator Clinton’s supporters are exactly right.
So Biden’s quote will just anger them all the more and, while they might not vote for McCain/Palin in November, they might not vote for Senator Obama either.
Over at Power Line Blog, a site which I visit almost daily, Scott Johnson speculates that perhaps “Obama’s inability to resist doing battle with Palin has something to do with dismay over the emergence of a rival false prophet.” Has Governor Palin ever presented herself in this manner to the electorate? Has the McCain campaign?
The answer is definitely in the negative. While Palin was well received by voters in general and Republicans in particular, it was based on the same “new but promising” record that Obama has been touting for over four years. It was the Obama Campaign that prepared the way for the Palin pick by declaring a need for a new face in Washington.
During Senator Obama’s acceptance speech he reinforced this message yet again by telling 38 million Americans that “change will not come from Washington, it must be brought to Washington.” Americans, taking such messages to heart, then welcomed Governor Palin, a middle-class Mom with the same kind of charisma and charm (and a better sense of humor) as Senator Obama.
So, Obama has no one but himself to blame for the situation he finds himself in today. After the senator had secured the Democratic nomination, he decided to pass over Senator Clinton and go with the “safe” choice of Joe Biden, a Washington insider if ever there was one. I’m sure it seemed like the right choice at the time.
But Senator McCain changed the game in a brilliant move, and the Obama Campaign reacted to that move in an undisciplined series of rants that gave the McCain-Palin ticket an even greater boost. Now liberals in the media and in the blogosphere seem to be throwing up a unified shout of “no fair!”
But it’s not just an Obama meltdown, there’s a liberal meltdown in progress. And as Americans observe over-the-top rants from people like Leon Wieseltier of the New Republic who recently commented that “these are not the times for right-wing screwball.” He goes on to say “the world is aflame and we have been pondering the knocked-up daughter of a pert and uncannily confident Alaskan mediocrity who was elevated to a national ticket for the purpose of changing the conversation.”
Is this how liberals win voters and influence the electorate? I think not.
The reason for the Obama meltdown is simple. You see, the introduction of Governor Palin to the Mcain ticket is not about bringing forth a new “false prophet” to challenge an old one. Instead, it’s about bringing a regular person to the ticket who can show Americans that Senator Obama is nothing “new,” “fresh,” or even “special.” It’s a continuation of the argument that McCain has been making all along; that Senator Obama, for all his charisma, is woefully unprepared to lead the greatest nation on Earth.
Ben Smith’s blog on Politico today quoted a recent remark by Senator Obama, who paused to criticize the media for headlining his use of the phrase “lipstick on a pig.” Here is an excerpt from Smith’s blog:
“See, it would be funny, but the news media decided that would be the lead story yesterday. This happens every election cycle. Every four years, this is what we do. This is what they want to spend two of the last 55 days talking about…Enough!” he said.
Is Senator Obama really telling the media “enough”? I’m sorry, but I don’t think anyone gets to tell the media what to do. I’ll agree that sometimes too much is made of silly things, but that is life in the fast-paced world of politics.
Certainly, the Obama Campaign has done everything in its power to use innocent statements made by McCain to generate headlines. The most recent example was McCain’s light-hearted joke about the definition of rich. McCain was asked by Rick Warren to “define rich” when it came to how taxes ought to be applied in this country. McCain first replied that he was not interested in taxing anyone; rather, his goal was for everyone to become rich.
When pressed, McCain jokingly said, “how about five million.” Everyone chuckled in the audience and then McCain, realizing that his joke would likely be taken out of context followed up by saying, “I’m sure that comment will be distorted.” And, of course, it was. In fact, Obama began using the line on the campaign trail as if it were a completely serious statement, and even released an ad using the quote.
So, was Senator Obama’s quote regarding McCain’s policy positions being “lipstick on a pig” off limits? Why would it be? Senator Obama has already demonstrated that nothing is off limits in this campaign.
The McCain campaign, hearing the quote and another similar quote from another Democrat made an issue of it, partly because of the way Senator Obama’s audience reacted to the statement, which was hoots of derisive laughter. Senator Obama may not have meant the comment to refer to Governor Palin, but his audience did make the connection, which is more than enough reason to make political fodder of the remark.
It was Senator Obama who reminded us months ago that “words matter.” He seems to have forgotten this in the heat of the campaign, with momentum so clearly in the McCain camp right now.
Which brings me back to my original question; is Senator Obama losing his cool? He hasn’t hesitated to accuse Senator McCain of being hot-headed, but Obama seems to be displaying a bit of his own temper these days.
For Obama, the pressure is really on. His fundraising efforts are suffering a bit right now, the polls show the Republican Convention was a greater success than was the Democratic Convention, and McCain’s pick of Governor Palin to be his running mate has turned the race upside down.
This, of course, shows you how Senator McCain has used his age and experience to advantage. When Senator Obama went on his world tour and tried to leverage his celebrity to gain in the polls, Senator McCain used that very celebrity to sow doubts about Obama’s ability to lead. Though outspent by the Obama Campaign, the McCain Campaign managed to release a series of ads that generate enough buzz to give them a far broader circulation and, thus, increase their effectiveness.
Finally, when Senator Obama went for the safe choice of Biden, passing over a sure win that Senator Clinton would have given him. Senator McCain was able to take Obama’s “safe choice” and turn it into a disaster. And it’s a disaster for two reasons.
First, adding Senator Clinton to the ticket would have made it impossible for the Palin to have changed the dynamics of the race as it has in the past two weeks. Secondly, Obama would have Senator Clinton’s council on how to run against Republicans. Let’s not forget that running against Republicans is something that Senator Clinton has been doing for a couple of decades now, with an impressive list of successes to her name!
Now Obama is running against both Senator McCain and Governor Palin, which is a race that obviously has him flustered. His other worry has to be how the upcoming debates will go. Senator McCain has an inherent advantage over Obama when it comes to such debates, as he demonstrated recently during the Saddleback debate.
If Senator Obama turns in another halting, tentative performance, he may well be done. Will he? I doubt it, but if I were an Obama adviser, I’d be nervous. Senator Obama will have to be ready for these, but can he get himself ready with the need to conduct so many fund-raisers as well as campaign stops?
Senator Obama’s outburst may not be the last we see in the next 8 weeks.
9/9/2008
One of the first things Governor Palin told America about herself when she accepted Senator McCain’s invitation to become his running mate was that she had “told the Congress ‘thanks, but no thanks,’ for that Bridge to Nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge,” Palin went on to say, “we’d build it ourselves.”
This claim also happened to be one of the first lines of attack that liberals rolled out against Palin within days of her selection by McCain. Their claim? That Governor Palin had actually been for the bridge all along, and only came out against it in these past couple of weeks because it sounded good to many Americans.
Well, James Taranto of the WSJ’s Best of The Web Today column unearthed this quote from an AP column published in the New York Times last September:
Gov. Sarah Palin ordered state transportation officials to abandon the ”bridge to nowhere” project that became a nationwide symbol of federal pork-barrel spending. The $398 million bridge would have connected Ketchikan, on one island in southeastern Alaska, to its airport on another nearby island. ”Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport,” Ms. Palin, a Republican, said in a news release, ”but the $398 million bridge is not the answer.” She directed the State Transportation Department to find the most ”fiscally responsible” alternative for access to the airport.
Is this not clear enough? Regardless of the fact that even the mainstream press has shown that Governor Palin is telling the truth, there’s no doubt that the Obama Campaign will continue to push the rumors, and the nutroots will no doubt enjoy adding many more silly rumors to the ones already floating across the Internet.
And this will continue to help Governor Palin, as all the previous attacks have done. It will help the McCain/Palin ticket as moderates recoil from such vile behavior, and it will help their ticket with women who will object to Governor Palin being treated this way because she happens to be a woman.
And the worst part of this for Senator Obama is that it’s beyond his control at this point. It seems to be a visceral reaction from the angry left, about as controlled as an exploding volcano. And from that exploding volcano will flee the same women and moderates that the Obama Campaign has tried so hard to court.
Think I’m exaggerating here? Well, here’s a telling quote Cary Tennis, an advice columnist from left-learning Salon:
I need help. I just finished watching one of the most horrifying V.P. speeches in my life. My husband and I were sitting here watching the RNC so we could get some insight on who this chick is that McCain selected. As the night progressed our attitudes started to change. We were both on edge and snapping at every little thing the other did. From typing too loud on the laptop to repeating a comment made in a speech. We were at each other’s throats. And all because of the spewing hatred that came from Romney, Giuliani and Palin. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? And why are sane people voting for them?!
Seriously, I cannot even stomach being around someone who claims to be a Republican. Before, I just avoided conversations with people who were of that ilk. But now … NOW … I want to beat some ever-loving sense into their thick stupid racist greedy selfish HEADS!
Oh yeah, that’s going to attract lots of votes for Senator Obama!
ABC News is reporting that a survey of 22 countries by GlobeScan is showing a decisive preference for Senator Obama as president. My thinking is that, if these 22 nations would like Obama as president, they can have him. For their nations of course.
Americans, however, will decide who they would like as president in November. And Americans may indeed decide that they want Obama to be our next president, however, why does it matter what any other nation thinks? Not that those nations aren’t important, they are. But foreign opinion polls for elections in this country are mostly irrelevant, don’t you think?
Meanwhile, John Fund of the WSJ is reporting that “Democrats have airdropped a mini-army of 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers into Anchorage, the state capital Juneau and Mrs. Palin’s hometown of Wasilla to dig into her record and background.” This seems rather desperate and misguided for two reasons.
First of all, Senator Obama seems to be perpetuating the mistake of running against Governor Palin. Is Palin really Senator Obama’s principal worry?
Secondly, attacks against Palin have already backfired miserably. There’s good reason to think that even a real Palin scandal might do as much damage to the Obama Campaign — which is so transparently hoping to undermine her historic nomination — as it might to the McCain Campaign.
Palin is a problem from Obama, but she’s more of a problem because Senator Obama has so forthrightly made her candidacy a central issue, and because liberals have so obsessed over her. They are spending so much time trying to figure out how to handle Governor Palin, it seems they’ve forgotten that they have an even bigger challenge in the form of Senator McCain.
The Obama Campaign has, I believe, come to understand how monumental a mistake it was to pass over Senator Clinton when choosing a running mate.
Here’s a very good article from Kirsten Powers of the NY Post. She’s exactly right when she points out how Senator Obama blew it big time with Governor Palin.
His campaign in general, and liberals in particular went balistic over Senator McCain’s choice of Palin for the VP slot on his ticket. Even some mainstream Republicans wondered at the choice.
Meanwhile, conservatives like myself, who have been watching Palin with intense interest for two years now were thrilled by McCain’s choice. Palin is the future of the conservative movement in this country, along with other governors such as Pawlenty and Jindal. But in my mind, Palin was the best pick of all.
On September 2nd, I made an important point in one of my posts that only now most in the mainstream press are picking up on. Here is what I said at the time:
Senator Obama is being asked by the media to compare his experience to Governor Palin’s. Even worse than answering this question is the fact that Senator Obama doesn’t even mention her experience as governor at all. Instead, Senator Obama talks about Governor Palin’s mayoral experience, which is the worst possible thing that Obama could do, as you’ll learn in a few moments.
My main point in this post was that it was a huge tactical error for Senator Obama to begin answering questions comparing his experience to Governor Palin’s. For some reason, the mainstream media wanted to show the world that Obama was the better candidate, but it’s irrelevant, because Senator Obama is not a VP candidate.
Senator Obama’s response from the start should have been, “well, compared with Senator Biden, who is my Vice Presidential pick, there is no comparison because…” He should have refused those comparisons. Instead, he embraced them, which lowered his status in the eyes of voters.
Finally, let me point out another new article in the Financial Times which is also on-point in regards to the way Democrats in general and the Obama Campaign in particular must behave towards the vast majority of Americans in this country:
Democrats speak up for the less prosperous; they have well-intentioned policies to help them; they are disturbed by inequality, and want to do something about it. Their concern is real and admirable. The trouble is, they lack respect for the objects of their solicitude. Their sympathy comes mixed with disdain, and even contempt.
This past Sunday on Meet The Press, Senator Biden was interviewed at length by Tom Brokaw. I thought Biden did a pretty good job. He was warm, confident, and answered questions well overall. At one point, however, he critiqued Governor Palin by reminding viewers that she never mentioned “the middle class” in her speech at the Republican National Convention.
Well, guess what senator? She didn’t mention the middle class because she IS the middle class. She didn’t have to mention her pro-life stance either because it was obvious from the first moment you met her family. She lives in the same universe that most Americans live in, which is her bond, not just with women, but with Americans.
Senator Biden’s remark simply reminds Americans that he is not middle class and never has been. Governor Palin does not “symbolize” or “represent” middle class smarts and values, she IS all those things. That is why the word “authentic” perfectly corresponds with the country’s view of Palin.
If leaders in the Obama Campaign have any sense, they’ll learn these lessons; and take them to heart!
Newsweek has an article today debunking many of the internet rumors that have been flying around regarding Governor Palin. It was republished from Factcheck.org, which is a reliably bi-partisan source of information. Some of the rumors debunked include:
Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in by 62 percent. She didn’t cut it at all. In fact, she tripled per-pupil funding over just three years.
She did not demand that books be banned from the library. Some of the books on a widely circulated list were not even in print at the time. The librarian has said Palin asked a “What if?” question, but the librarian continued in her job through most of Palin’s first term.
She was never a member of the , a group that wants Alaskans to vote on whether they wish to secede from the United States. She’s been registered as a Republican since May 1982.
Palin never endorsed or supported for president. She once wore a Buchanan button as a “courtesty” when he visited Wasilla, but shortly afterward she was appointed to co-chair of the campaign of Steve Forbes in the state.
Palin has not pushed for teaching in Alaska’s schools. She has said that students should be allowed to “debate both sides” of the evolution question, but she also said creationism “doesn’t have to be part of the curriculum.”
Now, in regards to the renewed debate over whether Senator Obama is a “secret Muslim,” I don’t believe it for a second. While I adamantly want McCain to win in November, neither do I want to see false rumors spread about Senator Obama.
Think of Senator Obama after his acceptance speech. He was with his wife and two girls and they looked great together. It was a proud moment for all Americans. Senator McCain, class act that he is, posted a campaign ad rightly congratulating the Senator for this great accomplishment.
Then, of course, Senator McCain made some history of his own when he asked Governor Palin to join his ticket.
One final note regarding Senator Obama. My wife and I have two girls who are roughly the same age as the Obamas’ girls, so I very much identify with them as a family. I just don’t identify with Senator Obama on the issues. And there is a world of difference on the issues. Senator Obama has promised to raise taxes, and he’ll do so in two ways.
First, he’ll allow the Bush tax cuts to expire. That alone will amount to the single biggest tax increase in American history. Millions at lower income levels who currently do not have to pay taxes will have to pay them again. On top of that, Obama has promised to raise taxes even further on others.
Yes, he’s promised to lower taxes for some, but he could do that simply by making the Bush tax cuts permanent! So why not start there?
My point here is simple, Obama loses on the issues because Americans don’t want higher taxes. We also don’t want another eight years of hyper-partisan bickering and rampant conspiracy rumors about our elected officials. I don’t want to hear that either Obama or McCain is the anti-christ. I don’t want to hear that anyone is a secret this, or a secret that.
I want to hear where they stand on the issues and what they will do to move America forward.
Nuff said.
9/8/2008
British comedian Russell Brand, the host of the recently aired MTV awards, has decided to make a name for himself. During the awards ceremony, he explained to guests and viewers that they must vote for Barack Obama and labeled the president a “retarded cowboy.”
Looking at his photo, I wonder where this guy gets off calling anyone by any name. Brand looks like he took fashion lessons from Chris Tucker’s character, “Ruby Rhod,” in the movie The Fifth Element! Perhaps we should call this guy “Off Brand.”
This is nothing new, really. Just another idiot hoping that he can shock enough people to win his 15 minutes of fame.
Brand was quoted later in the show saying that, “My persona doesn’t really work without fame. Without fame, this haircut could be mistaken for mental illness.” Personally, I think that, with or without fame, mental illness is a fair description of what I see.
